Still not much going on in the Oriole offseason but...
I though it was interesting that the Orioles signed minor league catcher Adam Donachie. If you've read this blog from the beginning, the Orioles selected Donachie in the Rule V draft and he was with the Orioles during Spring Training 2007. I was a big supporter of Donachie (at least over Paul Bako, an offensive black hole whose defensive prowess paled in comparison to Donachie's) and think he could help the club in a couple years as a defensive specialist.
The Orioles have no organizational depth at catcher (after Matt Wieters) so Donachie has a good opportunity here. Donachie has never hit for average but showed decent plate discipline and some pop.
ISO for the last 5 years:
Year Level ISO
2004 A .043
2005 A+ .173
2006 A+\AA .135
2007 AA .144
2008 AA .087
2008 was not a good year for Donachie but he has shown some raw power over his minor league career. Donachie should start the season at Bowie and, perhaps in a couple years, he can be the Doug Mirabelli to Matt Wieters' Jason Varitek. (Chronic Red Sox haters; please forgive me for the comparison but it's the best analogy I could think of...)
1 comment:
I totally agree about the Japanese pitchers. Uehara is my preference based on what I've read, but whatever. It seems like something that could (with luck) get done in Vegas while all relevant agents and team officials are together.
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