Moore just crushed one the other way. Tennessee takes the lead. McGinnis looks like an interesting later round middle infielder for Evansville. Amick kills one after Burke flew out to the left field warning track.
McGinnis with a double off the right center field fence.
Burke with a double off the top of the left center field fence, Evansville player hurt on the play. Great effort, ball hit him right above the eye after it came off the fence.
Ashcraft is 24 with an injury history. They can be creative with him. Bring him to the big leagues and use him in long relief with side sessions to keep him stretched out. Works for him and may help the Pirates bullpen situation. The clock is ticking. He's not getting any younger.
I'll reword - Ashcraft is ONLY 24 and players reach their peak at different ages sometimes after having injury histories (hello Charlie Morton, hello Jacob DeGrom). I see no reason to change his development pattern towards being a future legitimate starting option just to possibly make the bullpen better. In your scenario you take up a roster spot on the MLB team and make them less available because they burn innings (replicating starting) on side sessions.
Here's a question to ponder: what *is* the difference in development pattern?
Just innings/experience?
I certainly wouldn't want them like capping his repertoire at two pitches and a cloud of dust or anything, but short of that...I don't know that I could describe how bringing him up through the pen might actually hurt him.
Fully with you on starter as the end goal, either way. Love this kid.
Our moronic front office would never even think of this ... sorry, just wanted to know how it felt to type that. Fair question and I think you basically gave my answer. 2 part answer: 1) If he is moved to the MLB bullpen then I absolutely think since the MLB team is trying to win (others can add jokes) then your bullpen needs to use their one or two best pitches to get outs and not be worried about a third or fourth pitch that is still in 'development' (if no pitches are in development he is MLB starter ready and your question is not valid) . 2) MiLB no matter how much we want to build team work is an individual endeavor. Altoona's records stinks, I am sure that wears some on Ashcraft, but it has little to no affect on his ascension to the majors. So the Milb answer to your question is a little different. You can still have the pitcher use (ie. develop) all their pitches regardless if it is 1 6 inning game or 3 2 inning games over the course of 5 or 6 days. I think here the differentiator is the ability to still throw those pitches after already pitching 5 or 6 innings (ie. durability). Also, if you know you are going just 2 innings I think there is always some risk that you approach the game differently.
This draft has several draft eligible sophomores or young third year players. For example Blake Burke is around 8 or 9 months younger than JJ Wetherholt and Bazzana, while Dinges and Jones are over a year. Then there's a lot in between, after the first pick I'd target some of the nearly year younger guys.
It would've been 5 days, but it was recently changed from Sept. 1st to Aug 1st (or Jared Jones 2.0's birthday). There's a Kiley tweet (I think from last year?) where it mentions the change, moving forward. Takes some searching, cause MLB being the MLB, there's no easily findable mentioned date lol
(Late response. I generally go MIA during weekend cause it's hard to find time to jump on the boards aside from quick tweets lol)
I'm full boat on your last paragraph. IMO he potentially is too valuable to push him to the bullpen now and mess up any further development as a starter. If the plan is if he gets to some innings limit move him to the pen late in the year and the MLB team still needs help then by all means push him to the majors. Net: Whatever is the plan to get him developed as a major league starter, there is nothing IMO (even major league team need) that would make me want to deviate from that at the current time. I'm even opposed to a spot start at MLB on his normal rest just in case he overthrows / gets away from his current mojo, although I will not fight that vehemently.
The only reason I can come up with for him not getting a promotion to Indy is they're limiting him to once a week instead of every 5th day. They might just be working him up to it with him going over 90+ pitches last night after going over 80+ pitches in the games prior.
Definitely respect your opinion on keeping him on a schedule, without a call up for a spot start. Hope he just keeps progressing. When his command is on, he has top of the rotation ability.
The one key factor and you(I think) and others have mentioned it. He IS on the 40 man. It's one thing to bring a prospect up (and add him to the 40 man 5 or 6 months earlier than required) and then basically forfeit a 40 man for the rest of the year because any prospect would get claimed if dropped. All teams struggle with the number of 40 man rostered players who are not in the MLB plans for the current year. You can only carry so many and maintain flexibility even to add / drop fungible players to fill a short term gap (Koch).
I have, but I don't question how they've handled him. He is showing good progress, even last night by bouncing back with 6 strong innings after the rough 1st. I was just pondering reasons they wouldn't promote him to Indy. He definitely has a ton of potential and I could see a call-up out of need but wouldn't be upset if they take his progression slower, he's still building up a starters workload and really hasn't thrown a lot of innings.
Your theory makes sense because I am also wondering why not AAA at this point. I don't think I was there 2 or 3 starts ago as I am all for a prospect forcing the issue vs. a short hot streak. At some point whether one start a week vs. 5 man rotation, he needs tested at the next level because he seems to have conquered AA and as we have seen with many, AAA will bring new challenges.
In the previous two threads, the inmates have been discussing simple ways to strengthen this team and the upshot was a little more wood in the bat rack and another middle/swing man in the bullpen.
Ashcraft could easily accomplish one of these goals. It's just a matter of where he is right now and how much you can push him.
__________________________
"These block-buster bombs! They don't go off unless you hit them juuuuuuust right."
Wvu loses a heartbreaker, Honeycutt with a walk off homer.
Tennessee trying to make it interesting
Wvu v Unc starting
Blake Burke just murdered a baseball. I want the pirates to take him with pick 37 or 47 regardless if we somehow get Kurtz.
Moore just crushed one the other way. Tennessee takes the lead. McGinnis looks like an interesting later round middle infielder for Evansville. Amick kills one after Burke flew out to the left field warning track.
McGinnis with a double off the right center field fence.
Burke with a double off the top of the left center field fence, Evansville player hurt on the play. Great effort, ball hit him right above the eye after it came off the fence.
McGinnis kinda reminds me of Brock Holt! Scrappy
Ashcraft is 24 with an injury history. They can be creative with him. Bring him to the big leagues and use him in long relief with side sessions to keep him stretched out. Works for him and may help the Pirates bullpen situation. The clock is ticking. He's not getting any younger.
I'll reword - Ashcraft is ONLY 24 and players reach their peak at different ages sometimes after having injury histories (hello Charlie Morton, hello Jacob DeGrom). I see no reason to change his development pattern towards being a future legitimate starting option just to possibly make the bullpen better. In your scenario you take up a roster spot on the MLB team and make them less available because they burn innings (replicating starting) on side sessions.
Here's a question to ponder: what *is* the difference in development pattern?
Just innings/experience?
I certainly wouldn't want them like capping his repertoire at two pitches and a cloud of dust or anything, but short of that...I don't know that I could describe how bringing him up through the pen might actually hurt him.
Fully with you on starter as the end goal, either way. Love this kid.
Our moronic front office would never even think of this ... sorry, just wanted to know how it felt to type that. Fair question and I think you basically gave my answer. 2 part answer: 1) If he is moved to the MLB bullpen then I absolutely think since the MLB team is trying to win (others can add jokes) then your bullpen needs to use their one or two best pitches to get outs and not be worried about a third or fourth pitch that is still in 'development' (if no pitches are in development he is MLB starter ready and your question is not valid) . 2) MiLB no matter how much we want to build team work is an individual endeavor. Altoona's records stinks, I am sure that wears some on Ashcraft, but it has little to no affect on his ascension to the majors. So the Milb answer to your question is a little different. You can still have the pitcher use (ie. develop) all their pitches regardless if it is 1 6 inning game or 3 2 inning games over the course of 5 or 6 days. I think here the differentiator is the ability to still throw those pitches after already pitching 5 or 6 innings (ie. durability). Also, if you know you are going just 2 innings I think there is always some risk that you approach the game differently.
well said brother!
I think Richard Ramirez is my new favorite prospect. Just hit one out, didn’t even swing especially hard. OPS is 1.033.
Let me guess, he just *murders* baseballs.
Dick Ramirez is becoming a personal favorite for me too
Brennan Malone 89-92. Wild high a lot but they were chasing so he got away with it.
And then fell into a sinkhole leaving the mound. Back on the IL.
The pitch stalker
points for obscure reference
Well Fsu v Uconn is on espn. Tibbs and Cam Smith are the 2 big names.
I'll post in this thread ncaa super regional stuff.
Fsu with 2 hrs in the first, after Smith and Tibbs hit deep flyouts. Ferrer is a 5th round or later quality bat.
Dinges missed the cutoff by a month and some change
I think just 5 days. Also saw an article where he is eligible because he spent 2 years at community college (had a redshirt 1 year?). I have no idea?
Which, I just searched on FSS, and YES, he's eligible because of what you've said. Hellz yeah. Draft him too lol
I'm guessing he graduated HS early and went to CC, cause this was his third year.
This draft has several draft eligible sophomores or young third year players. For example Blake Burke is around 8 or 9 months younger than JJ Wetherholt and Bazzana, while Dinges and Jones are over a year. Then there's a lot in between, after the first pick I'd target some of the nearly year younger guys.
It would've been 5 days, but it was recently changed from Sept. 1st to Aug 1st (or Jared Jones 2.0's birthday). There's a Kiley tweet (I think from last year?) where it mentions the change, moving forward. Takes some searching, cause MLB being the MLB, there's no easily findable mentioned date lol
(Late response. I generally go MIA during weekend cause it's hard to find time to jump on the boards aside from quick tweets lol)
Dinges just missed another.
I thought that was never going to land for a second
Me too, thought it was going off the scoreboard lol
Thrown off by the ping once again
Fsu is going to be good next year as well. Williams was a good transfer get from Alabama.
I'm full boat on your last paragraph. IMO he potentially is too valuable to push him to the bullpen now and mess up any further development as a starter. If the plan is if he gets to some innings limit move him to the pen late in the year and the MLB team still needs help then by all means push him to the majors. Net: Whatever is the plan to get him developed as a major league starter, there is nothing IMO (even major league team need) that would make me want to deviate from that at the current time. I'm even opposed to a spot start at MLB on his normal rest just in case he overthrows / gets away from his current mojo, although I will not fight that vehemently.
The only reason I can come up with for him not getting a promotion to Indy is they're limiting him to once a week instead of every 5th day. They might just be working him up to it with him going over 90+ pitches last night after going over 80+ pitches in the games prior.
Definitely respect your opinion on keeping him on a schedule, without a call up for a spot start. Hope he just keeps progressing. When his command is on, he has top of the rotation ability.
The one key factor and you(I think) and others have mentioned it. He IS on the 40 man. It's one thing to bring a prospect up (and add him to the 40 man 5 or 6 months earlier than required) and then basically forfeit a 40 man for the rest of the year because any prospect would get claimed if dropped. All teams struggle with the number of 40 man rostered players who are not in the MLB plans for the current year. You can only carry so many and maintain flexibility even to add / drop fungible players to fill a short term gap (Koch).
I have, but I don't question how they've handled him. He is showing good progress, even last night by bouncing back with 6 strong innings after the rough 1st. I was just pondering reasons they wouldn't promote him to Indy. He definitely has a ton of potential and I could see a call-up out of need but wouldn't be upset if they take his progression slower, he's still building up a starters workload and really hasn't thrown a lot of innings.
Your theory makes sense because I am also wondering why not AAA at this point. I don't think I was there 2 or 3 starts ago as I am all for a prospect forcing the issue vs. a short hot streak. At some point whether one start a week vs. 5 man rotation, he needs tested at the next level because he seems to have conquered AA and as we have seen with many, AAA will bring new challenges.
exciting that the pipeline of starting pitching has kicked off this year
Good piece here.
In the previous two threads, the inmates have been discussing simple ways to strengthen this team and the upshot was a little more wood in the bat rack and another middle/swing man in the bullpen.
Ashcraft could easily accomplish one of these goals. It's just a matter of where he is right now and how much you can push him.
__________________________
"These block-buster bombs! They don't go off unless you hit them juuuuuuust right."
-Wabbit
I am Groot.