Jeff Zrebiec is reporting the Orioles will send eight players to this year’s Arizona Fall League:
- 2B Ryan Adams
- SS Greg Miclat
- 1B Tyler Townsend
- C Caleb Joseph
- RHP Kam Mickolio
- RHP Wynn Pelzer
- RHP Oliver Drake
- RHP Pat Egan
Zrebiec also states there is a good chance the Orioles send Xavier Avery as well. Rumors are that Joe Mahoney was selected to attend but his wedding this off-season is in the way.
About a week ago I asked readers who they’d send to the AFL. The only players not mentioned in the comments were Oliver Drake and Pat Egan.
You can find the full roster (Scottsdale Scorpions) here. Playing time is spread fairly evenly during the AFL but the Orioles put some players in position to receive more innings than in most years. Derek Norris (WAS) and Joseph should see the majority of innings behind the plate. Adams should end up getting most of the innings at second base — assuming he’s not a taxi-squad player. Brandon Belt (SFG, 1B) is currently a top 20 prospect in all of the minors and could end up limiting Tyler Townsend’s playing time. I would assume Greg Miclat is going to be a taxi-squad player.
Brandon Snyder just hit a two run shot for the Tides and MLB.com beat writer Brittany Ghiroli says Snyder is expected to be recalled before tomorrow’s game.
Some believe Snyder’s struggles are due to the pitcher’s park that is Harbor Park. He has a short line drive swing but has a serious hole on the inside half of the plate. Project Prospect’s swing Analyst, Steve Carter, offers his opinion on Snyders struggles (8/9/2010):
Guys with his approach and lower body actions tend to do very well against LHP, which he did last year and is still doing this year (SSS alert- 64 AB’s in 2010). And while I really like those two things for him, I always felt a better top hand was needed for him to really succeed at the highest two levels, where pitchers can locate on the inner half with far more regularity than the lower levels. Without a strong top hand, it can be hard for RH hitters like Snyder who have an “exaggerated” (for lack of a better term than I can think of at 1:28 am) lower body coil to cover middle and middle-in (especially against higher velos) against RHP. And Snyder has a .647 OPS in 207 AB’s against RHP this year. *Note, these are MiLB.com’s stats, and might not have 8/8′s game and don’t have PA’s w/out adding them yourself.
Layman’s terms- He’s probably not getting through the zone quick enough and getting beat. Better top hand drive at launch would help him get unloaded/forward quicker.
Pure speculation- Could be that his past shoulder surgery could be affecting his top hand. He hasn’t been much of a top hand hitter in the video that I’ve seen, and it could be how he’s just gotten done up to this point, or it could be that the past internal damage isn’t fully allowing it. Impossible to say for sure, but worth footnoting.
Other players expected to join the Orioles in September:
- Robert Andino
- Nolan Reimold
- Chris Tillman
- Troy Patton
Totally unrelated but Jonathan Schoop has been promoted to Frederick according to OH
http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2248408
Big jump, no? I know Schoop has some potential but how good is he/can he become?
He certainly deserves more attention than he’s getting. It’s so rare to see an 18 year old striking out in just 10% of his at-bats. Schoop is clearly advanced for his age. If he starts at Frederick next year — and I’m not sure he will — and plays well, he could establish himself as one of the top SS prospects in the game.
Funny that Matt Angel was not selected for the fall league, but did not get a call up either. I know there is a giant log jam with the Orioles outfield, but his speed could be useful in late innings.
Agreed. Slight chance he makes the team out of ST as the 4th OF.
I noticed that he has not played in three of the last four games. Could an injury be part of the reason for him not being called up? Also Andy MacPhail was at Dellmarva tonight for the game and I was told will be in attendance again Friday.
Angle hurt his finger diving into a base on the 31st. Seems like MacPhail and Showalter have been to every affiliate within the last 2 weeks aside from the GCL (Joe Jordan was there a week ago) and Bluefield (not sure who has been there). Thanks for the info!