In this 12-part series, we will examine the current organizational depth of the Baltimore Orioles on a position-by-position basis. For each of the eight positions we’ll take a look at the top 3 players on the 40-man roster, as well as the top 2 minor leaguers that we expect to eventually compete for a spot on the 40-man at that position. Our examination of the pitchers will include a look at the top 8 starting pitchers on the 40-man, the top 8 relief pitchers on the 40-man, the top 5 minor leaguer pitchers we project as starters and the top 5 minor league pitchers we project as relief pitchers. Our Series starts with a look at five Orioles catchers, including Uber-prospect Matt Wieters.
Wieters (above) is expected to take over behind the plate in Baltimore at some point in 2009.
Part 1 of this examination of the Baltimore Orioles’s organizational depth is a good introduction to the purpose of this series. This is not necessarily a ranking of the players at each position. Instead, we are looking at who Baltimore has on its 40-man roster as of the end of the regular season, who would the current starter be if there were to be a game tomorrow and which non-40-man players are expected to eventually slot into each position. With all of that said, the most talented catcher in the entire Baltimore Orioles organization is without a doubt Bowie’s Matt Wieters. At the Major League level, the Orioles are adequately staffed with a former All-Star in Ramon Hernandez and a formerly-highly-touted back-up in Guillermo Quiroz. On the whole, the organization is a borderline thin at the position, though the Orioles hope that Wieters will be the ML Starter for the foreseeable future. Notable additions from this year’s draft class include 7th-rounder Caleb Joseph and 25th-rounder Xavier Lopez.
Ramon Hernandez (Baltimore, 40-man)
6-0 / 235 | B/T - R/R | Born - 05/20/76 Ramon Hernandez has seen his skill set deteriorate, both offensively and defensively, over the past two seasons. Still, he remains a viable option behind the plate. Defensively, he isn’t as mobile behind the plate as he once was and he struggles blocking pitches off the plate. He is still a solid receiver and calls a reasonably good game, given the revolving door rotation he’s worked with over the past couple of years. The main question will be whether or not he keeps himself motivated. At times this year, and especially towards the end of the season, Hernandez got a little lazy – swiping at pitches rather than shifting his body to block, even with runners on base.
Offensively, Hernandez has a solid approach at the plate. His final line was 257/308/406, which was league average for a catcher. While he has lost a couple of ticks on his bat speed, he has a good grasp of the strike zone and enough pop in his bat to capitalize on pitchers’ mistakes – especially balls up and out. If his bat speed dips more there could be a large fall-off. Such a decrease was what we saw during Javy Lopez’s last year as he split time between the Orioles and Red Sox. Barring that potential regression, Hernandez should be a slightly below-average bat with average power. We project him to regress slightly and hit 261/317/388. He should be a more than capable option behind the plate until Wieters is ready to step in.
Quiroz began his pro career as one of the top prospects in the Blue Jays system. After seven up-and-down seasons with more downs than ups, he found his way to Seattle, Texas and now Baltimore. The Orioles signed Quiroz as a back-up catcher, hoping he might find the switch to turn on the plus-raw-power projected almost a decade ago when he was drafted. Defensively, he moves well behind the plate and has a solid transfer to go with a solid-average arm. He does an adequate job of managing a game – certainly as well as you’d need out of a once-a-week catcher.
The raw power in Quiroz’s bat never managed to find it’s way into games, primarily because of sub-par plate discipline and a rather long swing. Were he able to improve his approach, cut down on his strikeouts and improve his contact rate, the power numbers could see a good-sized bump. With little improvement showing after 10 professional seasons, however, it might be too much to ask. While Quiroz is adequate as a back-up, Baltimore would probably be better served finding a higher upside option. He should not deviate much from his career line of 201/266/269. We project him to have a line of 194/246/298, but there is not much data upon which to draw a reasonably reliable projection.
Omir Santos (AAA Norfolk, 40-man) 6-0 / 200 | B/T - R/R | Born - 04/29/81 Santos is a defense-first catcher that knows how to manage a staff and manage a ballgame. Coming up through the Yankees farm system, Santos has already worked some talented arms, including Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy, Clippard and Karstens. His greatest asset is his game-calling, though he’s a plus-defender with a solid arm and quick transfer and release. He is well-known for his work ethic behind the plate, devoting time before games, after games and in the off-season to fine-tune his receiving and blocking.
Offensively, Santos rates as below replacement level quality. He’s a free swinger that struggles with pitch-ID. Subsequently, he hits a lot of bad pitches and has a difficult time squaring-up on the ball. There is almost no power in his bat and he lacks the ability to drive the ball. Santos’s defensive acumen and ability to manage a game could have value for a Major League team, but his bat will likely prevent him from ever carving out meaningful innings on the Orioles. He will most likely be designated for assignment this off-season.
Matt Wieters (AA Bowie, Eastern League) 6-5 / 230 | B/T - B/R | Born - 05/21/86
Wieters is a special player that profiles as a game changer on both sides of the field. Defensively, Wieters is a plus-defender with a quick transfer and release to go with his accurate fringe plus-plus arm. In just one Minor League season spent between HiA Frederick and AA Bowie, he has also received solid reviews on his game calling. Once promoted, Wieters will immediately be among the best defensive catchers in the game, along sides the likes of Joe Mauer.
Offensively, Wieters is a switch-hitter that profiles as an impact middle-of-the-order bat. He has a Major League approach at the plate, and has shown the ability to drive the ball out of the park to all fields. He is a plus-hitter with plus-power that should play at the Major League level almost right away. Though he initially struggled with some offspeed offerings, he quickly made adjustments and has likewise improved his pitch-ID. Wieters is ready for the bigs and will be the prohibitive favorite for AL Rookie of the Year as soon as he arrives (which could be as early as April of 2009). His 2008 Major League Equivalence was a line of 292/365/473, which would make him one of the best hitting catchers in the Majors. It should be noted that MLEs of players below AAA are notorious for inflating projections as pitch quality increases exponentially at each level and is poorly incorporated in the formula.
Caleb Joseph (Short-Season Aberdeen, NY-Penn League) 6-3 / 180 | B/T - R/R | Born - 06/18/86
With the organization lacking depth at catcher and power in the batter’s box, Joe Jordan added to both when he selected Caleb Joseph in the 7th round of this year’s Rule 4 amateur draft. Joseph has legitimate plus-power in his bat and a solid enough approach to become a fringe-average hitter at the higher levels. His biggest obstacle will be cutting down on the length in his swing without sacrificing power. After a solid showing at Aberdeen, he’ll likely get his first true test next year in full season ball, where he’ll face more advanced pitching and better breaking stuff.
Defensively, Joseph has struggled at times behind the plate. He is a good athlete that moves and blocks well, but he isn’t yet a great receiver. His arm is below-average and his release time is slow, despite a good transfer, because of his long arm action. On one hand, these problems are certainly fixable. His athleticism, however, may eventually lead Baltimore to try him elsewhere in the field. Second base would be the most likely option, as his arm strength would be fringy on the left side of the infield. Ultimately, his bat will dictate how quickly he progresses through the system – if he can clean-up his mechanics behind the plate, he should be able to stick. If not, Baltimore will likely move him elsewhere rather than stalling his progression.
