Assortment of Rule 5 Eligible Players

Cesar Cabral could be taken again in Rule 5.

The Rule 5 draft is one of those things that irritate me.  It is an event that has lost any meaning it use to have and is merely discussed because, simply, it takes place.  For instance, there has been concern that a Pedro Viola remains on the Orioles' 40 man roster while someone like Orioles Minor League Pitcher of the Year Tim Bascom was not protected (unprotected for the second year in a row).  There are a few things to be understood:

1. Being left off the 40 man roster does not mean that the organization does not value you.  It can sometimes mean that the organization thinks you are just too raw to be able to stick with a MLB team through the entire season (Rule 5 players cannot be demoted, only play in the Majors for someone or be returned to the parent club's minor league system).  By not protecting him, you save a spot on the 40 man roster and you wind up having an extra year to keep said prospect in the minors.
2. Players who are currently on the 40 man roster may not be planned to be there for long.  Many players, including guys like Pedro Viola, remain on the roster until free agents are signed and then are designated for assignment.  It is a good idea to take a step back before using a player occupying a 40 man roster spot as the lynchpin of an argument.  However, if you think Oliver Drake is less talented than someone else eligible for protection...type away.
3. Drake leads us to this (and I like Drake)...we are talking about relatively worthless prospects.  Ever since the last collective bargaining agreement tacked on an additional year of protection before MLB teams had to keep a guy on the 40 man roster, the rule 5 is now full of incredibly uninteresting players.  Who of importance have the Orioles lost in the past five years?  Pedro Beato.  He was probably the best Rule 5 selection last year and he had an ERA+ of 87.  That is about 20% worse than the average relief pitcher in the NL.

What the above should impart upon you is that the Rule 5 is much ado about pretty much nothing.  The only truly interesting guys are those who are low minors with injuries that have prevented anyone from getting a good handle on the player.  This largely means relief pitchers and on rare occasions you have a utility player.  The only time you find a bonafide plus player in the Rule 5 now is if he is a reformed drug addict who had not played meaningful ball in four years.

However, I will provide a list of a few players who might be of interest to the Orioles.  This is not intended to be a comprehensive list, but one that is merely a bit targeted.  I expect Baseball America will produce something more thorough in the next week or two.

Cody Satterwhite, RHRP
25 years old
Detroit Tigers
Rookie 10 IP, 9 k/9, 1.8 b/9, 45.2% GB, 60% contact, 3.08 SIERA

Satterwhite was a second round selection of the Tigers in 2008.  He was a reliever with a mid 90s fastball, a sharp slider, and control issues.  He was struck with a torn labrum, which is a death knell for most pitchers.  He missed all of 2010 and was limited to 10 innings for the rookie GCL Tigers team.  I do not have any notes on him from this summer, but he might be someone to take a flyer on.

Johan Yan, RHRP
23 years old
Texas Rangers
A+/AA 68 IP, 8.74 k/9, 2.9 b/9, 66% GB, 66% contact, 2.86 SIERA

Yan came into the Rangers organizations as a 16 year old signee with a plus arm.  He was considered a promising shortstop.  However, he had no ability to use a bat and was flipped to the mound after four difficult seasons.  After switch to a side arm release, he has had a great deal of success in the low minors.  His fastball sits in the high 80s and it is reported that his slider is about average.  He also showed particular aptitude to getting out right handed batters.  In AA, his stuff was a bit more hittable, but he still managed to induce a lot of poor contact.  A team could hide potentially hide a righty specialist in the pen.

Cesar Cabral, LHRP
22 years old
Boston Red Sox
A+/AA 53 IP, 11.4 k/9, 3.6 b/9, 52% GB, 56% Contact, 2.89 SIERA

In last year's Rule 5 draft, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Cesar Cabral.  He was placed on waivers, then claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays, and then reclaimed by the Rays.  The Rays tried and failed to work out a deal with Boston and was then returned to the Red Sox.  Based on the reports that I have, Cabral worth with a fastball around 90 mph, a slurve, and a changeup.

Terry Doyle, RHSP
26 years old
Chicago White Sox
A+/AA 173 IP, 6.4 k/9, 1.7 b/9, 48% GB, 76% contact, 3.85 SIERA

Doyle is your more typical player that mainstream press notices.  He is a minor league inning eater who gets by with solid control of the strike zone.  It is one of those things where performance does not exactly relate well to performance against higher caliber players.  This off season Doyle has been pitching in the Arizona Fall League and has permitted every team to get a good look-see on him.  As a starter, he sits in the upper 80s and sometimes gets it up to 91 or 92 mph.  According to Kevin Goldstein, he survives off a cutter and keeps pace with an average curveball and change up.  I could see someone taking a chance on him as a fastball/cutter/curve middle reliever who could rack up innings.

The players above fit pretty much the expected archetypes.  You have the once promising pitcher who has had severe injuries issues.  There is the young international signing who was switched from the field to the mound.  A lefty who has shown promise in the low minors, but lacks stuff.  You also have the low ceiling inning eating righty who is showing off his wares in the AFL.  On the batting side you have players like Jordan Danks who is a very athletic outfielder who has improved with his hitting from when he was drafted, but is likely at best a fourth outfielder.  If the Orioles lacked Matt Angle or Kyle Hudson, I could see Danks as a potential selection there.  I do think he has more upside than either.  There are also strong bats like Kody Hinze who is about a year away from being considered as potentially a useful backup player.

Interview with an Arm Injury Researcher, Part II

 by Will Beaudoin

Will is a freelance writer who has written for Camden Depot previously.

Long Toss Mechanics (Picture from Dick Mills' site.)

During my discussion with Dr. Fleisig, I asked him for a few examples of compelling research in the field of biomechanics from the past year. Interestingly enough, he directed me towards two articles he had a hand in creaing—“Biomechanical Comparison of Baseball Pitching and Long-Toss: Implications for Training and Rehabilitation” (Fleisig, Bolt, et al, 2011; Ed. note: Camden Depot discussed this article briefly in a previous post) and “Risk of Serious Injury For Young Baseball Pitchers: A 10-Year Prospective Study” (Fleisig, Andrews, et al, 2011).

The first piece, concerning itself with the somewhat controversial training and rehabilitation practice known long-toss, Fleisig et al. (2011) set for the hypothesis that there are “kinetic…differences in the throwing shoulder and elbow” in long-toss when compared to pitching off a mound (p. 297). More than a dozen college-level pitchers were asked to long-toss from 37 meters, 55 meters, and from a “maximum distance”. For the 37 meter and 55 meter throws, the pitchers were required to throw with little to no arc, while no such restriction was placed on the “maximum distance” toss. Data from this session was collected using a motion capture device. On a separate occasion, the same pitchers were asked to throw their “standard” fastball from a mound, again whilst recorded by a motion capture device.

As Orioles fans, this is a study that should interest us considering the controversy surrounding Dylan Bundy’s own long-toss program around draft time and it’s potential long-term physical effects. While this particular study doesn’t provide any conclusive evidence in regard to long-term injury outlook, the study does show that both “shoulder and elbow torque increase with throwing distance” (p. 302). This leads the researchers to believe that long-toss, especially “maximum” distance long-toss may in fact be harmful to a pitcher—perhaps something to keep in mind when thinking about Bundy’s long-term health.

The article titled, “Risk of Serious Injury For Young Baseball Pitchers: a 10-Year Prospective Study”, focused on pitching injuries in young pitchers and seemingly dispels the widespread belief that youth pitchers shouldn’t throw breaking balls for fear of injury. A long-term study, the researchers monitored nearly 500 pitchers under the age of fourteen over a ten-year period. After hundreds and hundreds of interviews over the course of a decade, it was discovered that it wasn’t so much the pitch-type that led to injury, but rather the amount of pitches and innings thrown. Over the course of the study, Fleisig et al. discovered that pitchers who threw more than 100 innings in a single year “had about 3.5 times as much chance of serious injury as those who pitched less” while they couldn’t “determine whether pitchers who started throwing curveballs before age 13 years [had] a higher chance of injury” (p. 256). While not necessarily directly applicable to the major league level, research such as this only goes to show that so much of injury prevention lies within the rather simple philosophy of volume management.

I also had the chance to talk briefly with Will Carroll in regard to pitching injuries. Will, who got his start at Baseball Prospectus, now writes for Sports Illustrated, and has authored several books dealing with sports injuries, was kind enough to answer a couple of my questions.

A common theme when discussing pitching injuries on the Internet is the phrase “inverted w.”  Do you have any thoughts on the validity of inverted w's being dangerous to a pitcher's health?

I'm not a proponent of the Inverted W. Back when I was first learning about biomechanics, I talked to a lot of the top minds in the game and I felt like I knew enough to just look and see things. Well, as with umpires and the strike zone, sometimes our eyes lie. I want more than just observations - I want data. With biomechanics analysis, we can figure out how much stress a pitcher is actually putting on joints, how much force they're exerting, and then we need to move to fatigue and recovery. Few teams are doing the first part of this and fewer are doing the second. Should we wonder then why baseball has lost over a BILLION dollars to pitcher injuries in the last ten years? Moneyball talked about ASMI and their biomechanics lab, but you know how many teams use it now? Maybe two. 

Tommy John surgery has seemingly reached a point where we expect the pitcher to make a full recovery after 16-18 months. However, shoulder tears are still viewed as the boogey man of injuries. Will this always be the case? Can we expect to reach a point in the (relatively) near future in which pitchers who suffer labrum tears are expected to fully recover?

No. Dr. Neal ElAttrache was on a panel with me this summer and he's the guy for shoulders. (Once, Jim Andrews was asked what the first thing he does when he sees a torn labrum case and he said "call Neal for a consult.") Neal gave a great explanation which might still be up at the SABR site [Ed. Note: Audio of the panel can be found here] - the panel was at their annual convention - about how the shoulder is so complex, that its like putting together a puzzle without the box top. The elbow is a hinge. It moves one way. Look at how many things the shoulder can do and how many structures it takes to do it. Just move your shoulder around and pay attention to what it takes to move through various motions and you'll understand why it’s so tough to get it back to original condition.

Orioles Up for Rule 5 Draft

Orioles' best Rule 5 selection: Paul Blair

The Rule 5 draft was implemented in 1959 as part of a roughly two decade effort to provide an equal footing to all teams.  The concern had been that clubs with a good deal of money were signing up high quality prospects and then letting them fester in the minor leagues.  The first major action against this practice was the bonus rule which 'prevented' teams from demoting signees who had received a large signing bonus.  The bonus rule proved unsatisfactory because teams figured ways around it and there were considered better ways to redistribute talent.  The Rule 5 draft was considered that mechanism.  It works similarly to the Rule 4 draft, but instead of amateurs being selected the teams choose from unprotected minor leaguers.

The current form of the Rule 5 draft was determined with the signing of the 2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).  This year's may alter how the Rule 5 is carried out, but I have yet to hear about it.  In 2006, the major change was that an extra year of protection was provided and that enabled teams to evaluate their players for an extra year before exposing them.  In this scenario it would be unlikely to see guys like Johann Santana anymore because that extra year of evaluation will allow the team to see their player grow for another year and determine how he best fits into the organization.

If the CBA rules remain, player eligibility will be:

• Players who were signed at age 19 or older and have been in professional baseball for three years or more (this means players who signed from the 2008 draft or IFA)
• Players who were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in professional baseball for four years or more (this means players who signed from the 2007 draft or IFA)
• All players on the 40 man roster as exempted from the Rule 5 draft

In the remainder of this post, I will touch on a selected few players who were eligible last year and again this year as well as list all of the individuals who are eligible for their first Rule 5 draft.

Previously Eligible
Pat Egan - Brewers selected him last year, but he failed to stick and was unimpressive this year.
Steve Johnson - He is a pitcher who has to learn at every step. Off hand chance he is selected.
Billy Rowell - He has yet to be released from the organization, so he is eligible again.
Wynn Pelzer - Someone might be intrigued, but he is incredibly wild.
Brandon Waring - No one will have space for a poor contact home run hitter who cannot field or walk well.
Tim Bascom - As a 26yo in Bowie, his PoTY season is not incredibly impressive, but he shows more value now than before.  He will likely need to be protected.
Joe Mahoney - Hard time believing he could stick a year in the majors.
Brandon Cooney - Had issues with control this year, but is on a few teams' radar.
John Hester - Good technical catcher with occasional pop.
Cole McCurry - Lefty dominated AA and held his own at AAA.

2007 Draft
Tyler Kolodny - not ready
Justin Moore - not ready

2008 Draft
Greg Miclat - could be useful utility player or fill in at second for a few weeks.

Richard Zagone - may be seen as a lefty reliever.
Caleb Joseph - may be seen as a backup catcher.
Nick Haughian - potential lefty reliever, but not overpowering.
Nathan Moreau - same as above.
Jason Gurka - intriguing lefty arm, possible selection.
Bobby Stevens - not ready
Ronnie Welty - intriguing athleticism, potential 4th outfielder.
Eddie Gamboa - not ready, good organizational arm.
Ryan O'Shea - not ready
Buck Britton - not ready
Oliver Drake - breakout in Frederick tempered by Bowie.



Players I think need to be protected:
Oliver Drake
Greg Miclat
Tim Bascom
Steve Johnson
Cole McCurry


That written, I do not really feel strongly about any of these players. 

2012 Top 25 Prospects: #3 Jonathan Schoop

Follow us on Twitter: @CamdenDepot

Player: Jonathan Schoop
Position: third base/second base
Ht/Wt: 6-1/185
B/T: R/R
Age at 11/2011: 20y1m
2011 level(s): A Delmarva; Advanced-A Frederick
2011 statistics: Baseball-reference; Minor League Central

Grades - Now (Future):
Hit: 40/45 (55)
Power: 40 (50/55)
Arm: 55/60 (60)
Defense: 45 (50/55)
Speed: 40 (40)
Feel: 50 (55/60)
Overall Future Potential: 56-59
Prospect Grade: B+

*Click here for primer on Grades

Background:
Signed as an international free agent in 2008 out of Curacao, and the highest ranked international prospect in Camden Depot's four years of prospect coverage. Among the youngest players in the Class A South Atlantic League and the Advanced-A Carolina League. Selected to the 2011 MLB Futures Game, International Team, participating during 2011 All-Star Weekend.

Physical Description:
Medium build with even distribution. Potential to add core weight and trunk weight, which will keep him a below-average runner. Will tighten physique as he continues to mature. When all is said and done, could resemble Chase Utley or Evan Longoria build, depending on how things fill out.

Hitting:
Schoop benefits from maintaining a compact path from load through contact, which allows him to deliver an economically accelerated barrel to the ball. As his trunk and core thicken, he is generating more and more bat speed and manifesting more and more in-game power. He will continue to improve consistency in his balance and weight transfer, which will aid him in squaring off-speed offerings from more advanced arms. As with many younger bats, he needs to do a better job identifying pitches, but he is already reasonably advanced at spotting hitter friendly situations and adjusting his approach accordingly. His offensive ceiling is a bit lower that that of Machado, as he lacks Manny's plate coverage and bat speed. Still, Schoop may be a slightly safer bet to hit at the highest level, given his knack for contact and compact cuts, and plenty of managers would take Schoop over Machado if they need a "right now" at bat.

Defense:
Schoop has athleticism to spare and were it not for below-average foot speed he might even project to shortstop as a Major Leaguer. His footwork and arm strength play-up at third base, but his highest value is as an offensive-minded second baseman. He is comfortable in his skin and moves easily around the bag as well as while ranging to his left and right. He sees the field well and should be a solid to above-average defender at either the five- or four-spot.

Discussion:
The fall-off between Machado and Schoop is less than the fall-off between Bundy and Machado from a ranking standpoint, but all three are potential above-average first division regulars with star upside. For Schoop, the difference maker will likely be the development of his power tool, which projects well but will be dependent upon how his physicality manifests.

If he can continue to increase core strength without getting too bottom heavy, Schoop could be an above-average defender at second base with mid-20s homerun power. Conversely, he could see a jump in core/trunk strength limiting his side-to-side agility but bumping his power grade up to 30-homerun potential.

Additionally, Schoop signifies the type of potential Latin American impact talent that has been sorely missing in the Baltimore system over the past ten-plus years. Continued success for him and Machado up-the-middle could be a boon for the Orioles, particularly if the two of them are able to provide above-average power production for the middle-infield slots.

Ceiling: Above-average second baseman on first division team
Floor: Fringe-average third baseman on first division team
Projected: Solid average second baseman on first division team

2012 Top 25 Prospects: #2 Manny Machado

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Player: Manny Machado
Position: shortstop
Ht/Wt: 6-3/185
B/T: R/R
Age at 11/2011: 19y4m
2011 level(s): A Delmarva; Advanced-A Frederick
2011 statistics: Baseball-reference; Minor League Central

Grades - Now (Future):
Hit: 40 (55/60)
Power: 40 (55)
Arm: 60 (65)
Defense: 45/50 (50/55)
Speed: 50 (45/50)
Feel: 50 (60/65)
Overall Future Potential: 57-62
Prospect Grade: A-

*Click here for primer on Grades

Background:
Drafted third overall in the 2010 Draft, out of Brito Private High School (Miami, Fla.). Among the youngest players in the Class A South Atlantic League and the youngest in the Advanced-A Carolina League. Selected to the 2011 MLB Futures Game, US Team, participating during 2011 All-Star Weekend. 2011 progress was slowed some due to about a month's worth of missed time due to a patella subluxation of his left knee, and there is potential for lingering issues.

Physical Description:
Long, angular, broad frame. Certain to add lots of size over the years, particularly in legs and chest/shoulders. Athletic actions and agility -- impressive given current disposition on growth curve. Fringe-average speed and likely to slow as he continues to thicken. Knee will need to be monitored and consistently strengthened.

Hitting:
Starting from an open stance, Machado utilizes good hip rotation and quick hands to generate bat speed and produce loud contact when he squares. An advanced understanding of the strikezone, as well as well above-average hand/eye coordination allow the young shortstop to barrel plenty of balls and help his hit tool to project to a potential plus weapon as he continues to refine his game. With the addition of significant bulk on the horizon, Machado also has the potential to grow into plus power, though right now his swing is a little more tailored to shooting the gaps and spraying line-drives pole-to-pole. He will also benefit from better identifying pitches he can drive and working to get those pitches from at bat to at bat. Machado has the mental aptitude and physical ability to blossom into a .300/.380/.480 bat, which would easily play as above-average at shortstop or at third.

Defense:
Machado's hands are soft, his arm is an easy "left side" arm, and his body control is highly impressive given his borderline gangly frame. He shows little difficulty charging the ball and will make his throws from all the angles. Around the bag he is smooth and confident. The main obstacle to his sticking at shortstop, long term, is his size. Already a broad build whose range can be stretched in-game, Machado risks losing his playable zone coverage as his lower-half gets thicker and stronger and he gets more bulk and less flexibility in his shoulders and chest. Should he shift to third, he should be an above-average defender there. If he sticks at short, he should be adequate to the edges and above-average in the meat of his zone and with his pivots.

Discussion:
Machado has all the raw natural talent in the world, and an impressive understanding of the game and how to approach it. Among the youngest prospects in full season ball last season, Machado showed some susceptibility to expanding the zone at the plate and hitting a few too many "pitcher's pitches". As he continues to log innings at the pro ranks, he should quickly tighten-up his at bats and is likely to produce even more consistent hard contact, as well as more in-game power.

His ceiling is that of a perennial all-star candidate at shortstop -- something fans in Baltimore formerly claimed as a birthright but have been deprived of since #8 rode off into the sunset. It is a lot to put on a young man, to refer to him and Ripken in the same sentence, but if any Orioles position prospect over the past decade carries that level of talent, it's Manny Machado.

While Machado is more likely to top out as an above-average producer at the hot corner, he is young enough, projectable enough, and talented enough to dream on the best case scenario. His knee will be a wildcard, but the hope is that proper strength and flexibility training will render the concern moot. He could start 2012 back in Frederick or make the jump to Double-A Bowie, and figures to be ready for a shot in Baltimore by mid- to late-2013.

Ceiling: Perennial all-star shortstop on first division team
Floor: Average third baseman on first division team
Projected: Above-average shortstop on first division team; mid- to late-20s shift to third base

2012 Top 25 Prospects: #1 Dylan Bundy

Follow us on Twitter: @CamdenDepot

Player: Dylan Bundy
Position: right-handed pitcher
Ht/Wt: 6-1/200
B/T: B/R
Age at 11/2011: 19y0m
2011 level(s): N/A
2011 statistics: N/A

Grades - Now (Future):
Motion: 55 (60)
Fastball: 55/60 (65/70)
Curveball: 45/50 (60)
Change: 40 (55/60)
Cutter: 50/55 (60/65)
Control: 45/50 (60)
Command: 40/45 (55/60)
Feel: 45/50 (60)
Overall Future Potential: 58-62
Prospect Grade: A-

*Click here for primer on Grades

Background:
Drafted fourth overall in the 2011 Draft, out of Owasso High School (Owasso, Okla.). Brother Robert “Bobby” Bundy (rhp) pitched most of 2011 as a starter for the Frederick Keys (Advanced-A, Baltimore system) before finishing the season at Bowie (Double-A, Baltimore system).

Physical Description:
Thick, sturdy build. Strength concentrated in thighs/butt, but well proportioned throughout. Athlete with impressive physique and strength but limited physicality and projection.

Motion:
Bundy generates his velocity and big spin on his breaking balls through a quick arm and explosive lower-half. He gets quick drive out of his powerful legs and butt, rotating through with a strong core. Additionally, Bundy uses a low ball drop to start his arm circle, which gives him extra time to accelerate the ball through release (think of a car accelerating in a straight line, measuring speed once at 200-feet and once at 500-feet). Bundy is strong and athletic, showing little trouble maintaining his mechanics and little effort past what you would expect out of an arm throwing in the mid-90s.

Stuff:
Fastball - The fastball is big and loud, clocking regularly in the mid-90s, with an ability to climb to 97/98 mph (and some reports have him hitting triple-digits in Spring 2011). He commands the pitch well to both sides and does a solid job working down in the zone and elevating as needed. There is some question as to how easy it will be for Bundy to maintain the velocity on shorter rest over a longer season, but it's a potential plus-plus pitch.

Cutter - Bundy's cutter is an out pitch now, with borderline slider depth and late life. He brings the pitch in the 86 to 88-mph range, allowing it to serve as a change-of-pace offering. It has developed into his most effective pitch and could be plus or better as he continues to develop as a pro.

Curve - Bundy's curve flashes plus right now and is “on” more often than not. At its best it is a hard 12-to-6 breaker with good depth and hard snap. He can tighten the pitch with more use, giving it more consistent bite and shape. The foundation is here for a third plus-or-better weapon in the armory.

Change-up - Bundy used his change-up more as a junior, and the summer prior to his senior year at Owasso, before his cutter took a big step forward. He has shown feel for it in the past, but will need to spend some time bringing it up to speed with the rest of his repertoire. There is already enough here to hang a future “50” on it, and perhaps better considering the young flame-thrower’s overall feel for the craft.

Discussion:
Bundy had one of the more impressive high school seasons in recent memory leading-up to Draft Day, and separated himself as the top right-handed high school arm in a draft deep in pitching. Despite having yet to throw an official pitch in professional ball, Bundy has more "now" stuff than any other arm in the Baltimore system and fits comfortably as the top overall prospect -- lofty praise considering the Oklahoman turns just 19-years old this month.

His advanced feel for three offerings and a chance for a forth pitch that is at least average, combined with steady and repeatable mechanics and a famous work ethic and training regimen, give him a reasonably high floor for a prep pitcher. He has an even demeanor on the mound, and is well equipped to tackle the challenges of transitioning to pro ball, including a debut assignment in full-season ball.

The two slight knocks on Baltimore’s 2011 first-rounder are his size and past workload, and while his spring numbers were eye-popping they came against uneven competition (as with many prep arms). As of today, it is difficult to envision Bundy falling shy of a front-end spot in a Major League rotation, but if workload and shorter rest prove problematic he could thrive as an elite power arm out of the pen. In fact, you could stick him in a Major League pen right now and feel fairly confident he could keep his head above water.

Ceiling: #1 starter on first division team; true “ace”
Floor: Power closer on first division team
Projected: #1/#2 starter on first division team

MiL Free Agent Pitchers of Interest

Miguel Socolovich

The Orioles mentioned recently that they are paying attention to the MiL free agent market.  It was not exactly the news many Orioles fans were craving.  MiL free agents are typically a motley assortment of players who either do one or two things kind of well, used to be highly rated, or simply provide organizational depth.  All three can be useful.  A player with one or two tools may be able to develop those established tools well enough to overcome a lack of ability in other areas.  A formerly high rated prospect may simply need more time or a different line of instruction to turn the potential into actual performance.  An organizational player is important because he simply allows your other prospects to perform.

In this post I will be focusing on ten MiL free agent pitchers.  My approach is a simple one.  I am looking for players who are 26 or younger and have shown ability to miss bats, strike guys out, or induce a lot of ground balls.

Brendan Wise, RHRP
26 years old
(AAA) 5.7 k/9, 4.2 b/9, 62% GB, 84% Contact, 4.08 SIERA

Wise is a Tigers draftee from the 2005 draft.  He basically lives off a solid two seamer that has been reported as coming in at 90 mph.  He also uses a workable slider as a change of pace pitch.  Wise could be a solid option by keeping the ball on the ground for a team like the Orioles whose home stadium is kind to fly ball hitters.

Leyson Septimo, LHRP
26 years old
(AA) 9.6 k/9, 6.6 b/9, 40% GB, 78% Contact, 4.39 SIERA

Septimo was a promising IFA from the Dominican Republic in the Diamondbacks' organization.  He was blessed with a strong arm, but not much of a bat.  In a way to get some value out of him, the team flipped him over to the mound.  Arizona gave up on him last year and he was claimed by the White Sox.  After a terrible stretch with them, they let him go as a free agent.  A hard throwing lefty can be a special thing.

Miguel Socolovich, RHRP
25 years old
(AAA) 11.5 k/9, 4.4 b/9, 33% GB, 65% contact, 3.08 SIERA

Socolovich was originally in the Red Sox organization, but was dealt to get David Aardsma from the ChiSox.  I do not really know much about him as I tend to largely overlook relief arms.  A Sox Prospect report says he predominantly uses his fastball, sitting around 88 - 92 mph.  However, that would have to be a rather old report and I am not sure how accurate it was.  Just looking at the numbers, Socolovich looks very interesting with a high strikeout rate and batters swinging and missing 35% of the time.

Will Inman, RHSP
24 years old
(AAA) 9.1 k/9, 4.2 b/9, 42% GB, 82% contact, 3.93 SIERA

Inman's 5.61 ERA looked awful, but his peripherals were decent.  He is not the top 100 prospect Baseball America thought of him as in 2007, but there is still potential there.  He will not overpower batters and will often sit in the high 80s with his fastball.  He would do well to fill out a MiL AAA rotation.

Jose De La Torre, RHRP
26 years old
(mix) 9.6 k/9, 4.8 b/9, 49% GB, 66% contact, 3.72 SIERA

De La Torre has been somewhat injury prone during his career with arm and back ailments.  He is known for throwing a very good slider of which he does not exactly have the best control.  He is another player I think is worth a flyer.

Jake Stevens, LHRP
26 years old
(mix) 7.8 k/9, 3.6 b/9, 43% GB, 73% contact, 4.19 SIERA

Stevens pitched for the Orioles organization in 2009.  They had picked him up after poor performance and injuries derailed his career with the Atlanta Braves.  He was considered a top 100 prospect by Baseball America in 2005.  The report on him then raved about the makings of his curveball.  He is the second and last LHP on this list.

Jhonny Nunez, RHRP
26 years old
(AAA) 9.6 k/9, 3.5 b/9, 37% GB, 74% contact, 3.40 SIERA

Nunez has been sitting in the ChiSox organization for the last couple years and has been relatively successful there.  He features a mid to low 90s fastball and an average slider.  As expected, it translates to him being lights out against righties and quite hittable against lefties.  There does seem to be potential here.

Daryl Thompson, RHSP
26 years old
(AAA) 8.1 k/9, 2.6 b/9, 34% GB, 77% contact, 3.74 SIERA

Thompson has had a couple cups of coffee with the Reds and they have not gone well.  He commands a straight 90 mph fastball quite well and uses an inconsistent curveball.  He also uses a simple change of pace change up.  He is hittable and lefties do a little more damage against him.  I would think a shift to relief pitching might be able to put a little more velocity on his fastball and make him more useful.

Conclusion

If I was the Orioles, I would look to bring in Daryl Thompson, Will Inman, Miguel Socolovich, Leyson Septimo, and Jake Stevens.  This grouping would give them more depth with young starting pitching that has a slight chance for improvement.  Socolovich provides a promising right handed arm that misses a lot of bat.  Septimo and Stevens can be useful lefties out of the pen.  They each have a tool or two that gives hope for more than replacement value at the MLB level.  However, none of these are definites.  I would actually like to sign all of these guys and distribute them among Bowie and Norfolk because there are pitcher within our system that are interesting.

It is awfully early to make such pronouncements, but I would envision Norfolk's pitching as this:

RHSP Steve Johnson
RHSP Daryl Thompson
RHSP Will Inman
LHSP Chris Tillman (though I would prefer him in the Orioles pen)
RHSP Tim Bascom

RHRP Sean Gleason
LHRP Cole McCurry
RHRP Wynn Pelzer
LHRP Zach Phillips
RHRP Pat Egan
RHRP Miguel Socolovich
LHRP Leyson Septimo

Bowie's pitching:

RHSP Oliver Drake
RHSP Bobby Bundy
LHSP Richard Zagone
LHSP Nick Haughian
LHSP Jacob Petit

RHRP Zach Clark
RHRP Brandon Cooney
RHRP Dan Klein
LHRP Jason Gurka
RHRP Kenny Moreland
LHRP Chris Petrini
RHRP Ryan Berry

As you may notice, all of the Bowie pitchers are from within the organization.  I don't think what is left above is all that much better than what is already here.  Part of that is the state of the Orioles' system, but another part is that simply there is often little talent available coming from six year free agents.  I would consider moving Zach Clark down to Frederick to be a relief pitcher for another lefty, so maybe Jake Stevens could fit in here.  Or probably better would be to drop Septimo to Bowie and have Stevens up in Norfolk.

Primer: Scouting scale and prospect grade scale

Description of 20/80 scout scale:
The Scouting Scale works from 20-80, with 50 being Major League Average. The scale operates loosely on a bell curve, so the further you move from 50 the fewer grades you'll find among ML players (e.g. Justin Verlander's fastball, Ichiro Suzuki's arm strength, Mark Reynold's power and Albert Pujols' hit tool would all be 80 grade). A 60 grade is sometimes referred to as plus and a 70 grade is sometimes referred to as plus-plus.

Scout to prospect grading scale with descriptions:
66 and over / A+ / Potential top prospect in baseball; potential generational talent
63-65 / A / Elite prospect; perennial all-star candidate
59-62 / A- / Top tier prospect; above-average first division starter; front end starter
55-58 / B+ / Good prospect; first division starter; mid-rotation starter; top tier reliever
51-55 / B / Solid prospect; second division starter; back-end starter; good relief arm
46-50 / B- / Prospect with questions; fringe starter; useful bench player or platoon; fringe reliever
40-45 / C+ / Flawed prospect; fringe bench player
35-39 / C / Significantly flawed prospect; limited utility; AAAA placeholder or injury insurance
30-34 / C- / Fringe prospect; significant hurdles to Majors
20-29 / NP / Non-prospect; organizational player

MiLB Year in Review: Bowie Baysox and Norfolk Tides

Hoes showing offensive maturity; Nary a nugget at Norfolk

It is not a strong class of Orioles prospects at AA and AAA. Currently, the group lacks a projected standout impact player and tops out with some potential fringe regulars. At the same time, there is value in finding utility players, relief arms, fourth outfielders and back-end starters on the cheap when you are looking to build a cost effective Major League team -- and particularly when you have some young impact talent at the Major League level that will soon be hitting arbitration and considered for extension.

Bowie By the Numbers:
Record: 75 - 66
Top Arm: Dan Klein (2010 Draft, 3rd Round)
Top Bat: LJ Hoes (2008 Draft, 3rd Round)

Player of the Year:
LJ Hoes (387 PA, 338 AB, .311/.385/.420, 17 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 43 BB, 55 SO)

Camden Depot made (minimal) waves in the blogosphere in 2008 when we listed LJ Hoes as the 9th best Orioles prospect after his first professional season. Since then, he has steadily climbed prospect lists across the board, topping out at #3 for the Depot last year and #4 for the world renowned Baseball America.

In 2011, Hoes made the jump to Bowie after a sluggish start in Frederick. Accompanying his promotion was a position switch from second base to left field. While the Orioles' brass insists this was out of team need, rather than a decision that Hoes could not handle second, there were grumblings from pro scouts that the former St. Johns HS standout was not making the expected progress at the four-spot a month into his third full pro season. Ideally, he would shift back to second base in Bowie to start 2012 and Baltimore could get one last look at his outlook there. Hoes has the athleticism to stick in the infield, but has been tripped-up some by some finer points in the field, including set-up in his lower half, footwork around the bag, and lines.

Offensively, Hoes remains one of the top hit tools in the organization. He is very compact to contact, with a simple and quiet load, balanced lower-half and quick-twitch core. A keen batting eye helps Hoes to maintain a solid OBP while utilizing the whole field in attacking the ball in all quadrants. He has started to manifest in-game pop, and could see a breakout in that department next summer. While there isn't tons of physical projection left, he will hang a little more muscle on the frame, and the stronger hands and wrists at contact will marry with his bat speed to send some more balls to the gaps and over the fence. While some prospect reports were down on his 2011, Hoes still profiles as a potential everyday player -- be it at second base, third base or left field.

Players to know:

Xavier Avery remains an upside prospect with promise, despite completing his third full season with strikeouts in over 20% of his plate appearances. The reason for optimism is simple -- he continues to be promoted by the O's and remains one of the youngest players in the league, year-in and year-out. He will start 2012 at age 22, and could get a bump to Norfolk following a solid AFL campaign and provided he shows well in the spring. A speed-first talent, Avery is among the fastest prospects in the system (along with Kyle Hudson and Glynn Davis -- all "80" runners on the 20/80 scouting scale). His heavy left/right split could spell a future as part of a platoon. If he can tighten-up his routes in center field, he should have easy value as a fourth outfielder. His ability to improve against lefties and to learn to more consistently ID off-speed will determine if he can become a regular at the highest level.

2011 Baltimore MiL Pitcher of the Year (Jim Palmer Award) winner Tim Bascom likely tops as a relief arm or swingman, despite the hardware earned off the solid 2011 stat line. Bascom projects to fringe-average across the board, with solid command and some idea as to how to sequence. His fastball is below-average and his breaking ball is generally short, soft or somewhere in between. His stuff leaves very little room for error, and he could be in for big statistical regression when he reaches Norfolk and has to go to work against a large number of hitters with Major League experience. His profile says "shrug", but you should still know a little about the Minor League Player of the Year for 2011.

Caleb Joseph followed a disappointing offensive 2010 with a similarly "meh" 2011. His command of the strikezone remains solid, but his bat control is lacking and the consistent hard contact simply is not there at Double-A. Around draft time he was projected to grow into average or slightly above-average power, but that growth has not come. He falls into a one-piece swing and too often makes contact out in front, sapping his power and leading to a fair amount of soft contact. Behind the plate, Joseph continues to improve. He blocks well, has quieted his receiving and has improved his catch-and-throw to the tune of an increase in his caught stealing from 26% in 2010 to 38% in 2011. Jospeh profiles as a back-up catcher with a bottom-third bat. Not an uncommon offensive profile for a back-up, but a bit shy of the potential shown in his first couple of seasons.

Dan Klein was a shutdown closer at UCLA with a history of shoulder issues. Baltimore saw the advanced four-pitch mix and sturdy 6-foot-3, 190-pound build and decided to develop him as a starter. The result was 32.1 dominant innings of baseball between Advanced-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie, including 10.3 SO/9 and just 1.7 BB/9, and a season-ending shoulder surgery. That means it has been four years now since Klein has surpassed 52 innings of in-game work -- the last time being his performance between his high school team and summer ball. It may be time to shift Klein to the pen full-time, where he could top out as a solid set-up man or second-division closer. When healthy, his low-90s fastball is a solid average pitch that serves to set-up and above-average 12/6 curve and mid-80s change. He has shown growth in his off-speed since his junior year as a Bruin, where he periodically left the pitch flat and up, where it was drivable. Klein will also flash a fringe-average slider with minimal depth and bite, but enough differential from his fastball to force soft contact if set-up properly.

Joe Mahoney is a bat-first corner defender likely to end-up at first base or designated hitter, full time. He has some length to his swing, a not-insignificant leak entering his weight transfer and a moderate to heavy backside collapse, depending on the at bat. Prognosis? It's unlikely contact will be Mahoney's strong suit, and he could be quickly exposed at the Major League level, if not Triple-A. He projects as a bench bat or Four-A player.

In this, Greg Miclat's first full season at Double-A Bowie, the former Cavalier showed why he was signed by East Coast Area Scout Dean Albany for an overslot $225,000, in spite of significant shoulder and elbow issues through his sophomore and junior years at UVA. Miclat baffled opposing pitchers and catchers to the tune of a 54-of-57 stolen base record and top-of-the-order-worthy .371 OBP. While Miclat easily has the glove, arm and footwork to be an everyday second baseman, he likely tops out as a second-division regular or a first-division utility bat, due to the absence of any power. He'll be challenged early and often by ML arms, which will bite into his walks and likely limit him to a bottom-third bat profile.

Ronnie Welty has long been a Camden Depot favorite, after being inked in the 20th Round of the 2008 Draft by Area Scout John Gillette. Welty's promise has always been in his power potential, and over the last two seasons he has shown that pop -- launching 31 homeruns between Frederick and Bowie. Unfortunately, Welty's big leverage comes with an aggressive approach. That has equated to a strikeout about every three at bats, in 25-30% of his plate appearances. He is still drawing walks (with a BA/OBP delta of almost .100), but more advanced arms will be better equipped to play to Welty's weaknesses without having to pitch around the power. He should play an adequate right field at the highest level, and possesses more than enough arm to keep baserunners honest. He will attempt to hit the reset button on his offensive production in 2012, likely back at Bowie.

Rick Zagone may have reached his breaking point as a starter, struggling to miss bats while seeing his BB/9, H/9 and HR/9 rates increase with his promotion to Bowie. The side-arming lefty still has some potential as a lefty specialist, with righties making more hard contact against him than did lefties. Zagone also suffered through a tough July, showing signs of tiring out -- not surprising considering the increase in physical and mental demand inherent in a pitcher of his profile attacking Double-A line-ups twice through every five days. He should shift to the pen in 2012 and could begin his season either in Bowie or Norfolk.

Norfolk By the Numbers:
Record: 56 - 87
Top Arm: Troy Patton (2004 Draft, 9th Round (Houston))
Top Bat: Ryan Adams (2006 Draft, 2nd Round)

Player of the Year:
Ryan Adams (415 PA, 377 AB, .284/.341/.454, 28 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 30 BB, 103 SO)

In 2008 Camden Depot rated Ryan Adams as the 25th best prospect in the system with a Four-A floor, a ceiling as an above-average offensive second baseman and a projected outcome as a below-average everyday second baseman. Three years later that evaluation remains spot on, as the former New Orleans High Schooler has slowly worked his way through the system, making his Major League debut this summer. While his 2011 at Norfolk was more "solid" than "eye popping", he essentially maintained his production from Bowie while cleaning-up his infield defense.

Offensively, Adams will swing and miss a fair amount due to average bat speed, and top velocity will likely always give him trouble. But he keeps his swing simple and tight, and finds ways to get the barrel to the ball. His raw power is above-average, with potential average in-game applicability. He could carveout a spot as a 6 or 7 hitter in a first division line-up if he finds enough gaps and is able to produce 15 or so homeruns per year.

Defensively, Adams still struggles with his footwork, though he has made strides in cleaning-up the set-up on his throws (which in turn has improved his play-to-play accuracy). He is the type of player that will always need to work to maintain an adequate defensive disposition, but could be making enough progress to be passable at either third base or second base. Adams could be adequate as an inexpensive bridge to Miclat, Hoes or Schoop, but probably profiles best as a bench bat and occasional starter at either second or third.

Players to know:

Matt Angle has arrived at Baltimore with largely the profile expected of him since he entered the system in 2007. Largely devoid of power, the former Buckeye center fielder fits best as a 4th outfielder capable of plus defense and solid value as a pinch runner. Like Adams, he could slot in as a placeholder in a starting lineup, but it is unlikely he will be able to handle Major League velocity on the inner-half to the point that he maintains even a passable on-base percentage. He should have the inside track on the 4th outfield spot, depending on what transpires this off-season, and could see significant innings as a late-inning defensive replacement, pinch runner and Sunday starter.

Kyle Hudson, like Angle, made his Major League debut this summer -- starting eight September games and appearing in six more as a defensive replacement, pinch runner or pinch hitter. The hope is that Hudson will eventually provide 4th outfield value along the lines of Matt Angle (though he is unlikely to have the defensive profile of Angle, who's feel for the game drives his plus glove). Hudson is a burner with 20 power on the 20/80 scale and will likely struggle to barrel much of any Major League pitching as a result of his uneven pitch-ID. Hudson should begin 2012 back in Norfolk as the starting center fielder, and is worth keeping an eye on to see if he can grow into even gap power.

After shifting to the pen and keeping Triple-A hitters off-balance for around 40 IP, Troy Patton made the most of his first extended look with the Big Club. While he will never be a strikeout specialist, he does have an ability to miss some bats thanks to a solid four-pitch arsenal. His fastball is generally an upper-80s offering, and is best at 87-89 with some armside life, though he'll push 90-92 with his four-seam. His most effective secondary is an upper-70s to low-80s slider that has good armslot deception and does a solid job missing barrels. His change-up gives him a weapon against lefties, thanks to solid fade, and he'll drop a curve as well to keep hitters honest. While he isn't the sexiest of prospects, Patton could be a valuable 7th or 8th inning arm, and should be a cheap bullpen option for the O's for the next couple of seasons.