Scouting Manny Machado



He was drafted out of high school and has been compared to Alex Rodriguez. This is Orioles prospect Manny Machado. Machado was selected by the Orioles with the 3rd overall pick in the 2010 Ameteur Draft, and is projected to be their shortstop of the future.

Does this remind anyone of a certain Alex Rodriguez?



Machado tends to stand in the back of the batter's box, giving him more time to see a pitch and get good wood on it. Machado's batting stance is similar to that of Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond. He is a righty, his back foot is stationary very close to the catcher, and his front foot is stretched out left towards third base. However, despite these close similarities to the finesse hitter, Machado also has similarities to power-hitter Alex Rodriguez. The actual way he swings the bat is quite similar to that of Rodriguez. He has a very simple swing, and it stays nice and straight, allowing him to make contact with the ball right on the sweet spot.

No ground balls are getting by this kid. Hit 'em there; you're out.



Machado is also solid in the field. He has great range and a solid arm. The way he throws is at a one half arm slot, similar to the way a side-arm pitcher pitches. This arm motion is also comparable to that of Alex Rodriguez. Generally, it is unorthodox to throw side-arm, as it fatigues your arm much quicker than the tradition methods of over-the-top throwing and using the three quarter arm slot. These two methods fatigue your arm much more slowly, and generally generate a stronger throw with less effort involved. However, both Rodriguez and Machado get it done with the one half motion, and it certainly hasn't held them back.


This kid IS the future of the Orioles.

When the Orioles spent a first-round pick on this kid, they knew he'd be their future. Great teams are built around a great shortstop (see: Jeter-era Yankees, Rollins-era Phillies, etc.), and that's exactly what Machado is going to be. The next great shortstop. Can't wait to see this kid taking grounders at Camden Yards, and hopefully I won't have to for much longer.

There's Still Hope With Matt Hobgood

Matt Hobgood had huge expectations coming out of Norco High School being drafted 5th overall by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2009 draft. He shot up draft boards all through the draft process. The Orioles decided to go with Hobgood because they liked his upside and he was fresh out of high school so they could give him a few years in the minors.

Matt Hobgood has struggled for most of his professional career,
but his ceiling is still as high as ever, and it's not too late to turn it around.

Now up to this point you could call Hobgood a bust. He has struggled in his 2 seasons in the minors. In his first full season he pitched in 21 games and posted a 4.40 era in 94 innings pitched for the Delmarva Shorebirds. In his second season he has showed some progress but wasnt pitching very deep into games. He has battled injuries but has pitched 13 games total and only 37 innings for the Aberdeen Ironbirds.

Now why so much optimism for a kid that hasnt looked good at all since being drafted? Well the most of us know we dont have much depth in out minors so if Hobgood can get back on track next year and pitch decently and maybe pitch close to 100 innings then thats huge progress. Remember he just turned 21 years old in the beggining of august so he is still a young kid. I would expect him to turn it around next year and hope to see the majors in 2014 when hes 23. The Orioles saw something in him that they liked so my guess is that he will at least get a shot maybe not as a starter but somewhere on the big league roster. I think Hobgood will surprise a lot of people and turn out to be a good draft pick for the Orioles.

The Future of the O's

The 2011 season...This is when desperate Orioles fans thought the O's had a chance to make noise for the first time since the Ripken Era. With the additions of Mark Reynolds, Derrek Lee, JJ Hardy, and Vladimir Guerrero the birds looked good entering the year. This was also supposed to be the year where Matt Wieters started his run as the "Catcher of the New Era" and Brian Matusz emerged as the O's ace. Through all Adam Jones and Nick Markakis have played well. Now with the Orioles sitting in last place with what looked to be a potentially successful season entering the year, they are looking to the future. They dealt reliever Koji Uehara to the Rangers in return for first baseman Chris Davis and pitcher Tommy Hunter. I thought this was a great deal for the Orioles. Now if you are a true Orioles fan you do some research on your prospects.

The O's could compete in future years, they just need a lot of things to happen. Machado can't start slow like former O's top prospects (Wieters, Matusz). He must perform and reach the big leagues on schedule. Wieters must continue being consistent with the bat, and emerge as the catcher everyone thought he could be. Brian Matusz must turn this season around down the stretch, so that he goes into the offseason without a bad taste in his mouth. This season has been a year to forget for him so far. Zach Britton has to perform as atop of the rotation pitcher. Early in the year, he showed potential, pitching at an All-Star Caliber. He has to find that again so he can prove the doubters wrong and have confidence going into his sophomore season. Mark Reynolds has to continue hitting 30+ HR's year in and year out, and Adam Jones and Markakis step up and lead the youthful Orioles. Those three have to be offensive leaders and provide run support for the young pitching staff, as they will not be perfect their first few years in the bigs. A potential difference maker is Chris Tillman. The kid has been floating from AAA to MLB this season and used to be a highly regarded prospect for the O's. Now he seems to be falling out. If he could somehow manage to turn it around and be productive this would help Baltimore a ton.

Leading the charge of the future is shortstop Manny Machado. This kid has been compared to Alex Rodriguez, as they share similar stories as young Florida SS prospects with power bats. Machado isn't alone though. He is joined by players such as Bobby Bundy, Trent Mummey, Dan Klein, LJ Hoes, Matt Hobgood, Mycal Givens, and newly drafted players Dylan Bundy and Jason Esposito. We should expect to see the likes of Dan Klein, Bobby Bundy, and maybe Trent Mummey in Baltimore next year, where as Hoes, Hobgood, Givens, Dylan Bundy, and Esposito will need a few years to develop. But with all these talents down in the minors, especially at prime positions such as SS, 3B, and SP, the future looks bright for Baltimore.

Posted by Michael and Owen