AM - I wrote about 3 hours ago and then left - expecting to return and you would make the announcement that Derek Shelton has been Fired and Don Kelly named the Interim Manager! But, BC must have seen just enough that he thinks Shelton will become a better Manager? And BC will become a better General Manager or just the Chief Maker of Excuses!
Sorry to disappoint you lol. Don't feel like they are going to make that kind of move unless things really tank here. They just went 3-3 on a road trip, where they faced the defending world champs. And were competitive for nearly half the series.
Did the pirates make another mistake with a top international signing? The senior Dela Santos can not seem to be able to hit. Is he another great athlete that they thought. they can teach to hit? I hope his younger brother is able to hit. Another Campagna, Polanco type signing. neither of them has shown they can hit.
Shalin Polanco is 17th in the A+ South Atlantic League with an OPS of .857. Hitting better in A+ than he was at A Ball. Similar to Javier Rivas who has been a terrible hitter, but who is now the 3rd best hitter in the SAL with an OPS of 1.013 - go figure! Hopefully this continues and more improvement is coming?
Great observations -- really appreciate this group's attention to the details that we casual fans would never get.
WTM's last observation points out the folly of getting so frustrated with "the lack of development" for player x, especially at the lower end of the minors -- for the vast majority in the minors, their ceilings are organizational depth. Clubs have to throw a lot of mud at the target to find that AA-ceiling guy who can be built into a AAA, or even major league talent (and I, for one, believe it's true in every organization). And I'm sure every team misses in that assessment as well.
This (and $$$, obvs) probably contributed to the reduced reserve lists in the last CBA.
My unstudied and potential bullshit take is that international free agency has significantly contributed to this on the hitting side.
The bar for advancement/success as a pitcher is far lower. There’s really no hitter version of big arm with just enough control to make it work it in the pen and a big league hit tool is mostly innate. Can’t be “taught”.
Adding a dozen or more bats every year you guess on as 14-15 year olds is gonna crush any systems development success rate.
Furtado is a LHP that hits 97 and has a change and slider, move over Barco, I have a new lefty to drool over.
Furtado last year: 9.8 BB/9, 8.6 K/9
This year so far: 1.9 BB/9, 14.9 K/9
Now there’s a contrast.
You mean. . . . they succeeded in teaching command?
Isn't that always the fun of pitching development? You never know when something's going to click.
Or he wasn’t healthy last year. His command wasn’t bad in college. Wasn’t great but it was OK.
Sorry, I want to keep my rose-colored glasses on. They WILL be able to teach Konnor Griffen how to use his athletic abilities in baseball games!
He looks like he has a pretty good start down that road already. (I'm trying hard not to get carried away.)
Woah Nelly! (Furtado).
AM - I wrote about 3 hours ago and then left - expecting to return and you would make the announcement that Derek Shelton has been Fired and Don Kelly named the Interim Manager! But, BC must have seen just enough that he thinks Shelton will become a better Manager? And BC will become a better General Manager or just the Chief Maker of Excuses!
Sorry to disappoint you lol. Don't feel like they are going to make that kind of move unless things really tank here. They just went 3-3 on a road trip, where they faced the defending world champs. And were competitive for nearly half the series.
Did the pirates make another mistake with a top international signing? The senior Dela Santos can not seem to be able to hit. Is he another great athlete that they thought. they can teach to hit? I hope his younger brother is able to hit. Another Campagna, Polanco type signing. neither of them has shown they can hit.
Shalin Polanco is 17th in the A+ South Atlantic League with an OPS of .857. Hitting better in A+ than he was at A Ball. Similar to Javier Rivas who has been a terrible hitter, but who is now the 3rd best hitter in the SAL with an OPS of 1.013 - go figure! Hopefully this continues and more improvement is coming?
Great observations -- really appreciate this group's attention to the details that we casual fans would never get.
WTM's last observation points out the folly of getting so frustrated with "the lack of development" for player x, especially at the lower end of the minors -- for the vast majority in the minors, their ceilings are organizational depth. Clubs have to throw a lot of mud at the target to find that AA-ceiling guy who can be built into a AAA, or even major league talent (and I, for one, believe it's true in every organization). And I'm sure every team misses in that assessment as well.
This (and $$$, obvs) probably contributed to the reduced reserve lists in the last CBA.
My unstudied and potential bullshit take is that international free agency has significantly contributed to this on the hitting side.
The bar for advancement/success as a pitcher is far lower. There’s really no hitter version of big arm with just enough control to make it work it in the pen and a big league hit tool is mostly innate. Can’t be “taught”.
Adding a dozen or more bats every year you guess on as 14-15 year olds is gonna crush any systems development success rate.
To your last point: That certainly could have led to teams drafting fewer “safe,” org-type guys, and taking more risks.