Baseball Instinct’s Top Prospect List is our view of the Prospect World. It takes into account amateur stats, Statistical Analysis and projection, Video screening, hundreds of hours of pouring over other experts views and opinions and many, many hours spent watching prospects come through the Florida State League. My daughter has been to more minor league games than 99.9% of Baseball Fans have. And she’s in Kindergarten. Our views will give the good, the bad and ugly on each prospect. It will also provide you with our opinion on how each team should go about with each prospects development and what they should key on for maximum production.
As I mentioned, I read and respect the views of every expert that publishes hard copy or on the internet. I am never closed-minded to another’s opinion and will exhaust every possible method to prove myself wrong to make sure what I come up with as a finished projection is as complete as possible.
I’m not a disciple of Bill James, or Ron Shandler, but you can bet that I value and use each of their methods in my analysis. When all is said and done, Baseball Instinct will try and provide you with the best vision of the future of Major League Baseball and we won’t leave you high and dry waiting for 2010 for another update. We do this 365 days a year and if there are updates of note we will bring them to you.
Here we present our Baseball Instinct Top 100, number 41-50:
41. Jhoulys Chacin – RHP – COL (6’1″, 180 lbs)
Jhoulys Chacin came onto the prospect scene in 2008 as an unknown to most prospect hounds and quickly moved onto the national scene posting dominant start after dominant start. Against lesser competition his hard moving and deceptive change have proved to both be plus pitches that can keep hitters off balance and guessing. At age 20 he proved that he has already mastered the all so sought after changeup which can be a huge building block for any starting pitcher. He uses the plus change to compliment his low 90s fastball that he can command to both sides of the plate and keeps it hard and down in the zone when its needed limiting the number of home runs against. His 8.4 K/9 is very impressive for a pitcher who has yet to develop a true knockout breaking ball. His curveball is currently his most lacking offering but it has proven to be hard and he can control it but doesn’t have the hard bite that will be needed right now to get through Major League lineups multiple times. Chacin will probably be sent to Double A Tulsa and work off of his curveball to start the season so the Rockies can determine where he will eventually fit in the Colorado rotation. If Chacin and add the extra bite on the curveball he could be the lead dog in the Rockie Mountains in the near future. If he can’t then the Rockies may opt to turn the hard curveball over into a slider to give Chacin the breaking pitch that he will need to be a starter. That would probably lead to Chacin slotting into the middle of the rotation in the future. Either outcome will still have Chacin on a path to starting in Colorado, its just a question of what his upside will truly be.
ETA for Chacin is 2010 as he heads back to the minors to work on his breaking ball. He still has a lot of work ahead of him if he’s going to meet the high upside that most expect. But he’s been a hard worker and smart pitcher so far. As long as that mentality continues and he stays healthy then we should see him take a spot in the Colorado rotation some time in 2010.
Geo comments: Chacin’s game really improved with the introduction of the two-seam fast ball. There’s a chance he could see some time in the Rockies rotation as early as this summer, but don’t expect him to stay there before 2010 and have impact before 2011.
42. Eric Hosmer – 1B – KC (6’5″, 215 lbs)
I personally believe that Eric Hosmer is the most gifted hitter to come out the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft but gifts don’t always translate. So I can’t put him any higher on this list until he actually starts to hit like I think he can. With that said I’ll point out that Hosmer is already 6’5″ and 215lbs at 19 years of age. He’s a man-child. He has plus plus bat speed and raw power that is unrivaled in the Royals organization as a whole. He knows how to sit back and square up balls and drive them to every part of yard. At only 19 years old and only 11 ABs in his pro debut he still has to learn how to work the count in a game and make pitchers give him the pitches he wants to hit instead of hitting everything in the strike zone. He’s been so good and mashing everything in the zone throughout his amateur career that it will take time a guidance for him to become the future number 3 bat that he easily projects to be. Projection to reality is always a long leap, but the Royals have no reason to rush Hosmer and he’ll dictate the pace that he moves through the system. He’s still penciled in a 1B by the Royals but with a wealth of riches at the position with Butler, Jacobs and Ka’Aihue ahead of Hosmer on the depth chart it would be wise for the Royals to utilize the best arm in the system elsewhere. Yeah… Hosmer has a cannon left arm. He can touch the upper 90s on the radar gun and has the athleticism to transition to RF. While Hosmer will probably open up the 2009 season in Low A Burlington at 1B, don’t expect him to stay there the entire season and don’t expect him to reach the majors at 1B. He could be a potential gold glove RF if the Royals start to develop him now. The longer they wait the more they’ll hinder his growth as an OF. Regardless of where the Royals put him on the field his bat will play up and only time will tell where he eventually makes his living as a Major Leaguer.
ETA for Hosmer is probably going to be mid to late 2011. He’s 19 and definitely has things to work on to turn his skill set into a true professional hitter. But the most work will be needed in his transition from 1B to RF. He will eventually become a mainstay in the middle of the Royals lineup and the future looks bright for the Royals 2011 and beyond.
Geo’s comments: Hosmer, who signed for $3 million over slot, showed signs of good plate discipline this spring, but that also translated in him getting blown away by major league quality pitchers. He hit a bomb off of Ethan Martin this spring that US Air Force is still looking for in the Arizona desert. He’s going to be good, the only question is will it be in RF or 1B.
43. Dayan Viciedo – 3B – CWS (6’1″, 240 lbs)
Signed as a Free Agent over the past winter, Dayan Viciedo is a Cuban refugee that left Cuba on a boat and landed in Mexico with dreams of following in countryman Alexei Ramirez footsteps to the major leagues. He moved from Mexico to DR and established residency there in order to be in line for Free Agency. The hard journey paid off in spades if Viciedo is going to count his success in US dollars. He inked a $10 million major league contract with the Chicago White Sox with $4 million bonus. Viciedo is a sweld 240lbs standing 6’1″ after dropping close to 30lbs over the winter much to the White Sox chagrin. Viciedo just turned 20, is already a very big kid and will probably get bigger, so how well he takes to professional baseball on a mental level will go a long way with how fit he will be able to stay. He’s going to need to be very diligent in his conditioning or he’ll suffer the same fate as fellow prospect Angel Villalona, with a permanent move off of the hot corner. He projects to have plus plus power and could have some 40+ home run season in the stretch of his prime. While playing in the highest level of the Cuban League in the Serie Nacionale as a 16 and 17 year old he put some .300 seasons with double digit home runs. After being left off of the Cuban National roster for the 2006 WBC Viciedo’s weight ballooned to over 260lbs it affected his game causing some scouts and Cuban Nationals to site a poor work ethic that may never change. What you have to remember is that we’re talking about a kid who would have been in High School in 2006 and he was playing in a league that is comparable to Double A. If he continues his development with some time in Triple A this year then we could see some .280/40/100 seasons from him at the hot corner. He’s a good athlete for his size and he should be able to handle the hot corner as long as he stays in game shape year round. His one road block is going to incumbent 3B Josh Fields coming into his own in 2009. If that happens then we could see one of two things happen. The Sox take advantage of Viciedo’s above average arm and move into the OF or Viciedo eventually replacing Paul Konerko at 1B if Brandon Allen proves to be incapable of handling everyday 1B duties. Viciedo will never be a threat on the bases but is not a bad baserunner. He’s gotten a long look in Spring Training this year, but the reasoning was to keep Viciedo around fellow Cuban defectors Ramirez and Contreras to ease the difficult transition from Cuban culture to American culture. But time in Triple A will be needed if Viciedo is going contribute at the major league level in the future at the level his skills are capable of. Both Ramirez and Contreras have shown the same hunger that most Cuban defectors have been known to show. Failure is not an option for them and is not going to be accepted. The White Sox hope that the young Viciedo has the same hunger instilled in him.
ETA for Viciedo is probably going to be late 2009 even though the longer he can spend in the minors the better his development will be. But the clock is already ticking and the White Sox have a lot of money riding on this kid. So if his bat is needed to replace Josh Fields this season because of injury or lack of production then expect to see Viciedo to be given a shot even before his 21st birthday.
Geo’s Instinct: This just in: Ozzie Guillen does NOT like Josh Fields. I’m not sure what happened between the 2 of them, but it’s personal, so stay tuned. Viciedo was 6-for-26 with two home runs and a double this spring. The White Sox have yet to have him play the outfield, even after they optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte, then reassigned him to Double-A Birmingham. He has been solid at 3B and has tremendous bat speed considering he turned 19 on March 10th. Theres a good chance he will stick at 3B and Fields moved to another position or out of the south side to another team.
44. Brett Wallace – 3B – STL (6’1″, 245 lbs)
The Cardinals 2008 1st round draft pick, Brett Wallace, was the Pac-10 Triple Crown winner two years running and was the ready to hit now player that the Cardinals system is craving for. He’s proven in short order to be one of the best pure hitters in the system by raking at two levels and then not slowing down when challenged with an assignment to the AFL. He’s not a prototypical athlete and his thick lower half is both the source of his power and the source of his possible difficult future at his current position. Wallace can rake and has a knack for squaring up pitches in the zone. He’s a professional hitter and will hit for decent power with a gap doubles stroke and enough to leave the yard 20-25 times a year in his prime with a good shot at some .300 seasons mixed in. His work ethic and ability to play 3B are not in question and he has a good enough arm to man the position but his body type will make it a difficult task for him to be a plus defender there. His footwork is good for a man his size but his range is fringe at best. So he’ll cost the Cardinals runs that a plus defender would save them. The best option for Wallace is a move over to 1B which happens to be manned at the moment by future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. So the odds of Wallace moving to 1B while Albert is in town are slim to none. St. Louis will give Wallace every opportunity to stay at 3B for the long term because it is a glaring weakness in the system and the current Cards 3B Troy Glaus is injury prone at this stage in his career. Wallace’s weaknesses at the hot corner heavily outweigh the Cardinals need to for him to succeed there and if he’s up to the challenge he could become the Cardinals man at the hot corner for a few years and if the Cardinals don’t lock up Pujols long term then Wallace will eventually slide over to 1B and be a pretty good defender there. He’s not a good baserunner and not a threat in the least bit on the basepaths, but that’s not his game and not what’s expected of him.
ETA for Wallace is going to be the Opening Day lineup for the Cardinals in 2010 and then he should be up for good. He could probably hit full time right now and if Glaus goes down for the season we could see Wallace up early. But the additional time in the minors will be a sure benefit to Wallace on the defensive side of his game where he will need to constantly work hard to stay serviceable.
Geo’s comments: At 245 pounds its going to be hard for Wallace not to be moved to 1B, which presents another HUGE problem for him in the form of Albert Pujols. Time to shed a few pounds, otherwise once the ever injured Troy Glaus is out of town the job will be Wallace’s to lose as soon as next season.
45. Jordan Zimmerman – RHP – WAS (6’2″, 200 lbs)
Jordan Zimmerman was one of the more underrated prospects heading into the offseason and if you don’t know who he is yet then you probably don’t have much of a chance at winning your league this year. But have no fear because we’re here to set you straight. Yes, he plays for the Nationals. So expect his win totals to be limited. But when he takes the hill every 5th day expect to see the strike zone get filled with 4 quality offerings as Zimmerman becomes more and more a pitcher on the big stage. He’s already proving to be one of the best arms that Washington has to offer and he’s still learning how to properly use his arsenal of pitches. He pumps 4-seam fastballs to both sides of the plate with excellent control and mixes in a 2-seamer with good hard sink that can induce groundballs when he’s on. The Nationals are forcing Zimmerman this spring training to work in his changeup much as they did last season when he reached Double A Harrisburg. Its the offering that the Nationals believe will give Zimmerman the best chance at holding down the front end of their rotation in the future and I’m hard pressed to disagree. I have an affinity for a pitcher who can command a changeup in a 4 pitch arsenal and Zimmerman has two breaking pitches to go along with his low to mid 90s FB and straight change combo. Zimmerman came onto the scene already utilizing a hard breaking slider in the upper 80s, but the pitch didn’t give enough separation from his fastball so the Nats decided to take the pitch out of the front of his selection and have him work on tightening a oft used curveball. Zimmerman proved again that he’s a student of the game and willing to do what it takes to succeed and he turned the curveball into a power downer that has good late drop in the upper 70s giving him a lot of separation in speed from the 4-seam fastball. All that Zimmerman really has to work on now is building a book on major league hitters and learning how to attack them on an at-bat by at-bat basis. Without much veteran leadership to take him under their wing expect some growing pains for Zimmerman. But he’s smart enough to excel. He already has a nice 7.3 K/9 and workable 3.1 BB/9 which should only get better when he can start working off of his fastball more.
ETA for Jordan Zimmerman is now. There is no one in the current rotation that should be able to hold Zimmerman in the minors at all, so the 5th spot in the rotation should be easily attainable for him and it will put him in a good position to start every 5th day. There is only one other force of nature other than injury that will keep Zimmerman from fronting this rotation starting in 2010. That Force of Nature is currently pitching at San Diego State University. And his name is Stephen Strasburg. If the Nats pony up the big money they will have a pretty devastating 1,2 punch.
Geo’s comments: Zimmerman looks to actually lock down the 4th spot in the Nationals’ rotation. He could get 10 wins in 150-165 IP and post nearly a K per inning with a sub 4.00 ERA and a 1.25-1.35 WHIP. He is certainly worth $1-$4 stab this season and could produce as much as $14 in 2009. I would take a gamble on him in keeper leagues as he could end up as the ace of that staff in 2010.
46. Wilmer Flores – SS – NYM (6’3″, 175 lbs)
Wilmer Flores was signed by the Mets in 2007 as a 16 year old with tremendous upside and projection out of the Agua Linda Academy is Valencia, Venezuela. A 6’3″ Shortstop already showing plus power potential at the age of 14 and on doesn’t come along every day and the Mets kept close tabs until the Flores was eligible to be signed and inked him to a $750,000 signing bonus. Playing against older competition in the Rookie-level Appy League, Flores, proved to be the real deal in short order. He flashed plus plus bat speed and although still raw with pitch selection, he knows how to put the sweet part of the barrel to the ball. As the season progressed Flores began to show a growing knowledge of the strikezone and when opposing coaches chose to go at him with breaking stuff rather than fastballs he was still able to find good pitches to handle and take advantage of his bat speed. Being as young as he is, Flores does have a hard time laying off fastballs up in the zone, but that should become less of a problem as he learns to force pitchers into better counts for him to hit in. If he can continue to grow as the Mets push him along what will probably be a similar path to the one that F-Mart has taken, then we could be looking a special hitter in what some liken to a young Miggy Cabrera. Flores first season numbers actually outshine what Cabrera was able to accomplish with Flores coming in with a .310 AVG and a an .842 OPS compared to Miggy’s .260 AVG and .696 OPS. Flores k/bb ratio of .43 could use a boost and should as he grows but his .180 iso power is a pretty impressive number for a 16 year old.
Flores is a below average runner and hasn’t mastered the nuances of the game yet. The two aren’t making for a pretty combo at this point in his career and it will probably limit his ability on the basepaths and his opportunity to continue his career as a shortstop as well. But as he learns more about the game he should become a better runner and not be a baseclogger, but his move from shortstop is inevitable anyway with Jose Reyes manning the position in Flushing. The Mets will keep Flores at shortstop as long as possible utilizing his plus arm until he is moved to either thirdbase or more likely rightfield to better utilize his arm strength. Flores will begin the year at Low A Savannah as a 17 year old and if his bat carries him to High A St. Lucie I look forward to seeing him in person quite often.
ETA for Wilmer Flores is going to be sometime in 2012 and he is by all accounts the rightfielder of the future for the New York Mets organization.
Geo’s comments: He should be a quality regular for Mets by 2012, but he won’t push Jose Reyes off SS by then. I’ve also heard right field and I’ve heard a couple suggestions about 2B. He isn’t worth stashing on your bench at this point, but seriously consider him for your farm.
47. Kyle Blanks – 1B – SD (6’6″, 280 lbs)
Kyle Blanks is a draft and follow signing from the 2004 NFL draft as a Tight End for the San Diego Chargers… oh wait, sorry. That’s 1B for the San Diego Padres. At 6’6″ and 280 you’ll have to excuse my confusion. Blanks is a big kid with plus raw power and an ability to handle the bat that most big men don’t show, especially this early in their careers. Blanks has a tendency to actually hit the ball where its pitched and has sacrificed alot of his raw power for average thus far in his career. He’s grown more adept at controlling the strikezone at each level of play and has put up back to back .300+/20/100 seasons between A ball in 2007 and Double A in 2008. Also showcasing near identical .901 and .903 OPS during those seasons. Blanks can hit the ball to all fields and as he grows into more of a complete hitter he should be able to leverage more of the raw power he certainly possesses and hit 30+ HRs annually while keeping his average around or above the .300 mark. One oddity with Blanks to this point in his career is that he absolutely dominates right-handed pitchers while struggling to hit lefties to the same power tune. As a right-handed hitter you might expect that to be the opposite way around and consider it a work in progress with his growth. So I’m not sure how to handle the statistics. Does that bode extremely well since as a righty he should find it natural to hit lefties and see the ball better? or will he simply never be able to hit lefties? I’m going to go with the former since the most trouble that Blanks has with lefties is handling breaking pitches that a sweeping into the zone. That should become easier as the Padres work on pitch recognition with him. If Blanks can even match what he does against lefties with what he already does against righties then the Padres will have to find a place for him in their lineup soon. One problem is that Blanks is a firstbaseman and with his size the transition to leftfield might prove difficult and firstbase is already manned by All Star Adrian Gonzalez. Blanks is tearing up the Cactus League to a tune of .328/4/13 with a 1.057 OPS through 58 ABs. Blanks has taken advantage of the additional exposure while Gonzalez was playing in the WBC and the Padres can’t ignore him much longer. While Blanks could use some additional Triple A time to sort out his power outage against lefties and the Padres could use some time to sort out where to put him, he’s almost a finished product. So Possibly with A-Gon finding a new home if the Pads can pull a bounty of prospects for him, if you consider the caliber of Gonzalez and the fact that he still has a few years left under contract the Padres might be able to revamp the entire system in one felt swoop.The new ownership is going to want this team in place to contend for an NL West Title in a couple of years and trading Gonzalez at his peak value could put them in a position to do that in just 2 years if done correctly. Its called addition by subtraction.
ETA for Blanks is going to be sooner rather than later regardless of the situation in San Diego. He’ll become a mainstay in the Padres lineup by the trade deadline of 2009 if not sooner.
Geo’s comments: I look for him to get about 225 ABs and post .270-10-55-10 in 2009 with the Padres. He could be quite the grab in the dog days of summer for a team needing a boost in deep leagues where the free agent market is as dry.
48. Jesus Montero – C – NYY (6’4″, 225 lbs)
Holy Jesus!!! No it’s just Jesus Montero, but he could be the next coming in the Bronx if his projection continues to progress and he can perform a miracle and stay behind the plate. Montero is still just 19 years old and is already showing plus power bashing 17 HRs in 2008 and staying healthy to accumulate 525 ABs. He flashes a potent level of bat speed and for a big kid he shows good bat control. His .326 AVG in 2008 might be a bit over his head as he moves up against better pitching at higher levels, but you have to remember that he’s just 19 and still needs to mature as a hitter. Already capable of using the whole field, Montero’s one hitting weakness is working deeper into counts and learning when to use his plus power with an aggressive approach and when to use his above average bat control to shoot the gaps instead. He’s not an agile athlete and he’s already shown some defensive weaknesses that may be impossible to overcome. He has trouble blocking pitches down and his slow foot work causes his pop times to be below average, culminating in a mere 25% of baserunners caught stealing in 2008. Its going to take a lot of work for Montero to reach the Bronx as Jorge Posada’s eventual successor, but the Yankees see him as a catcher in the Mike Piazza mold, as unrealistic as that view might be. If he can reach the majors as a catcher we could be looking at a perennial All Star in the making. His bat will play at 1B, but that position seems to be covered in the Bronx at the moment, so LF is the most likely destination for Montero if he is eventually moved out from behind the plate. The Yankees will give him every opportunity to stay behind the plate, but Montero’s bat is going to force his call up before he has enough to time to ever become truly serviceable there and the Yankees have better options behind the plate in the minors on the defensive side of things.
ETA for Jesus Montero is going to be a few years off. He’s going to start off 2009 in High A Tampa and should move from station to station for the next 3 years finally making his way to New York in the 2011 season sometime near the end of the year.
Geo’s comments: He looks a lot to me like a Jorge Posada clone, which is exactly what the Yankees are hoping for and who can blame them? He’s a great stash at catcher, but if he gets moved off there to RF or 1B, he wont lose much value.
49. Greg Halman – OF – SEA (6’4″, 195 lbs)
Greg Halman was signed out of the Dutch Major Leagues known as Hoofdkklasse Honkbal at age 17 after winning the MVP of the Dutch League. Early makeup questions involving fights and lack of willingness to take instruction have put Halman a step behind in his development to this point, but the raw tools are there. He’s learned what it takes to succeed and seems to have taken on a new drive to accelerate his learning curve. As I mentioned, Halman is a complete package of tools and if he continues to push his growth he has the potential to be a 5 tool player early in his career. He bears a strong tools resemblance to Matt Kemp of the Dodgers. With all of the tools comes plus plus power, average speed accompanied by excellent first step quickness, excellent bat control, enough OF coverage for the 6.4″ Halman to still man CF and a plus arm that could easily play in RF. Along with the tools comes an over aggressive approach at the plate and poor pitch recognition with an inability to work deep counts. His high k% and poor BB numbers are a big concern and 2009 will be a big year for Halman to prove that his growth is going to include becoming a more complete hitter. If he can learn how to work at bats and get himself into better hitting counts he has 30/30 potential in the big leagues. At age 20 we can expect to start seeing a mental maturation period from Halman and the Mariners have their eyes set on making sure he takes the proper steps with both his physical game approach and his mental game approach. Halman accumulated a half season in West Tenn in Double A last year but the Mariners don’t look to be on a path of rushing Halman and he should head back there for another half season before be moved onto Triple A Tacoma. Halman was part of the Miracle Netherlands Team in this years WBC and the experience should be one that gives him another experience edge heading into 2009. Look for Halman to possibly start slow in Double A as the Mariners try to work on his plate discipline and ask him to work deeper into counts for the first couple of months. Once he’s comfortable hitting in different counts they should take the gloves off and Halman should see a boost in both his average and walk totals from there. Don’t let a lack of early power fool you into into thinking the power is dissipating. He may miss out on a 30/30 2009 but that’s because sometimes you need to take a step back before you can move forward.
ETA: Expect Halman to spend at least half of 2009 at Double A and then most of 2010 in Tacoma before pushing for a big league job in Seattle in 2011. If his progress is smooth we could begin seeing the first of some 30/30 seasons by 2012.
Geo’s comments: Halman fell short by 1 home run in becoming the only 30/30 guy in the minors for 2008. I thought he handled himself very well, playing solid defense and providing some clutch hitting for the Dutch in the WBC. If he keeps progressing like he has, he could be in the Bigs to start the 2011 season. I like his potential and you should be happy to have him on your farm roster in any size keeper league.
50. Jake Arrieta – RHP – BAL (6’4″, 225 lbs)
If you want to get a good idea about how good the Orioles big league club might be in a couple of years then you need not look any further than the top 50 spots on this list. The list has 4 of the Orioles premier prospects and they are all part of what could be a amazing battery. Arrieta comes in as the #3 pitcher on the Orioles prospect chart but his tools are that of a pitcher who could the best prospect in most organizations and he might actually prove to the best in this organization in time. Taken in the 5th round of the 2007 Draft, Arrieta may prove to be a true steal. Under appreciated going into the 2008 season because of a sub par Junior year at TCU, he wasted no time in laying waste to Carolina League hitters, striking out 120 in 113 IP. Arrieta’s bb% is the one glaring weakness that stands out, sitting at 4.1 per 9. Arrieta works in the mid 90s with a easy delivery powered by his big frame. The fastball has hard late life and is a dominating pitch when he can command it to both sides of the plate. He also shows signs of having two other above average pitches with a hard biting slider that works well off of the same arm slot as his fastball and a changeup that although under used thus far in his career can be a third plus pitch with development time. Arrieta also has a big curveball, but tends to tip the pitch since his delivery slows and his arm angle tends to change. If he can tighten the spin by coming from the same arm angle as his other pitches it would just give him one more weapon. With as many arms as the Orioles have coming through the system, working on a fourth pitch for Arrieta may prove to be too time consuming, especially since Arrieta is viewed as someone who could be a potential workhorse for the O’s rotation of the near future. His coaches love him and he’s gotten outstanding reviews for being a dominating presence on the mound who isn’t afraid to pound the zone and go after opposing batters. Arrieta should open 2009 in Double A Bowie with Matusz and Brandon Erbe with the trio having their sights set on Baltimore. Arrieta should gain some much needed insight from Matusz on working with his secondary offerings while beginning to build a strong bond that should last for years in Baltimore as rotation mates.
ETA: Arrieta will spend 2009 in Double A and could see his spot in the Orioles rotation as soon as 2010 as he joins Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz in Baltimore.
Geo’s comments: Dave Trembley says that Arrieta is going to better than Tillman and Matusz. If that’s the case you’ll be really happy owning him. Check out Tom’s article from spring training: BI Goes to Spring Training.
