



Happy fucking Friday, people. Let’s go. I’m not going to sit here and rifle off stats like I’m Tim Kurkjian or something; however, as the resident Baltimore fan here at Philosophizer I feel the need to talk about the MLB draft given the Orioles’ recent success. I’ll admit I hopped on the bandwagon last season (yolo), but I have been following every move this team has made since then. Coming off their first post-season trip since 1997 in 2012, the Orioles are off to a good start in 2013 thanks to their fiery offense and steller defensive play. Their only question mark has been at starting pitcher.

That’s why I love that the O’s went out and took Hunter Harvey, RHP, out of Bandys HS (NC). In order to build this organization into a playoff team year in and year out, this club is going to have to develop their young players within the system. For the first time since 1998, the Orioles went out and used their first three picks on high school talent. Again, I’m not a baseball genius so I’m not going to go in depth into this entire draft when these players aren’t even going to matter for another 4 or 5 years. Hunter Harvey caught my eye though, so I’m going to make 3 quick points about him, head to Starbucks, and get back to work.

1.) This kid has lived and breathed baseball his whole life. Hunter’s father, Bryan Harvey, spent nine seasons in the majors as a reliever (46 saves in 1991, 45 in 1993) and even received some Cy Young attention in the early 1990’s. On top of that, his brother has spent some time in the minors as well. You’ve gotta love a family affair.

2.) There is a 100% chance this kid is going to sign with us straight out of high school. When asked about college Hunter said, “I’ve never really been a big fan of college. I just wanted to get my pro career started and make my way to the big leagues.” You’ve gotta love that enthusiasm. All this kid wants to do is play professional baseball, and I can’t blame him for that. Even though I’m a strong supporter of the college rout, it’s not for everyone. It’s not for Hunter Harvey.

3.) I think this is what I love most about him…There is not a great amount of footage out there about Harvey due to the fact that he didn’t travel to showcase tournaments last summer: “Unlike most of the other prep pitchers expected to hear their name called on June 6, his exposure in front of scouts was minimal last summer, as he chose to play locally (North Carolina) rather than pitch on the showcase circuit.” That just means that he knows he’s that good and knew that scouts were going to travel to see him. Why spend tons of money traveling around trying to get recognized when you already know you’ve got talent. This kid has confidence written all over him, and that’s exactly what Orioles pitching needs.

Last Thing: I couldn’t help but notice his stats last night when his name was called. 8-0 with a 0.38 ERA? Are you kidding me? I don’t care what sort of competition he went up against. Those numbers don’t lie. Keep your eye on this kid.

– OsandNattyBohs