Andy MacPhail on the draft
Major League baseball's first-year player draft is set for Tuesday. The Orioles have the fifth pick in round one.
Earlier this week, I sat down with Andy MacPhail to ask him several questions about the draft. Here are the questions and his answers.
Any general philosophy you have leading up to the draft: "I try to keep the amateur scouting department in some kind of silo where they have some measure of autonomy and accountability. We don't have 100 different guys go see players because it's a different kind of scouting than pro or Major League scouting. I'm not big on the general manager going to see six players and that having a big determining factor.
"Joe Jordan lays out our best options and he does the picking, I could get involved if signability is an issue or maybe he is looking to break a tie or has philosophical questions. But really the scouting director is charged with the selections."
He is very confident in (scouting director) Joe Jordan: "Absolutely, the players we've taken lately, the returns have all been positive. Just look at last year's draft, your first rounder is doing extremely well, your second rounder is doing very well, along with your third and fourth rounder. The guys we took the year before are doing well. Wieters from 2007 is already in the big leagues."
How do you weigh High School vs. College: "You evaluate it based on how your scout's see the individual players. If you broke down all the starting pitchers currently in the Majors, there would be more college starting pitchers, but there were more college pitchers taken. Your percentage of high schoolers is a little better even if the numbers aren't as high. That's if you look at the first ten rounds or so.
"We look at all the studies. They indicate to me it's still all about the individual player. One is not per se less risky than the other."
Do you take into account a pitcher's mechanics before taking him: "That is a Joe Jordan decision and his amateur scouting staff. They have philosophies they look for at different positions. They are better at answering where a red flag might be."
Is there a player in this draft you would not take because of his contract demands: "I am not aware of any circumstance like that at the present time."
Have the O's been near the top recently in bonuses paid out: "Over the last two years, out of 30 clubs, we are 4th in amateur signing bonuses. Some of that is a function of how much you give your first rounder. We've spent some money late for guys too. This is an important avenue for us and we continue to make a sizable investment in this area."
Will bonuses be down this year: "I don't know. You can't ignore the fact that finances aren't as good as they were a year ago. Just look at attendance around the league. It's a real life circumstance."
Can you see any scenario that when you pick Strasburg is still on the board: "From what I understand now, that's not likely."
If people said 'Andy MacPhail's track record is take a pitcher' is that a fair assessment: "You never can have enough pitching, but if the best pick is a position player, then it's a position player. The scouting department you know, lives and dies and will be evaluated on this. They have to pick the guy they feel like will be the best player for the longest period of time.
"If that's a pitcher, that's a pitcher. I'm always delighted that it is a pitcher. If it's a position player, that's fine too. My philosophy at the Major League level is I'm just not going to be able to buy the pitching. When they come out as free agents, they can be fragile and expensive. They generally like to look elsewhere than the American League East. Unless you completely over pay them. I've said it a hundred times, you can buy the bats but you have to grow the arms."
Is need a factor with that first pick: "Not really. The needs will change by the time that first pick gets there in a lot of cases. All things being equal, need factors in. But we ask the scouting director to take the player they think will have the longest and most productive careers. It's not the same (as the NFL).
 |
Categories (click for archive)Orioles News | Steve Melewski |
I have often wondered, since it is impossible to physically see all of the top players eligible for the draft, how much, if any, do the O's scouts rely on the scouts from other teams and the media to rate a prospect?
___________________________________________________________
I am pretty sure, with scouts in every part of the US, that they see just about every player they draft, even the ones in the lower rounds. They have as many amateur scouts as other teams so why would they rely on another club. Plus, their track record under Joe Jordan is among the best in the game. - Steve
Steve - most excellent and informative article for us lifelong diehard Oriole fans!! Man how things have changed, especially with today's INSTANT information being available thru the computor and blogs and such. In the not too distant past we overall neither knew nor much concerned ourselves with WHO was doing WHAT in the minors. NOW we pay almost as much if not more attention to how the players are doing down on the farm and the upcoming draft etc as we do the big club! Very good news on all Minor League fronts and man, THAT has changed swiftly as well! Well deserved praise for Andy and those just before him.
_______________________________________________________
Thanks a lot. - Steve
Jordan has a very strong track record so far for successful drafts and didn't Flanagan bring him aboard? McPhail seems to get ALL the credit for the O's farm system and while he (McPhail) has done a outstanding job, Flanagan did help improve the quality of the minor league system with hiring Jordan, etc.
McPhail has taken it the next step by improving the systems that the teams are working with, IMHO.
This.... is.... AWESOME.
Great work, Steve. The minor league coverage has been flat out outstanding this year.
This bud's for you.
________________________________________________________
Can I have one with the lime in it already. Thanks, Steve. - Steve
I have to agree with Steve that your minor leage coverage this year has been fantastic. Kudos to you Steve.
________________________________________________________
Thanks so much, Jim. - Steve
Jordan has not had a bad year yet. To me it really comes down to a simple thing: Hard work. It's been reported in Baltimore before but one of Jordan's contribution to the Orioles development system is how scouting for an upcoming draft is a 365 day job. Scouting for the next draft starts as soon as the draft ends.
I don't have any statistics but I would wager that it's MUUUUUCH cheaper in the longrun to spend more upfront in drafting and development than any other way. So I don't have a problem with the Orioles breaking bonus records for prospect signings, even 10th rd records. It may be thought of, say, for every 1M you spend on a prospect signing, it plays out to, say, a 10M savings in the majors to fill out the same slot with equivalent talent.
I like reading all your columns Steve. Just a quick question though. I went to minorleaguebaseball.com and checked Delmarva's statistics. It says their first basemen Joe Mahoney who is listed at 6-7 255 lbs has stolen 16 bases in 16 attempts this year. Is this a typo?
________________________________________________________
No, that's correct. He lost a lot of weight over the winter and is now to 215 or 220 and now is stealing bases. Pretty amazing. - Steve
Steve, who do you think the O/s will draft in the first round?
________________________________________________________
I don't have any inside info, but I'll guess one of the hi school pitchers. - Steve
Steve- Have you heard of a high school pitcher by the name of Michael Twigg? He is out of berkeley Springs, WV, about 1 hr and a half away from charm city. He is a southpaw with a fast ball topped out at 92-93mph. He also has an above average curveball, and a changeup with a lot of movement. He reminds me a lot of Rich Hill. I know all this because I caught him in high school ball. He is by far the best pitcher in the state...Orioles should take a look at him.
________________________________________________________
I have not heard of him, Andrew. But if he throws that hard, the O's and everyone in baseball knows of him. Good luck to him in the draft. - Steve
Steve:
Just outstanding stuff. Andy McPhail is a thoughtful and always interesting, especially when asked the right questions. Along with Roch's coverage, MASN just can't be beat for Orioles coverage. Bud with Lime was it?
_______________________________________________________
Yes, please. - Steve