Hope for Matt Wieters' bat

[Jordan Tuwiner]

Although he's an all-star this year, most still call Matt Wieters a disappointment because he hasn't turned into the "Mauer with Power" type player we were all expecting.

Still, he's the best defensive catcher in the majors by far and his .728 OPS isn't terrible. But here's what leads me to believe he could eventually become a guy that puts up an .800 OPS consistently:

Prior to 2011, Wieters hit .284 with a .768 OPS against right handed pitchers (including .313 in his rookie season). But this year he's hitting just .248 against righties.

If you adjust Wieters' 2011 stats and give him his stats against righties from 2009-2010, as opposed to his 2011 stats vs. righties, he'd have an .815 OPS for the season.

Here's to hoping Wieters can continue to hit southpaws like he has this season and can find some success batting left handed.

[Jordan Tuwiner]

Fangraphs ranked Wieters as the 45th most valuable trade piece at this year's deadline:

If we view Wieters through the lens of what he was supposed to be, he’s a massive disappointment and probably doesn’t deserve to be on this list at all. However, if we look at what Wieters actually is, he’s a 25-year-old switch-hitting catcher on pace for a +4 win season. He’s not what he was hyped up to be, but there’s still room for future growth and he’s a productive player at a premium position already. Catchers often develop later than other positions anyway, and with four more years of team control after 2011, the Orioles have time to be patient. He might not ever become what he was supposed to be, but given his current value and still-untapped potential, Wieters would command a pretty significant return if the Orioles decided to give him up.

[Rising O's]

I'll put a dollar down on a Matt Wieters breakout season for 2012.

[Jordan Tuwiner]

I'll put a dollar down on a Matt Wieters breakout season for 2012.

Me too.

I looked up Wieters' splits in the minors and he was always much better against lefties, but still hit about .320 overall against righties.

[ofahn]

I look at Wieter's progress and then compare that to Jason Varitek's early years. The performance lines are very similar and that has nothing to do with the fact they're both from Georgia Tech.

[rjc3]

Wieters is slowly creeping up on an .800 OPS. He is at .760 right now and his wOBA is sitting at .335.

He's also at 2.8 fWAR for the season which is second among major league catchers. Everyone still think he's a bust?

[Jordan Tuwiner]

Wieters is slowly creeping up on an .800 OPS. He is at .760 right now and his wOBA is sitting at .335.

He's also at 2.8 fWAR for the season which is second among major league catchers. Everyone still think he's a bust?

Well, according to Baseball Prospectus he's one of the most disappointing prospects of all time!

[ofahn]

Wieters is slowly creeping up on an .800 OPS. He is at .760 right now and his wOBA is sitting at .335.

He's also at 2.8 fWAR for the season which is second among major league catchers. Everyone still think he's a bust?

Well, according to Baseball Prospectus he's one of the most disappointing prospects of all time!

Don't you mean "Disappointing Prospectus"?