The latest from Camden Yards…
- On Friday, the Orioles announced that they will continue paying the $400 weekly stipend to their minor league players through the first week of September (or what would have been the end of the minor league season). All 30 teams have publicly committed to paying their minor leaguers through at least the end of June, with clubs such as the Twins, Royals, Padres, Mariners, Reds, Astros, Red Sox, Marlins, and — after some controversy — Athletics all joining Baltimore in keeping the stipend going for the entire season.
- The Orioles went against conventional wisdom when they selected Heston Kjerstad with the second overall pick of the amateur draft, as Kjerstad was generally projected to fall somewhere in the 9th-12th pick range. As Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun writes, the Arkansas outfielder on the team’s radar for a while — area scout Ken Guthrie has known Kjerstad’s family for years and Guthrie took note of Kjerstad’s hitting potential when he was still a high schooler. The Orioles continued to observe Kjerstad as he developed into a star at Arkansas, with both analytics and pure numbers revealing his improvement at the plate. “It’s a really special bat in our opinion. He took some steps forward this year,” GM Mike Elias said. “I think had he been able to finish that season, he probably would have just continued to cement it. I think if we hadn’t taken him, he was going to go pretty quick after us.”
- Of course, signability also played a role in Baltimore’s choice, as Kjerstad might be willing to agree to take less than the second pick’s recommended $7,789,900 slot price. As per Meoli, the Orioles “explored similar such deals” with other top prospects such as Nick Gonzales (who went seventh overall to the Pirates) and Zac Veen (ninth overall to the Rockies).
Getting the 9th-12th best prospect means Baltimore can, hopefully, offer more to the HS prospects they took in the 4th and 5th.
Orioles played it safe. Which, a team trying to build a farm, sometimes playing it safe is better than taking huge risks on drafting guys they’ll struggle to sign.
They already to an over slot deal with the 4th rounder.
true. in a rebuild AND with only 5 picks, you need to get all 5 signed. it was a smart move.
I’m not sold it was the safe route. They could’ve drafted Martin and 5 other college guys and that, to me, would’ve been the safe route.
Martin and 5 other college guys…..NCAA ruled players can come back to college, even seniors.
So no, drafting just college guys wouldnt have proven to be the safest route or safest picks.
Orioles clearly drafted guys they think they can sign.
Drafting 2 high school kids and already giving 1 a significant over slot bump doesn’t seem like a “safe” route. A college player can come back but the probability of a college junior coming back is extremely small when compared to a HS selection.
Orioles clearly drafted guys they think they can sign.
No matter how you slice it they drafted guys they think they can sign.
That is the pure definition of safest pick given the circumstances of only having 5 rounds to work with.
Then what isn’t playing it safe? Drafting the guy who wants the highest expected slot in each round? That sounds like playing it dumb and a good way to end up not getting most of your draft picks signed.
If they would have taken 2 easily signed college guys instead of Mayo and Baumler in the 4th and 5th—I would’ve agreed that this was playing it safe. This? Not really. Just a strategy to take a risk on 2 high ceiling HS kids+ Hjerstad instead of Martin and 2 lesser prospects.
> guys they’ll struggle to sign
That makes no sense. The Orioles have a huge draft pool, biggest in the sport.
I see alot of Jay Bruce in this guy
To me from some of the highlights I saw of him he is completely unable to hit pitches high in the zone and he doesn’t have good fielding either…. but if he gets better at those high pitches (ecspecially high and in) he’s be a player you’ve gotta watch out for
If you are not sold on a “projected” #2 pick and the guy you want will be long gone by the time your second round pick comes around, then you would be foolish to not select the guy you want. There is a reason that the person with the GM job has that job and a reason that someone doing a mock draft does not. That’s not to say that mocks can’t be right occasionally. But when it comes down to it, I would much rather stake my job on my guy than with someone else’s guy.
I can see this pick as a smart one. Elias knows what he’s doing. Kjerstad has left handed power and Camden Yards is a left handed power hitter’s paradise. The consensus # 2 pick was probably one of the most talented picks of the draft however he might not not have been a fit with the Orioles and could end up being a very good to great pro who has no set position. The Orioles need great players and instead of getting just one… they just might have gotten a handful . The difference between the MLB draft and let’s say the NFL draft is the expectation of immediate team reward with a first round pick. Give this Oriole draft some time, it could blossom.
I thought it was a good selection, for a lot of the same reasons you mentioned. He was the second best power bat in this draft class, behind Torkelson- and Torkelson was the only no-brainer at #1, IMO. After him, everything was about what each team liked, and felt fit.
I think equally importantly, the draft was about getting as many good players as they could into their bonus pool. The O’s system has really improved, but it still needs some work. Elias seems to be a smart GM, though. He’ll probably get it there.
Ridiculous. Did he hit with wood or aluminum?
I think we know the answer. I will be shocked if he makes it.
I see you don’t understand BBCOR bats and think these guys still hit with aluminum. You should do some research on the topic.
Cliff-notes: They’re basically the same as wood, but they don’t break anywhere near as easily.
Using that analogy, nobody that came from College would be successful. I do believe that myth has been dispelled more times than not.
So much hate. Give kid a chance.
I do think Baltimore is taking a slight chance with this guy. He does hit for power but strikes out a lot too. Only time will tell. I thought they should have taken the kid from New Mexico instead. This is a position the Orioles need right away. I don’t think Martin is the guy. But again time will only tell.
Analytics have taken over the draft……and Elias has huge probs. His orioles draft classes have not been good. Last year or this year. He’s abandoned the astro philosophy 100%. Astros would put huge emphasis on college and college players that played outstanding in the cape cod league. If you didnt succeed in the cape swinging wood bats you were cross off the list. Everyone knows the cape is equivalent of low a. Basically the astros would use the anlaytics from the cape and ncaa stats. 90% of the analytic weight though was on the cape.
Now they are using pure analytics except these guys they are taken didn’t even go to the cape, they only had ncaa stats to base their analytics off of. Haskin and Kjerstad both hit outstanding in ncaa…so their analytics popped off the chart. What Elias is missing though is in the last few years all ncaa teams are using juiced bats. They are not the same bbcor bats you think of….the bats are juiced big time. Equivalent on some teams to early 2000s bats. Its a fact about the bats.
Orioles just bought fools gold with Kjerstad and Haskin and rustchsman. That is why the cape league is so important to the draft. Go to youtube and watch their swings if you don’t believe me…not good. In one of these players cases even the commentators on mlb channell talked about the swing. Time will tell, but remember me when they don’t live up to expectations. Fools gold.
In adleys case he did play in the cape league and didn’t perform. Now in his 1st yr his low a stats match his cape stats…… .500 ops. Now eeveryone is acting surprised.
One of the stupidest posts I’ve ever read.
Rutschman had a total of 46 ABS at Delmarva. He hit just fine in Aberdeen but quite honestly you trying to draw any conclusions from any of that is utterly ridiculous.
If you only knew. Just watch and remember where you heard it at first in few years.
I like what the Os did. They didn’t get a super great secondary prospect like the white Sox did with kelley but they got 4 decent prospects targeting quantity over quality because they just need depth due to the state of their system and with kjerstad they got a nice quality piece to lead that group.
Now I’m not crazy about kjerstad as his plate discipline isn’t great but he will mash and isn’t bad defensively either. I think he could be a franmil Reyes type who has low on base percentages but hits lots of bombs and is solid with the glove
I liked Kjerstand, but not as the #2 pick.
MLB needs to get with it and let teams trade draft picks and trade up and down in the draft. Teams wanting the #2 pick in the draft may have offered Baltimore multiple 1st and 2nd round picks in ’20 and/or ’21 to move down in the draft. Orioles would probably still have landed Kjerstand and other valuable, players in the draft. etc..