March 19, 2013; Lakeland, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Mike Fontenot (7) gets set during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

2001: Mike Fontenot – Fontenot developed a nice career for himself as a utility infielder. Now 32 and playing for the Tampa Bay Rays, the Orioles drafted Fontenot as a 2nd baseman with pick 19 of the 2001 draft. Fontenot spent four years in the Orioles farm system before being traded to the Cubs in 2005 along with Jerry Hairston and Dave Crouthers for Sammy Sosa. Fontenot guest-starred on the season 3 finale of the TBS baseball-themed comedy series My Boys.

2002: Adam Loewen – When he was drafted 4th overall by Baltimore, Loewen was the highest drafted Canadian player in the history of the draft. In 2004, Loewen was listed by Baseball America as Baltimore’s highest rated prospect, but a stress fracture in his forearm/elbow forced him from the mound, and he was converted to a 1st baseman/outfielder. He was released by the Orioles in 2008 and ended up with the Toronto Blue Jays, where in 2011, against the Orioles and Tommy Hunter, no less, he hit his first major league home run. Loewen is still with the Blue Jays, right now at their AA level.

2003: Nick Markakis – Markakis was the first “hit” so to speak, draft pick by the Orioles in many years. Other than Brian Roberts, he is the longest tenured Orioles, in the middle of his 10th year with the team. When he was drafted, Markakis clocked in at 96 MPH with his fastball, but the team grabbed him for his hitting potential. He made the Opening Day roster and has been a mainstay ever since. His timely hitting and consistent has earned him a Gold Glove as well as a massive 6 year $66.1 million dollar extension in 2009, and the admiration of many fans because he probably could have received more from another team but chose to stay with the Orioles.

Apr. 12, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis (21) singles to left against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Yankees won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

2004: Wade Townsend – Drafted 8th by Baltimore in 2004, Townsend decided to return to Rice University and was drafted again the next year by Tampa Bay. A college star, he’s now 30 years old and currently a free agent.

2005: Brandon Snyder – Before Matt Wieters, there was Brandon Snyder. Drafted 13th overall as a catcher by the O’s in 2005, he spent five years in the minors before getting to the major leagues in 2010. He drifted between the minors and the majors over the next couple of years before being traded to Texas in 2012. He hit his first major league home run in May 2012 with Texas, but was released in March 2013 and currently has a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox.

2006: William Rowell – Billy Rowell was drafted 9th overall in 2006, and spent 6 years in the Orioles minor league system. A towering 6’5″ pitcher/3rd baseman, he was tagged with a 50 game suspension in May 2012 for a 2nd violation of the major league drug program. He is currently a free agent.

Apr 21, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp (27) scores on a one-run RBI double by A.J. Ellis (not shown) as Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters (32) cannot make the play in the seventh inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Dodgers defeated the Orioles 7 – 4. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

2007: Matt Wieters – Then, there is Matt Wieters. Drafted 5th overall by the Orioles out of Georgia Tech, Wieters rose quickly through the minor league system and was catching consistently in the major leagues by 2009. He’s now the Orioles starting catcher and one of the “heart of the order” power hitters along with Chris Davis and Nick Markakis. Like Markakis, Wieters is a clubhouse leader, and he’s a two-time Gold Glove winner, two-time All-Star, and one of the top catchers in the game right now.

Aug. 31, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Brian Matusz (17) shakes hand with catcher Matt Wieters (32) after the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

2008: Brian Matusz – Matusz is another star in the making who rose quickly through the minor leagues, making his major league debut August 4, 2009. A lanky fireballer of a pitcher, what Matusz struggled with early on was consistency and confidence. When Matusz came back to the team after a trip to the minors last year, manager Buck Showalter made the decision to move him from the rotation to the bullpen, and it looked like the lightbulb went on. Matusz finished the season on a tear, his fastball almost unhittable and pitching well against the Rangers and Yankees in the playoffs.

2009: Matthew Hobgood – Drafted 5th overall in 2009, Micah Hobgood is a name many fans probably don’t know, but may get to know over the next few years. He’s currently at A Delmarva after missing all of 2012 because of rotator cuff surgery. Right now, he’s 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA. There’s not much of a record of him, but all indications are that he’s working on making his way up the ladder.

Apr 23, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) hits a two-run RBI single in the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

2010: Manny Machado – The now 20 year old phenom was drafted as an 18 year old shortstop with the 3rd pick of the 2010 draft. Machado was intriguing, if a little unproven, but the Orioles promoted him to plug the hole at 3rd base on August 9th 2012. The next day, he had his first multi-homer game. Though he makes mistakes, he seems to have a sense about the ball that is well beyond his years. Often compared to Alex Rodriguez, the Orioles have a gold glover at shortstop in J.J. Hardyand a rising star at third in Machado.

Mar 9, 2012; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (75) pitches during the game against the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park. The Orioles defeated the Red Sox 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

2011/2012: Dylan Bundy/Kevin Gausman – Bundy, Machado, and 2012 1st round pick Kevin Gausman are prime examples of the smart drafting by GM Dan Duquette. Bundy, 20 as well, oozes with potential and talent. Because of that talent, the team is taking his development slowly and carefully. Bundy’s ability to throw a two-seam fastball, a four-seamer, a cutter, changeup, and curve is remarkably advanced for someone his age. 2012 draft pick Gausman was recently promoted to AA, and according to Orioles insiders, seems to be handling the change well.

Author’s picture of Blaine Beatty – 5/16/2011 game at Frederick – a rehab game for Brian Matusz

There is not much about the ups and downs of minor league life that Blaine Beatty has not experienced. The accumulated life lessons are more than just about baseball mechanics. That is not to say that he is not a highly experienced and perceptive pitching coach. The entire package – which includes a kindly, personable, encouraging persona – is the ideal mix for honing a young man’s talents toward eventual major league stardom.

One of Blaine’s better minor league experiences was meeting his wife Mia during a time when he was pitching for the (then) Orioles affiliate, the Hagerstown Suns. As friends of his in-laws who live in Hagerstown, I have had occasional connections with Blaine since the latter portion of his playing career, and he consented to let me ask him a few questions in anticipation of the upcoming season.

Regarding how it would seem that the Orioles organization has positioned Beatty to be at AA Bowie to work specifically with some of the top pitching talents in the system, “I know they’re going to be there, and yes, I think the Orioles are comfortable with me being there and continuing to work with the young guys. In the near future, a lot of the guys from the 2A level are the ones who are going to get there (to Baltimore). You want the bulk of your staff to be coming from the farm system.”

In terms of working with Dylan Bundy, “He’s a very confident kid … mature in how he handles himself. He knows he has a lot yet to work on. But he mixes well with the others and does not separate from the pack of the other guys.”

As to what Bundy needs to focus on at this point, “He needs to establish his ability to command the strike zone. There is no question about his stuff. He needs to see how to read hitters, set up hitters, and be consistent in the bottom part of the zone … also how to be making adjustments as the game goes on.

Beatty spent some time with Kevin Gausman also at Frederick last year, where the recent college pitcher made three appearances. “I also had some time with him in instructional league. Here’s a kid who is a little more polished. His need is to get a full season under his belt and see what that feels like. He’s a hard worker and a good kid all around. Kevin’s had some good instruction at LSU with former Orioles coach Alan Dunn – and I’ve spoken a couple of times with Alan about how to move forward.”

Beatty circled back several times to talk about how these two guys and the others at the upper levels of the system need to pitch enough innings to get the feel of both going deep into games and sustaining it throughout a long season. “They need to feel throwing those innings at this level. We want to develop pitchers who will go seven innings or better. They need that experience here, learning how to adjust in the latter innings, even if it means shutting them down at some point.”  Blaine talked like the goal was for them to pitch around 150 innings this year.

When asked about others in the system that he has seen that he is excited about, he mentioned Mike Wright … “who was promoted about half-way through last year; he’s got some special stuff too.”  Beatty also mentioned Branden Kline … “who was on pace, but had a surgery setback.”

I asked Blaine if it was a specific Orioles strategy to include some “reclamation projects” … asking if he and his colleagues in the system strategize to breathe new life into some guys and push them over some long-term obstacles.  “Oh yes, definitely, we talk about that all the time. We are always looking to see what is holding someone back … is it mechanics, is it the way they throw when holding runners … whatever. Dan and Buck made some great moves bringing guys in, like Miguel Gonzalez – who I saw throw in the spring, and I was really impressed with his stuff.”

The fans are certainly excited for the new season, but what is Beatty most looking forward to?  “I’m excited about going to the Orioles big league camp for the first time and meeting all the major league staff, along with seeing the young guys there.”

That does sound like something to be excited about. If any of our readers are in the Bowie area and know of a housing rental situation, let me know and I’ll pass it on … as that is an annual challenge for these guys who live in other places like Texas, in Blaine’s case.

Twitter:  @OSayOrioles   ///  email – r.buchman@myactv.net 

I’m thinking of one thing; his major league clock. That clock has now started, which will make him eligible for arbitration earlier. Had the Orioles waited until next May to bring Bundy up to “the show,” that would have been deferred a year. A lot of people with whom I speak feel that’s somewhat petty. Maybe it is for all I know. However I feel that in this age of free agency and so forth, it behooves teams to keep that in mind. And it’s not just the Orioles in this case; the same argument could be made for the Washington Nationals with Bryce Harper or even the Anaheim Angels (in 2011 that is) with Mike Trout.

The difference with the two above-mentioned players is that they turned into superstars. However that doesn’t address the issue of being arbitration-eligible. How those arbitration hearings go with each franchise is something that won’t be addressed for a few years, however I would also point out Bundy’s stats with the Orioles. Bundy’s 2012/career line: 1.2 IP (in relief over two games), 1 H, 1 BB. First off, those aren’t poor stats. Secondly, Bundy looked impressive in his two appearances overall. However I would ask if it was worth bringing Bundy up to pitch 1.2 innings over two games in relief?

Courtesy of Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

In fairness, I don’t believe that the Orioles’ plan was to bring Bundy up when they did. I believe that he was probably a contingency plan for the Orioles if they absolutely needed another bullpen arm. Unfortunately that’s exactly what happened; the Orioles played an 18-inning game on September 18th at Seattle which bled their bullpen dry. They called Bundy up on the 19th to act as an emergency reliever, and he made his big league debut on September 23rd in Boston. The ironic thing is that had the Orioles not been in contention at the time they probably wouldn’t have called Bundy up. Odds are they would have hoped their starter could go deep into the next night’s game and then spent another reliever if need be. Funny how things can work out when you’re in contention!

Again, I don’t feel that the plan was to bring Bundy to the big leagues this year. However now it really behooves Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette to start Bundy in the major leagues in 2013. For all we know that was the plan to begin with, however as I said the whole arbitration thing is something that teams need to concern themselves with these days. That ultimately means that the player can hit the open market a year earlier, which puts the onus back on the Orioles to lock up their players early. Luckily, the O’s proved that they were willing to ante up in signing the likes of Adam Jones this year.