Anyway, Rowell is far from a bust at this point, but it’s just frustrating watching the guy fail to progress year after year.

It’s fascinating how fast he’s fallen off the radar, and how little people actually care about Billy with the entire FO philosophy supposedly altered and a plethora of vastly superior prospects having emerged.

Age is still on his side, I guess, but Snyder never lacked drive, passion or dedication, whereas Rowell has faced “character” issues since being drafted. As a stark contrast, MacPhail and co. are now highly critical of a kid’s make-up, as they were wowed by Hobgood’s “intangibles.”

Billy actually came out of the gates really well, but in the past month or so he has just utterly tanked. I believe his home run totals are significantly up, but the slugging percentage is still shockingly low.

Although he is still very young, there are just so damn many problems with Rowell that it would take an absolute miracle for this kid to pan out. I mean honestly, his bat has been a liability, he doesn’t display power on a consistent basis, he doesn’t reach base, his defense is lacking, and there are major character issues. What the hell is there to like?

Yikes, are people really talking about this kid’s career ending before he starts shaving?

Hang in there, Billy! Oh, and start with something really non-irritating: the Gillette Atra might be a good choice, and maybe Foamy.

that Ben is wrong about this one.

I got to see him in Hagerstown when he played for Delmarva, and he looked like a manchild next to the rest of the 18-23 year old kids. He truly is massive, and I knew at that time that he would outgrow a third basemen’s frame(with the Scott Rolen exception). He went 3 for 4 that night with, I believe, 5 RBI. I couldn’t have imagined him turning out to be a bust. I heard a marketing guy for the O’s say that Markakis is a complete jerk, so let’s hope that personality doesn’t have anything to do with work ethic and overall talent.

Any way, this is my first post ever on this board, and I am trying desperately to follow my O’s as much as I can from over here in Afghanistan. Their record is bunk, but…….Wieters and Reimold are up. Tillman and Arrieta are kicking ass, and Matusz isn’t far behind. Let’s go O’s. Thank you Andy!!!

Snyder is hitting .343/.411/.605 with 10 homers and 41 RBIs in 49 games for the Baysox. Now those? Those are first baseman numbers. Those are something to work with.

That isn’t just something to work with. That’s almost Wietersque!

Rowell to give up on him. I would guess they need to sit the kid down and have a “come to Jesus” talk about his attitude and work ethic, have a roving instructor come down and spend a week working on his skills in the field and at the plate. Then run him out every day and let him play. The upside is to great to give up. If the O’s can bring over Asian pitchers and can afford translators then they can spend some time and effort helping Rowell. I hope he is in Bowie next season.

… is that the Giants drafted Tim Lincecum with the very next pick. One of the more puzzling things about the Orioles’ lost decade is how little they got from the draft even after all those losing seasons. Fortunately, things seem to be turning around in that department now.

Then-VP Mike Flanagan said of Rowell just after the pick in 2006, “We think a projection of two or three years and he’ll be ready.”

Vintage Mike Flanagan.

It is too early to give up on him, but it really sucks he has turned out so poorly. It’s made by worse by the dude picked right after him. If only that guy sucked too I wouldn’t feel as bad.

Frederick Keys games are one of my truly favorite outings. The stadium is simple yet extremely personable and player-accessible. This allows fans to meet-n-greet the players that we hope will make us good again. One of those people who I have gotten to know over the last two years there is Bill Rowell.

The boy is not ignorant to his downfall…he fully understands and acknowledges that his stock has plummeted. His problems are far from physical and mainly originate in his head. Bill can hit the ball as far and hard as anyone…in practice. When nobody is paying attention, he can do that Tom Emansky video shit where they throw the ball into a barrel from the warning track. The guy is physically gifted beyond all belief. Sure his swing is long and his coordination sometimes lets him down, but the tools really are there and he can use them at certain moments.

Then there is the mental side of baseball. The side that caused Steve Sax to suddenly not be able to throw from second to first. The side that caused Rick Ankiel to not be able to hit the broad side of a barn from the pitcher’s mound. The side that is causing Bill Rowell to flounder into oblivion in Advanced A ball.

Rowell has a fear of failure that is so strong that it is causing him to fail. I know that sounds like some cheesy Frasier quote, but I really think that it is true. When things come to you so easily at the high school level (as they did for Bill), it can be hard to accept that you may actually have to work for it now and that you’re not the best player out there.

Once he started making errors at third base, he made the physical adjustments but could never overcome the mentality that he was not going to field the ball cleanly. The same thing is happening at the plate. Aside from the beginning of this year when he supposedly showed up with a new attitude, Rowell has largely been convinced that he will not succeed. If he doesn’t fix himself mentally, then the rest is just a wash and Bill Rowell will never be the player that so many envisioned.

Tim Lincecum. If I had a time machine, I wouldn’t use it to go back and play lottery numbers. I’d use it to impose a violent will on the Orioles organization, and make them take him in the draft.