grantpaulsen.com » 2009

Wieters Tracker: A Debut at Camden

May 29th, 2009

Matt Wieters was added to the 25 man roster on Friday afternoon. He’ll be catching and hitting 7th for the Baltimore Orioles in tonight’s home game with the Detroit Tigers.

I’ll add on to this post throughout the night, whenever Wieters does something (or doesn’t) that is worth posting. Read the rest »

Posted by Grant Paulsen Filed in General, MLB, Baltimore Orioles

For O’s, Future is Now

May 26th, 2009

Matt Wieters will make his much anticipated major league debut on Friday night at Camden Yards. The long-awaited announcement was made by Baltimore’s President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail during an in-game television interview on MASN.

Wieters, who went 4-for-4 with four RBI in his final tune up at Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday night, is hitting .305 in the minor leagues. Widely considered the best prospect in all of baseball, a case could be made that Orioles fans have never viewed a minor league star with the reverence the fan base has bestowed upon the 2007 5th-overall pick. Read the rest »

Posted by Grant Paulsen Filed in General, MLB, Articles, Baltimore Orioles

Glance at the top 13 from the 2008 Draft

May 20th, 2009

1. Tampa Bay Tim Beckham South Atlantic League (low A) … 34 games, .277 avg, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 34k, 8bb

2. Pittsburgh Pedro Alvarez Eastern League (AA) … 37 games, .224 avg, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 39k, 24 bb

3. Kansas City Eric Hosmer Midwest League (low A) … 32 games, .225 avg, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 34k, 20bb

4. Baltimore Brian Matusz Carolina League (Hi A) … 8 starts, 2-2, 3.09 ERA, 46.2ip, 60k’s, 17bb’s

5. San Francisco Buster Posey California League (Hi A) … 36 games, .301 avg, 6 HR, 28 RBI, 16 bb, 25k Read the rest »

Posted by Grant Paulsen Filed in General, MLB

Nolan Reimold Gets the Call

May 14th, 2009

The Baltimore Orioles optioned Bob McCrory to Triple-A Norfolk. To replace him on the big club’s roster, Nolan Reimold will be recalled.

Reimold is a 25-year-old outfielder with plus-power who has been dominating international league pitching in triple-a ball. He was hitting .394 (43-for-109) with 9 home runs and 27 RBI at Norfolk prior to the promotion. Having taken the field 31 times so far in 2009, Reimold’s batting average was the best in triple-a. So was his 1.228 OPS. Read the rest »

Posted by Grant Paulsen Filed in General, MLB, Baltimore Orioles

Too Manny Chances for Ramirez

May 8th, 2009

Manny Ramirez has always made himself tough to like. Despite his sweet swing and incessant smiling, Ramirez’s career has been filled with a compilation of moments that make him almost impossible to root for.

Still, because he is of the game’s finest hitters in recent history – and because his presence in the middle of a batting order can make a decent team good and a good one great – people, and teams, have found a way to look past his childish antics. Read the rest »

Posted by Grant Paulsen Filed in General, MLB, Articles

White & Ackley on XM

May 7th, 2009

Minors and Majors will continue it’s 2009 MLB Draft preview this weekend, as I’ll be welcoming UNC standouts Alex White and Dustin Ackley to the show.

White is considered one of the draft’s top pitching prospects and Ackley is rated at the top of the board amongst all of the college hitters who will be taken this June. Read the rest »

Posted by Grant Paulsen Filed in General, MLB

Quentin & Pacquiao

May 3rd, 2009

ESPN.COM’s Amy Nelson wrote a terrific story on Carlos Quentin yesterday. She talks about the 26-year-old slugger’s makeup, and does a nice job explaining how he’s used determination and an obsession with the game to become one of baseball’s best players.

My favorite quote about Quentin came from Ken Griffey Jr, who played the last-half of last season in Chicago. Read the rest »

Posted by Grant Paulsen Filed in General