The More You Pay Attention to the GCL, The More You Realize--
Of course, the DSL program tends to get kids when they are 16 or even 15 (once they have a July 2 agreement, the kids often start hanging out and playing ball at the complex), and no one leaves the island till they can meet certain standards of play. The Yanks used to have a limit to the number of visas they could get per year, but I think that's since been negotiated.
So what are the standards that lead IFA players stateside? For pitchers it seems to fastball control, and having the rudiments of another pitch or two. Velo probably plays into it for some.
For hitters, it seems to be contact-ability and defense with a smidgen of plate disc. thrown in. And whatever it is, it's working, because by the time the kids get to the GCL, they're looking good.
I think that is microcosmically instructive of what the overall development plan should be for all the kids in the system.
For pitchers, fastball control is the key.
For hitters, plate disc and contact is the key.
As of right now, this is somehow falling apart between the GCL level and the Sally League, and it's not being put back together up the chain.
Not really sure when fastball control became such an issue with the system, btw. It wasn't around 2006 or so, and has just become so in the past few years, when all of a sudden, at the MiLB level, Banuelos and Betances weren't throwing strikes, and no one was fixing it. I wonder if that had to do with all the pitching coaches moving around or moving on.
Anyway, after the MiLB season wraps up every year, the Yanks have what's called "instructs." They hold them in both the USA and the DR. The them of both should be fastball control for pitchers and plate disc./contact for hitters. Those things need to be re-inforced, instead of having them fall apart after the GCL level.
posted by Kalel9 @ 10:33 AM
8 Comments:
I think the system often has talent, it just gets destroyed somewhere between entry into the system and the ML, whether it be in A or AAA or in NY.
Which makes this headline I saw on the right side column so funny:
6/24/14 1:14 PM
Brian Cashman will most likely return as Yankees GM after 2014, as well he should
SB Nation: Pinstripe Alley
I'm just trying to locate the places where it's breaking down. And it doesn't seem to be at the DSL/GCL exchange.
Sally seems to be doing better this year. Katoh is turning things around after an awful start, Fowler is clicking after a discouraging start in GCL last year, & Clarkin seems to be progressing nicely. Some people just seem to hit a wall at some point and that's always going to happen. You also have to remember that these players are still big kids. Like little kids they can have growth spurts and plateaus.
I am somewhat encouraged seeing the progress made by Refsnyder and Bichette, among others. You might want to follow Gumbs, Williams, and Sanchez as three who could go either way.
Keep up the great work!
I realize individual development in baseball is not linear, and I follow all of the prospects. Having said that, I am looking at team aggregates for things like walks, and they as an entire group aren't walking enough. And it's breaking down between the GCL and Sally.
A lot of people like to say the most difficult jump is from A ball to AA, but I disagree.
Whether you're a high school player, college player or even international, it is practically impossible to prepare yourself for the grind of a 100 game schedule, especially at such a young age. There are so many factors in play that people tend to overlook when jumping from Short Season to Full Season.
A lot of these kids have never played night games, never traveled on buses for 10 hours, never had to prepare meals for themselves, etc. You have to learn to prepare your body for the rigors of these schedules and it isn't easy. When you start taking into account that many of them have never experienced such mental and physical fatigue, you should expect a lot of these young guys to have peaks and valleys as they try to battle through it all and learn how to cope.
Another important thing I want to point out is that you can't scout a stat line but it can give you some good indicators. For example, hitting for no power in Charleston doesn't mean he is destined to be Juan Pierre-lite. Some of these parks dimensions are so obscure that hitting for power is impossible.
If I'm the Yankees, I use my financial resources to ensure each minor league team has prepared meals and is taught nutritional values.You can probably get away once a week with eating McDonalds for lunch and then playing a baseball game at night but eventually your body won't respond like it should.
Billy, the yanks do do that with the food.
What they don't do, and it's clear from the aggregates is teach the value of an out or the utility of grinding out ab's and accepting your walks -- thus save outs and creating more opportunities to score.
And yes, the parks from Charleston through Trenton suppress power and O.
Your point about aggregate walks makes sense. How many do you like to see per game -- 4? 5? Or from the standpoint of an individual hitter -- 1 per 6 PA? 1 per 7?
Do you also filter out instances where they are facing a pitcher who can't hit the broad side of a barn (either that game or in general, both of which, as you probably know better than I do, happen in the minors)?
Appreciate your insights :-)
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