In looking over John's lists from 2006 and , I feel like there's progress being made especially since Rowell was rated as the O's top prospect in 2007. I didn't know there were bad reports about Rowell's makeup. John seems like Britton more than other minor league pundits. The top 4 obviously looks really nice.

Edit: sorry about the screw up in my attempt to link to John's past lists.

Found this on a blog:

Most teams contacted Boras to inquire about Wieters, but not the Pirates, who had the No. 4 overall pick. So, Boras, according to a source in his agency, phoned Dave Littlefield, the general manager at the time, to find out why. The team's response was that it did not view Wieters as a top-five talent, in part because of his throwing. Boras was incredulous that Wieters' throwing -- widely viewed as fine, anyway -- could be prioritized over his switch-hitting, power-hitting abilities, and the conversation soon ended.

Who are you to doubt Dave Littlefield?

Wow if that's a true story, that's just remarkably short-sighted.

I guess that was a reasonable position if they thought that Wieters' arm was so weak that he wouldn't stick at catcher.

With the benefit of hindsight - Wieters has thrown out 40% of attempted basestealers so far, and even if he had a noodle arm his bat has been good enough to play at any position - it looks downright stupid.

"Wow if that's a true story, that's just remarkably short-sighted."

I have absolutely no doubt that it's true.

that's just remarkably short-sighted

The understatement of the decade.

I think Sickels is being a little conservative with Tillman and Matusz -- they seem to be a notch above Arrieta -- and I think Snyder might deserve a B, but overall it looks like a good list.

If #2 is true ... *wow*, on so many levels.

Sooooo, the O's added Bradley Bergesen, Wilfrido Perez, Nolan Reimold, David Hernandez, and Chorye Spoone to the 40-man (tomorrow is the deadline). Did they miss anybody of interest?

Did they miss anybody of interest?

Mike Constanzo was left unprotected (Scott Moore was already on the 40-man).

Costanzo is probably the only guy anyone would be interested in drafting in the rule 5, unless some team has changed their mind on one of the guys that recently passed through waivers: Fiorentino, Fahey, Cherry, or Bierd.

If #2 is true ... *wow*, on so many levels.

No clue, but

1: All available evidence indicates that the DL led Pirates were, shall we say, below average in the talent evaluation department.

2: All available evidence indicates that the DL led (McClatchy owned/run) Pirates were, shall we say, cheap in the extreme.

So the Pirates at 4 have a consensus top 3 pick fall to them, one who will likely cost a pretty penny- but the Pirates both don't think he's quite that good (because they are bad at talent evaluation)- and they don't want to spend $ to begin with...
I'd say that there was absolutely no chance that the Pirates were going to take Wieters.

The Orioles took Wieters because
- well he was absolutely the highest guy on the board, Angelos having been burned not that long ago when he meddled in the draft didn't issue any new insane edicts, and while they are not the Yankees or Redsox, the Orioles are not cheap SOBs the way the Pirates are/were.

So the Pirates at 4 have a consensus top 3 pick fall to them, one who will likely cost a pretty penny- but the Pirates both don't think he's quite that good (because they are bad at talent evaluation)- and they don't want to spend $ to begin with...

Or it could be the later and the Pirates just making up stuff to justify it. DL may have thought highly of Wieters but created an excuse to pass on him after seeing his price tag.

Angelos having been burned not that long ago when he meddled in the draft didn't issue any new insane edicts,

If you're talking the Townsend incident, Angelos or the O's didn't get burned. We received a comp pick for losing Townsend and landed Garrett Olson in the following draft. Not that Olson is some prize but he's better than Townsend. And Chris Nelson, the guy Joe Jordon wanted, isn't a highly regarded prospect.

I might take Wieters over Matt Morris - as a pitcher.

f you're talking the Townsend incident, Angelos or the O's didn't get burned.

20/20 hindsight, drafting Townsend was completely boneheaded, the fact that it turned out "ok" because Olson looks better than Nelson now, doesn't make it any less boneheaded the time it happened.

20/20 hindsight, drafting Townsend was completely boneheaded, the fact that it turned out "ok" because Olson looks better than Nelson now, doesn't make it any less boneheaded the time it happened.

Yes, it's boneheaded to overrule your draft executive the day before the draft but there's a difference between a boneheaded move and getting burned. The O's did the former but the later did not happen.

Yes, it's boneheaded to overrule your draft executive the day before the draft but there's a difference between a boneheaded move and getting burned. The O's did the former but the later did not happen.

In the strictest sense of the term, I guess the Orioles didn't get burned. But Angelos has pretty much burned this franchise in every other conceivable way. Just the idea that the owner overruled the scouting director should've been reason for Bud to suspend him. But I'm just a fan of the stupid team.

With the benefit of hindsight - Wieters has thrown out 40% of attempted basestealers so far, and even if he had a noodle arm his bat has been good enough to play at any position - it looks downright stupid.

He threw 92-94 off the mound at Tech. Hes no "noodle arm"

Yeah, taking a guy who closed in college and expressing concern about his throwing is... special.