It’s no secret that everyone has had their eyes on Oriole standout prospect Matt Wieters, and the now the debate that many are having is this: should Matt Wieters start the season in Baltimore or Triple-A Norfolk?
A lot of people in the local and national media have had their say, and so far it looks as if the Baltimore Orioles will indeed have Wieters start off in Norfolk.
ESPN’s Buster Olney looks at the situation with Wieters and gives his analysis:
Matt Wieters just keeps on hammering the ball this spring, and Saturday, he did it in the clutch, Peter Schmuck writes. He’s hitting better than .400 in spring games and putting a whole lot of pressure — a good kind of pressure — on the Baltimore Orioles’ front office to keep him on the team to start the season.
It probably would make the most sense for the Orioles to send him to the minors for at least the first couple of months to prevent him from becoming arbitration-eligible until after 2011. Wieters is a Scott Boras client, and this typically means Wieters would be more likely to head to free agency and walk away from the Orioles than to sign an Evan Longoria-type long-term deal.
On the other hand, the Orioles must continue to make progress as they crawl their way back into the conversation in the AL East. Some talent evaluators will tell you they think Wieters is the Orioles’ best player right now because of his hitting ability, plate discipline and the way he handles pitchers.
Consider the combination of his walk, strikeout and power numbers at the plate while playing in high Class A ball and Double-A last season:
Walks: 82
Strikeouts: 76
Extra-base hits: 51
OPS: 1.054The Orioles must decide whether to essentially bury Wieters in the minor leagues until early June or start the season with him swinging in the middle of the lineup. It’s not an easy decision, once you factor in economic considerations. On the other hand, it’s a decision that every other team in baseball would love to have. By all accounts, Wieters will be a monster force.
A while ago, I advocated sending Matt Wieters onto Norfolk when the team eventually moves back up to Baltimore since as he might need to work on his game-calling. However, after what I have read and have listened to concerning Wieters, maybe Baltimore should put him on the roster just because of his performance so far and see what happens. The Baltimore Orioles are not going to contend in 2009, so just bring up him and see what he’s got.
We know he’s got the bat and skills at the plate; therefore, why give him a spot. Honestly, he would help the offense, and furthermore, he’d be a spark for the fanbase, and also bring forth a lot of interest when it comes to the Baltimore Orioles by the local and national media.
Then again, I can also understand the business aspect of the organization’s thinking in terms of his service time as well as a conservative approach to his development; however, he’s right now probably if not the best, probably second best hitter on the team.
He’ll find himself in the majors probably before June, but he’s that good right now to have earned a spot on the Baltimore Orioles.
