With the fifth pick...
The Orioles took a high school pitcher with their first pick, and he had to make up some serious ground to reach the top five.
Once projected to go in the second or third round, right-hander Matt Hobgood of Norco High in California became the fifth overall pick in tonight's amateur draft.
Hobgood is listed at 6 foot 4, 245 pounds, and Baseball America says he resembles a young Goose Gossage. The publication also notes that Hobgood's raw stuff is "electric," with a fastball ranging from 90-94 mph and peaking at 95. His curveball shows "sharp, late break," and he also throws a changeup and slider.
Hobgood is praised for having clean mechanics, especially for a high school kid, but his command is "spotty." He has tremendous power at the plate, but that won't matter here unless he blows out his elbow and tries to reinvent himself as a position player. And if that happens, he'll probably sign with the Blue Jays so he can be closer to home.
Once tabbed as the 18th-best right-hander in the draft, Hobgood watched his stock soar in recent weeks.
The draft began with the Nationals taking San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg. The Mariners chose North Carolina first baseman/outfielder Dustin Ackley. They were the top two players on the Orioles' draft board.
The Padres took Georgia high school outfielder Donavan Tate, and the Pirates selected Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez.
At least three outlets had projected the Orioles to take Georgia high school pitcher Zack Wheeler. It looked like a virtual lock. But these things have a way of changing.
I also predicted Wheeler. I can brag that I got the high school and pitcher parts right, but that's about it.
Joe Jordan, the Orioles' director of scouting, will be available in the back of the press box in a few minutes.
 |
Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
With the fifth overall pick in the 2009 Draft, The baltimore Orioles take
Sydney Ponson....Oh I am sorry Hobgood.
Give me a break! We waited all year for the highlight of 2009 and they pass Crow, Wheeler and Matzek up for a 240 lb HS kid
Can anyone say DIET
WAY TO GO ANdREW....now I want to see everyone defend Andrew's pick!
I think it is Hilarious
Still worries me though...there were better pitchers out there in opinions of others.
Since the O's went cheap with the #5 pick...I guess we can assume Angelos is going to allow MacPhail to spend a great deal of money to outbid everyone else for that 16 year Dominican shortstop right...right?
Because I thought Andy MacPhail was quoted saying they aren't drafting based on signability issues...but when our pick came up...BOOM! We went cheap.
Make no mistake, this was a budget move! Andrew could have drafted an established pitcher like Crow but he and Pete didn't want to have to shell out a few extra pennies. SO they chose a guy who was at the top of no one's draft board. I guess greens fees are going up.
WAY TO GO ANDREW!
Can anyone say
We picked the best player available?
Andrew sure cant!
They picked the cheapest route and not the BEST player available. SO much for another one of Andrews "mis - quotes" when he said we are going to pick the best player available. Well YOU DIDNT ANDREW
You picked the cheapest player available just like the Pittsburg Pirates did in Sanchez. So give us your best story on why you see Hobgood as the best player without smiling and telling Ole Peter....to go open another savings account because you just save him a million!
Thanks ANDREW!
Connelly called it then. I'm very interested to find out why his stock has shot up so high, but I haven't read very much negative about this guy. I absolutely question whether he was the 2nd best pitcher in the draft.
From the videos they showed on MLB Network, Hobgood's curveball was really good. It looked very sharp.
Wow-it was him or wheeler.wonder how far Matzek.Heard him and his agent were yelling "show me the money"
Who knows. Out of all the major sports drafts, the MLB is by far the toughest to project who will be successfull and who won't. Hobgood seems more like a reliever than a starter from the little I've heard about him. Go O's!
Last week he was a second or third round pick, today he is fifth overall. Incredible.
Someone should ask Joe Jordan if Hobgood was in the team's top five? I'm pretty sure that neither Tate or Sanchez were, so that means Hobgood was #3 on our best available list.
Wow and people are questioning whether we should have taken Smoak instead of Matusz last year. There will be more second-guessing on this pick than any draft pick in the history of the franchise. I like what Joe Jordan has done in the past, let's hope he's right again.
Gotta love the catching the ESPN gafffes, I hope this isn't indicative of things to come...
http://shup.com/Shup/169799/lol-espn-live-blog.png
Roch - I guess since it has been so long since you updated thecomments, I imagine you are still stunned by the pick. Days like this must make it really hard to cover the Orioles.
Seeing Wheeler go after Hobgood was truly an embarrassment to the Orioles organization.
BMS, Jeff are you favoring this pick by Andrew or do you see it as a pick to save money and based on signability and not best player available?
All this tells me other than they blew the 1st rd pick is that
Angelos didn't want to spend money this year like the last two. Baseball
America has this kid as the 18th best RH pitcher, maybe 2nd rd possibly a 3rd. This is why we continue to be a joke.
This draft is starting off like the one when we had 7 of the first 50 picks, and I looked at BA's top 250 and could find 2 of our picks on the list. What is Sid Thrift back fm the dead and drafting for us or that genius Rollie Hemond.
WTF?
Hobgood looks like a right-handed Sabbithia in the making.
And they will sign him for 1.7 mil, just like 2001. Remembering Chris? Angelos is freaking broke, and willing to spend moneys was the only thing good about this owner.
"Hobgood is listed at 6 foot 4, 245 pounds, and Baseball America says he resembles a young Goose Gossage."
Hobgood resembles someone that needs to lose 25 pounds. VERY disappointed in this pick, would have preffered Matzek, Wheeler or Crow in that order. The O's went cheap and that isn't the way to go. So what if Matzek takes 4 more million to sign? Compared to what you pay for free agent talent (Baez for example) its peanuts.
You have to take the BPA and I don't think the O's honestly had Hobgood rated over the talent they passed over.
Great pick. Great pick. Babe Hobgood. He pitches and pinch hits. I think we got a good one. Can Aberdeen keep keep him in the park. No DH when he pitches. If he can learn to play first base , he xcould pitch to certain batters. WOW ! Jorden knowes his S---!!
yuck!
Ugh... not a fan of this pick at all, Roch. This reeks of "signability" over "best player available," IMO. What are your thoughts?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't know anything about the kid besides what I've been reading for the last few hours. Jordan says signability had nothing to do with it. I don't have proof to the contrary, but I know there will be lots of speculation. I do know that he moved into the first round in mock drafts this week, so the Orioles aren't the only team that liked him. But they're the only ones who took him with the fifth pick. It'll be debated, for sure. - Roch
Andrew said " we are going to take the best player available"
Andrew does "we signed the best player who would come at the cheapest price"
So please, someone please tell me that Hobgood was the best available player in the 5th spot. For everyone that says no like me, then Andrew LIED to you yet again!
Another Joe Jordan roll of the dice that gives the Giants a future Cy Young award winner.
Joe Jordan pulled an Ozzie Newsome with picking the unexpected.... Here's to similar results! Although I'm still perturbed and can't see why he was the best player available, even after listening to Jordan talk...
Roch,
I want to start out by saying in Andy I trust, but I am sitting watching the draft live waiting to hear Crow, Wheeler, Matzek, or Grant Green with the number 5 pick and I was completely shocked. I've never even heard of Hobgood, obviously Joe Jordan liked what he saw out of him. I admit I am a little disappointed, but I trust our scouting department. It just sound like a Billy Beane type of draft pick to me.
Baseball America lists Hobgood as the 18th-best right-hander in the nation
LOL
Roch, what odds do you give that the Orioles draft Joe Flacco's brother in the later rounds? He was a solid 3rd baseman at Catonsville this year. Imagine the headlines.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Really don't know. Would be a nice story. - Roch
So far Jim Callis is 5 for 5. Does he have inside information, is incredibly insightful or just plain lucky?
I saw that Olsen will start Thursday game. Any chance you will be talking with him? I thought he was mostly a reliever with the M's/
Well, Goose Gossage is good, if that comes to be. Very good indeed. One of my favorite pitchers, despite the team-that-must-not-be-named that he pitched for....
Wow, surprise there! Does this kid resemble the Goose in pitching ability, weight, or mustache?
Looks like Sidney....
Good pick, for the second round.
So a high school kid no one thought would be a first rounder came out of nowhere to be a top 5 pick?
I'm not a fan of taking a high school kid so high. Top 5 picks should be can't miss guys that can help in a year or two. Not 4 years down the line.
What happened to Crow? Why is he a top pick one year and dropped out of top 5 the next?
Roch,
Thanks for answering my question. :)
To be truthful, I'm starting to feel a little better about the pick. From what I've read IF he develops a changeup, improves his control, etc., Hobgood has an excellent shot at being a TOR candidate. Can't ask for anything better than that. XD
It's a tall order to ask all of that of a high school kid, but it seems like Hobgood has a good head on his shoulders. Let's hope this is indeed the case.
XD23, Crow was the 9th pick last season. Also players hardly ever rocket up the draft board after going to play independent ball because they did not sign the year before.
9th isn't a top pick? I figured he has a quicker turn around and would have more of a chance the a High School pitcher.
This was worthwhile just to see Jack blow his top. Priceless. Come back in 4 or 5 years to tell us if you were right. Were'nt we just saying that a lot of this guys coming up to the O's now were Joe Jordan picks pre-McPhail? Then he does something out of the box and everyone assumes the worst. Come on guys, give the dude a chance.
This is Joe Jordan's pick, not Andy MacPhail.
I will only respect this pick if Peter Angelos, Andy MacPhail and Joe Jordan have a press conference tomorrow and admit that this was a "budget" pick.
That pick was as ugly as the 09' Orioles team... Nothing changes!
It doesn't matter where Hobgood is ranked today but where he is ranked 5 years from now. Anyone commenting on this blog that thinks they can predict how any of the high school players drafted today will be performing in five years is either hallucinating or should be using their predicative power picking stocks.
Don't like the pick. Wheeler would have been a much better selection. This guy's weight, and rough landing on delivery really bother me.
I see not going after Matzek due to signability issues, but no excuse on choosing this guy over Wheeler or even Crow. The Giants are real happy.
I hope Jordan's right, but I think this time he's wrong.
"Hobgood looks like a right-handed Sabbithia in the making."
Precisely what's wrong with the left-handed version of Sabathia?
I don't know much about this kid. I admit I'm surprised the Orioles didn't take Wheeler, since everyone thought they would.
Just because the kid is 245 pounds now doesn't mean he's going to be another Ponson. They could (and probably will) put him on a good conditioning program once he signs.