What is happening in Birdland?

It is almost December and the Baltimore Orioles are not providing much news to report. Nothing yet regarding a new manager.

Maybe they are waiting for Santa to bring one. About the only item that seems definite is that the O’s will definitely take at least one player in the Rule 5 draft as they have the first pick.

The following is part of an article by by Tim Smart and can be found at birdswatcher.com – Rule 5 targets:

Rays 2B prospect Kean Wong is MLB-ready and will likely be a top selection this year. Wong is a good defender and has seen time at both 2B and 3B in the Rays system. Last year at Triple-A Durham, Wong hit .282/.345/.406 with 9 home-runs. Wong isn’t a power hitter and doesn’t make a ton of loud contact, but he’s been successful putting the ball in play, driving the ball into the gaps, and avoiding strikeouts. (video)

It has taken A’s SS prospect Richie Martin a while to get the bat going due to multiple knee injuries, but he’s an above-average defensive shortstop with almost two full years at Double-A Midland. Martin might not be ready for major league pitching, but his .300/.368/.439 line this past year show that he’s on the right track. (video)

Mariners RHP Art Warren spent the majority of 2018 on the disabled list with a shoulder issue, but he’s a four-pitch reliever with fastball velocity in the high-90’s. Warren has high strikeout upside with the velo and an effective slider but he’s been inconsistent commanding his pitches in the zone. If he can find a rhythm, he’ll be a late-inning bullpen piece. (video)

Braves RHP Josh Graham is a former catcher turned reliever, with elite fastball velocity that hits 98-99 and a plus slider. He posted a 6.81 ERA at Double-A Mississippi last year, but that was with a .352 BABIP and a 59% strand rate. He’s been better than that, and will continue to be so. Similar to Warren, Graham has had trouble staying in the zone, but if he can find that consistency, he has the raw stuff to become a late inning reliever. (video)

Cardinals RHP Junior Fernandez is like the other two pitchers on this list, in that he has elite velocity, touching 99; he also has an average slider and a plus change-up. However, Fernandez has struggled consistently throwing strikes as he’s posted double-digit walk rates the past three years at High-A and Double-A. Similar to the other two pitchers on this list, if Fernandez can do a better job hitting his spots, he has the raw talent to be an above average major leaguer. (video)