A Minor Course Adjustment

The Orioles have cut bait on a handful of minor leaguers. The farmhands in question are Ps Cam Coffey, Matt Bywater, David Baker, Eric Wooten; Cs Adam Davis and Kevin Dultz; IF Dudley Leonora and OF Tim Smith.

Bywater was a 7th round pick in 2010 out of Pepperdine University. Upon his signing in 2010, Steve Melewski quoted a scout as likening Bywater to a "poor man’s Brian Matusz." The temptation to snark here is strong.

Coffey, a 22nd round pick in 2009, was paid a $990 K bonus. Coffey had already had Tommy John surgery in high school and never really seemed regain full health. Jim Callis, as one might expect, has a pretty exhaustive and interesting story on Coffey’s negotiations with the Orioles. To those who followed Orioles drafts in the Joe Jordan era, the story will sound familiar.

Baker was selected in the 14th round of the 2009 draft out of Hemet High School in Hemet, CA. Along with Bywater, Baker was listed as a player to watch by Camden Depot’s Nick Faleris as recently as the close of the 2011 season, though he seemed to bump up against his ceiling at Delmarva.

Eric Wooten was a 15th rounder taken in 2011 out of Central Arizona College. He was a lefty that served primarily as a reliever. His K rate took a significant dip upon moving from the GCL to the Sally League in 2012.

Adam Davis was taken in the 11th round out of the University of Illinois in 2011. He was all Big 10 second team that year. In 60 games over two seasons in the Orioles farm system, Davis was charged with 12 errors and 17 passed balls. He threw out 27% of would be thieves.

Dudley Leonora was a Dutch by way of the Antilles infielder that made his system debut in 2009 on the same DSL team as Jonathan Schoop. Leonora never showed much power or patience, but seemed to flash some potential in a BABIP fueled 2010, slashing .288/.353/.370 for the Ironbirds.

In one of the clearest cases of "the Honey Badger giveth and the Honey Badger taketh away," it should be noted that Dultz and Smith were minor league free agents signed this past offseason...though the Indy League All Stars live!