Please let me know if you want any other players and my two cents and I will post them in the forums, when available to do so...
I remember heading out of my Boca Chica home in the summer of 2010. I ended up working with a pitcher who was set to play the Orioles Dominican Summer team that day. I decided to go a bit earlier and catch BP and glad I did that day. Gabriel Lino was a tall and extremely lanky kid when I saw him sitting in right field. He was this wiry kid and looked the part of that future tree trunk type. The kid had a rocket arm and quite quick hands for his youth. My jaw had dropped when I saw him throw a laser to third. It is funny that I asked a friend and rival coach about him "They should give this kid a shot behind the plate, he looks to at least have a 7 arm strength." I watched in BP, he was a smooth swing. There were minor hiccups, but you saw that raw hand speed through the zone and I thought he was one to watch.
I remember telling Jordan that this kid is going to be special.
Based on ceiling, Lino is maybe the 3rd or 4th best player in the system. If he were a draft pick, he would easily be a first round choice in the 2011, even stacked with that impressive list of players.
I have been told that his POP was sub ~1.8 at times, simply unreal if he can clean his footwork and mechanics. He has the chance to be a serious battery mate. I suspect that with given instruction, he should easily stick at catcher as he progresses.
From a hitting standpoint, he has the tools to be a dual threat hitter. He has slight loft in his swing, along with strength that he should have at least a 6 down the line. I see the hands and once that compaction happens, he can be better than a 5.5 contact guy, maybe even 6 down the road. He is still young and there is risk that pitch recognition and quality off-speed can hamper him, but the bat is quick enough that I feel confident he can overcome obstacles to be an effective hitter.
The kid is not a statue, he is athletic and you can see that with instruction he can be a very good all-around player at a very crucial position.
There is really no reason to rush and there are a few good catchers in the system. He may play Low-A ball and start the season on a full season squad. He could use extended spring training and enhance his skills behind the plate in a no pressure situation, start off in Aberdeen sometime this summer.
He may grade in the teens right now, but by this time next season he could be that "third" player in the Orioles system that has all of the national circuit drooling in their top 50 overall prospects. He really has that type of ability in him.
