Orioles In Good Shape for the Future

Ever since their last postseason appearance in 1997, the Orioles have been going downhill. Bad trades, terrible drafting, and poor front offices have undermined the organization for over a decade. Baltimore fans have lots to look forward to, though.

First off, the O's have a great outfield. Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Nolan Reimold (who are all in their mid-20s and just scratching the surface of their potential) each sport OPS's above .800. All of them have 30 HR power and athleticism as well.

Then, of course, you've got Matt Wieters behind the plate. When he signed for $6 million after being drafted 5th overall in 2007, it signaled a change in the direction of the franchise. No longer were they going to skimp on talent, they were going to pay top-dollar for the top prospects. (Contrast that to the Pirates, who passed on Wieters and Scott Boras to take the far-inferior Daniel Moskos.) Most regard Wieters as the top prospect in baseball, and he will partially be able to turn around the team by himself. In time, he'll be a Joe Mauer with power. Or like Mark Teixeira--as a catcher.

The best part for the Orioles, though, is that they have bushels of talent (particularly on the mound) yet to reach the majors. Last year's 1st-rounder, LHP Brian Matusz, pitched in the Futures Game and is having a brilliant year. He's posted a 2.11 ERA and 10.1 K/9 between High A and Double-A. He could pitch off his low-90s fastball more, but Matusz is a polished pitcher with three quality secondary offerings and plus control. The San Diego product is arguably the top pitching prospect in the game, and he should be ready for The Show by next year.

Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta, both at Triple-A, make it a truly fearsome top 3 for Baltimore. Tillman, a prototypical projectable righty with a plus fastball and plus curve, has dominated at every stop in the minors. Despite being just 21, the '06 1st-rounder has a 2.42 ERA and an impressive 95-22 K-BB ratio. Arrieta garnered an above-slot bonus as a 5th-rounder from TCU two years ago. The durable righthander, who has posted a 3.22 ERA and 108 Ks in 101 IPs, is also a potential ace. He attacks batters with a power slider and a fastball that touches 97 mph. If his secondary offerings don't come around or command woes slow him, Arrieta could be a late-inning reliever. Tillman and Arrieta have similar issues that they need to fine-tune, but they have excellent upside.

Zach Britton, a lefthander pitching in the High A Carolina League, is progressing nicely as well. The 21-year-old has a good sinker which induces ground balls. Britton rounds out his repertoire with a 4-seamer, slider, and changeup. He hasn't gotten a lot of hype yet, but I like him as a mid-rotation starter.

Brad Bergesen, who is already in the majors, doesn't have the ceiling of those guys, but he does manage to retire batters consistently. The 23-year-old righthander relies on a deceptive motion and a solid sinker/slider combo. After putting up a 3.10 ERA in 165 IP in 2008, Bergesen has recorded a 3.51 ERA in 110 MLB IP. He will be a serviceable back-of-the-rotation starter in the long-term.

RHPs David Hernandez and Jason Berken are in the same boat. They're never going to top a rotation, but they are still quality options (and both have reached the majors already). I like Hernandez much more than others do. His fastball is about 91-92 and his slider is vicious. He performs wherever he goes, too: 2.68 ERA with 10.6 K/9 in 2008, 3.23 ERA with 12.2 K/9 this year in the minors, and sub-4.00 ERA so far in the majors. His susceptibility to homers might make him a reliever, but I still believe Hernandez is a useful hurler. Berken, meanwhile, could be a #5 starter. The former Clemson Tiger lacks premium stuff, but has gotten the job done in the minors.

The Birds also nabbed some intriguing arms this year in the draft. They reached at #5 for prep righty Matt Hobgood, but he is still a big-time talent. Along with a durable build and good makeup, he is armed with a fastball that scrapes 95 mph and a swing-and-miss curveball. A couple of refinements could make him an elite prospect. RHPs Randy Henry (4th round) and Jake Cowan (10) and LHP Ashur Tolliver (5) also have power arms. Rice RHP Ryan Berry (8) will be a steal if the Orioles get him signed.

Baltimore's bounty of arms doesn't stop there. Brandon Erbe is still only 21 and has upside galore. LHP Troy Patton is rebounding nicely from shoulder surgery. If Kam Mickolio and Luis Lebron can harness their right arm, he'll make an impact in the bullpen. Bobby Bundy is further down in the system, but he is a good prospect.

Offensively, the Orioles' brightest prospect is Brandon Snyder. He has moved his way down the defensive spectrum since getting picked 14th overall in 2005, but he has also hit his way to Triple-A this year. Most scouts like his swing, and he could be an average regular. C Caleb Joseph (.328/.362/.490 in High A), OF Ronnie Welty (.303/.389/.424 in Low A), and others also offer promise.

The AL East is the best division in baseball, and the Orioles are in a big hole to begin with. Nonetheless, they are moving in the right direction. The East is about to get even more rugged real soon.

World Team Takes Futures Game, 7-5

Today was one of the best days of the year for any avid prospect-follower: it was the Futures Game! There was a 4+ hour rain delay in the middle of the first inning, which unfortunately cut the game down to 7 innings, but there was still some good action.

Chris Tillman, a righty on the cusp of the big leagues for the Orioles, got the start for the U.S. His command looked shaky, and he allowed a walk, 2 hits, and 2 runs. Chalk it up to nerves; it seems like every hurler that takes the mound in top of the first of the Futures Game is a bit off his game. To be fair, one of the hits was just a dribbler in front of the plate, and Tillman did flash a low-90s fastball and a 12-to-6 knee-buckler.

Rangers RHP Neftali Feliz, on the other hand, looked to be in complete control in the bottom half. (Feliz wasn't slated to start, but the rain delay wiped out Red Sox RHP Junichi Tazawa's scheduled inning.) Working exclusively from the stretch as he prepares to join the Rangers' big league bullpen, Feliz gassed up Rockies 2B Eric Young, Jr., Rays OF Desmond Jennings, and A's 1B Chris Carter. His only blemish was a 10-pitch walk to Cardinals 3B Brett Wallace. Feliz took the prize for highest radar gun reading of the day, too, reportedly touching triple digits. He had his trademark smooth motion and lightning-quick arm, but I didn't see any secondary pitches of note. (He didn't need them today.)

Rockies RHP Jhoulys Chacin was the only other World pitcher who had a stellar outing. He walked one, but he also fanned 2 and breezed through a scoreless frame. Chacin caught several batters out in front on his changeup, a plus pitch for the 21-year-old.

On the U.S. side, several pitchers looked good, and none moreso than Phillies RHP Kyle Drabek. The 2006 1st-rounder and Tommy John alum whipped through a 10-pitch second inning. He touched 96 with his fastball, tossed at least one nasty curve, and showed substantially better command and maturity than I expected.

Mat Latos, in the midst of a breakout year for the Padres, also handled an inning of work with ease. It only took the 6-foot-6 righty 8 pitches (all sinking fastballs from 94-96 mph) to retire the World in order. I wasn't all that high on Latos coming into the year, but I can't argue with his Futures Game performance or his 8-1, 1.37 (and 6.1 K-BB ratio) performance in the minors this year.

Red Sox RHP Casey Kelly, who used just 9 pitches to work through a perfect 6th inning for the U.S. team, also came as advertised. Despite being just 19 years old and a part-time shortstop, he had an easy delivery, 92-93 mph fastball, good curveball, poise, and control. (He's shaping up to be one of the very best pitching prospects in the game with the year he's had.) Kelly induced a groundout and a pair of flyouts before leaving.

Mariners OF Tyson Gillies was one of the primary offensive stars for the World, as he electrified the game with his speed. He got to first in 3.4 seconds on a drag bunt, and he also swiped a couple of bases. Jennings actually one-upped Gillies, stealing 3 on the day.

Besides that, the biggest storyline of the game was shoddy defensive play. C Tyler Flowers (White Sox) and 2B Jemile Weeks (A's) both committed throwing errors for the U.S., as did 3B Dayan Viciedo (White Sox) for the World team. All of those errors came in crucial spots and led to runs. Weeks tried to come up with a spectacular play on a grounder up the middle, but tossed it past SS Danny Espinosa (Nationals). That helped the 4-run 7th-inning outburst that led the World to victory. Chris Carter also couldn't glove a ball down the line that inning, and it resulted in a go-ahead double. It was a tough play, but the defensively-challenged Carter would've done well to at least block it up and prevent a run. That ball was tagged by pinch-hitter Rene Tosoni, earning the Twins outfielder MVP honors for the game.

Before the World comeback, U.S. backstop Jason Castro was in line for the post-game hardware. In addition to throwing out Padres speed demon Luis Durango at 3rd base, Castro smacked a go-ahead 3-run homer in the 5th inning (one of two shots in the game, along with Young's 3rd-inning shot off Cardinals RHP Francisco Samuel). Castro, the 10th overall pick last year out of Stanford, is having a solid year overall, batting .304/.383/.478, albeit in hitter-friendly conditions.

A couple other players who I was impressed with were Cubs IF Starlin Castro, Braves OF Jason Heyward, and Brewers 2B Brett Lawrie. You can also check out the box score for all the details.

And before I wrap it up, I want to express a problem I have with the Futures Game format: Why are organizations limited to only 2 participants? And related to that, why does each organization and as many different countries as possible need to be represented? We got to witness today what mess it can cause. While prospects like Buster Posey, Tim Alderson, Wade Davis, and Michael Taylor sat at home and watched, players such as Chia-Jen Lo, K.D. Kang, and Luis Perez played poorly as their organization or country's lone rep. I think it'd be great to allow deep organizations to fill more than 2 roster slots. It would just illustrate how their system is thriving. Same with the countries. Instead of having a mediocre Korean representative, the Dominican Republic or Venezuela should take up another roster spot, assuming the top available talent is from there. If 2/3 of the roster was from the D.R., that just shows how much of a hotbed it is. And if a team or a country can't muster up a competent player, then just shut them out of the game to show its current quality. Seriously, who would rather have those players in the game than Buster Posey? For the sake of having the absolute cream of the crop and not just a certain number from each team, the cap should be lifted. Other than that, this year's Futures Game was amazing yet again.

Neftali Feliz

Casey Kelly

Jason Heyward

*Photos courtesy of www.yahoo.com and www.mlb.com