I've not been following the Arizona Fall League as I probably should, but it's nice to see some Oriole prospects doing fairly well there. The one name that has really grabbed my attention is Josh Bell.

From the Orioles.com: The switch-hitting Bell, who came over to the Orioles in the deal that sent reliever George Sherrill to the Dodgers in July, has hit at every level and continued that when he batted a combined .295 with 20 home runs and 76 RBIs in the Dodgers' and Orioles' Double-A affiliates this season.

So far in the AFL, the 22-year-old is 13-for-28 with a home run and nine RBIs.

"Josh Bell has outstanding power, especially from the left side," Stockstill said.

Stockstill also praised Bell's strong throwing arm, but said he'd like to see him improve on his footwork and range at the hot corner -- something he said Bell made strides in this summer -- and added that he could use a little more work as a right-handed hitter.

But Stockstill loves Bell's bat.

"He has light tower-type power -- he has a bat that really explodes on contact," Stockstill said. "Right-handed, he hits the ball all over the field, a little bit less power than he has left-handed. Left-handed, he uses the whole field, but he also hits more gap-to-gap -- left-center to right-center."

But Stockstill isn't jumping the gun on Bell's readiness for the Majors.

"We feel like we took him to the Arizona Fall League to try to put him on a fast track to getting to the Major Leagues as soon as possible," he said. "There are definitely things to work on, and I think it's too early to say that, yes, he'll be ready for next year. You have to let him work, see what he does out there, see what he does in Spring Training, and then make the decision at the proper time."

-- snip --

Snyder, also 22, finished his fifth professional season this summer -- one that included a promotion to Triple-A, along with a collective .289 batting average and 88 RBIs.

Snyder was a shortstop when he was taken as the 13th overall pick by the O's in 2005 but was quickly converted into a catcher. Injuries then removed him from behind the plate to the corner infield spots before assuming a full-time role at first base.

"He's made progress at first base and played well at first base in Double-A and Triple-A this year," Stockstill said. "But his main tool is the bat. He hits gap-to-gap, hits the ball consistently hard. I don't know that he's going to be a big home run hitter, but I believe he'll be a big RBI producer."

Bell has been really making a name for himself down there along with Brandon Snyder. There's no need to rush anyone up at all to the majors and the good news is that the Orioles may not need to sign an elite free agent to fill the team's holes (at least offensively).

Although I would like a solid veteran to fill in some the holes that the Orioles currently have (and may have going to into '11), the team may have two viable pieces for the future. The payoff may not come immediately, but the good news is once both Bell and Snyder reach the majors, Baltimore will have both men while they are relatively young, plus under team control for about six years.

While holes needs to be filled for next season, I'd rather build the Orioles through the farm and trades for young talent than through the free agent market. Obviously, we know how that worked out for Baltimore in the past decade.