LJ Hoes from St. Johns gets picked 81st overall by the Baltimore Orioles. Congrats LJ

Classy competitor. Congratulations LJ!

Does that mean he'll go pro? Usually you don't get picked that high unless you've agreed to a deal.

Give our best to L.J. and his family, we've enjoyed getting to know them on the travel circuit the past few years and we think very highly of them all.

The Baltimore Sun:

Meanwhile, outfielder L.J. Hoes, a third-round pick out of St. John's High in Washington, visited Camden Yards today. He's supposed to join the Gulf Coast League team in Sarasota, Fla., tomorrow and play second base.

"It's something that I'm looking forward to," he said. "I grew up playing infield, so it really won't be that big of an adjustment. I think if I work hard and I have the right approach to playing the game every day, I'll learn and make the adjustment."

Hoes passed up a scholarship to North Carolina to sign with the Orioles.

"It would have mattered if it was another team," he said. "It was a tough decision because North Carolina is a great school, but just to be drafted by the Orioles is a great experience for me. I'm a hometown kid. I grew up watching the Orioles. When they drafted me, it was a dream come true."


LJ's a great kid.

the baltimore sun left out a big reason why lj walked away from the unc scholarship -- i heard the o's gave him a $490,000 signing bonus.

after lj's contract was finally approved by the league front office, he celebrated with this performance:

Last Game: June 22 (2 for 5)
Season Stats: .400 BA, 0 HR, 1 RBI

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp...b&t=p_pbp&pid=543321

Anybody else surprised by the moving of LJ to second base?

LJ is an athlete, certainly not surprised but I believe he'll play several positions at the next level til they find one that works best for him. In the end I do believe he'll end up some where in the infield unless his power #'s jump significantly and then I can see him possibly playing a corner outfield position. Either way, I wish LJ all the best and hope to be watching him play for a long time.

Absolutely wish LI the best....just that 2nd base seemed -to me - to be an unlikely position for him. Agree with your comment about the power numbers improving before becoming a corner outfielder. But, I thought he profield as a pretty good centerfielder....not sure about the footwork to be a SS.

But, in any case, all the best to LJ. I think there are a few ACC teams who are glad he signed.

Hoes' power numbers will increase significantly when he begins using his lower half. Right now he generates most of his power using only his upper body. No doubt we will see 20-25 hr with a .300 average as he progresses. He is the best hitter I have seen come out of the Catholic League in the last 25 years. Tremendous competitor, great eye hand coordination and very confident, I expect to see him play for a long time to come.

Having seen LJ clocked at 95-96 from RF, yes, I am very surprised that they put him at 2B. Seems like a waste of a premier arm.

But, you do what they ask, and hopefully it creates an opportunity. Just keep the bat in the lineup and hope to find a spot on the field for yourself somewhere.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Stubble:
Hoes' ....is the best hitter I have seen come out of the Catholic League in the last 25 years. [QUOTE]

Care to share who your top ten hitters are?

cheers

And please provide the criteria (consistent contact, line drive power in the alleys, homerun power, on-base percentage, moving runners along).

I have not watched WCAC ball all that long, but PVI's Alex Gregory hit the ball further than anyone I have seen in over 5 years of watching this league.

Hoes was awfully good as an all-around hitter, though, for three consecutive years. He hit it hard, consistently, and with power.

Bear, Issac,

I can honestly say that I don't believe any hitter who has come out of the Catholic League in the last 25 years is as good as Hoes. No one that I have seen hits the ball that hard, that consistently (combining average and power), produces in the clutch (showing confidence, the hallmark of all great hitters) and rarely if ever strikes out (incredible eye hand coordination). I would venture to guess he has more homeruns than strikeouts in his high school career. I personally never saw him strike out in a game. He is the highest positional player draft choice I can remember out of the Catholic League. He also has the intangible 'it' factor you see with players at the highest levels.

In terms of other good hitters the Catholic League has produced, some guys I remember are Darin Campbell (DeMatha '85) who went to UNC, Keith Nalepka (Good Counsel '90) who played in the Texas Rangers organization, Greg Filson (DeMatha '96) who played in the Boston Red Sox organization, Jeff Palumbo (SJC '00) who played in the SF Giants organization, and Mike Sheridan (Gonzaga '05) currently with the Tampa Rays. Also, the best player PVI ever produced ,Mike Venafro '91, had a pretty good stick! One more guy who sorta qualifies is Andre Keene, who played at Carroll until his senior year and then transferred to Duval in Prince George's County where he graduated in '89. He played in the SF Giants system (Mike Toomey ,an SJC '69 alum, signed him) where he was a top 10 prospect at one point. He was a prodigious home run hitter with unlimited potential. I am surely forgetting some guys but those are some of the ones that really stood out to me.