Rebuilding the Orioles - MacPhail Discusses Highly Touted Prospects and More

In May 2008 the Orioles launched the Andy MacPhail Online Q&A, exclusively on orioles.com. In this first edition, topics such as international scouting, the draft, and the progress of Jake Arrieta and Matt Wieters are explored.

How has scouting gone in Asian countries lately, and do you expect the Orioles to have a greater presence in signing players from there?

Earlier this year, we named John Stockstill our director of international scouting and immediately set out to significantly increase our presence in Asia. John recently returned from Japan after over three weeks of scouting and plans a return trip this summer. International scouting is an important component of any team's player development and scouting programs, as over one-third of today's Major League players are born outside of the U.S. We are still in the process of determining where our resources can be put to the best use.

Andy, I have read that the 2008 Draft is deeper for hitters than it is for pitchers. What is your philosophy? College versus high school? Hitters versus pitchers?

I think the most important thing to do when making a selection is to make sure you take the best possible prospect. We will not focus on whether the choice fills an organizational need or whether he can get to the Majors faster. We will focus on what player has the highest upside and will be most likely to have the most productive career. While I recognize there is possibly a shortage of top-flight position prospects throughout our Minor League system, my philosophy has always been that you can never have too much pitching. We also need to value defense and look for that in the Draft as well.

What is your opinion of Adam Jones so far this season? Do you think he has a chance to move up in the lineup?

We have been satisfied with Adam's first two months as a Major Leaguer. He has played consistently solid defense in center field and has competed well at the plate. Where he bats in the lineup is up to Dave [Trembley]. We are delighted to have him as a part of our future.

Greetings from Malaysia. Which is the bigger surprise: Daniel Cabrera's performance so far or Jim Johnson's poise?

Cabrera and Johnson have both been key reasons why we have played solid baseball over the first two months. It is a credit to both pitchers that they have made considerable improvement in their performances over the first third of the season. It is also a testament to Dave Trembley and his coaching staff, including [pitching coach] Rick Kranitz, that these two pitchers have had success so far this year. Dave and his staff show a lot of confidence in our players, and, in turn, many of our players seem to be playing with greater confidence in themselves. I think many have been on the lookout for this kind of year from Daniel, so I would rate Jimmy's start as the bigger surprise.

Both Matt Wieters and Jake Arrieta are having outstanding seasons so far in Frederick. When do you feel they will most likely be promoted to Bowie?

Both Matt and Jake are clearly having a great deal of success at Frederick to this point, which has been exciting for all of us to see. But it is important to remember that these two players, who we hope will both factor into the long-term success of the organization, have not even played two months of professional baseball yet. [Director of player development] Dave [Stockstill] and I are always reviewing and discussing what is going on in the Minor Leagues, and I will not be shy about moving players along when we feel it is in the best interest of the players involved, as well as in the organization's best interest.