http://bleacherreport.com/ Bleacher Report - The open source sports network en-us 30 Zachary Ball Who knew that when the Orioles took Matt Wieters and Caleb Joseph in the first seven rounds of the 2008 MLB draft, they would be getting two of the better catchers available in that pool of players? Clearly, Wieters, now starring for the big league club is a sure-fire star, but had Joseph been the only backstop taken, no doubt the club would be touting the 23-year old as the organization's catcher of the future. He's that good. And better yet, should Wieters eventually outgrow the catcher position, as some fear, Joseph could be there to give the Orioles an in-house replacement.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/296499-orioles-top-prospect-no-11-caleb-joseph">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:10:16 -0500 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/296499-orioles-top-prospect-no-11-caleb-joseph http://bleacherreport.com/articles/296499-orioles-top-prospect-no-11-caleb-joseph http://bleacherreport.com/articles/296499-orioles-top-prospect-no-11-caleb-joseph Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List baseball prospects Zachary Ball The run on infielders continues with 2009 draftee and newly appointed "shortstop of the future" Mychal Givens coming in as the 12th best prospect in the Orioles system. You may remember Givens from his tenuous, down to the last minute draft-deal days. Many, including Dave Stockstill, Joe Jordan and Andy MacPhail had given up on getting a deal done with Givens before the draft deadline. And yet, there was the news, coming just hours before the Orioles rights to Givens would have expired, the Orioles and Mychal Givens agree to a pro deal worth a reported $800,000 in signing bonuses. Sadly, due to the late nature of his signing, we didn't get to see Givens take the field, but don't worry, we'll get to see plenty of the fully rested Tampa-St. Pete native who was named the top high school player in the nation, in 2010.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/287144-orioles-prospect-no-12-mychal-givens-ss">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:16:06 -0500 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/287144-orioles-prospect-no-12-mychal-givens-ss http://bleacherreport.com/articles/287144-orioles-prospect-no-12-mychal-givens-ss http://bleacherreport.com/articles/287144-orioles-prospect-no-12-mychal-givens-ss Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Baltimore Zachary Ball After sitting out last week's edition of Five Strikes with the flu (bleck!) I'm back in full-force this week, just in time for Boise's Friday night tilt with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. This week's edition is a little bit of retrospective on the 45-7 drubbing of San Jose State, and a little bit of preview of the next few games on Boise State's schedule. So here they are, the five things that struck me during Boise State's most recent win.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/284774-five-strikes-boise-downs-san-jose-state-moves-to-8-0">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:05:36 -0500 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/284774-five-strikes-boise-downs-san-jose-state-moves-to-8-0 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/284774-five-strikes-boise-downs-san-jose-state-moves-to-8-0 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/284774-five-strikes-boise-downs-san-jose-state-moves-to-8-0 NCAA College Football WAC Football Boise State Football College Gameday Opinion Zachary Ball Coming into the 2008 season, Jerome Hoes was a UNC commit, with a very strong verbal agreement to play with the Tar Heels. He was part of a stellar recruiting class that included flame-throwers and fellow top draft picks Tim Melville and Jason Knapp. Luckily for the Orioles, all it took was $490,000 to sway Hoes away from the collegiate ranks and to a professional career. Hoes was a two-way player at St. John's College, featuring a upper 80's fastball on the mound, and flashing multiple tools in the field and at the plate. Prior to the '08 draft, Hoes was 47th ranked player available and the 8th ranked outfielder. Hoes has done very little in his one and a half years with the organization to diminish the Orioles view of him, and if he continues on his current pace, he could find himself replacing a soon-to-be Orioles legend.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/284598-orioles-top-prospect-no-13-lj-hoes">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:10:21 -0500 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/284598-orioles-top-prospect-no-13-lj-hoes http://bleacherreport.com/articles/284598-orioles-top-prospect-no-13-lj-hoes http://bleacherreport.com/articles/284598-orioles-top-prospect-no-13-lj-hoes Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Brian Roberts Rankings/List Zachary Ball You have to go back a good long ways to find a guy who made as big a jump from nobody to somebody like Pedro Florimon Jr. did in 2009. For starters, the scrawny shortstop didn't even make the mentionables in Baseball America's 2009 Prospect Handbook. He also came into the season coming off a year in which he hit .223 with zero home runs, only 27 walks and nearly 100 strikeouts. And that doesn't even count his 21 errors in 81 games. And yet, here he is, Pedro Florimon, one of the organization's breakout players of 2009, and Orioles top prospect #14.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/279571-orioles-top-prospect-no-14-pedro-florimon-jr">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:32:17 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/279571-orioles-top-prospect-no-14-pedro-florimon-jr http://bleacherreport.com/articles/279571-orioles-top-prospect-no-14-pedro-florimon-jr http://bleacherreport.com/articles/279571-orioles-top-prospect-no-14-pedro-florimon-jr Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball <p>Week eight of the college football season is in the books, taking with it the national title hopes of the Miami Hurricanes. After a ridiculous overtime shootout loss to Clemson, it appears the Canes ACC hopes are out of reach. But don't feel too bad Coach Shannon, the Canes are stacked with young talent, and should be a force in the ACC for the next 2-4 years.</p> <p>But the Canes aren't what we're here to discuss. After a stellar week of games, there's much to be analyzed, and once again we have our talented group of experts to give you the low-down. Josh Klein, Jonathan Fravel and Ian Peterson. Let's get to the questions.</p> <p>1) What was the most impressive performance of the weekend?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> I'm going to have to go with Pittsburgh's 31 point outburst in the first-half vs a decent South Florida defense. Expand that to Pittsburgh in general. The Panthers have won eight in a row for the first time since Dan Marino was at the helm. Dion Lewis is a lock as freshman of the year, and QB Bill Stull is definitely channelling a little Marino this season (16 TD 4 int).</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">I’m going to have to go with Iowa’s last second drive against Michigan State this past weekend. Ricky Stanzi had not proven to be a clutch quarterback this season, but a huge come from behind victory on a slant pass with two seconds left in the game for the win proved differently. That may have been one of the most impressive game winning drives I’ve seen this season, even more impressive than USC’s winning drive against <span class="caps">OSU</span>. It seems fate is on the side of the Hawkeyes at least for now. Two very winnable games at home against Indiana and Northwestern and the Hawks should be 10-0 before the all important bout with the Buckeyes.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>Gotta love Terrance Cody blocking that kick at the end of the game to give Alabama the win. I'm tabbing Alabama to win the SEC this year, and it will take performances like that to get into the title game, much less win it. They are going to need to figure out their offense though.</p> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;">I would have to say the performance by the Tennessee Volunteers. They were two touchdown underdogs and with good reason. Down by nine with 3:29 to go on the game clock, they recovered the fumble, scored a touchdown, recovered a perfectly executed onsides kick, got into field goal position for a chance to upset the No. 1 (2) team in the country. Just fell short. In a span of three minutes, they moved the ball 74 yards on two possessions, used 15 plays and accumulated 22 percent of their total offensive production for the game. It was a nail biter and an exciting finish. It added to the lore of a great college rivalry, maybe the best rivalry in college football.</span></strong></p> <p>2) Who was the biggest disappointment of this past weekend?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> Can't get any more disappointing than BYU's lack of offense against TCU. I thought the Horned Frogs would be able to keep Max Hall under some sort of control, but only one TD and 162 yards? Didn't see that coming.</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">BYU’s lack of offense was disappointing but not as surprising as another game I watched this weekend. Even though Oklahoma’s defense is good, maybe even great, I thought Kansas would be able to move the ball well and score at least 20-30 points, but was held to only 13 points, 6 through three quarters. Todd Reesing may have had one of his worst home performances in his career, throwing three interceptions and finding almost no room to move down the field during the entire game. It was disappointing to once again see that the North is nowhere near the level of the South division.</span></strong></p> <div> <strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>Can I say my Huskies? Haha I'm actually surprised that Michigan rolled over as badly as they did against Penn State. I say this for two reasons, I have been impressed by Michigan thus far this season and decidedly the opposite for Penn State. I think Rich Rodriguez is taking too much risk by continuing to play Tate Forcier. The kid is talented, but he is beat up badly and needs so time to recuperate.</div> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;">Miami. Hyped up by the media and should have been jacked up for the game. Clemson should be respected, they are a very good team. Spiller is probably the best back in the game, has nearly 1500 all purpose yards and is a scoring machine. Why is he not mentioned for the Heisman? Miami should fall below Ol' Miss. Why they are at No. 19 is unexplainable. They are not Top 20, in my opinion. They have one good win.</span></strong></p> <p>3) Anything jump out at you about this week's version of the BCS rankings?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> Not only the drop in the rankings of Boise State, but also that of Cincinnati. Both teams put up impressive performances and won in blowouts of 45 and 31 points, respectively, but because they were playing teams with losing records, their victories were deemed less impressive than a last second win over .500 Michigan State team and a blowout against a team with an overrated QB who's one signature win came against a Sam Bradford-less (for the most part) Oklahoma team. Can you tell I'm a Boise State homer?</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">Not so much of anyone moving downward, but the fact that <span class="caps">TCU</span>looks primed to be the <span class="caps">BCS</span> buster this season even if Boise State goes undefeated. <span class="caps">TCU</span> jumped up to sixth in the <span class="caps">BCS</span> rankings after killing <span class="caps">BYU</span>, and Iowa stays at fourth. Interestingly enough, the only team with a loss in the top 8 – <span class="caps">USC</span>, to Washington. Something is wrong there. Oregon should be ahead of <span class="caps">USC</span> right now, their lone loss, to Number 7 Boise State.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>I still think the computers have USC's position completely wrong, and that is forcing them down the pecking order. The Trojans have a lot of quality victories in a strong schedule. Their loss to UW doesn't look that great with the Huskies sitting at 3-5. Look for the Trojan fans to root for the Huskies to get to a bowl game this season after an 0-12 season.</p> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;">No real beef with the polls at this point, particularly with the Top 15, minor adjustments maybe, but I'm no computer. Would put Pitt and Oklahoma State above Virginia Tech. USC could have dropped out of the Top 10, just under Oregon. But no matter, that match up is soon to be played out.</span></strong></p> <p>4) Do either Alabama or Florida have anything to worry about given their sluggish performances?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> Not for the Crimson Tide. The Gators offensive performance the past three weeks has been sub-par, at best. Tim Tebow still looks as if he's bothered by his concussion and UF's lack of talent at the wide receiver position is becoming more and more apparent each week. Luckily for the Gators, their talent level at every other position is so far above their opponents each week that they can afford to have a weakness or two. Eventually they'll run into an opponent who will make them pay for it.</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">Not really. Like I said last week, they both just know what they need to do to win. Florida really only has South Carolina to worry about and Alabama has even less, with their toughest game coming this weekend against <span class="caps">LSU</span> at home. They get by <span class="caps">LSU</span> they should be able to run the table into the <span class="caps">SEC</span> championship game.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>Absolutely, they both do. I am probably more unimpressed by Florida than Alabama. Comparing the returning starters on both team's offenses, if favors Florida more to keep on rolling. Sure the loss of Percy Harvin was huge, but there are athletes on the team, they are letting it affect them too much. That or, we are seeing that Tebow is only as good as the cast around him. His numbers are not good, I don't care if he's such a great leader, he's out of Heisman contention as far as I'm concerned.</p> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;">Both teams should be on upset alert weekly, both are vulnerable. Alabama will have a week to recover and scheme. They will follow up the break with a tough match up in the form of a Bengal Tiger. LSU may have found their offense against Auburn and they already have a tough defense. UGA will be prepared for the Gators. The Gators have owned the series as of late. Since 1990, Florida has an 18-3 record against the Dawgs. But the Dawgs have a good chance if they box in Tebow. Teams are getting closer and closer as the season wears on and Tebow runs out of options. If Spikes is back in, the UF defense will dominate.</span></strong></p> <p>5) On a neutral field who would win: TCU or Boise State?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> Given that this is pretty much the same TCU team that beat pretty much the same Boise State team last year, I would be tempted to say the Horned Frogs would come out on top...but I just can't bring myself to say/type it. I think that Kellen Moore would use last year's loss (the only one of his career) as motivation and would make the Frogs defense pay, giving Boise State the win.</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">I’m going to have to go with <span class="caps">TCU</span> on this one. To see what they did to Max Hall and <span class="caps">BYU</span> was amazing. I think they may be one of the best teams in the country, not just in the non-<span class="caps">BCS</span>. Would I be surprised to see Boise State win, no, but on a neutral field I have to go with <span class="caps">TCU</span>.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>Boise State only because I feel that Chris Petersen is one of the best coaches in the country in preparing his team week to week. Sure they lost to TCU last year, but this is a new year and a different game. I think on a talent level they are about equal, so my gut would tell me that the game would center around who schemed and coached the best.</p> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;">Boise State wins. They are tested and have shown excellence for three years, and still going. Petersen is a great coach and prepares his teams well. TCU is a very good team this year. They have more to prove.</span></strong></p> <p>6) Who's the better team: Iowa or Cincinnati?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> This question basically boils down to this: which is better, Iowa's offense or Cincinnati's defense? No doubt, the Bearcats have the better, more explosive offense, no matter who's got the reins. And the Hawkeyes clearly have the better defense. If I were forced to chose one, I would say that Iowa is the slightly better team of the two, and clearly the voters who jumped the Hawks over Cincy agree. With a 100% healthy Tony Pike, though, I might call my decision into question.</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">Great question. I really have no idea, I would love to see them play each other. However, it seems that Iowa has a better defense. I would have to go with Hawkeyes. Like Florida and Alabama, Iowa just knows how to win games, and Stanzi may be turning into a big game quarterback. Win against Ohio State, and I think this conversation is mute.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>I say Cincinnati because I still am unsure about Iowa. Too many close games down the stretch there for them. As for Cincinnati, they lose their starting quarterback and still torch the competition. Brian Kelly is an up and coming name in the coaching ranks. </p> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;">Cincinnati has more speed and finesse. They are well coached but have not played very tough opposition. Iowa, is strong, have played well on the road and just know how to win. The win over MSU showed grit. It's a tough call but I think the Big 10 gets the nod over the Big East.</span></strong></p> <p>7) In your opinion, who has done the best coaching job so far this season?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> Prior to this week's games I might have been tempted to go with Idaho's Robb Akey, who's getting all sorts of love for the job he's done with the Vandals, who were 3-21 the past two seasons, only to rebound to start this season 6-2. I think I'm going to have to go with Iowa's Kirk Ferentz though. His boys look like they're trying to find ways to get in big holes, only to work their way back to earn victory after victory. It's easy to credit one or two close wins in a season to the players, but the way Iowa is playing this year, all credit has to go to Ferentz.</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">Like Zachary I would have gone with Idaho’s Robb Akey had the Vandals not been torched by Nevada for 70 points in Reno. They are still a decent team, but need a defense badly. Kirk Ferentz is the right choice for all the reasons Zachary pointed out, but if I were to picke a second to Ferentz it would have to be coach Al Golden of the Temple Owls. After what could have a season ending loss in the first game of the year to <span class="caps">FCS</span> opponent Villanova 27-24 and a 31-6 loss to Penn State that dropped the Owls to 0-2 in the season, Golden rallied his troops though. The Owls are now an impressive 5-2 with five straight victories and 4-0 in the <span class="caps">MAC</span> alone on the <span class="caps">MAC</span> East. The Owls aren’t used to winning, their last bowl appearance was in 1979 in the Garden State bowl where they beat California 28-17. It looks like the Owls are primed for their first bowl run in almost three decades.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>Gotta say I agree with Zach on Robb Akey at Idaho, who would have thought they would go bowling? Another coach who has done an excellent job this year is South Carolina's Steve Spurrier. I think to get that USC to 6-2, with a close loss to Georgia in there preventing a 7-1 start, is a great coaching job. There have been a lot of good coaching changes around the country too. Steve Sarkisian and Chip Kelly have both started off well in the Pac-10 too.</p> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;">I'd have to give Kudo's to Pete Carroll for going with the freshman and sitting at 6-1.They would probably be 7-0 if Barkley had played in the Washington game (but who knows). If Spurrier somehow beats UF this year, he will probably be coach of the year in the SEC and may get national recognition for a job well done. For what he has been through this year and how he has handled the adversity, my hat is off to Randy Edsall of UConn. His record on the field would need to improve.</span></strong></p> <p>8) What are your thoughts on Sam Bradford's decision to have surgery and enter the 2010 NFL Draft?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> Clearly it's the only move Bradford has to make. I'll be supremely interested to see how the draft works out for Slingin' Sammy. He can earn plenty of support (and maybe work his way back into Mel Kiper's Top Five) with a good showing at the combine and at OU's pro day, but who knows if it's going to be enough to garner his support as a top five pick. Hopefully, this doesn't spiral into a Michael Crabtree situation in terms of a top five talent dropping and then demanding top five money.</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">Not unexpected. However, if there ever was a time for him to come back it would be next year though. In Hind Sight he should have left last year, but hind sight is 20/20. If he came back next year he could put aside some of the thoughts that he is soft and injury prone. But, he really should take the money and move on, he did cost himself millions though.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>I think it's the right decision, even though I was pretty sure he was going to the draft here regardless of the injury. I really don't think it should come as a surprise. With getting surgery now he can start recuperating and preparing for the combine and the other things he needs to get done to prove to NFL scouts he can play.</p> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;"> Bradford is doing the right thing. He gave his all and was reinjured. His season is over and it's time to move on. He is a class act.</span></strong></p> <p>9) Who's the most explosive player that you've seen this year?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> I'm tempted to go homer again and take Boise State's Titus Young, but given the kind of stats he's had to share with Austin Pettis, I'm going to say Clemson's C.J. Spiller. Spiller added two more scores (one via a kickoff return and another on a 56-yard reception), and now has 39 career touchdowns, including three on kick returns just this year. It's amazing that Clemson loses games with Spiller getting as many touches as he can.</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">Tempted also to go with CJ Spiller, I think I am going to go with a player I went with last week, a player that whenever he touches the ball opposing fans hold their breath. That player is Jordan Shipley. He can win the game on a post route, slant route, or kick return. He can break a teams back in one play, that’s explosiveness.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>I'll be boring and agree with Zach, CJ Spiller has looked great this season for all the above reasons. I'm kind of surprised too that he seems to have flown under the radar as much as he has. The big three of McCoy, Bradford, and Tebow have gotten so much press that it's almost drowned out any other debate about players.</p> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;">Judging just one game, I'd have to say Dexter McCluster. Judging for the season, without question, CJ Spiller. Against Miami 317 all purpose yards and 2 TD. On the year, 1455 all purpose yds and 9 TD. No one else is close. He can do it all.</span></strong></p> <p>10) Who should be on "upset watch" this weekend?</p> <p><strong>Zachary Ball:</strong> Like last week, there are plenty of options for this pick. Florida takes on Georgia. Texas has to travel to Oklahoma State and USC travels to Oregon. Obviously, if any major upset hits the top 25, it's going to come from one of these three games. I think Florida rediscovers it's groove and rolls over UGA. I also like Texas against OK State, leaving USC to suffer a national title hope and dream killer at the hands of the explosive Ducks.</p> <p><strong>Josh Klein: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #333333;">I would have gone with the Oregon Ducks too. They seem primed for a big win and <span class="caps">USC</span> seems primed for a big loss. If I had to pick a different game it would be Oklahoma State over Texas, but other than that I don’t see many upset type games on the schedule this weekend. Looks like a big game weekend for the Ducks. We’ll see if they can give <span class="caps">USC</span> a season ending loss and take control of the<span class="caps">PAC</span>-10 away from the Trojans for the first time in seven years.</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Ian Peterson: </strong>I think that Florida needs to watch out against Georgia. Georgia has not played well this season, but Florida has looked vulnerable in their last couple games. Notice how there is now "Promise" or anything coming out of the leaders on the team either, I suppose considering they haven't lost yet. I feel like they are in a bit of a negative tailspin, listless almost, but I also don't pay that close of attention to their team. However, until Florida starts settling their ship and moving forward they may be on upset alert for most of the rest of the season. </p> <p><strong>Jonathan Fravel: <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; color: #333333;">Personally, don't like that question. Every ranked team should practice every week as if upset alert is in full gear. Every opponent should be taken seriously.</span></strong></p> Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:53:57 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/279024-college-football-roundtable-week-eight http://bleacherreport.com/articles/279024-college-football-roundtable-week-eight http://bleacherreport.com/articles/279024-college-football-roundtable-week-eight NCAA College Football Kirk Ferentz Tim Tebow College Football Predictions Opinion Jordan Shipley Chicago Zachary Ball D.C. area fans have become accustomed to hearing chants of "COOOOOOOOLLLLEEEEEEEY!" at Washington Redskins. By the time this big Florida Atlantic grad hits Baltimore there will most certainly be chants of "COOOOOONNNEEEEEEY!" And be certain, Brandon Cooney is most certainly on his way. Cooney is one of many Florida Atlantic alum who have found great success with the Orioles. Chris Salberg and Jeff Fiorentino have both made their mark, and now Cooney appears to be ready to make FAU a hotbed for Orioles recruiting. Blessed with a flame-throwing right arm, Cooney has made the transition from inconsistent starter to dominant reliever look downright simple.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/277213-orioles-top-prospect-no-15-brandon-cooney">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:45:31 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/277213-orioles-top-prospect-no-15-brandon-cooney http://bleacherreport.com/articles/277213-orioles-top-prospect-no-15-brandon-cooney http://bleacherreport.com/articles/277213-orioles-top-prospect-no-15-brandon-cooney Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball What happened to the Top 20, you ask? Or for that matter, what happened to the Top 25? Here's the deal: as I was trying to rank the teams, once I got past team 16, I couldn't really find any squad out there that got me excited enough to warrant extra slides. So I figured, let's just stop at 16 this week. So here they are, my Top 16 teams, with picks for the weekend...look out for upsets!!<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/277040-zack-attacks-top-16-and-picks-for-the-weekend">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:02:46 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/277040-zack-attacks-top-16-and-picks-for-the-weekend http://bleacherreport.com/articles/277040-zack-attacks-top-16-and-picks-for-the-weekend http://bleacherreport.com/articles/277040-zack-attacks-top-16-and-picks-for-the-weekend NCAA College Football Kirk Ferentz Nick Saban Urban Meyer Tim Tebow College Football Predictions Preview/Prediction Evan Royster Zachary Ball Prospect #16 comes in the form of a athletic outfielder who has drawn comparisons to a guy who hit over .320 his rookie year and has two 25 home run seasons to his name. Prospect #16 is Ronnie Welty Welty was a 20th round draft pick by the Orioles in 2008. At the time he was rated as the 5th best junior-college player in the nation. Welty was drafted in the 37th round in 2006, but a strong commitment to Kansas State kept him from signing. After transferring to Chandler Gilbert CC, Welty worked his way up to the 20th round, where the Orioles were all too happy to snag him. Welty has consistently earned comps to the Astros Hunter Pence, and for good reason. Both players are incredibly athletic and play the game with a "everything or nothing" attitude. Like Pence, Welty is a right-handed hitter who has shown ability to hit for average AND power. <p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275382-orioles-top-prospect-no-16-ronnie-welty">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:17:08 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275382-orioles-top-prospect-no-16-ronnie-welty http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275382-orioles-top-prospect-no-16-ronnie-welty http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275382-orioles-top-prospect-no-16-ronnie-welty Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Opinion Rankings/List baseball prospects Zachary Ball Pedro Florimon Jr. and Greg Miclat may be the two primary candidates vying for the Orioles starting shortstop position, but the one dark horse in the whole thing might be the guy with the best potential out of them all. And his name is Garabez Rosa. Rosa was born in Cotui in the Dominican Republic, and is the first product churned out by the Orioles new Dominican scouting system. Rosa checks in at 6'4'' and 166 pounds, and has been labeled by O's Director of Player Development Dave Stockstill as the Orioles top international prospect. Asked about Rosa's talents, Stockstill praised the young shortstop for his defensive ability, his potential to hit for average and power, and decent speed.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275358-orioles-top-prospect-no-17-garabez-rosa">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:38:31 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275358-orioles-top-prospect-no-17-garabez-rosa http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275358-orioles-top-prospect-no-17-garabez-rosa http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275358-orioles-top-prospect-no-17-garabez-rosa Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball <p>What a week it was in college football!! Top teams getting taken down to the wire, and two top ten teams falling prey to the upset. What does it all mean though: for the teams still in the chase for a national title berth, for the players hunting for the Heisman, and for all the other conference title hopefuls (Here's looking at you Baylor) Luckily, we have assembled some of the best and brightest from each of the major conferences to analyze what this past weekend meant to the grand scheme of things. Also, our experts will tackle some of the biggest issues of the year such as which coaches will be collecting unemployment in 2010 and which, if any, non-BCS team has the best shot at a title berth. So here's your panel of experts for week seven's college football roundtable: Josh Klein (Big 12), Ian Peterson (PAC 10), Jonathan Fravel (SEC), Justin Cocchiola (ACC) and myself, covering the Big 10 and non-BCS conferences.</p><p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275191-college-football-roundtable-week-seven">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:45:19 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275191-college-football-roundtable-week-seven http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275191-college-football-roundtable-week-seven http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275191-college-football-roundtable-week-seven NCAA College Football Kirk Ferentz Tim Tebow Sam Bradford College Football Predictions Terrelle Pryor Opinion Zachary Ball <p>Who knew that Ramon Hernandez could be so valuable? Especially coming off of a season where he hit .258 and drove in 62 runs. Hernandez netted the Orioles two of the top 20 prospects in Brandon Waring (coming soon!) and prospect number 18, Justin Turner. Turner was one of the lucky position players who got the September call to an Orioles team bereft of bullpen depth. While in Baltimore, Turner made the most of it, playing in 12 games, putting together an intriguing case for inclusion on the teams roster coming out of spring training next year.</p><p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273525-orioles-top-prospect-no-19-justin-turner">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:49:24 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273525-orioles-top-prospect-no-19-justin-turner http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273525-orioles-top-prospect-no-19-justin-turner http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273525-orioles-top-prospect-no-19-justin-turner Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Baltimore Zachary Ball <p>(I wrote in my weekly "Five Strikes" piece about Boise State's case for getting people off their back about their easy schedule. This is the truth about why Boise schedules the way they do, why they can't schedule who you want them to, and why they will continue to tick us both off. <br> <br> I thought it was an interesting argument to get out there, and something I feel people should be informed about, especially the common sense idea that BSU doesn't have the option like Florida does to call up any school and say "hey, let's get together," and the idea that this is a new issue involving the Broncos.<br> <br> So, here it is, reprinted in single article form. Enjoy and feel free to debate me on this or leave me any of your comments.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br> OK, time to tackle this whole schedule issue.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Boise State has been getting serious grief for the past few seasons about their soft schedule, filled with an easy conference slate that they can sleep-walk through, and cupcake non-conference games. The talk has intensified now that they are a top five ranked team, and will continue to heat up as teams ahead of Boise continue to lose, leaving Boise State in a national championship game up for debate.</p> <p>First, a disclaimer. All of you who think Boise State gives two hoots what you think about who they do or don't schedule, wisen up. They've gotten to where they are very carefully. They've scheduled teams who are willing to play them (they can't force UF to schedule them), and take chances when they are presented with them (2005 at Georgia). Most important, they are still an up and coming program (a member of Division I-A for only 13 years), and it wouldn't be wise (for ANY program) to give an arm and a leg to schedule a three-game set all AT Texas.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now, let's move on.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The simple truth about why Boise State plays WAC teams is because they play in the WAC. They can't help that. They joined the conference from the Big West in 2001 as a five-year-old program, after winning consecutive Big West titles. <br> <br> Most important, Boise State was invited and ACCEPTED an invitation to join the WAC. They didn't get an invite to join the PAC 10 (although their wrestling team is a member), the Big 12, or even the MWC. They'll likely continue to play in the WAC until they get INVITED to another, hopefully a bigger name, conference.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Second, Boise State can't help the fact that the WAC has traditionally been as bad as it has been. They can't help the New Mexico States or Idahos of the world. But, actually, they can. They can bring valuable BCS money to the conference by making it to a BCS game each year. But, besides that, they can't help that Utah State and Louisiana Tech aren't equals to Texas and USC. Just as BYU and TCU can't help that Colorado State and San Diego State are awful.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Conference matters aside, the only REAL games Boise State has any control over are non-con games. Yes, Boise State plays Miami of Ohio and Bowling Green. And yes, the year before they played Southern Miss and Bowling Green again. And the year before that it was Wyoming and Southern Miss. <br> <br> But, did you know that in their first year as a member of the WAC (2001), they played Washington State and South Carolina? Lost both games. In 2002, they traveled to Arkansas. Lost. In 2003 they no longer had SEC or PAC 10 teams on their schedule.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">What happened between 2001 and 2003? Why did teams stop scheduling the Broncos? I’ll tell you. Boise State said the hell with being a cupcake, blowout victory and started beating teams that they weren't supposed to beat. <br> <br> It started with a 35-30 victory over nationally ranked Fresno State in 2001, and ended with big league (SEC, PAC 10, Big 12) teams not wanting to play a dangerous team from Idaho. Heck, even Utah, which agreed to a home and home series with BSU, ditched on their return trip to Boise, breaking their contract, after being beat down 36-3 in 2006.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In 2004, Boise State managed to hammer out a deal to play at Georgia, a game many thought would either raise BSU to national prominence or shut them up for good. In 2005, they made the visit and were trampled 48-13. <br> <br> Yet, everyone knew Boise State didn't play up to their abilities, and as such, no other teams stepped up to put Boise State on their schedule. Especially after they rebounded the next year to go 13-0, with non-con victories over Oregon State (42-14), Wyoming (17-10), Utah (36-3), and Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So who's to blame for Boise State's "easy" schedule? I know a lot of you say the Broncos are to blame, and while, yes, they are in charge of putting together the yearly slate, they, as a successful mid-major, have a problem getting teams to agree to contracts that are fair (granted most college football fans don't care about fair). <br> <br> The contracts the Broncos athletic director gets are mostly "two here and one there" deals, or even extreme cases, where big name teams want Boise to travel thousands of miles across the country to play three consecutive away games in three years under the guise of "gaining notoriety."</p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you really want Boise to schedule Texas Tech or Alabama or even Ole Miss, write your school's athletic director and see how responsive he is to making a trip to Boise, or even hosting the Broncos themselves. Yeah, the Broncos might not win two out of three at Alabama, but as they have proven, they can win one game against anyone on any given Saturday. <br> <br> I guarantee you the prospect of getting shown up on their home field isn't something that makes Nick Saban all warm and fuzzy. So he passes, and so does Mike Leach and Urban Meyer, and Pete Carroll and Mack Brown. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Every so often Boise State gets the chance to play a fair series of games. The Oregon home and home series was a great example. What happened in that series, though? Boise State went up to Eugene and dominated the Ducks, and then beat them down in Boise this season. You seriously think that Oregon is going to schedule Boise again anytime soon? Hell NO! <br> <br> Oregon State tried the home and home a few years ago. The two teams split the four-game series, and Boise outscored the Beavers 146-104. More importantly, the teams played hard fought games and developed a sort of rivalry. Yet it wasn't a sure thing that Oregon State was going to renew the contract for a few more games.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I read another article on Bleacher Report about why Boise State doesn't deserve a shot at the national title, written by the talented Ken ND (nice article, Ken). Developing a rivalry with Washington or Washington State is fantastic advice...except that even though both teams combined to go 4-0 against the Broncos over the past ten years, neither has any interest in scheduling them, and I'll tell you, it ISN'T because they know it's a guaranteed victory. For that they schedule Idaho and Southern Methodist. <br> <br> Coming from UW or WSU's vantage, it would seem to me that a win over BSU would be more impressive than Idaho or SMU. So go ahead and give Boise a call, I'm sure they won't turn you away.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the end, I'm not arguing that Boise State doesn't play a soft schedule, and while a fan, I'm not a proponent of them playing in the national championship game (and I don't think BYU should count from 1984 either). I would much rather see Alabama play UF or Texas take on the Gators. I think it would be a much better game, and in the end, I think it would provide us with a definite national champion. <br> <br> My point is that you should quite blaming Boise State for who they do play, who they don't play, and start looking at the other side. They can only play who's on their schedule and can only make deals with teams willing to deal.</p> Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:53:40 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273040-the-truth-about-bsus-schedule-everything-you-thought-you-knew-but-dont http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273040-the-truth-about-bsus-schedule-everything-you-thought-you-knew-but-dont http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273040-the-truth-about-bsus-schedule-everything-you-thought-you-knew-but-dont NCAA College Football Boise State Football Opinion Zachary Ball Boise State managed to sneak out of the state of Oklahoma with a 28-21 victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Going forward, they now have to deal with talk about whether they deserved all the talk for the national championship game they received the past three weeks. At the same time, isn't that a pretty good thing, being even talked about in terms of the championship game as a NON-BCS team! Either way, plenty of things can be gleaned from the Broncos seven-point win. And here they are...in five strikes!<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273015-five-strikes-boise-state-sneaks-out-of-tulsa-with-a-w">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:20:44 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273015-five-strikes-boise-state-sneaks-out-of-tulsa-with-a-w http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273015-five-strikes-boise-state-sneaks-out-of-tulsa-with-a-w http://bleacherreport.com/articles/273015-five-strikes-boise-state-sneaks-out-of-tulsa-with-a-w NCAA College Football Boise State Football Chris Petersen Game Recap Zachary Ball Henson is at a serious fork in the road. He easily has the ability to become one of the best position prospects in the organization. His combination of power and speed is pretty amazing, and he's one of the best athletes in the system. He also, if left uncorrected, has the potential to become a laughingstock of the system, who will eventually be laughed out of the system, a product of his insane strikeout numbers. Henson isn't the only prospect to come to this point, heck, he's not even the only Oriole (see Billy Rowell). But Henson, to me, seems the most likely to capitalize on his abilities.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272950-orioles-top-prospect-no-19-tyler-henson">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:08:06 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272950-orioles-top-prospect-no-19-tyler-henson http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272950-orioles-top-prospect-no-19-tyler-henson http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272950-orioles-top-prospect-no-19-tyler-henson Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball <p>Even though it seems as if Mickolio has been teetering on the verge of the Majors for the past two years (and he has), the truth about the 6'9'' behemoth is that his potential is as vast as the state of Montana (his home state). Mickolio is relatively new to this whole baseball thing, only taking up the sport five years ago. He's made quite a splash since ditching a basketball, and that all culminated when the big right-hander was drafted in the 18th round by the Seattle Mariners in the 2006 draft. In the four years since becoming a part of the Mariners fold, Mickolio has skyrocketed through the system, ascending all the way to Triple A Tacoma in just his second full season as a pro. It was then, that Mickolio was included in the five player heist that the Orioles scored from the Mariners in exchange for Erik Bedard.</p><p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272932-orioles-top-prospect-no-20-kam-mickolio">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:30:25 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272932-orioles-top-prospect-no-20-kam-mickolio http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272932-orioles-top-prospect-no-20-kam-mickolio http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272932-orioles-top-prospect-no-20-kam-mickolio Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball Dear Dan Snyder, Hey Dan! Lame sportswriter Zach here! I know I'm just a peon, and that if you really wanted to, you could probably have me disappeared faster than it took you to buy up Johnny Rockets, but here are my suggestions (which are probably more informed than the ones you're getting from the front office) as to who I would like to see playing for my (sorry...your) Washington Redskins next season. You'll probably only have access to one or two, or maybe none, if you decide(and it is your choice) to trade away all of your draft picks for Jay Cutler, or Brett Favre, or Mark Sanchez, or JaMarcus Russell, or even Bill Cowher. But, if you do decide to actually USE your 2010 picks, here's who I suggest.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272384-ten-2010-draftees-i-would-love-to-have-in-burgandy-and-gold">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:47:57 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272384-ten-2010-draftees-i-would-love-to-have-in-burgandy-and-gold http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272384-ten-2010-draftees-i-would-love-to-have-in-burgandy-and-gold http://bleacherreport.com/articles/272384-ten-2010-draftees-i-would-love-to-have-in-burgandy-and-gold Football NFL Washington Redskins Rankings/List Washington DC Zachary Ball The Orioles have placed quite the premium on drafting super-athletes with speed to burn in the past few drafts. It started with Tyler Henson, and has continued with Xavier Avery and Kyle Hudson, and this year the crop included Mychal Givens. It's quite funny then, that the player with the most steals over the past three years is prospect #21...Matt Angle. Angle has always had speed in his blood, dating back to his days at Ohio State, when he stole 13 bases as a freshman, then upped the anty to 25 and 22 as a junior and senior. When the O's tabbed Angle as their 7th round pick in 2007, they knew they were getting a guy who could put that same skill to use for them. <p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/271878-orioles-top-prospect-no-21-matt-angle">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:05:45 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/271878-orioles-top-prospect-no-21-matt-angle http://bleacherreport.com/articles/271878-orioles-top-prospect-no-21-matt-angle http://bleacherreport.com/articles/271878-orioles-top-prospect-no-21-matt-angle Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball At number 22 on this list comes the big right-hander Jesse Beal. Beal was tabbed by the Orioles as the 416th pick in the 2008 draft, and shocked many by deciding to go pro, rather than attending the University of Maryland, where the coaches there thought they had a strong commitment. Nevertheless, Beal signed with the Orioles, and he immediately became a prospect to watch, one with a tremendous ceiling. The O's gave Beal a sample of pro ball when he made his debut with the Orioles' Gulf Coast League squad. As a 17-year old, the 6'6'' 210 pounder Beal struck out eight in seven innings over five appearances.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/271220-orioles-prospect-no-22-jesse-beal">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:56:31 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/271220-orioles-prospect-no-22-jesse-beal http://bleacherreport.com/articles/271220-orioles-prospect-no-22-jesse-beal http://bleacherreport.com/articles/271220-orioles-prospect-no-22-jesse-beal Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball From the University of Virginia comes Orioles Prospect #23, Greg Miclat. Miclat starred as a Cavalier for three years before being tabbed as the Orioles 5th round pick in the 2008 amateur draft. He came to the organization with a reputation as a slick-fielding, slap-hitting shortstop. Most important to the Orioles, Miclat is a true shortstop, 5'9" and 180 pounds. Anyone who watched the Orioles in the post-Cal era knows that's something the organization sorely lacks. Now it seems the Orioles have quite a surplus at the position with Pedro Florimon Jr., 2009 draftee Mychal Givens, Dominican super-prospect Garabez Rosa, and of course, Miclat. Miclat is possibly the most polished of the quartet, although his performance this past season has raised serious questions about his bat.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/270410-orioles-top-prospect-no-23-greg-miclat">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:13:05 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/270410-orioles-top-prospect-no-23-greg-miclat http://bleacherreport.com/articles/270410-orioles-top-prospect-no-23-greg-miclat http://bleacherreport.com/articles/270410-orioles-top-prospect-no-23-greg-miclat Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball We're at the time of season when the legitimate national title contenders are taking a step forward and making themselves known. Also, when the pretenders are starting to drop like flies: see Oklahoma, who lost a nail-biter to Miami down in South Florida. The game was a huge win for the Canes, and a huge letdown for the Sooners, who began the season with talk of a back-to-back Heisman candidate and national title aspirations. Elsewhere, Alabama has finally proved to me that it has a legit shot to dethrone Florida as the class of the SEC, and maybe the entire country. That said, let's move onto the rankings, which have been pared down due to the late nature of these rankings.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/269136-the-zack-attacks-top-20-with-picks-for-the-weekend">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:02:46 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/269136-the-zack-attacks-top-20-with-picks-for-the-weekend http://bleacherreport.com/articles/269136-the-zack-attacks-top-20-with-picks-for-the-weekend http://bleacherreport.com/articles/269136-the-zack-attacks-top-20-with-picks-for-the-weekend NCAA College Football Rankings/List Zachary Ball Check out Eddie Gamboa's player profile on his alma mater, UC Davis', website and you'll see that he is planning for a career in real estate. Provided Gamboa keeps pitching like he did in 2009, real estate is going to be the furthest thing from his mind. Pitching for a big league club less than two and a half years after being drafted will be front and center. Few pitchers came into the 2009 season with less noteriety and publicity than Gamboa. I mean, he was a 21st round draft pick in the 2008 draft. The 626th pick! He also went 1-7 during his debut with the Orioles, pitching for Rookie level Bluefield. Not exactly inspiring. And yet, Gamboa emerges from 2009 and heads into 2010 as one of the Orioles fastest-moving, most efficient relief pitchers.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/268169-orioles-top-prospect-no-24-eddie-gamboa">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:39:55 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/268169-orioles-top-prospect-no-24-eddie-gamboa http://bleacherreport.com/articles/268169-orioles-top-prospect-no-24-eddie-gamboa http://bleacherreport.com/articles/268169-orioles-top-prospect-no-24-eddie-gamboa Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball Steve Johnson is yet another prospect who joined the Orioles as a result of a 2009 trade. This one sent O's closer George Sherrill to the Dodgers in exchange for Josh Bell (who you'll see later on this list) and Johnson. Johnson turned in quite an impressive performance in his debut with the organization who desperately needed arms after promoting five of its top pitchers to the Major League level. Coming to Baltimore was like coming home for Johnson, both literally and figuratively. Johnson was born in Baltimore, and pitched in high school for the nearby Brooklandville squad. Johnson's father, Dave, was drafted by Baltimore and pitched for them two years (1974-5), and is now a broadcaster for the O's. In fact, the elder Johnson was broadcasting the O's game on July 30th when he was given the news that his son was returning to Baltimore to pitch for the family's hometown club.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/267994-orioles-top-prospect-25-steve-johnson">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:09:14 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/267994-orioles-top-prospect-25-steve-johnson http://bleacherreport.com/articles/267994-orioles-top-prospect-25-steve-johnson http://bleacherreport.com/articles/267994-orioles-top-prospect-25-steve-johnson Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Baltimore Zachary Ball Reliever Brett Jacobson came to the Orioles via a trade with the Detroit Tigers earlier this season as the centerpiece (and only piece) of the Aubrey Huff deal. And while he didn't necessarily enhance his reputation as "inconsistent," he still provides the Orioles with one of the most talented relieving prospects in the system. Jacobson came to the Orioles from the Tigers, but before that he came to the Tigers via the 4th round of the 2008 MLB Draft. The 6'6'' right hander could have gone higher due to his skill set but fell to the fourth after concerns about his consistency scared other teams away. Prior to being a part of the Detroit organization, Jacobson was a three year starter-reliever at Vanderbilt. He started each season as a starter, but finished each in the bullpen, where he had much greater success. It was coming out in relief that the Tigers saw the chance to develop Jacobson as a quick-moving reliever.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/267964-orioles-top-prospect-26-brett-jacobson">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:23:53 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/267964-orioles-top-prospect-26-brett-jacobson http://bleacherreport.com/articles/267964-orioles-top-prospect-26-brett-jacobson http://bleacherreport.com/articles/267964-orioles-top-prospect-26-brett-jacobson Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Zachary Ball I highly doubt anyone (scout or lunatic) would have pegged Robbie Widlansky as a player destined for a true breakout season. Especially after his sad .222 average at Low A Delmarva. Or his .279, 4 HR, 29 RBI at Aberdeen. And yet, no Orioles farmhand had anything close to the kind of season the 24-year old had. Widlansky, despite his limited number of at-bats, led all O's prospects in batting average at .340. His 31 doubles ranked eighth in the Carolina League, despite having almost 200 at-bats LESS than Jordy Mercer, the league leader with 36. His 59 RBI ranked 15th, although he had 150 less at-bats than the leader in that category, Brandon Waring. Taking Widlansky's numbers and transposing them out to Waring's number of at-bats, his potential had he played the entire season would have been staggering. 161 hits, which would have led the league. 44 doubles, which would have led the league by EIGHT doubles. 85 runs batted in, which would have placed him fourth. <p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/266676-orioles-top-prospect-27-robbie-widlansky">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:58:29 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/266676-orioles-top-prospect-27-robbie-widlansky http://bleacherreport.com/articles/266676-orioles-top-prospect-27-robbie-widlansky http://bleacherreport.com/articles/266676-orioles-top-prospect-27-robbie-widlansky Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Opinion Rankings/List Baltimore Zachary Ball Coming in at #28 on my list is 2009 draftee Ryan Berry. Berry was a standout at Rice University, where he helped lead the Owls to two conference titles and back-to-back College World Series berths. Berry finished his career with a 26-10 record and a 3.06 ERA. His strikeout rate was well over 8.0 K per nine, while his walk rate was under three. Berry thrust himself onto the stage his freshman year, leading an Owls staff that included Phillies standout Joe Savery. Berry pitched more consistently and had better numbers than Savery...as a FRESHMAN! Berry struggled a bit during his sophomore year, only pitching to an 8-5 record and a 3.63 ERA. He rebounded during his junior year, re-establishing himself as a top notch draftee, with a 7-2 record and a 2.42 ERA, as well as a career high four complete games and two shutouts.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/265189-orioles-top-prospect-28-ryan-berry">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:54:14 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/265189-orioles-top-prospect-28-ryan-berry http://bleacherreport.com/articles/265189-orioles-top-prospect-28-ryan-berry http://bleacherreport.com/articles/265189-orioles-top-prospect-28-ryan-berry Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Opinion Rankings/List Baltimore Zachary Ball So you can clearly see that there aren't many pictures of Luis Noel, my #29 ranked prospect in the system. Maybe that's because he's flying that far under the radar...or maybe because there aren't any pictures of the kid. Noel flew WAAAAY under the radar this season. Hampered by visa issues, he wasn't able to return to the States for full-season ball, where he likely would have made the jump to High A Frederick as a 22 year old. Instead, Noel stayed put and played for the O's Dominican Summer League team, pitching extremely well. Noel finished the season with a 4-5 record and a 2.99 ERA. He also tossed 90.1 innings, hopefully enough to keep him fresh for the 2010 season. He struck out 76 and walked 24 in 15 games. Included in those 15 games was an 8-inning 4-hit effort in which he struck out six, and another 8-inning outing in which he only allowed one hit, striking out nine.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264730-orioles-top-prospect-29-luis-noel">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:51:38 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264730-orioles-top-prospect-29-luis-noel http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264730-orioles-top-prospect-29-luis-noel http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264730-orioles-top-prospect-29-luis-noel Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Baltimore Zachary Ball Now that the minor league season is finally in the books, and the Major League schedule is right behind it, it's time to examine and evaluate the depth that is left in the <a href="/baltimore-orioles">Orioles</a> minor league system. At a glance, it seems like there really isn't much left in the cupboard. Matt Wieters, Chris Tillman, Brad Bergesen, David Hernandez, Jason Berken, Nolan Reimold, and Lou Montanez have all graduated from the minors as a part of the Orioles stellar Class of 2009. All were members of the Orioles top 30 prospects as ranked by Baseball America. Wieters, Tillman and Reimold ranked 1st, 2nd and 5th. Like I said, who does that leave? Upon futher examination, though, you can find plenty of talent, albeit at a lesser level, but parts that will all be vital to the Orioles working their way out of the American League East cellar. So, here it begins, a day-by-day look at the Orioles Top 30 Prospects, as ranked by yours truly, beginning with #30....<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264694-orioles-top-30-prospects-one-day-at-a-time">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:55:57 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264694-orioles-top-30-prospects-one-day-at-a-time http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264694-orioles-top-30-prospects-one-day-at-a-time http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264694-orioles-top-30-prospects-one-day-at-a-time Baseball MLB Baltimore Orioles Rankings/List Baltimore Zachary Ball So I guess, maybe Ole Miss wasn't as great as anyone was expecting. In all, I think it's probably better for the Rebels, who have always seemed to be the kind of team that plays better when there are no true expectations for them. We've got some big time movers and shakers in this week's rankings. Iowa is on the way up after their big win at Penn State, their second in a row over the Nittany Lions. South Florida also gets some love, for taking down Florida State without their three-year starting QB. Slip-sliding out of the top 20 are teams like Cal, who might need more than a week to recover from that butt-whooping, Miami, who didn't look anything like the class of the ACC in their dismantling at the hands of the Hokies, and UNC, who would gladly take a mulligan for their underwhelming performance against Georgia Tech.<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264575-the-zack-attacks-top-20-and-picks-for-this-weekend">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:27:03 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264575-the-zack-attacks-top-20-and-picks-for-this-weekend http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264575-the-zack-attacks-top-20-and-picks-for-this-weekend http://bleacherreport.com/articles/264575-the-zack-attacks-top-20-and-picks-for-this-weekend NCAA College Football Boise State Football Rankings/List Zachary Ball ...but closer to what is the question? As I posited last week in "Five Strikes" the Broncos could just as easily move up to #2 in the rankings. With LSU taking on a tough, explosive Georgia Bulldog team, USC and Cal duking it out, and Oklahoma traveling to Miami, the potential is there for even more mayhem inside the top 10. Next week, Florida returns to action with a tilt against a revved up LSU team, and later down the road #2 Texas gets to tango with OU. Therefore, forget number two, let's talk about number ONE. If everything shakes down, AND LSU loses to Georgia, but somehow generates enough to take down UF the next week, BSU could be sitting pretty...with a number one ranking. But, first, there's a game to evaluate from this past weekend, the Broncos 49-14 pasting of Bowling Green...or Bowling Green State...whatever they're going by nowadays. Without further ado, here are my five strikes...<p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/263397-five-strikes-bsu-broncos-move-one-step-closer">Begin Slideshow</a></p> Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:58:55 -0400 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/263397-five-strikes-bsu-broncos-move-one-step-closer http://bleacherreport.com/articles/263397-five-strikes-bsu-broncos-move-one-step-closer http://bleacherreport.com/articles/263397-five-strikes-bsu-broncos-move-one-step-closer NCAA College Football Boise State Football Chris Petersen Opinion