Tyler Henson, outfielder

Before the 2011 season, Baseball America ranked him as one of the top 25 prospects in the Orioles system. Is he still that highly regarded?

Remember that being one of the top 25 prospects in a system isn’t really THAT significant, although it’s obviously better than not being ranked. Almost every team really needs only 18-20 key players, with the remainder of the roster being more-or-less interchangeable role players. That said, his ranking tells us:

1. Baseball America, in its rankings, may overreact to the most recent season. Henson’s 2010 was significantly better than his previous seasons and BA overreacted to it.
2. The Orioles’ farm system is really, really shallow.

Henson didn’t hit for average (.247), he didn’t draw walks (41 in 498 plate appearances, leading to a .313 OBP), didn’t hit for power (a .321 slugging percentage), and didn’t steal bases (9 in 14 attempts.) Defensively, he played well in right field but didn’t have the range for center. So, you’ve got a corner outfielder with the offensive skillset of Cesar Izturis. The Orioles thought so highly of him that they sent him to the Dodgers as partial payment for Dana Eveland, a 27-year-old starting pitcher who spent most of 2011 in AAA.