We all figured we'd get something more tasty than this for O'Neill. Everything you say, G-man, I gotta believe DiPoto knows and more. So, I'm just trying to figure out what it is.
I can't argue with your logic, G-man, and if what you say about velocity gauging is correct, then I've got nothing, except that he's pretty much leading the PCL in ERA so he's pretty good at getting guys like O'Neill out. We know that pitchers get promoted quicker than position players so he's not exactly the top of a great class. Still, a 2.90 ERA for a starter in a hitters league seems pretty good. He definitely improved over 2015. I gotta assume our scouts watched him, had the gun out, saw his stuff, makeup, etc. and liked what they saw.
BTW, it seems he recovered pretty quickly from TJ surgery. He was out all last year and it seems like he's back and better than when he left, so that's good. Maybe for a young pitcher, being post TJ adds points to one's value going forward? Offsets the position-player-a-better-bet-than-a-pitcher rule of thumb a bit, perhaps?