Prospect Report: Nolan Reimold
by Jimmy Hascup
In the midst of all the hype surrounding Matt Wieters’s ETA, I think we can all forget there are other impact prospects. That’s the case here in Nolan Reimold, the LFer for the Norfolk Tides. Now let me digress by saying sometimes I fall victim of the Matt Wieters top prospect type syndrome and neglect to look at the rest of his teammates’ stats. Nolan Reimold’s, however, are hard to miss.
Currently in Norfolk, Nolan Reimold is batting a staggering: .408, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 4 SB, .482 OBP, .775 SLG, 1.257 OPS - all in 71 at-bats. Even Matt Wieters can’t say that!
Reimold, drafted in the second round (61st overall) of the June 2005 draft out of Bowling Green, is currently batting fifth for Norfolk. The current LFers of the Orioles are Luke Scott (who is batting .260 with 3 HR and 11 RBI) and Felix Pie (who is batting .157 with 1 HR and 2 RBI). Suffice it to say; Reimold could easily see the majors sometime this month if those underwhelming performances continue.
Baseball America has Reimold tabbed as the Orioles fifth best prospect. Before Wieters arrived, Reimold was considered their best power hitter. The only question mark surrounding Reimold is his health. In 2006 he battled foot and back injuries. In 2007 he was limited to just 59 games because of an oblique strain.
Reimold’s post-draft numbers have fluctuated due to him adjusting to higher level pitching and dealing with injuries:
In 2005, Reimold played in Low-A and High-A: 263 ABs, 15 HR, 41 RBI, .280 BA. Looking at the face value of these stats, I’d say Reimold put up a good fight for a 21-year old.
In 2006, while playing in High-A: 415 AB, 19 HR, 75 RBI, 14 steals, .255 BA. Definitely not a terrible year by anyone’s standards, but you can definitely attribute the lack of progression to the nagging injuries I mentioned earlier.
In 2007, Reimold played nine games in rookie ball, along with fifty in Double-A. In 216 AB Reimold had 11 HR, 44 RBI and batted .270. Another injury-plagued season, but I don’t think it was a disaster. He still showed decent power potential.
In 2008, Reimold played in Double-A and I think this is where we got to see Nolan Reimold’s complete picture: 507 ABs, 25 HR, 86 RBI, .284 BA.
What we have now is a guy knocking on Orioles manager Dave Trembley’s door. Trembley originally wanted to use this season to evaluate Felix Pie in LF, however that hasn’t worked out. On April 27th, Trembley was quoted on masn.com as saying “[Nolan Reimold] ended spring training on a real upswing. I talked to our scouts about him. He’s off to a real nice start and I hope it continues because he’s a guy that we all feel can help us. When that is, I’m not sure, but I know he is probably a lot further along than we all anticipated at this particular point in time.”
While that definitely is not an indication to his exact arrival date, the fact that the organization recognizes his hot play definitely bodes well for his future. “If he came here, I would think the opportunity would be for him to play, not be a reserve,” Trembley told masn.com. I think Reimold’s big league call-up depends on when the Orioles give up on Felix Pie. Quite frankly, Pie was a highly touted prospect with the Cubs who never panned out. He’s been given a chance in Baltimore, which he hasn’t done much with either.
Reimold turns 26 in October, so his time as a high prospect is running out. Now looks like a great time for the Orioles to call him up. Scouts say he has 30-home run potential, but will he ever get to show it? I think he’s worth stashing on your bench if you play in a deep league. Just envision a lineup with players like Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Aubrey Huff, Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold. This could all be possible within the month.
Will you guys be taking the chance on Nolan Reimold?
To read the previous article, click here.
Professor,
I knew it. You are an Orioles fan. Glad to hear some more Orioles’ prospects getting some love. Reimold is killing the ball right now. I think the problem isn’t so much Luke Scott or Felix Pie. I think it’s Lou Montanez. Montanez won the triple crown in AAA last year, and he’s older, and he’s been more consistent over his time in the minors. Especially when it comes to staying healthy. The vibe I get when listening to Dave Trembley talk about the LF situation is that Montanez (assuming his hand injury is minor and he’s back in the lineup soon) is getting the shot right now. Pie is in the dog house after a couple lack-of-hustle plays in the field over the past couple weeks. And Luke Scott is a place holder at best.
So I guess Reimold should have the job by the end of the year, but I’m not sure he will.
Ian, if I had written the article I would admit to being an O’s fan but I did not, Jimmy did.
I do agree with you that Montanez will likely get the first crack at the LF job, but I don’t think Reimold is far behind. Nice job on the profile Jimmy.
My mistake. I should’ve caught that. Great write-up, Jimmy.
I have heard the same as Ian that Trembley wants to give him a shot. Montanez did win the triple crown in 2008, first player to do that in like 30 years. He won it even while spending the last month of the season in the majors. That tells you just how dominant his season was. However, that was after repeating the level several times and looks like an outlier when looking at rest of his minor league career. Before Montanez’s career year, he had never hit more than 14HR in a season. He was also a little old for the league given the fact he is 27 now. He is not widely regarded as a prospect in baseball circles. He split parts of 2006 and 2007 between AA and AAA and hit 10 HR 1 year and 12 the the next.
Here are his numbers from that Triple Crown season:
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO Sb
2008 26 AA Bowie 501 451 90 151 32 5 26 97 36 63 4 .335 .385 .601 986
PA AB ISOP BB% SO% BABIP GB% LD%
2008 26 AA Bowie 501 451 .266 7.2% 12.6% .345 46% 12%
I don’t think he has been more consistent than Reimold during minor league career. It is hard to get a read on Reimold because of his injuries. However, Reimold’s career minor league OPS is .879 vs. .777 for montanez. Also, scouts have rated Reimold’s power a 70 on the 20-80 scale compared to 50 for Montanez.
I definitely believe Reimold is the better long term player and fit and the Orioles want to see what they have in Montanez. If he starts hot, they should trade him.
Thanks guys. And no I’m not an Orioles fan, but they do have some intriguing prospects. And yeah, I do see them giving Montanez a shot– I think it’s his make or break year. After-all, he is 27 already, so this is his chance. I do see Reimold getting his chance sooner or later, especially if he keeps hitting like this!
And one more thing, if you guys want me to profile any other “under the radar” kind of prospects, let me know. The Professor’s got the main, big-time prospects all covered, but I’m always trying to help him out so let me know if there’s anything else you’d want to see!
Jimmy, take a look at Kris Medlen at Gwinnet AAA affiliate for Atlanta. I don’t even think he is in the top 100 prospects on most peoples lists but baseball america ranks him as the 9th best prospect for Atlanta Braves in a stacked system. Check his numbers at AAA. He is right up there with Tommy Hanson after tonights effort 7 innings 2 hits, 1 walk and 10ks. His last start on 5-1-09 was 6 innings 3 hits 2 bb and 8ks. That puts his season line at 30.2 innings pitched, 17 hits, 7bbs and 38ks. How is that for dominance. In addition, his ks per nine were 10.65 before this start tonight. BBA vs lefties .184 and .194 vs. righties shows he is equally tough. Baseball America says:
Medlen features a 92-94 mph fastball and a plus curveball in the upper 90s. He also has a solid changeup and a slider he’ll throw to give hitters another pitch to think about. The additional innings as a starter allowed him to improve his command. A converted shortstop, he’s athletic and helps his cause as a hitter and fielder. He’s aggressive and tough on the mound.
I doubt they really meant that he has a plus curveball in the upper 90s. That would be faster than his fastball, lol. But it seems to me he is making a case for a promotion to the bigs if he keeps pitching this way. I don’t know that anyone is talking about this guy yet so he is definitely way under the radar.
His career minor league #s over 3 seasons are 2.66 ERA, 189 in pitched and 219 ks with k per nine of 10.4. He is 23.
Jon, I’ll definitely take a look at him. Probably by later this week/weekend you’ll see something on him. Although you did a good job here yourself lol… I’ll see what I can find out.
Reimold called up last night to serve in the Orioles battered outfield this weekend. Giggity.