masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgHere are some more quotes from my conversation with Orioles’ scouting director Joe Jordan on the selection of Matt Hobgood with the O’s 2009 first-round pick.

The 20-year-old right-hander, who was taken with the fifth overall pick, is 4-9, 4.48 in 29 starts covering 120 2/3 innings the past two seasons with Bluefield and Delmarva.

Hobgood has been criticized by fans for his performance and conditioning and Jordan has received criticism for his selection of the former California high school…Here are some more quotes from my conversation with Orioles’ scouting director Joe Jordan on the selection of Matt Hobgood with the O’s 2009 first-round pick.

The 20-year-old right-hander, who was taken with the fifth overall pick, is 4-9, 4.48 in 29 starts covering 120 2/3 innings the past two seasons with Bluefield and Delmarva.

Hobgood has been criticized by fans for his performance and conditioning and Jordan has received criticism for his selection of the former California high school star.

I asked Jordan if he had any regrets in drafting Hobgood.

“At this point in time, I’ve got questions to answer because of what (Mike) Leake has done and (Mike) Minor,” Jordan said. “Those guys wouldn’t have been in the big leagues with us, per se, Zach Britton wasn’t in the big leagues with us last year. We weren’t going to rush those guys.

“Those guys have done well and got to the major leagues in a hurry. Those are two examples, that sure, I’m not going to go on record and say that I regret taking him. But I do understand that I had other options. I did what I did, I had my reasons for doing it and right now it hasn’t worked out the way I planned on, but I don’t think the book is written.”

Was the selection of Hobgood dictated at all by upper management or made due to any financial constraints?

“No. I had no one telling me to do this because of the money,” Jordan said. “This was my decision and my decision only. I had the reports on file to justify taking the guy. That’s the kind of evaluation we had on him.

“The fact that I did sign him for what I signed him for, gave me the ability to do some things later in the draft. So yeah, that’s what I did.

“But there wasn’t anyone anywhere telling me I had to this because we could sign him for X.”