If you’ve ever happened to be on Twitter after your favorite team’s closer blows a save, odds are you’ll see fans upset about the proceedings that are unfolding on their television. Not that this is wrong; in fact, part of the awesomeness of social media is the ability to connect with fans that you otherwise would not have been able to. But social media also combines fans’ raw emotions with the never-ending search for why something on the field happened the way it did. (The bullpen has been used too much. That’s why Jim Johnson blew this save! His release point is off! FIRE SOMEONE IMMEDIATELY!”) However, when you’re dealing with tiny sample sizes in baseball, it’s mostly futile to search for reasons why something happened. Sometimes, baseball happens. Let’s look at Jim Johnson’s outing on Saturday evening in which he allowed five runs, three hits (one homer) and two walks in one-third of an inning.

His outing began just like so many of his other outings have: a power two-seamer resulting in a weak groundout. Below, you’ll see where a two-seamer on a 1-2 count ends up: directly on the outside corner to Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Luke Scott. Scott goes after what looks to be a perfect 90-mph sinker from Johnson:

Scott rolled over on the pitch for an easy four to three put-out for the Orioles. That would be the only out Johnson would record with the 32 pitches he threw. The next hitter was Kelly Johnson, who played left field for Joe Maddon on Saturday. Kelly Johnson worked the count to 3-1, and deposited a 93-mph pitch right on the outside corner into the left field seats:

The pitch is probably a little higher than Jim Johnson wanted it, but it’s by no means a terrible pitch — it’s not as if Jim Johnson split the plate with it. Give Kelly Johnson credit; he got two-seamer he was likely looking for, extended his arms and powered a pitch on the outside corner into the left field bleachers. That’s good stuff.

Given the homer, Johnson’s room for error was thin. Johnson walked the next two batters — noted offensive powerhouses Jose Lobaton and Yunel Escobar — and most of the balls weren’t particularly close to being strikes. Every reliever has outings in which he battles his command and control, but it’s magnified when it occurs with the closer in the ninth inning of a close game. Again, every pitcher battles command and control at different points during a season — even the pitchers like Johnson whose success is partly attributed to his ability to pound the bottom half of the strike zone.

The next hitter was Desmond Jennings. Johnson got behind 2-0 to him, and after a visit by pitching coach Rick Adair, the count evened at 2-2. Jennings got a 94-mph fastball up and in (probably a little off the inside corner and a little high) that he hit near the label of his bat:

Jennings’ bat exploded, and the ball landed between shortstop J.J. Hardy and left fielder Nate McLouth. As far as two-strike pitches go, you can do a lot worse than this one. Give Jennings credit for getting his bat on a two-strike pitch that was close to a borderline offering and serving it into left field.

The next hitter was Matt Joyce, who would be the final hitter Johnson would face on this day. Johnson was looking for a strikeout, pop-up or double play. A deep flyball, walk or infield hit ties the score. Any base hit to the outfield likely gives the Rays the lead. Joyce worked the count full and attacked Johnson’s 32nd and final pitch of the evening:

Joyce lined this pitch — a 95-mph sinker on the outside corner and perhaps a touch lower than Joyce’s kneecaps — over second baseman Ryan Flaherty’s head for a double. This is a similar pitch that Luke Scott rolled over on to begin the inning. Sometimes, you just get beat. Joyce is a really good hitter against right-handed pitching and just got the better of Johnson in this instance.

Next time Jim Johnson — or any closer, for that matter — blows a save, there probably isn’t a need to go crazy over it like I have — there are nearly 775 words here about one blown save. Sometimes, relievers have bad outings. (They just look worse when they occur in the ninth inning.) Sometimes, Kelly Johnson, Desmond Jennings and Matt Joyce are a just little bit better on that day. Sometimes, baseball happens.

The post Jim Johnson blew a save on Saturday because baseball appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

(You can discuss this article on the BSL board here.)

Arrieta, Matusz and Hunter all had options remaining, so they went to the minors. Up came Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Zach Britton, and to a lesser extent, Steve Johnson. Tillman and Gonzalez, as we all know, worked out; Johnson was effective in a tiny sample. (They also traded for Joe Saunders.) The Orioles, as the story went, didn’t necessarily have strength in quality but certainly did in quantity; if you have a bunch of fringy guys; you may very well hit on one or two of them over a 90 to 100 inning sample. And they were able to freely rotate those pitchers because most of them had options remaining. There’s value to having a flexible roster.

Fast forward to 2013 and the Orioles went into camp with a similar composition to their rotation – lots of pitchers and lots of pitchers with options, but not a ton of quality. The question, of course, was simple – was this merry-go-round rotation a viable long-term organizational strategy? (Side note: I’m sure the Orioles would love to have only used five starters to this point, but it didn’t take Nostradamus to figure out that the Orioles would be using a ton of starters this year.)

So here we are, in mid-May, and there’s only two pitchers left from their five on opening day. Jair Jurrjens will become the tenth Orioles starter this season when he starts on May 18. May 18. Injuries and ineffectiveness have again plagued the rotation, but the team’s patience seems thinner than it was last year. Arrieta, Matusz and Hunter regularly made starts deep into the summer last year. However, this year Arrieta had a leash of four starts. Josh Stinson, Zach Britton and Steve Johnson got one start before getting the heave-ho. Arrieta, Stinson, Britton, Johnson and Freddy Garcia have combined to pitch 51 innings, allow 41 runs, walk 27 batters and strike out 34. Miguel Gonzalez v2.0 hasn’t walked through that door.

I thought that the Orioles should have pursued a starter harder in the offseason; for example, I thought the deals that Brandon McCarthy, Ryan Dempster and Dan Haren signed were all solid deals for the teams involved. It didn’t make a ton of sense to me to go into the spring with so much uncertainty when it seemed pretty clear that the rotation could use more, well, certainty. However, there’s no use in crying over spilled milk. And there’s a flip side to signing a starter for even mid-range money – there’s no sending them down to the minors if they’re bad. If you sign a veteran starter reasonably big money contract, he’s not getting sent down to the minors no matter how bad he is. He’ll make his 32-34 starts barring injury. The commitment of a 25-man roster spot is one of the risks a team takes on aside from a monetary one when it signs a big league free agent. Handing Jake Arrieta the fifth starter’s job brings no roster commitment or monetary commitment. Neither does starting Britton. Or Johnson. Or Garcia. There’s value to that. The problem, however, is that you’re relying on fringy guys, and a lot of times, fringy guys pitch like fringy guys and not like 2012 Miguel Gonzalez.

The post A note on the construction of the O’s rotation appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Anyway, in this article I thought it might be thought provoking to show some tables with general information and then ones detailing the careers of Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Chris Davis, and Matt Wieters.  First, I want to show the general outlook on this season and show the 248 players currently with enough of a sample size (>15 hits; not sure why that number is used).  The orange bars indicate Oriole players (in order: Davis, Nolan Reimold, Jones, Flaherty, Machado, J.J. Hardy,Wieters, Nate McLouth, and Markakis).

And here is a table with the data summarized since 2007:

As we look above, the minimum average guys make sense with players who are well known for scraping the fence whenever a ball goes yard.  The maximum average also largely makes sense though I would not immediately think of Ianetta and Hawpe in that grouping.  However, I have seen several moonshots by Hawpe…that just didn’t seem to happen all that often and that might be why I don’t immediate associate him as a long distance hitter.

So what about Nick Markakis?

To make it a little easier to understand, I included too statistics in here: (1) Distance+ and (2) Percentile.  Distance+ is simply the player’s distance divided by league average and then multiplied by 100.  So, 100 would be average with anything above being greater than average.  The Percentile should be interpreted as being anything higher means a higher placement among the hitters.  For instance, a player in the 84th percentile would be hitting them deeper on average than a player in the 33rd percentile.

Now, back to Nick.  You can see with his numbers that there is a decent amount of correlation between the distance of his batted fly balls and home runs with his best offensive seasons.  It also seems to correlate with his power coming back during last year’s injury plagued season.  Beyond that, I am not sure it informs us much more than what we currently already know: Nick is not hitting the ball deep this year.

Adam Jones

What we see here is a similarity coming from his 2010 season and this year in terms of power.  In other words, more singles and fewer home runs.  It is a slight concern that is also expressed in his high BABIP (.374).  Those give pause and should make us wonder whether his numbers are outpacing his performance.

Chris Davis

Again, not particularly notable other than…yeah…Davis crushes the ball.  I’m not sure what to say beyond that.  These numbers simply seem descriptive.  They are good for looking at what has happened, but metrics like isolated power or slugging percentage combined with other numbers like hit type percentage or batting average of balls in play probably do it better.

Matt Wieters

Wieters appears to be pretty consistent.  He gets about the same distance out of the ball every year.  This falls in line with his ISO from 2011-2013 (.188, .186, .185, respectively).  I know a lot of people like to get down on Wieters for not being what they wished he would be, but he is a fine defensive catcher who currently is hitting right on par with what you can expect from a catcher with his .306 wOBA.  If his BABIP rises from .248 to his career norm of .290, then you see an average catcher becoming an All Star level catcher.  In terms of competing this year…it has not gone well, but it certainly has kept down his long term value if the two sides can agree on a long term contract.

Conclusion

I don’t think there is much of a conclusion to have.  These numbers tend to fall in line with the general stories associated with other numbers.  Just a wobbly hammer to add to the tool box, perhaps.

The post Hitting Them Where They Ain’t: Flyball and Homerun Distances appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The show is hosted by Rob Shields, and Mike Weber.

Topics: Rob and Mike talked about the NBA Playoffs, the Orioles rotation, and had a discussion on baseball statistics. Their guest tonight was BSL poster ‘bnickle‘.

You can discuss the show here.

The post Message Board Wars – Episode 19 appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The hosts are Matt Jergensen, and Mike Randall.

This weeks topics include: Discussion includes Rolando McClain’s retirement, Options for Inside linebacker, Bernard Pollard’s White House comments, Mark Clayton’s retirement, Jacoby Jones and much more. Today’s guest is Steve Palazzolo from Pro Football Focus. The Retro Raven of the week is #24 – Domonique Foxworth

You can discuss the show here.

The post Ravens Rap – Episode 24 appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Talk about this post on the BSL forums here.

This is undoubtedly good news, but there’s certainly always room for improvement.  For example, the O’s rank 11th in MLB in wRC+ with a perfectly pedestrian 100. Pitching isn’t any prettier, where the staff 3.93 ERA ranks them 15th in Major League Baseball. The even worse news is that the O’s 4.42 FIP suggests that their pitching SHOULD be the 4th worst staff in MLB.

This post isn’t about that though. It’s about the Day/Night splits for the team, specifically the batters. O’s pitchers have posted the following stats which are fairly close though relatively uninspiring:

Day: 4.01 ERA, 1.86 K/BB, 1.273 WHIP in 128 IP

Night: 3.89 ERA, 2.10 K/BB, 1.286 WHIP in 220 IP

As you can see, those numbers are fairly close, and will likely trend that way though the rest of the season. Last season in fact, the numbers trended very closely together for the duration of the year as you can see here at Baseball-Reference.

The O’s hitters on the other hand, haven’t been so consistent regardless of start time. Just check out these triple slash lines:

Day: .285/.344/.500 in 558 PA

Night: .249/.310/.383 in 934 PA

Let’s put those numbers in perspective really quickly by comparing them to overall OPS output for other teams this season. If every game the O’s played was a day game, their .844 OPS would put them well ahead of the Tigers who currently lead MLB with a .786 team OPS. On the other hand, the .693 OPS in night games would land the Orioles in 24th, 1 spot behind the offensive juggernaut Astros.

If you’re curious, you can check out the team’s 2012 performance at Baseball-Reference, where despite fairly disparate batting averages, the OPS for the team in both types of games comes out pretty even.

So how does this shake out. You can check out a full table here, but I’ll highlight some of the interesting examples. Some of the worst offenders in night games are:

Nolan Reimold: 60 tOPS+

Nate McLouth: 57 tOPS+

Adam Jones: 52 tOPS+

JJ Hardy: 46 tOPS+

In this case, tOPS+ is a measure of how their performance in night games compares to what we would expect based on their career splits. Hardy and Reimold have been down offensively all year which pushes their tOPS+ down here, but interesting that these guys make up 3 very regular players in the O’s lineup.

Ironically, those 4 guys are also the 4 top performers in day games! Here are their tOPS+ scores for day games, with a full table available here:

JJ Hardy: 188 tOPS+

Adam Jones: 184 tOPS+

Nate McLouth: 174 tOPS+

Nolan Reimold: 162 tOPS+

Based on this you might think that as these players see their splits even out over the season, the team itself will come back to even. This, while true, doesn’t fully explain this interesting split.

In day games, only 5 Orioles are performing worse than you would expect, with 8 players out-performing their career marks. In night games on the other hand, 7 players are under-performing their career lines, with just 6 players exceeding expectations.

Is this something to be concerned about? Maybe. On one hand, there are obviously going to be more night games than day games over the course of a season. On the other hand, these extreme splits are likely to come back to the middle over the season. Should the O’s go out and start looking for hitters that hit really well in night games? Of course not. It is however, something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

One final set of stats to leave you with:

Day: 14 games, 9-5 record

Night: 25 games, 14-11 record

The post Fun With Splits – Day/Night Games appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

It appears that Rolando McClain’s rap sheet will be longer than his NFL playing career. McClain reaffirmed  my previous statement, that the Ravens shouldn’t rely on him. Rolando McClain notified Ozzie Newsome that 35 days after he agreed to a contract with Baltimore, he’ll be hanging em’ up at age 23.

You can discuss this topic on our message board here.

The Ravens took a chance on the troubled young man, signing him to a $700K contract with no money guaranteed. It didn’t take long for McClain to find himself in trouble with the law after signing with Baltimore. The team wanted McClain to basically stay away from OTA’s until his July 9^th court date where he faces charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Thanks to Rolando, the team’s decision is that much easier on where to go at MLB. Second round draft pick, Arthur Brown of Kansas State, steps right in to the top spot on the depth chart as Jameel McClain’s health is still in question, and possibilities of Courtney Upshaw moving to inside linebacker still open.

You would probably think that a corresponding move is coming. The team signed McClain for some added depth at MLB, and his departure only means that depth there is needed again. The depth chart at MLB could look something like this:

Arthur Brown, Courtney Upshaw*, Jameel McClain*, Albert McClellan, Josh Bynes, Bryan Hall.

Here are some of the available free agents still out there for the Ravens to pursue:

Daryl Smith – ESPN grade, 81. Nine year veteran of the Jacksonville Jaguars and he’s their franchises all time leading tackler at 31 years of age. Until 2012 he only missed four games in his entire career. He sat out most of 2012 until week 16 with injury.

Nick Barnett – ESPN grade, 81. Long time Green Bay Packer, recently cut by the Buffalo Bills after two years there. 1,029 tackles for Barnett in his ten year career, including 20.5 sacks and 12 INTs. An All-Pro in 2007.

Brian Urlacher – ESPN grade, 80. Maybe the guy has some gas left in the tank, as he prepares for his age 35 season. The numbers are Hall of Fame worthy with 40+ sacks and 20+ INTs, to go along with 1300+ tackles. However he hasn’t notched a sack since 2010. Leadership is something this guy can bring to a defense with a  lot of new young faces. The question may just be how much money is Urlacher asking for. Like the Ed Reed situation, does Urlacher want to be paid like one of the top five linebackers of the last decade, or will he settle for what he’s worth as a 14-year veteran stopgap with durability issues? He has all the accolades one can have, with the exception of a Super Bowl ring. The Ravens give him just as good chance as anyone to accomplish that goal, so maybe he’s willing to take less money to have a chance to reach the top.

Some other guys the Ravens could pursue include: Leroy Hill (SEA), Takeo Spikes (SD), Rocky McIntosh (STL), Bradie James (HOU), Will Witherspoon (TEN), Scott Fujita (CLE), Keith Brooking (DEN).

The post Rolando McClain does the Ravens a favor appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

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Fellow BSL writer Tucker Blair commented on the play noting that the run could not score and was met with two followers who declared the runner could score.  This made me want to go back to the rule book because the batter-runner is generally given more attention than other runners.  Now, I will be the first one to say that my knowledge of the rule book in some areas is pretty scant.  However, I have a difficult time seeing how the run could score without Manny making it to first base.  Here is the primary rule about run scoring:

4.09
HOW A TEAM SCORES.
(a) One run shall be scored each time a runner legally advances to and touches first, second, third and home base before three men are put out to end the inning. EXCEPTION: A run is not scored if the runner advances to home base during a play in which the third out is made (1) by the batter-runner before he touches first base; (2) by any runner being forced out; or (3) by a preceding runner who is declared out because he failed to touch one of the bases.

As I read this rule, first base and the batter-runner is treating differently than any other runner on the base paths.  Manny running back home to get the pitcher to tag him will not be successful because he must touch first base successfully.  If Manny was already on first and did this successfully between first and second, then a run should count by my reading here.

So, my reading here, indicates that Gregerson was right to be irritated at the end of the play.  Manny had no way to enable Pearce to score by drawing out the out.  However, Gregerson should be more upset with himself as he simply could have turned around and walked ten feet to first base without exerting himself.

The post Manny’s Backwards Run and the Rule Book appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Balog has the size of a good first basemen, standing at 6’3″ 220 lbs. There looks to still be some room for him to possibly fill out even more down the road, although he is already 23. He stands tall at the plate, keeping his hands calm and at ease. Balog displays average bat-speed, although he has an easy swing through the zone with minimal movement. He does open up his shoulder at times from what I have seen, largely from being fooled on good secondary pitches.

From what I have seen personally, and from the scouts I have talked to, Balog is filler at first base. He does not have enough power to stick there, although his bat may allow him to stick in the minors there for a little while. He has a surprisingly good approach at the plate, although his current BB/K ratio would certainly not agree. Overall, Balog knows how to use the bat and does not try and do too much. I have not seen him enough defensively to give any form of judgment. He will have more opportunities to play now with Christian Walker moved to Frederick.

Torsten Boss – UTIL

If it wasn’t for Sebastian Vader, he would run away with “best name” in the Orioles system. The highly athletic Boss can play all around the diamond, but has been used mostly at 2B and 3B in his minor league career. I like him defensively, and feel that his athleticism makes up for average foot-skills on the infield. I have no doubt in my mind he could play a great corner outfield, and possibly play CF if needed.

At the plate, Boss is an enigma. Consistency has been an issue throughout his entire career, dating all the way back to college. Boss has advanced discipline, and displays a solid approach. He often works the count and fouls off many “pitcher pitches”. My concerns with the bat are that he is inconsistent with his hands and swing. He lunges at outside pitches occasionally, dropping his hands and making weak contact. He has an elongated swing at times, and this varies like the current of an ocean. Some days it is fine and he looks great, while other days he really has a hard time catching up to a ball. He does not have the bat-speed of some other prospects within the system, so having an elongated swing is truly a problem. There has been some refinement from last season when I saw him at Aberdeen, but it’s not quite there yet.

This may be the one reason he hasn’t moved to Frederick yet, although he should really be there by now. He just doesn’t have much else to learn against the competition level in A ball.

Caleb Joseph – C/1B

Joseph has hit well at Bowie this season after stalling there the past few years. He seems to be a little more at ease at the plate, which is a change from past seasons where he seemed too jumpy and noisy. His bat seems quicker this season, with his hands going through the zone at a much better pace. Caleb has some decent pop, and spreads the ball well around the field when he is on his A-game.

Defensively, Joseph concerns me in a few areas. His arm is probably average behind the plate, in terms of both accuracy and strength. His footwork has improved since the start of his pro career, but he is a little stiff at times and does not always get in front of balls in the dirt. He is a solid game-caller, and pitchers seem to get along well with Joseph.

Overall, I truly think some of the success Joseph is seeing comes from being able to focus on hitting to start the year. I listened to some coaches talking to him about relaxing and enjoying the game, and it sure seems that Joseph has taken some of that to heart. He has started to play some innings behind the plate now, and the bat has not slowed down. I think there is still a possibility that the Orioles view Joseph as a potential backup catcher or insurance catcher for the major league level. He will obviously be an offensive-first catcher, which is non-typical in today’s game. Another thing to note is Joseph has been in the high minors for a bit now, so this success should not surprise anyone.

*Thanks to Nathaniel Stoltz for the videos*

(Discuss this article on the BSL Message Board here.)

The post Prospect Watch: Balog, Boss, Joseph appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

BSL thanks Mr. Hassenstab for taking the time to respond.

(You can discuss this Q&A on the BSL Message Board here.)

Baltimore Sports and Life: If Maryland is going to improve this coming year, there is going to have to be a leap in production from the PG position. One of their incoming 2013 recruits is Roddy Peters.  The 6’4 combo guard had his Senior season ended with surgery to fix a torn labrum in December. It would be a lot to ask of any Freshman to come in and run the offense, but does he have the skill set to immediately be part of the solution?

Hassenstab: Roddy Peters is a legitimate top 10 point guard nationally, but it is a tough task for a freshman to step in the ACC and play, especially as a primary ballhandler. Peters has been a prospect that has been overlooked at times, and missing his senior season with an injury can bring him into his first season with a chip on his shoulder. Peters is a major talent, but the reality is that there will be speed bumps if he is given the keys to the offense on day one. Ideally, Maryland would land Antonio Barton and ease the transition for Peters.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Memphis transfer (and Baltimore’s own) Antonio Barton is considering Maryland. Expected to graduate this Summer, he would be immediately eligible. Knowing your focus is on recruiting, what did you like about Barton coming out of high-school? With 95 college games played, and 31 career starts; seems like another guy who could help?

Hassenstab: There’s no mistaking Antonio Barton as a star, and he is certainly a known quantity after three similar seasons in Memphis. Barton has always been a good, but not great combo guard,  and one that doesn’t have any high-level skills that will shine in the ACC, if he picks Maryland. Should he land at Maryland, his experience will be more valued than any of his on court skills. In truth, his role will be a stop gap until the more talented Peters adjusts to high-major hoops.

Baltimore Sports and Life: 6’9 230lb Maryland Native Damonte Dodd will join Maryland’s post rotation after prepping for a year at Massanutten Military Academy. With Padgett having graduated, and Len to the NBA; significant minutes will be available to Dodd off the bench behind Mitchell and Cleare. Coming off the prep season, is it realistic to think Dodd will be able to match the production Mitchell and Cleare had as Freshman?

Hassenstab: Dodd played in one of the top prep school programs in the country and is more gifted athletically than Mitchell and Cleare. After their respective freshmen seasons, Mitchell and Cleare can’t be considered locks in the frontcourt, and it’s reasonable to expect Dodd will push each significantly for minutes, and average a few points and rebounds per game, similar to how the freshmen duo this year performed.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Maryland’s first commit of the 2014 class is another PG – Melo Trimble. When he committed, Trimble relayed Coach Turgeon’s comments that he believed Trimble and Peters being able to play interchangeably. Thoughts on the Terps future back-court?

Hassenstab: Trimble and Peters teamed together for a very good DC Assault team so they have familiarity with each other. Both are are combo guards through and through, and each will be able to play on and off the ball. That duo can score, and has some explosiveness. With normal progression, one could expect them to be in the upper echelon of Big Ten backcourts in Trimble’s sophomore season.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Like many others, Maryland has been pursuing shot-blocking Center Goodluck Okonoboh. A former AAU teammate of Maryland’s Jake Layman, I know many believe Okonoboh will eventually land at Indiana. Do you see the Terps having a chance here?

Hassenstab: One can assume anything is possible on the recruiting trail, but that would rate as extremely unlikely at this stage. Okonoboh now plays for Mass Rivals, which was the squad incoming Indiana freshman Noah Vonleh plays for, and not BABC, which was Layman’s squad.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Local MD guards Dion Wiley and Phil Booth continue to get a lot of attention from Maryland, and programs across the Country. I’ve seen Wiley described as being the better shooter, with Booth described as having a better all-around game. What do you like about each? Who do you believe would be the better get for the Terps?

Hassenstab: Both would rate as excellent additions to a future Maryland backcourt, particularly with Trimble and Peters. For what it’s worth, Hoopniks.com is of the opinion that Wiley is a superior prospect and all-around player compared with Booth. Wiley has an ACC ready frame, and a terrific all-around scoring game. Make no mistake, both are top 10 caliber shooting guards nationally, and would be a major score.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Another big that MD is pursuing is PF Obi Enechionyia. What are his strengths and weaknesses, where do you have him among PF’s Nationally?

Hassenstab: Enechionyia has a long way to go, but his athleticism and length put him in the upper echelon of prospects and give him the potential to be a good college player with additional development. He’s likely among the top 15 power forwards in the country, which is based more on his physical gifts and agility than skill level at this point.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Any other recruits that MD is in on that you think Terps fans should be keeping an eye on?

Hassenstab: Enechionyia’s teammate on their AAU team, Team Takeover, is fellow big man Martin Geben. He is absolutely blowing up this spring and has a major college frame and rapidly developing skills as a post player. His potential school list is likely to get much longer before it gets shorter, but the native of Lithuania plays his high school hoops in Maryland and should be subject to a major push from the Maryland staff as they monitor his aforementioned Team Takeover teammates, which includes Wiley, Booth and Enechionyia.

The post Terps Basketball Recruiting Q&A w/ Kellon Hassenstab, Hoopniks appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.