A Trip Around New England

[Z]

Robb currently ranks as the 3rd best hitter in Triple-A.

You think he's probably just a AAAA type who could maybe fill in as a bench guy in the BLB?

Or do you read him as being something more?

[Pat]

You think he's probably just a AAAA type who could maybe fill in as a bench guy in the BLB?

Or do you read him as being something more?

Something more.

I would never have the balls to play him at 3B myself but OSA has him a "7" at 1B and "5/6" at LF/RF with an "8" on arm. That's three positions he can get ABs at.

He hit .292/.752 in Spring Training, .320/.864 in Triple-A and .322/.944 in Double-A last season. Your park is the most RH friendly park in the entire BLB. That's pretty encouraging.

[Z]

Something more.

I would never have the balls to play him at 3B myself but OSA has him a "7" at 1B and "5/6" at LF/RF with an "8" on arm. That's three positions he can get ABs at.

He hit .292/.752 in Spring Training, .320/.864 in Triple-A and .322/.944 in Double-A last season. Your park is the most RH friendly park in the entire BLB. That's pretty encouraging.

I'd be shocked if he could be a full-time third baseman, but if he can get to even a 4 position rating there, it increases his value to me. The more guys on your roster who can play a given position, the better off your team is.

I'm eager to see if a ratings bump that would be more in line with his performance is in his future.

It's nice to see a UDFA turn into something.

[Pat]

It's nice to see a UDFA turn into something.

Even the Class of 2014 UDFAs are good!

[Z]

Even the Class of 2014 UDFAs are good!

Speaking of which...

* 2014 UDFA P Micah Marn — a man said to have the "heart of a lion" — is going to be in the BLB someday soon. He has a 3.31 ERA at AAA in 25 starts and appears to be just about fully developed as a starting pitcher. The 24 year old from Vegas has thrown at least eight innings in three of his five July starts.

[Z]

* I feel like we might have struck gold with our 2018 third round pick Dave Boeser. He's been learning to play center field in the pros because the college infielder has outstanding range and throwing ability in the outfield. He also filled in for us at third base for a couple weeks while Zack Ford was hurt. In 122 single-A at-bats, Boeser has a .328 average with an .849 OPS. There's a lot to like here.

* SS Edwin Reta is both the 15th overall pick from the 2017 Draft and someone who causes other GMs to react with disgust every time his name comes up in trade talks. Maybe Maine is the only organization to like him. Regardless, the exceptional defender is batting .312 with an .820 OPS and 12 steals at single-A. I for one think he has a bright future at shortstop.

[BradZ]

I have a similar SS prospect (Ian Tendick)in my org that no one seems to like but me. All he does is put up good numbers and play stellar SS defense at any level he's been at, but he's not Top 100, so . . .

[umd]

* I feel like we might have struck gold with our 2018 third round pick Dave Boeser. He's been learning to play center field in the pros because the college infielder has outstanding range and throwing ability in the outfield. He also filled in for us at third base for a couple weeks while Zack Ford was hurt. In 122 single-A at-bats, Boeser has a .328 average with an .849 OPS. There's a lot to like here.

* SS Edwin Reta is both the 15th overall pick from the 2017 Draft and someone who causes other GMs to react with disgust every time his name comes up in trade talks. Maybe Maine is the only organization to like him. Regardless, the exceptional defender is batting .312 with an .820 OPS and 12 steals at single-A. I for one think he has a bright future at shortstop.

Pat Decker.

[Z]

Pat Decker.

Promoting him to the BLB this year?

[PaulC]

My Guides have three minor league clubs around New England:

1. The AAA Atlantics in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
2. The AA Islanders of Bar Harbor, Maine
3. The single-A Grays of Barre, Vermont

I think it's safe to say that I obsess over the minor league clubs in my organization as much as just about anybody, and I've been this obsessive for a while.

I thought I'd make a running thread sharing updates along with my approach.

The former might interest my few fellow minor league aficionados.

The latter could help newer GMs and also give the veterans a chance to tell me why I'm an idiot. Who could resist?

General Minor League Philosophy:

I abide by a few key principles that I try to make as evidenced-based as possible.

I. I consider the primary goal of the minor leagues to be the development of players who could help my BLB club someday. This has a couple important implications.

1. If there is essentially zero chance a young player will ever make it to the BLB, he does not have a spot in my organization. If OSA or my scout or stats say a player is utter rubbish, then there's no point in having him because he's taking an opportunity away from someone who maybe does have a chance. (Corollary: If a player is too old to play at a level of the minor league that suits his performance or ratings, then he falls into that category nine times out of ten.)

In short, if the point is to use the minor leagues to develop potential BLB talent, then it makes sense to use your minor league roster spots on guys who could actually develop into BLB talent. That 31 year old with the 4.00 ERA at AA is taking up a spot a genuine prospect could have. Also, you have roster spots. Use all of them!

2. Okay, so the first assumption — that a prospect could develop into a BLB player someday — is out of the way. The next step is asking the question, "If he did develop into a BLB player, what type of player would he be?"

I'll give some examples.

(Underlined is a hyperlink.)

J.J. Walker is someone I drafted in the tenth round in 2014. He's a college third baseman. He probably isn't a good enough prospect to have a legitimate chance at a starting third base job. And a bench player who can only play third base doesn't offer much versatility. Then it follows that his best chance at making it would be becoming more versatile. He has the defensive chops to play outfield. So I've been teaching him how to play first base (got it down) and the corner outfield positions (getting there).

Erik Blake is someone else at AA I've been working with. When I acquired him, he was a young second baseman. Now, I already have Jarrod Rowles at second, and he's only a bit older than Blake. This fact, along with Blake's solid but not amazing bat, mean he might be better suited not as a pure second baseman, but as someone who can play on the left side of the infield, too. So he's been learning to play shortstop (and doing well) and he might get some reps at third base soon, too. By becoming more competent at additional positions, he opens up more opportunities where he could make it to the BLB, whether it's as a starting shortstop or a utility infielder who plays all three spots.

Bottom line: Try to envision what opportunities could take your prospect to the BLB someday, and do your best to support him in having those opportunities.

II. There is a connection between morale, performance, and player development.

I don't know exactly what the mechanism is, but I've found that players develop best when they're receiving regular playing time and being appropriately challenged.

Morale and performance are linked, so trying to support a player feeling good and playing well makes sense.

Tips for keeping a guy feeling good and playing well:

1. A positive, winning club helps. If you can put together a minor league group that has a bunch of smart, unselfish players who work hard and win games, it creates a good environment for your players to develop.

2. If a player is struggling at the plate, now is a bad time to try to teach him a new position. It's too much stress and too much work. I usually wait until a player has proven himself a competent hitter at his current level before I attempt to play him at a brand new position.

3. Keep an eye on a player's current ratings. The potentials aren't the only ones that matter. If you have a hitter with 3/2/2/2/3 ratings, he's probably not ready to play everyday, even at single-A. Bring him along slowly.

4. Put players in positions where they can be successful. If a left-handed batter is really struggling versus left-handed pitchers, think about giving him a break and starting him full-time only against right-handed pitchers.

More to come as I think of it.

Regular minor league updates to follow.

Other people, feel free to post with your ideas.

Thanks for the tutorial. I currently spend all my time tinkering with my BLB team. That is about to change kind sir!

[umd]

Promoting him to the BLB this year?

All the kids are playing in Sept...

[Sharkn20]

Just 3 more SIMs of minor league action. Then minor league's play-offs...

Then call ups!

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