1. Brian Matusz, lhp Background: The Orioles felt like they got a bargain when they took Matusz with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft and signed him to a major league contract worth $3,472,500. He did nothing but reinforce that opinion in his pro debut, going from the University of San Diego to pitching in Yankee Stadium in a year. After signing too late to pitch in 2008, Matusz opened at high Class A Frederick and dominated in 11 starts, then pitched even better at Double-A Bowie to earn an eight-start trial in Baltimore to wrap up the season. His 1.91 ERA between his two minor league stops ranked fourth overall in the minors. He ranked as the top pitching prospect in the Carolina League, and would have done the same in the Eastern League if he had enough innings to qualify for Baseball America's rankings. Matusz was the fourth-highest pick out of the 2005 draft not to sign, turning down the Angels in the fourth round out of an Arizona high school to spend three years at San Diego, where he set the school's career strikeout record (396) and led NCAA Division I in whiffs (146) during an All-America junior season in 2008. He went 12-2, 1.71 that spring. He was the highest-drafted player in Toreros history and the first pitcher drafted that year. Strengths: Matusz has three (and potentially four) above-average pitches and advanced command of his entire repertoire, yet most people say that his best trait might be his makeup. Team officials describe him as a winner and admire the way he made adjustments in his first pro season. He's both intelligent and determined, with a great feel for pitching and a strong will that allows him to deal with adversity and never give in to hitters. When an Orioles official told him that his changeup wasn't as good as it needed to be early in the year at Frederick, he went out and threw it more than 20 times in his next start, commanding it and using it in a variety of counts and situations. He sits in the low 90s with his fastball, touching 95 mph, and complements it with both a curveball and a slider. The slider rates as the more effective pitch at this point. His changeup is the best in the system and could be well above-average in the future as he masters his command of it. He has a clean delivery and repeats it well. Weaknesses: While his command is advanced for his level of pro experience, sharpening it will be Matusz's final task. He has great control and usually is able to keep the ball low and work both sides of the plate at will, so he just needs more experience against big league hitters to develop the pinpoint command he'll require to get them out consistently. The Future: A No. 1 starter isn't always the guy who has the best pure stuff. And while Matusz's pure stuff is plenty good, it's what's between his ears that could make him the Orioles' ace within the next couple of years. Having gotten his feet wet in Baltimore last season, he'll be expected to win a spot in the major league rotation in spring training as the Orioles fill in homegrown studs behind newly acquired veteran Kevin Millwood. --

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