Matt Wieters

2013

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2012

Wieters finally saw some of the power which fueled the "Matt Wieters Facts" hype around him in the minor leagues, as the switch-hitter slugged 22 home runs in 139 games in 2011. Wieters also continued to improve his contact rate, striking out in 15.2 percent his of at-bats. The lower that rate goes, the higher his batting average should reach - if he can improve his .276 BABIP, he's capable of hitting for a .280 average or better. With the power, that makes him one of the better bats available at catcher.

2011

Wieters did not take that anticipated leap forward in 2010. In fact, he actually took a step or two in the wrong direction. He teased us with a solid stretch run in 2009, then failed to get his OPS to .700. Some owners won't be forgiving and that makes Wieters a bit of a sleeper this season. The baseball community has widely regarded him as a superstar in the making and those kinds of expectations don't simply vanish due to a disappointing year for a developing player. Wieters will be a wild card in 2011. The upside is plentiful, and it seems unlikely he will hit as poorly as he did in 2010.

2010

There were rumors that Wieters would either walk on the Potomac River, or at the minimum part the sea when he arrived in Baltimore. While he didn't put up the Ryan Braun or Evan Longoria rookie numbers that many thought he was capable of, Wieters gave us a taste down the stretch of what he can do. The Orioles showed confidence by hitting him third in the lineup during part of September, but we don't expect him to be thrust into that role with Baltimore's youthful outfield likely taking the premium hitting spots. Don't punch his Hall of Fame ticket just yet, but Wieters has the talent to be a premium offensive threat as a catcher. Some could be eager to overdraft him, but he needs to prove himself worthy before we put him in the same tier as Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez and Brian McCann.

2009

The Orioles made a commitment to Wieters when they signed him for a huge bonus after taking him with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2007 draft. Wieters didn't disappoint in 2008, quickly earning a billing as one of the top prospects in baseball while playing in High-A and Double-A. The Orioles made another commitment to Wieters when they traded Ramon Hernandez to the Reds in December. Wieters is a must-draft keeper and should be added immediately when he is called up in nearly all formats.

2008

If you're in a minor league keeper league, go get Wieters now. It's rare to find a power-hitting catching prospect, and rarer still to see the Orioles be willing to plunk down over-slot money to land him in the draft. The fifth pick in the 2007 draft got his professional career off to a good start by hitting 283/.364/.415 in the Hawaii Winter League.