Ask Baseball America By James Bailey
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February 23, 2000It seems like we’ve seen more good questions coming in this week. Spring training must be pumping life into everyone out there. We’ll start off today with a followup to Monday’s column, which I promise will be the last Mariners Top 10 related question here unless we get something else really good. We’ve also got a nice variety of stuff for you after that. So stop thinking about how stupid Darryl Strawberry is and start reading. I believe that people tend to lose sight of the importance of role players in baseball. Why did the Reds win 90-plus games last year? Easy, their bullpen. Kudos to you for defending the blue-collar aspect of the game and giving them a deserving place among organization's top 10 lists. Middle and long relievers, utility players, and situational replacements are as big a part of the game as superstars (especially in the NL). Who is it that comes in and bails out the mega prospect in his first season after giving up five runs and only getting two outs? More than likely someone who was considered less of a prospect than the young "Nuke LaLoosh" whom he bailed out. I as well wondered why Alex Fernandez was snubbed on Seattle's list, but he is a baby. He will have many years to be near or on top of that list if his tools develop into baseball skills (which they may not). Players like Bloomquist and Zimmerman could figure into the teams plans as valuable role players and thus deserve some attention as prospects. Again, I think that you have done a fine job presenting a solid list of young talent that could contribute in the club's future. As for my question, just how much influence to the organizations themselves figure in to your prospect rankings? I would think that one reason Alex Fernandez was not included on the list would be that the Mariners did not want to put any pressure on him. Nate Rackley Harrisburg, PA The organizations themselves have a significant impact on the Top 10 lists. We speak with representatives from each team, generally the farm director, scouting director, etc., and get input from the people who best know the players in that organization. That's not to say we take exactly what they say and let them write the list. But we're on good enough terms with most teams that they shoot straight with us and we can trust them to give us their honest impressions of their players. It would be fair to say that the Mariners did not play Fernandez up much when I talked with them. Whether that was to protect him from pressure or because they know something that makes them less inclined to view him as a significant prospect is the question. We’ll find out in time. James, I have a question about the Reds minor league system. As I was reading your review of Antonio Perez on the Mariners Top 10 list, I noticed that you mentioned that since he was traded, he can simply go from A ball in the Midwest League to high-A ball, rather than having to make the jump to Double-A with the Reds. Now this is hardly the first time I've seen the idea expressed by BA and other publications that the Reds' lack of a high-A team poses a challenge in developing their prospects. Now, I'd understand if they did it just to save money, particularly given the neglect of the Schott era, but then why do they maintain two Midwest League teams? Why not use the resources devoted to one to get a high-A team? Andy Schader I think the Reds would love to have a high Class A team. The problem is, there aren’t any available. The way things shake out now, there are 32 high-A teams and 28 low-A teams. The A’s, Dodgers and Giants each have two high-A teams, which means one team–the Reds–didn’t get one. Basically, there wasn’t a high-A team left open for the Reds to partner up with when the agreements came up after the 1998 season. The A’s, Dodgers and Giants all have their reasons for setting things up the way they have them. For the A’s and Giants, both of their Class A teams are in the California League, meaning they are right near home. That probably saves the organization in travel costs throughout the year. The jump from short-season Class A to high-A is not nearly as challenging as the jump from low-A to Double-A, so those three teams are not as anxious to change their setup as the Reds are. But soon they might not have a choice. There has been some talk of shifting two teams from the high-A Florida State League to the low-A South Atlantic League. That would make an even 30 in each, and at that point there could be a requirement that each organization have one of each. I like to look at old draft prospects cards to see when players where young and straight out of high school/college to read about there backgrounds. I came across a Jaime Jones card and read his background and found him to be very interesting especially since he was like the 5th overall pick his senior year in high school. The card talked like he was a 5 tool talent, yet I haven't seen him play in the majors, at least I don't think I have and he's not anywhere on your rankings. I was curious to know where he is and if he fulfilled his potential or not. Thanks, Larry
I had a couple of questions about two nonroster invitees to the Cubs' spring training camp: Corey Patterson and Ben Christensen. Speculation is rampant among win-starved Cub fans that Patterson will displace the eminently displaceable Damon Buford in center by mid-season. Do you know how likely that is? As for Christensen, you recently estimated in this column that he might be ready for the majors by the middle of next season. Do you know why the Cubs would invite him to spring training this year? Thanks, Richard P. Johnson It's very common for players who have no chance to make a major league roster to be invited to major league camp. Sometimes it's part of a contract agreement, but generally it's just an opportunity for the team to get a closer look at a young player that they feel will have an impact down the road. Sometimes they will invite a young player to camp just so they can get the awkward "rookieness" out of the way and know what to expect the following year when they have a more realistic chance to make the big league club. A very common scouting report will contain terminology such as this: "He's learning how to pitch" or "He needs to learn how to use his curveball and offspeed pitches." Frankly, I have just one comment. The pitchers aren't calling the games! The catchers are! How can a pitcher learn how to pitch a game when he isn't calling the pitches? This seems kind of obvious... maybe I'm missing something. Thanks, Will R.
Whether he realizes he's got a lot to learn or not, a young pitcher is likely to be most comfortable throwing his fastball. If a young pitcher gets in a jam and he doesn't trust his curveball, he'll fall back on the fastball. If his catcher realizes he's not comfortable throwing the curve, he'll be less likely to call it. And if he does call it, the pitcher can still shake him off. Even if the pitcher does throw the curve, if he doesn't know how to best throw it, it won't be as effective. The changeup is often the last pitch to come along for many young pitchers. They need to learn how to throw it. There's way more to it than having the catcher put down three fingers and telling the pitcher to throw the old change-of-pace. An effective changeup requires a pitcher to throw slower without significantly slowing down his motion or anything else he's doing. To do otherwise would tip off the batter that the changeup was on the way. Beyond the mechanics of the curve or the change is learning where to locate the pitches. A catcher can call for a ball inside or outside, but it's up to the pitcher to put it there. When a pitcher learns to locate his pitches, he can then get ahead in the count and have an advantage on a hitter. A pitcher who can't locate his pitches will always be pitching from behind in the count. When he learns to get ahead, he can work in that curve with a little more margin for error. If pitching were as easy as reading the signs and throwing what the catcher calls for--or even calling the pitches yourself--anyone with arm strength could do it. But there's a lot to learn. Directory: mlb mlb -> By Ken Gurnick mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> 2010 – What’s the name of the umpire whose errant call cost the Tigers’ Armando Galarraga a perfect game in 2010? (Jim Joyce) gabp mlb -> Wednesday, September 23, 2015 headlines: Verrett stumbles in the fifth as Mets lose to Braves 6-2 mlb -> All-Star History In what city was the first All-Game played? (Chicago, 1933) Baseball & Pop Culture mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> The Impact of Television Revenue on Major League Baseball mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips Download 1 Mb. Share with your friends:
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