It is with great pleasure I share my final Orioles top 30 prospect list for the 2012 season. The thoughts and views below are a combination of my personal experiences and the reports and views given to me by sources within the baseball industry. I have seen almost all of these prospects play at least a few times, with some over 10 times. The Orioles system is very top-heavy still, and is more interchangeable near the bottom. If a player does not make this list, that does not mean they are not talented. There were quite a few players I left off, which I may detail in a “just missed” segment down the road.
Also I would like to say thank you to Jeff Reese and the Bullpen Banter crew for allowing use of their prospect videos. They do great work, and have a wide variety of coverage.
30. Miguel Chalas – RHP
Chalas is not the biggest guy in the park, but he throws some serious gas. He generally sits around 92-95 and has topped 96 MPH before. He also displays a slurve which balances well with the fastball. The fastball is a little too straight and he has some command issues. Both of these probably entail the reasoning behind some of his struggles as a starter in Delmarva this season. From the people I have talked to, they seem to think he will move into the bullpen down the road, and that starting is probably out of the question. I think it makes sense, as he could be a power reliever. He is a guy to keep an eye on, and one that I really would not put too much into his numbers in the rotation. It’s just a way to get more work in and hopefully refine some of his pitches. He still is inconsistent with his mechanics and moves around on the mound a lot. He will have some time to work these out, and being in the rotation will most likely give him enough innings to do so.
29. Jaime Esquivel – RHP
Esquivel is an intriguing arm with some growth left with the body and his arsenal. He mostly sits around 88-92 with his fastball, and it could be faster with a little more growth. He is relatively skinny for his 6’2″ frame and a little more muscle might do some good. The fastball velocity might not stand out, but there is a good bit of deception on it. I noticed that a lot of the hitters in the NYPL were a tad late on the fastball. While his NYPL numbers do not exactly scream “wow” at us, he still showed some traits and ability that could be an asset down the road with refinement. His curve ball is a nice pitch and has an 11-6 break on it, almost a little sweep-like. I loved how he attacked hitters with this pitch, and often threw it in the dirt in 1-2 and 0-2 counts. A lot of hitters in the NYPL chase that. The change up has to get better in order for him to stick as a starter. I would rate it average as of now, although I have seen him throw a few plus change ups. There was a little time missed this season due to injury, and he looked off after his return. I talked with a few people that really seemed to like him. He is a sleeper in my eyes, and could really shoot up the list if he compiles a solid 2013 season.
28. Michael Ohlman – C
Ohlman might have made the biggest jump of anyone this season. At the beginning of the year, I doubt many even considered him much of a prospect anymore. He was not a good catcher, had injury problems, and wasn’t even hitting. To tack onto that, he was behind a few other catchers on the depth chart, including upcoming prospect Gabriel Lino. Let’s also not forget that Ohlman missed a large portion of games due to a car accident AND a 50-game suspension. It was fairly easy to write him off. In fact, I will admit that I generally thought little of him as late as June. Baseball has this way of humbling us though. Ohlman bounced back and absolutely demolished the Sally League. He ended with a solid line and an OBP over .400. Ohlman showed the skills at the plate in which everyone had hoped to see when he was drafted. He does have a solid approach at the plate. Add that along with above average discipline of the strike zone, and you have a player whom gets on base. He had more walks than strikeouts in 2012. The only knock I can really give on Ohlman this season is that the power did not show. He has raw power, but it has not translated yet into his actual game. He is more of a doubles guy right now more-so than HR. The bat has taken a leap since the past year though and is very encouraging. Behind the plate, the reports say that he generally looks more comfortable. He had this label of not working well with pitchers. I did not hear that in 2012. He already had an above-average arm. With improved footwork, he could stick at catcher. I originally thought he was probably going to move off, but it seems that is not the case anymore. Also, his bat would not work at first base. That would severely hinder his prospect status. It is always great to see players bounce back and prove everyone wrong. Ohlman may very well be that next player to do it.
27. Hector Veloz – 3B
Everyone wants a power hitting third basemen. It is just a valuable piece to any club. Veloz has the ability to be just that. He was signed in 2010 for $300,000, which was the highest international signing bonus in Orioles history at the time. He has legitimate raw power, pushing the 7 range (on the 2-8 scouting rating system). Of course, one does not just get by with pure power. He still has contact issues, and needs to clean up his bat. He has a lot of moving parts, which hinder his ability to produce at times. Defensively, he is not the most agile nor athletic mold. Some think he could move off third, although the only spots he could go then would be first or DH. The main concern with Veloz is his body. He is not exactly in top-fit shape. He is young, and not everyone is blessed with a great body to start, but he could use a little more conditioning. Again, that is not a knock, but something that would certainly help him down the line. Some still say the same thing about Miguel Cabrera, so it’s not always truly a bad thing. Veloz is a guy to keep an eye on down the line. He could jump on the scene and really take off in the next year or two. He is just 18, and is on a fairly normal path in the minors. He was not pushed nearly as hard as someone like Gabriel Lino was this season. I expect him to start again at Aberdeen, unless they decide to now push him.There is still much time left. Of course, as with all prospects, he could never fruition into that power hitting corner guy.
26. Trent Mummey – OF
If you walk around Frederick and ask who one of the best all-around players on the Keys roster is, Mummey’s name might pop up. He is one of the OF in the Orioles system that could truly turn into a regular if his skills continued to refine. He has above-average speed, raw power, plus bat speed, and can hit to all fields. He also plays a solid OF, with an above-average arm and the ability to stick in CF. He is not the biggest player in the world, standing only 5’10”. Mummey sounds like he is well on his way to becoming a solid regular. Unfortunately, he has been struck by injury after injury. Some of them have been freak injuries like a concussion running into a wall. Unfortunately for him, these health concerns have seriously hindered his status as a prospect. It’s very hard to move up in the world of baseball when you are not on the field playing and proving your worth. That has essentially been the case with him the past two years. He has all the ability in the world, but it has not been able to shine through. I view health as a skill, because at the end of the day you can only help when able to play. With the time he has missed, there has been noticeable struggles. So much off-and-on play makes it a little unsurprising, but it has made myself and a few others I talk to question him. Realistically, Mummey could have been knocking on the door if he stayed healthy. At least, one would have hoped. He still has all-around tools, but he will absolutely need to show some more consistency in the health department and on the field in 2013.
25. Juan Guzman – RHP
Guzman has an electric arsenal. He was a steamroller in the rotation at Aberdeen in 2012, until his promotion to Delmarva. The RHP has touched 95 MPH with his fastball, although it generally sits around 91-93. Guzman made strides this season with the secondary arsenal, showing off a much better curve with a little more tightness on the spin. While he was a little older this season starting at Aberdeen, he quickly earned a promotion after pure domination of the NYPL. I was able to witness a game in person where he struck out 11 batters, giving up only a solo HR to Yankees prospect Saxon Butler. These are the kind of outings that Guzman is capable of. While he struggled a little once promoted to Delmarva, he still showed off his solid arsenal. It is just a well-known fact that the further up a players goes, the less mistakes they will get away with. Before Delmarva, Guzman never had an ERA over 3.00 in his first three seasons in the DSL, GCL, and NYPL. While ERA is essentially irrelevant when talking about a prospect, it does give an idea of how he dominated. He is a dark-horse prospect whom could surprise quite a few next season with a full year at Delmarva or Frederick.
24. Torsten Boss – 3B/UTIL
Boss is a jack-of-all-trades player. He is extremely athletic and can play all around the diamond. The Orioles have stuck him at third base for the time-being. That probably has more to do with the third base position being absolutely barren besides a few players such as Jason Esposito, Hector Veloz and Tyler Kelly. Defensively, I have only seen him play third, and he has a quick glove with relatively strong instincts. Again, his athleticism makes him agile enough to play particularly anywhere. From reports I have been given, he could play Center Field if necessary. The bat is in need of a little more work than the glove. He played in the Cape Cod league before being drafted and severely struggled according to reports. His main problem was an elongated swing. In Aberdeen, he shortened it a little and there was an overall sense of improvement in my eyes. He uses his arms a little too much for my liking, although he has good enough bat speed to hide it right now. His swing is not of the violent variety, and he does make decent contact. He has a solid approach at the plate and his discipline was advanced for the short-season stage. That probably has to do with him seeing more advanced pitching at Michigan State and in the Cape Cod League. I do not see him as a flashy bat, but he could provide value down the road. He was entirely too advanced for the NYPL this season, and should realistically start at Frederick next season. One would hope he is a fast mover through the system, but progress with the bat will be necessary at Frederick. With Boss, I do not see an impact player, but more-so a role guy. The 2013 season will tell us a much more on Boss. He will be playing on a level where his talent can truly be judged.
23. Johnny Ruettiger – OF
Let’s get this out of the way first. Yes, he is the nephew of Rudy Ruettiger. In reality, his game reflects that in some ways. He is a hardworking and hellbent individual that plays the game like you would want. He is not the strongest, fastest, most athletic, or best player on the field at any time. He makes up for that with an acute sense of the game and a strong application of fundamentals. I took to liking Ruettiger this season. He has a strong knowledge of the strike zone and shows off a solid approach at the plate. His plate discipline is also solid. He does not have the fastest bat speed, nor the best contact on the club. However, he does have above average speed and simply knows how to get on base. In the field, he has just an average arm. He is a talented tracker, but probably does not have the top speed to truly play CF on an every day basis. He could fit better in LF down the road. There is potential to at least be a decent 4th OF here. He could surpass that, but I think that is what one should look at as a likely destination.
22. Dan Klein – RHP
Klein missed the entire 2012 season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. This was a big blow for him, as he was already knocking on the door as a relief prospect. If not for the injury, it was not entirely naive to say he would have been a part of this Orioles playoff team. He was that close. The injury significantly hindered his current value as a prospect and the concern of injury is still there. Remember, he also had problems with health dating back to UCLA. This will be his third procedure on the same shoulder over the past three years. The Orioles initially planned on letting him try it as a starter again, but that is completely out of the picture now with these health concerns. As a relief pitcher, he can be a strong back-end type. He has four solid pitches that he can throw at any time. The fastball was in the 92-95 range, although it remains to be seen where that currently is. He also has a slider, curve ball and change up. There is not much more to say on Klein besides that he needs to have a healthy 2013 at his age 24 season.
21. Jason Esposito – 3B
Some may be surprised to see Jason in the top 30 after his rough first season in professional ball. He severely struggled in 2012, and there is no other way of saying it. He’s always been known as a defensive oriented prospect with the hope that the bat would come around. In fact, most reports generally said that the defense would grade plus while the bat is simply below average. This season, both were below-average. In the field, Esposito does have a strong arm, but was a little inaccurate. He is an agile player, whom can absolutely handle the hot corner, but something just did not click this season. He was a little sloppy in the field, and from the people I talked to, it seemed to translate into mental errors and mistakes in all facets of the game. At the plate, Esposito just never got it rolling. He has a decent swing and can make solid contact, but was entirely too inconsistent this season and was ice cold at times. He did show solid gap power against LHP, and was riding with the pitch. There were some off-field problems with Esposito. Some of the labels slapped on him may be unfair, but it just in general was not a good start for him. The one thing I will say about him is that it is entirely too early to write him off. It’s never a good idea to make a severe judgment on a player after just one full season in the minors. He deserves to at least get a second chance to prove his ability, and that is primarily what I am hoping he can do. Right now it is understandable to be worried about the second round pick, but it is probably a little too early to be writing him off for good. There are still some people I talk to that believe he is a top 15 prospect. While I am a little hesitant on that ranking, it’s not entirely out of the realm for him to be there. Substantial improvements in the field and at the plate will be needed in 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-is1V0_Iddc
Tucker Blair was born and raised in the Baltimore area and currently lives in Elkridge, Maryland. He graduated from York College of Pennsylvania with a B.S in Entrepreneurial Studies and is currently a Project Analyst for a Management Consulting Firm in Federal Hill, Baltimore. Tucker was previously the Managing Editor at Orioles Nation, where he worked on prospect lists, reports, and analysis on the Orioles minor league system. He also previously wrote his personal blog, The EntreprenOriole.