34 Comments

Really need to hear from Tomzyck about Perdomo's elbow. Is this just a precautionary shutdown, or more serious damage? Or The usual lack of transparency with FO where we'll hear he's undergone TJ after the fact?

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I just saw that we have yet to beat the Cubs this year!

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MILB players going to college while playing. Since most will no realize their dreams, this a great idea.

https://pittsburghbaseballnow.com/continuing-education-pursuing-college-in-the-pirates-system/

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If Altoona could acquire three more Jacksons, we could start a musical group, tee hee.

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Derry and the Wrong Notes

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and then apologize to their mom

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Let’s get the next three!! Hoping for Cy Mitch tonight.

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Endy gets three hits and Shelly benched him the next game.

Cutch gets three doubles and Shelly benches him the next game.

What a manager we have in our dugout!

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Shelton consistently inconsistent.

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Consistently incompetent

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#FreeWolf

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I am definitely intrigued with perdomo going into next year, though he smells like a fungible pen arm that might not be consistent year to year. Hope we really found something in him!

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If his breaking pitch gets better he will be a very good arm!

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Aug 25, 2023Liked by Anthony Murphy

Interesting podcast that i listened to with Eno talking about Skenes' stuff+ and fastball shape, apparently his extension is also really poor. Also mentioned harrington and kellington as some of the stuff+ leaders for low A. If anyone is interested: https://theathletic.com/podcast/15-rates-and-barrels/?episode=535

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Aug 25, 2023·edited Aug 25, 2023

Dang, I'd REALLY like to hear this one.

I'm glad he was the pick, but super skeptical that he's immediately the top pitching prospect in baseball.

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That’s a legit question, but I think he’s probably the top mound prospect by default. Eury and Rodriguez graduated, Paintet blew out. Who else is there? Tiedemann?

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GREAT point, that's even one of my recent bits. It truly does *feel* like a down period in minor league baseball.

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I know visually these minor league games just look much worse. I think it's a combo of two things. One is that injuries are so rampant that half of Triple-A is in the majors. There have been 595 players in the majors this year who didn't make the Opening Day roster. Back before expansion, they didn't even use 595 big league players in a full season.

The other thing is that teams have seemed to go raw tools over low upside polished players (I don't disagree with doing that). So the lower levels have absolutely trash as far as polished players, but a lot of young guys who do certain things well, but they just suck at baseball (in pro terms). That's because of the minor league roster limits, which are going down another 15 players next year, so it's just going to get worse.

I watched hundreds of Low-A games from 2003-18ish live, plus some milbtv games during that time. What we are seeing now in Bradenton games (from the visiting teams too), is definitely not on par with Low-A from before.

I don't disagree with keeping tools over low upside polish, but it makes it harder to get better when you're playing with/against guys who just aren't that good either. I'm starting to think that anything below High-A really doesn't matter much for stats, sort of like comparing HS/JUCO/D1, where the two lower levels can have some crazy stats from mediocre overall players

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Definitely had me nodding my head as I read, John. Makes a lot of sense.

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Its a good listen, though definitely leaves me wanting even more info that I a dont know how to get but will be fun to follow. If anyone is unfamiliar with podcasts, stuff like this is all free on apple podcasts and most other apps!

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Lmao, yep i get all their podcasts free on apple poscasts

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That was super interesting.

I have just about a polar opposite view of how baseball - actual baseball, not fantasy - works than Eno but he makes for good conversation.

This idea that the game of baseball can be boiled down to checking metric boxes like your on the showcase circuit is absolutely ridiculous and explains a lot about the poor quality of play we see today.

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Yeah for sure, i definitely didnt agree with a lot of what he was saying, but i found it to be a fun listen. Hes definitely too far on the side of making baseball into a bunch of equations

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wait even this one? not the $2 a month or whatever it says at the link? Why am I so g*dd*mn old.

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because he pitches/throws the ball like a catcher throwing out a runner trying to steal second base

was curious if this helps or hurt the long term durability of his arm

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The longer the lever, the more stress on the member.

There's at least a physics-based argument that shorter arm actions protect the arm better than longer ones.

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also makes me wonder if they should let tank tryout a pitching session in the bullpen

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start with the bal at your ear and your elbow behind your head

and then pull the lever down with your left shoulder

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What does this mean?

‘ extension is also really poor’

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Relared to how far he releases it from the plate, can help or hurt perceived velo, etc. They compared him to a starting version of graterol

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He throws 100 MPH. Why mess with it?

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That was part of what eno was saying, the fact that he throws so hard makes it a little less of something to worry about. If he were throwing 94-95 instead of 98-100 sounds like it would be more concerning

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They have him in the 10th percentile with initial data

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Venezuelan Pitching Prospect Carlos Castillo, 6'1" 165 putting together a very impressive season in the DSL. Very young at 17 he began the season with the DSL Pirates Black and was "promoted" to the DSL Pirates Gold in late July. He has appeared in 11 games, 37 IP, 1.70 ERA, 40 K's 1.08 WHIP. Very nice outing last night.

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