He is the number one prospect according to Baseball America. He was the Orioles‘ number one draft choice in 2007. He hit .345 in Frederick and .365 in Bowie with 27 homers combined. This year in Spring Training, Matt Wieters is hitting .379. While his numbers are big, the expectations for this 22-year-old are even bigger.
Image courtesy of the Baltimore Sun
Wieters seems to be all over the papers, talked about on the radio and discussed on television. He is a pretty hot topic right now, especially in the Baltimore area. Here at the Baltimore Sports Report, we have projected his season, talked about Matt Wieters Facts and written about the role of his agent, Scott Boras, in his chances as an opening day starter.
How much is too much though? There certainly are great expectations for Matt Wieters and I have heard a few fans that have built him up so much that he can only fail.
Just the other day I was reading a comment on a message board about letting the Orioles bring up Wieters to be the Rookie of the Year. People believe he will walk into the majors and have a .300 season and I am here to tell you that will not be case.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun discussed that Wieters does not like all the attention and according to his Wieters’ mother he “doesn’t want to be the center of attention.”
The Orioles are not going to be a winning team this season, but Andy MacPhail has continually stated that he will not rush young talent. Regardless of when Wieters makes it to the majors people have very high hopes.
Are the expectations being set for Wieters too much? What happens if it takes him time to adjust to the big leagues?
I think that the most telling sign is that in his radio interviews, he sounds exactly like Rube Baker from “Major League 2.”
Wieters may be ready for the bigs right now, but that does not necessarily make it the best long term move for the organization.
I still feel his best development path is through the minors with the young arms, perhaps get them all working on the same level, AAA perhaps, get them all a full season together, then live and die with them all next season, or perhaps late 09 depending on how the pitchers develop.
It may seem a little unfair to hold him back based on his performance thus far, but if you look at it from a team standpoint, the kid is part of a much larger picture that includes a much improved pitching starting rotation. He should develop with the pitchers, when they are ready, he will be more than capable.