Prospect Report: Oliver Drake

It’s great to be back doing these Prospect Reports, as this should be the first of many as we move through the 2009 season. Thankfully, Andy MacPhail has given more than enough for us to talk about given the recent drafts and pickups in trades, making this a more than fertile farm system. I’ll begin this year by profile a draftee from last season, Oliver Drake, who came from the nearby Naval Academy in Annapolis, skipping his junior and senior seasons such that he could have the opportunity to play professional baseball. He has already made a strong impression this season, pitching six innings of three hit ball for Delmarva, only allowing one run in the process.

So, who is Oliver Drake? Oliver Drake stands at 6’4”, and is a 22-year old right hander for the Delmarva Shorebirds. Prior to his drafting he pitched for the U.S. Naval Academy for two years, where in 2008 he started 13 games amassing a 6-3 record with a respectable 3.70 ERA. He accumulated a total of 78 strikeouts in 80.1 innings, although he walked 22 in the process. How he got the attention of the Orioles, however, was in his play for the Youse’s Maryland Orioles, part of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. Here he pitched for Dean Albany, the manager of the Maryland Orioles and one of the premier scouts for the Baltimore Orioles. In this league he made 5 starts with a 1.00 ERA and a 17-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Thus, the Orioles took a flyer on Drake in the 43rd round of the 2008 Amateur Draft and signed the young right hander with a 100k bonus. There is controversy amidst this signing, as Oliver Drake was able to avoid his military commitment by leaving the Academy prior to his junior year, meaning that he had received two years of free education only to stop short of actively serving.

Strengths: Currently, Oliver Drake relies mostly on three pitches: a fastball, which usually ranges between 89-93 mph, a changeup, and a slider. Of the three, his slider is the only one which could be considered a ‘plus’ pitch, and he can rely on that for most of his outs. Drake also commands an ideal frame for a starting pitcher, weighing in at a solid 210 pounds to complement his 6’4” frame; this should help his durability and endurance in the short and long term. The biggest complement to his repertoire, in my opinion, is the training and discipline that he learned in the Naval Academy. So many prospects are set off track by their egos and the lack of a strong work ethic, but Oliver Drake’s discipline and focus should be his greatest asset in development.

Weaknesses: Most of Oliver Drake is an unknown commodity to Orioles fans, as he only pitched limited innings last year out of the bullpens for Bluefield and Aberdeen, and has only made one start this year. The biggest concern is that he never dominated in his play for the Naval Academy, and has yet to show those dominant stretches that you look for in a top young prospect. He is still very much a work in progress, and needs to improve his changeup and begin establishing his curveball which he used sparingly in college.

Projection: This season will be crucial in gauging just what sort of a future Drake can have with the Orioles. He has a good enough arm, and an ideal physical and mental makeup for a professional starting pitcher, topping out most likely as a third starter. He should be promoted to Advanced-A Frederick later this season, at the very least following the anticipated Matusz promotion, and get a shot at Bowie next season. Given the fact that players like Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, and Chris Tillman should be cracking the majors around that time, I expect Drake to stay in Bowie all of next season, and possibly arrive the following year. Oliver Drake should get a chance at the majors sometime in the 2011 season.

(Photo Credit: U.S. Navy)

Youse's Maryland Orioles #2 team in the country

After dominating the Cal Ripken Sr. League and winning their 6th straight AAABA Tournament, the Youse's Maryland Orioles finished as the 2nd best summer collegiate summer baseball team in the country.

Armed with the power pitching of Maryland's Scott Swinson, Clemson's Kevin Brady, and Old Dominion's Cory Toth as well as the killer hitting of Georgia Tech's Patrick Long, LSU's Leon Landry, and Old Dominion's Gerard Hall, Dean Albany's squad dominated all, finishing with a overall record of 54-8.

This team never really had any power. In the Ripken League, nobody hit more than two home runs in 42 games played. But they played great fundamental baseball. The team had 108 stolen bases in the Ripken League, a real lost art in the major leagues, and had devastating pitching. Albany not only is a great scout for the Orioles (it isn't easy convincing local young talent that they want to play for a team that's had 11 losing seasons), but is a solid manager of this team. They play solid defense, are disciplined, and look like a great team.

They also did a great job beating up the Bethesda Big Train, the team I broadcast for this summer.

Congratulations to Dean Albany and the Youse's Maryland Orioles for a fine, fine season.
(Photo credit: Teamline.cc)

Cal Ripken Sr. League All-Star Game: Local Players

On Tuesday, July 22nd, the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game will commence at Shirley Povich Field. This is a wooden bat league that brings college players from all around the country to play in southern Maryland/northern Virginia. I broadcast for one of their teams, the Bethesda Big Train, and I'm the league's main broadcaster in the All-Star Game and playoffs.

The manager of the Youse's Maryland Orioles, the first place team in the league, is Dean Albany, one of the Orioles most important scouts. Many collegiate players that have played on the Orioles in the league have gotten drafted, notably L.J. Hoes, the Orioles third round pick this season. Here are some local names in this league in the All-Star Game that may become future Orioles.
(Note: All stats are according to the Cal Ripken Sr. League, and most players have played around 30-35 games.

Gerard Hall, shortstop, Youse's Maryland Orioles
--Junior, Old Dominion, Washington D.C.
Hall is everything you'd like in a leadoff man, a pure contact switch hitter with blazing speed. With the first place Orioles, Hall is batting .341, is 27 out of 30 on stolen base attempts, and has 28 walks to only 16 strikeouts. His speed makes him very solid at the six defensively. Though he doesn't have much power, his athleticism could make him a solid prospect at shortstop.




Mike Celenza, third base/DH, College Park Bombers
--Junior, Salisbury, Gaithersburg, MD
Celenza is the best all-around hitter in the league. He's leading the league in batting average for the second straight year with .400 including five home runs and 12 doubles. He's a lefty who crowds the plate, making it very difficult to strike out (only 13 compared to 23 walks), but throws right to be able to play third. Though he's plays at the Division III level, his success with the wooden bat transition should translate to the pros.





Scott Swinson, starting pitcher, Youse's Maryland Orioles
--Junior, Maryland, Ellicott City, MD
The Terps ace has shown great success in the league, compiling a 5-1 record. His ERA is only 1.42 and has a 39-12 K-BB ratio in 44.1 innings pitched. Swinson has a strong fastball and curve, and has shown that he can handle throwing 110 pitches in an outing. He is a composed righty that can locate pitches well. Albany has said that Swinson could be a 8th-10th rounder, but that stock could increase. In Swinson's last game with Maryland, he threw a no-hitter against Delaware.



Oliver Drake, starting pitcher, Youse's Maryland Orioles
--Navy, Gardner, MA (signed with Baltimore Orioles)
Drake signed with the Baltimore Orioles after getting drafted in the 43rd round, and is no longer with the Youse's Orioles, but was still named an All-Star. In Drake's six appearances (five starts) with Youse's, the righty blanked squads with a dominating fastball, earning a 4-1 record with a 1.00 ERA and a 17-4 K-BB ratio. Drake's draft status was originally a national issue since Navy requires graduates to serve for five years, which would have meant he would have had to wait that time to play professionally, but his signing will probably put the issue to rest.




Kevin Brady, pitcher, Youse's Maryland Orioles
-Freshman, Clemson, Montgomery Village, MD
Brady was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 44th round, but as of right now hasn't been signed. Brady is a strikeout machine, fanning 42 and only walking four in 27.2 IP. He has a 3-0 record with a 2.28 ERA and batters are only .171 against him. He probably could be utilized better as a short reliever than a starter. If he doesn't sign with the Orioles, he'll have to spend three years with Clemson before being eligible to be drafted again.



If you'd like to listen to the game, Jeremy Moreland and I will be on the call live from Povich at 7:30 PM on Tuesday on WMUC: http://www.wmucsports.com/sports-high.m3u

(Photo credits: Monarchnation.com (Hall), College Park Bombers (Celenza), University of Maryland (Swinson), Naval Academy (Drake), Baltimore Examiner (Brady))