Orioles Minor League Catchers

[TuckerBlair89]

I think they have an interesting bunch of Catchers right now in their system.
The Orioles technically only need a backup C, since Wieters is clearly not going anywhere in the near future.

Brian Ward, 26, threw out 52% of baserunners at A ball last season. He projects to be a terrific defensive catcher. He also was just invited to spring training, which is a compliment in itself.

Caleb Joseph, 25, has fallen off the map since his .287/.334/.450 batting line in '09. I am not sure how the Orioles view Joseph anymore, but he still seems to have some value as a potential backup catcher, or even a throw-in piece for a trade.

Gabriel Lino, 18, is from Venezuela and has been picking up some buzz recently. He is still very young and they say he could project into hitting for some power. So far in two seasons at rookie ball, he has a .229/.363/.339 batting line. At age 18, the Orioles have plently of time to let him develop still. But guys such as Kevin Goldstein have been putting him as someone to watch in our system.

There are also guys such as John Hester , Ronny Paulino, that were just signed as free agents. And of course, we cannot forget about Taylor Teagarden, who is the pretty much assured the backup C role. Overall, I think it's not a GREAT depth, but a solid depth at a position that you can never have enough.

let me know if I missed anyone! It's tough to keep track of over 200+ players at times!

[ofahn]

We spent some money on Justin Dalles and Michael Ohlman ($995,000) a couple of drafts ago but neither has yet to show the productivity that an over slot bonus would justify. Maybe some proper development might help.

Brian Ward probably has the ceiling of an ML backup. To be playing at A ball at his age is not a good sign. Caleb Joseph is just a mystery to me. I would have thought the organization would have sent him to the AFL last year. To be fair, I don't think we should make any judgments on some these players until they have spent a year in a REAL development system.

[TuckerBlair89]

We spent some money on Justin Dalles and Michael Ohlman ($995,000) a couple of drafts ago but neither has yet to show the productivity that an over slot bonus would justify. Maybe some proper development might help.

Brian Ward probably has the ceiling of an ML backup. To be playing at A ball at his age is not a good sign. Caleb Joseph is just a mystery to me. I would have thought the organization would have sent him to the AFL last year. To be fair, I don't think we should make any judgments on some these players until they have spent a year in a REAL development system.

Well Ward did go back to college after being drafted by the Reds (i think) and all. So in my eyes, this is his first real chance at developing in the pros.

I am really excited to see what Gabriel Lino does, wherever he lands this season.

[osforlife]

There are also guys such as John Hester , Ronny Paulino, that were just signed as free agents.

John Hester came here as the PTBNL in the Mark Reynolds trade. I expect him to get most of the at-bats at catcher for Norfolk with Paulino as a quality back-up.

[Shorebirdfan]

We spent some money on Justin Dalles and Michael Ohlman ($995,000) a couple of drafts ago but neither has yet to show the productivity that an over slot bonus would justify. Maybe some proper development might help.

Brian Ward probably has the ceiling of an ML backup. To be playing at A ball at his age is not a good sign. Caleb Joseph is just a mystery to me. I would have thought the organization would have sent him to the AFL last year. To be fair, I don't think we should make any judgments on some these players until they have spent a year in a REAL development system.

Dalles is solid behind the plate, but needs serious work offensively. Ohlman will most likely be moved away from the C spot (hopefully for this season). Showed improvement with the bat this past season, but simply cannot C at a high level. (maybe LF?)

[TuckerBlair89]

I had completely forgot about those two.
Good stuff guys.

[Zach]

Is there a particular reason we are moving Ohlman? His 25% caught stealing rate while not amazing isn't horrible at the same time. He has been playing for only 3 years and therefore still has time to develop. Also, his bat doesn't seem the caliber for LF.