Kuzul

The 2011 MLB Draft is going to be huge.

Last year’s event was by far the biggest and most-publicized in Major League history, and as more fans become more familiar with it and how it works, it’s only going to get bigger and better.

It will start with more coverage. Baseball America already does a fantastic job and as of right now has a pretty good monopoly on the market. ESPN will eventually hop on that bandwagon, fully understanding the attention they garnered for events like Stephen Strasburg’s big-league debut. And the newly-formed MLB Network will become the baseball draftnik’s heaven with their around-the-clock coverage of the three-day event (More Jim Callis please!).

There will be bottom-line tickers, and in a matter of years, you’ll find yourself arguing with your fellow baseball friends about who got a better supplemental pick. 

Okay, maybe that’s going a bit overboard.

But, whatever this case you’re obviously going to need a primer for this year right? Especially about the top players who are eligible. You know why? So, if you’re a Cubs fan for example, you won’t be shocked to high heaven when they tab some kid named Hayden Simpson with their first-round pick.

You’ll know, like the super-geeks at Baseball America, that Simpson went 13-1 with a 1.81 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 99.1 innings for Division II Southern Arkansas. Simpson also pitched six complete games and features a 97-mph fastball, and a knee-buckling slider.

2011’s big names are easy. Guys like Anthony Rendon, Matt Purke, Gerrit Cole and George Springer are the top bets to go in the top five.

But beyond those players, this draft has as much depth as any in recent memory.

So, in order to stave off “Hayden Simpson” confusion, and to fully embrace the new big thing to hit Major League Baseball, here are the top 52 names you should be paying attention to come next July.

A special thanks in advance to Baseball America.com, MiLB.com, Perfect Game.com, and ESPN.com for their advanced scouting reports on some of these players, as well as YouTube.com for all of the videos.

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It’s been nearly 12 hours since the Giants brought the first World Series trophy to San Francisco, but the question that’s on everyone’s mind is who’s next? 

Who will be next season’s Giants?

Who will be the team that defies the odds, utilizes one of the most talented, biggest upside starting rotations, makes the most of a rag-tag roster and seizes their opportunity to turn Major League Baseball on its head?

I’ve got one team in mind. The 2011 Baltimore Orioles.

Believe it or not, this team isn’t as bad as the 2010 66-96 record indicated. They have a new manager who has instilled a new set of beliefs, and for the first time in a very, VERY long time this team is one that believes it can win. And in a division like the A.L. East, that counts for a whole heck of a lot. Just ask the Rays.

And I know it seems like a super long-shot, but keep in mind a few of these things

-this Giants squad spent the first two-and-a-half months of the season alternating between third and fourth place.

-their offensive effort was led by a 33-year old journeyman, Aubrey Huff, who hit .290 with 26 homers and 86 RBI.

-their two-time Cy Young award-winning pitcher had arguably the worst season of his career

-the ranking veteran, Barry Zito, went 9-14 with a 4.15 ERA and worse than a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio

-offensively, the Giants were a middle of the pack team, ranking seventh in the N.L. in average, and ninth in runs scored.

-no team in the N.L. was worse on the basepaths as the Giants stole a league-low 55 bases, and had the worst steal success rate at 63 percent.

-their pitching staff ranked as the third-worst in terms of walks issued, trailing only the Cubs (75-87) and the Brewers (77-85).

So, taking all of that into account, and fully realizing how unpredictable this season has been, let’s examine why, I think, the Orioles have the capability and potential to emerge as the Giants of next season.

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Yes, I know, the World Series isn’t even half-way over, so the term “offseason” is a bit premature.

That said, a lot has happened in the Charm City since the season ended. Let’s start at the top.

Buck Showalter and the Coaching Carousel

At one time, it looked like the Orioles might retain all the coaches that finished the season with Showalter. That clearly isn’t the case anymore. The first domino to fall was former hitting coach Terry Crowley, who was moved to another position within the organization.

Then the news broke a few days ago that the O’s were looking at Jim Presley, a former infielder with the Mariners, Braves and Padres. “Hound Dog” Presley served as hitting coach for the Marlins for the past five years before being ousted along with manager Fredi Gonzalez. Hitters who blossomed under Presley’s tutelage include Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, and Jorge Cantu.

The Mark Connor emerged as the leading candidate to replace pitching coach Rick Kranitz. And although Kranitz hasn’t officially been ousted, the relationship that Showalter has with Connor, that dates back to their days in Arizona, makes the move look fairly imminent.

Then it was announced that Rick Adair, formerly of the Seattle Mariners, but also the Tigers, Indians, Braves, and Blue Jays, would become the Orioles bullpen coach. Adair replaces Alan Dunn, who has held that same position since 2007.

And the word on the street (and web) is that Showalter is a huge fan of former Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu, and is luring him to Baltimore to become the bench coach, forcing Jeff Datz out of a job. Wakamatsu and Show go way back to their days in the AL West, and Buck has always been a big supporter of him, even as he was being forced out of Seattle this past season.

As is stands, the only member of the coaching staff that is set to return in his role is first base coach John Shelby. Third base coach Gary Allenson hasn’t yet been offered any sort of extension to stay on, but has been told that he will be offered his old position (manager of the Triple-A Norfolk Tides) if Showalter decides to go another direction at third base.

Hiroyuki Nakajima: Will He or Won’t He?

The Orioles have been widely rumored to be in the running for Nakajima’s services should be be posted and allowed to come play in the States. 

The 28-year-old shortstop is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in Japan, and hit .309 with 22 home runs and 92 RBI in 2009. He also stole 20 bases, giving him back-to-back 20-plus steal seasons. This season he hit .314 with 20 homers. Since breaking in with the Seibu Lions in 2002, Nakajima has posted five .300-plus seasons, three 20-plus homer seasons and has driven in at least 63 runs in each season.

Many believed that Seibu would allow him to post and make the jump to MLB, but two days ago, the Lions announced that they were refusing to allow him that privilege.

And just when you thought it was over, and the Orioles would either have to settle for another year of Cesar Izturis (which isn’t the worst thing), word broke today that Nakajima was going to meet again with Seibu to try to convince them to let him try his hand in the U.S.

Arizona Fall League Update

Just in case you hadn’t been paying attention to the Orioles playing in the AFL this year, you might be surprised to know that the squad made up of Nationals, Giants, Rockies, Diamondbacks and Orioles is currently sitting in first-place, with a two-game lead.

Representing the Orioles, second-baseman Ryan Adams has been a revelation. Against very talented pitching the 23-year-old has more than held his own, hitting .289, busting out of an 0-for-6 slump with a two-double, three-RBI effort last-night. Adams ranks sixth in the circuit with 11 RBI and was named co-AFL player of the week.

Also playing in the AFL are shortstop Greg Miclat, who is hitting an impressive .297, and Xavier Avery, who has been much less impressive, hitting a mere .200 in 35 at-bats. To his credit, he does have five stolen bases in five attempts.

And another player who is receiving much less playing time is catcher Caleb Joseph, who’s hitting .368 in only 19 at-bats.

On the mound in Arizona, the Orioles have Pat Egan, who has a 4.05 ERA and four strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work, Oliver Drake, who has posted a 5.79 ERA over three outings, Kam Mickolio who has an impressive seven strikeouts in only 5.2 innings, and Wynn Pelzer, who has a 5:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in five innings.

Another player who had been schedule to get some at-bats was Tyler Townsend, who made four plate appearances before heading back to Baltimore. He will miss the rest of the AFL season to have surgery to remove a cyst in his hand.

Possible Free Agent Compensation

Each season when free agents depart a given team they are given a final ranking, and those players who are deemed worthy of an “A” or “B” rank leave their team with an extra draft choice in either the first or second supplemental round of the first-year player draft.

This season the O’s have two “B” candidates: Kevin Millwood and Koji Uehara. The team is widely expected to bring back Uehara, who pitched brilliantly down the stretch, but in letting Millwood walk, the team would pick up an extra pick after the second round.

Free Agency Updates

Not much to share here. The O’s are eying a couple of free agents, most notably former Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez, former White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, and former Brave Derrek Lee.

It doesn’t look like the O’s will do much to spruce up their young rotation unless they can make the perfect move.

Shortstop, first base, third base and left field are all areas of concern for the Orioles, or at least areas where they could do better than Izturis, Brandon Snyder/Michael Aubrey/Rhyne Hughes, Josh Bell and Felix Pie.

Another interesting option is Phillies’ Jayson Werth. A one-time Oriole prospect, Werth flourished upon his move to Philadelphia and is one of the top free-agent outfielders available. Not only would he fill a need in left field, but it would give the Orioles a much-needed power presence.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Sometimes, heck, most of the time it’s hard to believe that the same Miguel Cabrera, the eight-year veteran who has 247 home runs, nearly 900 RBI, and a career batting average of .313 is only 27 years old!

By all accounts, however, Cabrera had one of the finest seasons of his career in 2010, and definitely one more than worthy of Bleacher Report Featured Columnist’s Silver Slugger Award at first base.

For the second consecutive season, and the fifth time in the past six years, Cabrera hit better than .300. His .328 average was the third-best in all of baseball. He also eclipsed 33 home runs for the sixth time in seven years and his 38 dingers placed him tied for fourth in both leagues. His 126 RBI led MLB, and marked the seventh consecutive season he’s driven in more than 100. 

Cabrera also finished in the top 10 in doubles, walks, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS, and he would have easily notched 200 hits had he not missed the better part of two weeks at the end of the year.

Had he stayed healthy and the Detroit Tigers remained in contention deeper into the season, Cabrera would have easily been my top pick for American League MVP. 

Instead, he’ll have to settle for the American League Silver Slugger at first base.

Congrats Miguel!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

These past two seasons have seen the Orioles graduate more top prospects than nearly any other franchise. 

According to Baseball America’s 2009 top prospects list, four members of the Orioles top 10 graduated to the Majors, and eight of the top 29.

This season, the team has seen five of the top 10 players move on to the greener pasture that is Camden Yards, including prospects number one (Brian Matusz), two (Josh Bell), and four (Jake Arrieta).

The result is that the Orioles organization is pretty bereft of top-level talent. The first-year player draft helped a bit with that, infusing some much needed talent in the form of five-tool shortstop Manny Machado, reliever turned starter Daniel Klein, and the stable of projectable arms like Parker Bridwell, Clayton Schrader, and Matthew Bywater. They were also able to snag hard-throwing reliever Wynn Pelzer in a trade with the Padres.

But in terms of homegrown talent, the Orioles feature one of the least impressive compilations in baseball. Aside from Machado and Zach Britton there aren’t many sure-fire future big-leaguers, which means ranking the organization is mostly about projection.

Last year, I did my best to rank the Orioles top prospects (through 30) and I hit on a few guys that Baseball America didn’t rank too highly: Brandon Cooney, Ronnie Welty, and Jesse Beal. Unfortunately, I also drank the Kool-aid on guys like Brandon Erbe, Pedro Florimon Jr., and Kam Mickolio.

This year, I’ve expanded the list to 40, although I won’t go one-at-a-time with each prospect until I hit the top 30, same as last year. 

I’ll try to do my best to provide some solid background on each player, especially the ones that nobody has ever heard of, and then give a couple takes on each guy, a little bit from Baseball America and a little from the general public’s perception, but mostly my projection of how helpful I think each prospect will be to the big league team going forward.

Feel free to let the discussion juices flow.

Enjoy!

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More than a month ago, during my last MLB mock draft, the Orioles were in line for the number one pick. Since then, they’ve been one of the hottest teams in baseball, and they also have a new manager in the form of Buck Showalter, so it looks like they’re time near the bottom of the barrel might be coming to an end.

The new “numero uno” belongs to the Pirates, and they might have one of the deepest pools of top-end talent to choose from in quite some time.

Just a quick update on the prospective top picks: Anthony Rendon is apparently recovering quite well from his ankle surgery, Sonny Gray was named Baseball America’s summer player of the year, and Bubba Starling has been one of the quickest risers in a deep high school class.

And in we go, to this, the most recent version of the 2010 MLB mock draft.

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For as little wealth as the Orioles offered at the big league level this season, they made up for it with a plethora of minor league stars, and since these are the guys who are going to help lead the O’s out of the AL East basement, it’s time to get to know the baby Birds.

This All-Star team is full of all sorts of players: early and late-round picks, can’t miss guys and total shots in the dark, as well as the young and the old.

Without further ado, I give you the 2010 Orioles Minor League All-Star team.

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The 2010 season has been kind to the Baltimore Orioles minor-league system.

This is great news, because the 2010 season has been a plague for the big league club, who aside from snagging manager Buck Showalter, has failed to incite any real excitement.

As such, the race for Orioles Minor League Player of the Year honors is heating up, and for the first time in a good long while, there are actually more than a few promising nominees.

This year’s crop doesn’t feature any superstar names like Brian Matusz or Chris Tillman, but it has more than a few mid-level prospects, and some really big surprises.

So, let’s get to it, and see who might be taking home some organizational hardware.

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The Orioles have been seemingly rejuvenated under Buck Showalter, and while he hasn’t really set his sights on the minor leagues, he has stated on several occasions that he’s looking forward to evaluating the entire organization once the season ends.

Just like the Orioles big leaguers, many minor leaguers are trying to take advantage of having a new guy in charge, putting their best feet forward in hopes of making themselves a long-term part of the Orioles’ plan.

So, here we have the bi-weekly edition of “Who’s Hot and Who’s Not.”

Enjoy!

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We’re only one day away from the Major League Baseball draft signing deadline, and so far, it’s looking like the Orioles draft is shaping up to be one of the most impressive of any team, and, by the way, one of the more expensive.

As of today, the O’s have signed seven of their top ten picks, with the lone exceptions being number three overall pick Manny Machado, sixth-round pick Dixon Anderson, and seventh-rounder Matthew Bywater.

And Machado is pretty likely to get done, since, come on, who doesn’t sign their number one overall pick, especially when he’s a top three talent? All you would be doing is screwing yourself.

So, here’s a quick run-down of notable Orioles draftees, and how likely it is they’re going to sign, and for those who have signed, like the above Daniel Klein, what their path to the Majors looks like now that they have signed.

Enjoy!

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