I go back and forth on this, but who is the Orioles first-baseman of the future?
My gut tells me that it's none of these guys, and the long-term answer will come from outside the organization, or maybe a new draft pick, but out of the guys that the O's have in the pipeline, who is the best and has the best shot to hold down first for the next three-to-five years.
I like Snyder, but he just doesn't seem to have that much offensive potential. I envision him as a .260-.275 hitter with 10-15 homers at the big league level, hardly the big power presence the Orioles lack.
Joe Mahoney on the other hand, seems to offer more power than anyone not named Brandon Waring in the system. It looks like he's finally figured out wooden bats, and he's definitely got the power-hitting body to go with his prodigious raw power. The real question is will he even hit for a decent average?
The guy I'm higher on than the rest, I think, is Tyler Townsend. He always hit for average at Florida International, including a school-record .434 in 2009. He got off to a rough start, enduring a couple of injuries, but when he was healthy he raked at Delmarva, and looked pretty good at Frederick. He hit for pretty good power during his last two years at FIU, and from what I've seen he plays pretty solid defense. He only made five errors this season in 450 total chances.
I think of the three, he offers the best all-around package of decent bat, good power, and solid defense.
