Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan admitted to Steve Melewski on Wednesday that Matt Hobgood has not quite lived up to the his expectations. Hobgood was selected by the Orioles in the first round last season, has struggled to throw his fastball above 90 miles per hour and strained his rotator cuff.

“I understand I am due at least some scrutiny on that one, but you know, we saw what we saw. We saw above average stuff with a breaking ball and change-up. For whatever reason, it hasn’t shown up.

“I don’t believe we can make a determination right now. But to be objective, I’ve got to say there were some other options and I knew that at the time. Right now, it doesn’t look real good, but hopefully he can get strong and get in shape and when he gets out there, we’ll start seeing what we thought we were buying. I’ve thought so much about this. You try to self-evaluate and you look at the process that got you to the decision you made.”


Do you think Hobgood will pick it up this season?