Can the O’s Get Back to Winning Ways?
Reflecting on last week, it ranks as one of the strangest of Orioles baseball in memory. Everything seemed to be going right on the previous homestand, punctuated by some quality baseball and the debut of Matt Wieters (speaking of: you’ll get a good laugh out of this).
Then they ran full-speed into a Justin Verlander-Edwin Jackson brick wall, and the bottom completely dropped out.
No need to recount the brutality that was the west coast swing. Better to let those wild nights recede into that corner of our memory reserved for low-grade trauma and trips to the MVA.
Suffice to say, it’s time for a renewal.
I feel good about it, too, with Brad Bergesen on the hill. Whether or not the bats will wake up to Jason Vargas, though, is hard to say. Nobody has enough of a track record against him to suggest much of a trend, although it is nice to see that Huff has two hits in three at-bats against the lefty.
Looking ahead, we’ll get to see old friend Garrett Olson on Thursday.
All of that and the MLB Draft is this evening. Does this confluence awake the sleeping giant that is the TLC comment section?
(photo via)
Anybody else watching the Rule 4 draft with me?
So far, no surprises: Strasburg-Ackley
Padre’s take Tate, no surprise, but can Selig look any more like a Shyster than he does?
Jesus.
BA has been perfect so far – they have the O’s taking Matt Hobgood (who, honestly, wasn’t on my charts at all…so if he goes to Baltimore, I’ll be sure to let you all know who he is and why he’s an Oriole)
The Orioles are on the clock with these guys still on the board:
Turner, Green, Crow, Matzek, Hobgood, Wheeler
So Baltimore should get whoever it wants (they weren’t interested in either Tate or Sanchez, and they knew that Strasburg and Ackley would be gone)
And it’s Hobgood!
You have to have faith in Joe Jordan and his staff at this point in time, even if it might seem like an overdraft.
It will be a while until the O’s pick again, so I’ll stop bugging you for now, and be back in a while with “Who the heck is Matt Hobgood”.
This is the first time I’m hearing of Matt Hobgood. I’m very frightened.
@Greg – Don’t be.
So, Who the heck is Matthew Hobgood?
A big, tall, athletic power high school pitcher (and power hitter) from California who is certainly a first round talent (although perhaps not top ten).
Here’s what’s good about this pick:
He has great stuff, especially the fastball (90-95) and an above-average curve, slider, and change. He has mechanics that are better than normal for high schoolers and tons of raw power behind those fastballs. He’s also going to sign relatively quickly (and cheaply).
Here’s what isn’t so good about this pick:
Hobgood is a big guy who doesn’t have a lot of projection left in his body (he’s 6′4″, 245 pounds), and he’s a high schooler with command issues, so he has a lot of injury and ineffectiveness risks ahead of him, and he won’t move fast through the system. Also he IS a cheap option that everybody (except the Orioles) had well below more expensive options like Wheeler, Matzek, and Turner (not to mention Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers, who are both falling…falling…falling…), and it bothers me that signability was probably a determining factor on draft day. A lot.
But, the draft is not over, and let’s see what else happens. A lot of those guys who are falling may still be around when the O’s pick again in the 2nd round.
Same here, Greg. I kind of became a fan, though, after reading this article:
“As soon as we scored a run, I smelled blood and wanted to finish,” says Hobgood, who throws a mid-90s fastball, a nasty 12-to-6 curveball and a changeup.
Seems like a good pick.
I’m starting to really like Bergesen, especially given the confines of Camden Yards. That kind of sinker is really growing on me…as long as he doesn’t walk anybody.
If anyone is watching MLB Network’s coverage of the draft, stop it. It is terrible. Absolutely horrible. I’m not kidding, it’s like the worst thing ever.
Bud Selig comes out with a cue card that he is obviously having a tough time reading and speaks very slowly:
“With…the..uh..fifth pick in the…first…round of the 2009…draft…the……..Baltimore…Orioles select………..Matthew…Hobgood, pitcher…”
I know what he is saying is true – it’s on a card right in front of him, but I just don’t believe anything that is coming from his fugly face.
Add in the fact that the coverage is basically hearing a pick and then the four analysts saying “GREAT PICK!!!!!” for 4 minutes while they wait for the next pick.
On the plus side, Tyler Matzek looked more than a little like a giant douchebag, already using his Oregon scholarship as leverage during an interview 2 minutes after he was drafted.
Orioles picked another high school righty named Mychal Givens in the second round. Couldn’t tell you anything about him right now.
I’m gonna be honest, Stanley Cup Finals game 6 is taking precedence for me right now. But from my check-ins on the O’s and from looking at the box score, I’m kind of blown away by Bergesen. Dig this line:
97 pitches and 73 strikes
8 innings, 5 hits, 6 K, 0BB
That, my friends, is just about as good as you’ll get from anybody. Not saying Bergesen is the second coming of Halladay or any such nonsense, just saying that he’s showing me something.
And I like what I saw from Reimold and Wieters, who both went 2 for 3. Nolan’s now hitting a comely .295.
Meanwhile, last week’s swOOn really killed the commenting momentum around here. Damn it.
(Peeks out from behind anti-commenting rock)
Bergesen’s outing to me is really impressive given that Seattle just saw him five days ago.
Instead of Seattle figuring him out, he figured them out.
And, may I say, I heart Nolan Reimold?
I think Bergesen might be the second coming of Chien-Ming Wang (the good version) or Fausto Carmona (the good version). That sinker just seems to be on fire right now, and nobody can elevate on him.
Don’t get excited about Wieters. His first hit was a dropped pop-up in front of the mound that he got thrown out at second on. It was a dumb play twice-over.
Here’s what I’ve got on Givens:
Two way prospect: shortstop/RHP from Plant HS in Tampa, FL. Athletic, incredibly toolsy, and high ceiling (makes sense – Jordan loves young, athletic, toolsy guys) with power, arm, defense, and hitting for average among his potential. He’s probably a shortstop or third baseman instead of a pitcher (he has high velocity, but a very weird delivery with a low arm slot that has scouts concerned). Not considered fast (like Xavier Avery is considered fast), but certainly agile enough for middle infield duty. Room to grow on his 6′1″ frame (currently at 185 pounds). Not a bad signing, but perhaps another overdraft at round 2.
There you go, Miles! Good to see you. I’m right there on Reimold — the prospect of him, Jones, and Markakis patrolling that field for the next four years or so looks pretty special right now.
Another thing on Bergesen, too, is that I love how fast he works and how much he trusts his defense. This game rolled by in 2:19 — almost unheard of in the AL. You have to figure the guys behind him love that, and it keeps them ready and focused.
Man, we needed this game.
Oh, and two more things:
1) Givens will be an easy sign. That’s nice.
2) I heard somewhere that the O’s want Hobgood to sign fast and easy and start “a level higher than normal” for high schoolers. That’s probably Aberdeen (as opposed to Bluefield), but it might mean Delmarva. That would be interesting, throwing Hobgood in with McCurry and Drake (assuming Zagone moves to Frederick after the All-Star game).
If he’s got the makeup everyone says he has, why not Delmarva? Give him some time there and maybe keep him there to start next year, then put him in Frederick when he’s ready. From there treat him as part of the Third Wave and see what’s what. I like it.
Also, according to Roch, Baseball America rated Givens as the third-best SS in the draft. I like the pick a lot more in that light.
On a totally unrelated note, I’m watching the SF-Arizona game; Eli Whiteside, a former Orioles catcher of the future, is the starting catcher for San Francisco tonight.
I thought Whiteside was out of baseball. Who knew?
Third round is starting…who will the Orioles take? (I have absolutely NO idea!)
Tyler Townsend from Florida International University is a first baseman who can hit and hit for power. He’s a big guy (6′1″ 215) who bats left but throws right. Not much that sticks out about him except that he has a big time college level bat. We shall see what he can do with wooden bats against professional pitchers.
@Miles – Damn, there’s a name I never thought I’d hear again. Good for him.
That’s it for the draft tonight. Three high ceiling guys, none of whom are slam-dunks like Matusz or Wieters. But I like all of them in different ways.
Was definitely watching Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals over the O’s tonight, but I liked what I saw in snippets during commercial breaks.
And for the record neal, even though I am starting to come out of the closet with my Red Wings fandom, the Pens absolutely deserved the W tonight. They were checking everyone and their mother out there, and Flower Power was back to usual after that bizarre last game.
Cannot WAIT for Game 7; man I love Stanley Cup Finals.
@Tomás – No doubt. There’s just about nothing better in sports than a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals.
This whole series has been about who does the most work, since the talent is pretty equal. The team that finishes checks, blocks shots, and basically sells out on every play while at the same time remaining disciplined is winning every time. I see no reason for that to change on Friday. Should be a hell of a game.
Suffering a little unexpected insomnia, so let’s review what was good about our three new Orioles:
1) Tyler Townsend is a local kid how wants to be an Oriole, which is awesome (Hoes had the same thing last year in the third round), but even better is that he has a chance to be an impact slugger for the Ironbirds this year.
2) The thing that jumps out at me (because of an old baseball prospectus article I was reading the other day) about Givens and Hobgood are that they are athletes. This is more for Hobgood, because a strong, big, athletic pitcher has already a bunch of qualities in him that make him ready to succeed. The aforementioned article was talking about how the A’s would go for athletic college pitchers over guys like Lincecum and that was a motivating factor in the development of their triple ace rotation in the early part of this decade.
3) I like that the Orioles seem to be wanting Givens to prove he isn’t a shortstop before they see how well he can handle being a professional pitcher. Not because of the dearth of middle infielders (Givens hardly puts a dent into that hole in the system) but because he sounds like a better shortstop prospect than pitcher to me.
I’m not saying these are slam-dunk picks, or that the Orioles had the best day 1 of the draft (they did not), but there is a lot to like here – as is always the case with Joe Jordan. Someone buy that man a beer when he gets back to Baltimore.
Neal, sorry for the lack of comments. I’ve been checking in, but not dropping any comments due to the fact that I had nothing to say past my last comment: “Why does God hate the Orioles?” lol
Seriously, I don’t recall such an epic team-wide funk like that before. (Like this? Only three runs last night..) For me, it’s as simple as Brian Roberts. When he’s being B-Rob, we tend to win. When he goes through that streakiness (and B-Rob is streaky as hell, though it’s easy to forget/deny when he’s hot..), it’s like the whole team shuts down. Which is bizarre. I mean, there’s really not a whole lot of logic for that. Jones, Markakis, and Huff should be able to easily pick up the slack. Anyway – the team needs to figure out why it can’t win on the road this year. I only buy “we’ve been facing good pitching” for so long.
Anyway, Nolan Reimold is the man and it was upsetting when they sat him for a couple days on the road, and then was iffy defensively when they put him back in. But he seems back to normal, which is great. I fully expect Wieters to have a good 2nd half of the season, and I’m not worrying about him.
BB is awesome. Did not expect anything like his last couple of outings. Jury still out on Berken and Hernandez. I say give Patton a shot next, maybe if Hill throws a couple more bad ones.
On the draft picks, I dig them. I mean, who the hell really knows anyway. If Jordan likes them, I like them too, at least until 3 years down the road if they look like busts.
Totally though Whiteside retired… crazy. Good find man.
Love the Wieters story in The Onion. Thanks for posting it. Still waiting for that first Wieters long ball. I think he’s just been saving it for the home crowd.
Great to see Bergesen get the O’s back on track last night. I guess this is what MacPhail would call a prime example of growing the arms.
I just threw up on my keyboard when Schmuck drew a comparison between Hobgood and Sidney Ponson.
Awesome: The Orioles select Steven Bumbry in the 12th round.
Yes, as in Al “The Bee” Bumbry.
I’ll forgive that we went to Dulaney High School, because, well, he’s Al Bumbry’s son.
Awesome.
And with the first pick✽ in the 2009 first year player draft, I select…
http://sportsroids.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/bud-selig-sportsroids.jpg
@Buddy Boy – It’s going to be a joyous day when he’s no longer the commish.
Final draft tally:
5 college LHP
7 college RHP
3 college infielders (2 middle infielders)
1 college catcher
5 college outfielders (4 corner…5 counting Townsend)
2 HS LHP
3 HS RHP (4 counting Givens)
1 HS infielder (1 middle infielder)
1 HS catcher
2 HS outfielders (0 corner outfielders)
@Andrew – Well, final until tomorrow.
Woo.. 2 legit hits for Wieters tonight!
Guthrie 16 HRs allowed, the last 2 to Jose Lopez, who always seems to kill us. It’s a sad decline for Guts this year.
@dan the man – To be fair, he’s always been homer-prone, although not quite this bad.