Player Development ??

Sjadow · 07-31-2002, 03:39 PM

It appears there is no way to know when a AAA player is ready for the majors... i.e no "forward green arrows".

That's fine .... But I've also heard that bring a player up too soon may stunt their development.

Will a player in the majors develop as rapidly as they will in AAA?

Will a player in the majors develop at all??

Are their "rules of thumb" for deciding when a player is ready for the majors???

Steve Kuffrey · 07-31-2002, 04:00 PM

Yes, bringing a player up too soon can hinder them. This is basically a call for the GM to make. Some base it on AAA stats, others on scouting report or a combo of the two. Yes they can develop in the majors but there is no consistent pattern.

This is part of the challenge of the game.

Scott Vibert · 07-31-2002, 04:02 PM

Players develop in the majors.

Promoting a player too early can stunt the development
Leaving a player in the minors too long can stunt the development.

Sometimes the text scouting report will say that "He's probably ready now to take the big league challenge"

I promote when a player has mostly 5's and 6's for ratings, or are old enough (25-26) that they aren't tremendously likely to develop further in the minors. Or if I have a need at the position... of if their minor league performance is so outstanding I have to give them a look.

Sjadow · 07-31-2002, 04:11 PM

Is it correct to assume that if a player is brought up too soon, fails miserably, and is sent back down to AAA --- that he will continue to develop ok in AAA. .... about as well as if he had never been called up in the first place????

CMH · 07-31-2002, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sjadow
Is it correct to assume that if a player is brought up too soon, fails miserably, and is sent back down to AAA --- that he will continue to develop ok in AAA. .... about as well as if he had never been called up in the first place????

from my experience its possible.

I brought up a 2B who had a 6 in hitting and was batting well over .300 in the minors. he was only 22 years old.

2 weeks later i sent him back down. he wasnt ready...he was hitting only .150 or so.

He struggled early on in AAA as his average dipped to the .250's but then pushed it up back over .300 and his hitting actually improved to an 8.

i think i got lucky...so what i'm sayin is that i dont think it will always happen, but it could.

Baseball Dave · 08-01-2002, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sjadow
Is it correct to assume that if a player is brought up too soon, fails miserably, and is sent back down to AAA --- that he will continue to develop ok in AAA. ....

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. To give one example, I had super prospect starting pitcher at AAA and I called him up to fill a hole in the rotation after one of my starters got hurt. He failed horribly and I had to send him back down after three starts and an ERA in the 10s. He finally made it back to the majors after two more years at AAA and turned out to be a solid, if not spectacular major league starter. I've had other instances of a guy getting called up and sent back down without ever playing another game in the majors for mine, or any other team.

The decision to promote from AAA is the challenge. Some decisions are no brainers. Others are big time judgement calls. When you are right about a call up and the player blossoms it's a great. When you're wrong, oh well, that's baseball

cincyreds · 08-01-2002, 12:24 PM

Yeah, you have to be careful with development. I had a RF named Bobby Brighton and he moved up quickly through the minors. When I drafted him he was 19 yrs old.

His comments read something like this: He would be a career .300 hitter, would hit for power and possibly when a HR title or 2. He had a good eye at the plate and his defense only enhanced his game. A REAL SUPERSTAR!!

Half way through his first season, he had the arrow beside his name, letting me know he was ready for AA and when the next season began, the arrow was beside his name telling me he was ready for AAA. He was only 20 yrs old and he was playing in AAA. I let him play a whole year and half in AAA, just so that he could get seasoned.

After the all-star break of Brighton 2 1/2 yrs in the minors, I called him up and let him finish the season in the majors. He did not hit for average at all (.190/6/22) This was after playing 60+ games.

I thought about letting him play another year in AAA, besides he was only 22 yrs old. But instead, I let him stay and play in the majors. Again he did not hit for average but showed pretty good power. In his 1st full season (.235/22/79/147 gms) not a great average but pretty good numbers, he went on the 15-day DL with a pulled hamstring, that is why he did not play 162 gms.

In his 3rd season he proved the hype. His 3rd season numbers (.312/37/114/152 gms).

4th season: (.341/44/128/157 gms). came in 2nd in the batting title.

So far in his 5th season at the all-star break he is doing very well. (.353/18/66/84 gms.) I just signed him to a contract extension (7 yrs $78 mil).

Anyway, I guess you can say I called him up to early, but I was trying to prove that you have to be careful and not get to excited about one kids talents. I usually wait until a kid is 23 or 24 yrs old before I let him play a full season.

Sorry for the long post.

alinkens · 08-02-2002, 03:36 AM

I traded for David Cone while he was in the KC minor league system. I planned to keep him at AAA for a year or so but lost two pitchers to injury, one was full season and the other career over. Anyway I brought Cone up with sixes in most ratings except arm which was an 8. He struggled finishing that year with a high 5 ERA. I kept him in the majors the next year and he was bad again finishing the year with a 5+ ERA again, the worst on the staff. His numbers stayed at sixes although he just could not seem to get the job done. The next year he started even worse, which prompted me to move him to the bullpen where he was even worse. I dropped him to AAA in late august when he had a 9+ ERA. His numbers dropped quickly to mostly fours. I left him in AAA for two years to try and develop, his control got better but his stuff and movement dropped even lower. When he became a free agent his numbers were 2 movement 4 stuff 8 control 5 velocity and a endurance of d as a starter and c as a reliever. He ended up not signing and finished his career in the free agent pool.

Although I have seen it go the other way with Jeff Kent. I needed a 2b when I got him as a rookie so I brought him up. He had good talent but had 4 2 5 ratings. He ended up winning rookie of the year and the following season had 6 7 5 ratings. Not really sure how the game goes about development at major league levels, but it seems varried.

The only thing I know for sure is that you cant learn a new position in the majors. I have more than once had to send someone to AAA for a few weeks to learn a new position.

07-31-2002, 03:39 PM	#1
Sjadow Minors (Double A) Join Date: May 2002 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 131	Player Development ?? It appears there is no way to know when a AAA player is ready for the majors... i.e no "forward green arrows". That's fine .... But I've also heard that bring a player up too soon may stunt their development. Will a player in the majors develop as rapidly as they will in AAA? Will a player in the majors develop at all?? Are their "rules of thumb" for deciding when a player is ready for the majors???

07-31-2002, 04:00 PM	#2
Steve Kuffrey Administrator Join Date: Jul 1999 Location: S.E. TN - Georgia born and raised Posts: 17,036	Yes, bringing a player up too soon can hinder them. This is basically a call for the GM to make. Some base it on AAA stats, others on scouting report or a combo of the two. Yes they can develop in the majors but there is no consistent pattern. This is part of the challenge of the game. __________________ Steve Kuffrey DABS Atlanta Braves - 2008 Eastern Division Champ *DBLC Atlanta Braves - 2011, 2014 East Division Champ, 2012, 2013 NL Wildcard Baseball Maelstrom-Montreal Expos-2013 Tourney winner, 2014 WC Team Sparky's League - Tampa Bay D'Rays Epicenter Baseball League - Astros 2014 The CBL Rewind - Phillies '95

07-31-2002, 04:02 PM	#3
Scott Vibert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: My Computer Posts: 8,249	Players develop in the majors. Promoting a player too early can stunt the development Leaving a player in the minors too long can stunt the development. Sometimes the text scouting report will say that "He's probably ready now to take the big league challenge" I promote when a player has mostly 5's and 6's for ratings, or are old enough (25-26) that they aren't tremendously likely to develop further in the minors. Or if I have a need at the position... of if their minor league performance is so outstanding I have to give them a look.

07-31-2002, 04:11 PM	#4
Sjadow Minors (Double A) Join Date: May 2002 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 131	Is it correct to assume that if a player is brought up too soon, fails miserably, and is sent back down to AAA --- that he will continue to develop ok in AAA. .... about as well as if he had never been called up in the first place????

08-01-2002, 12:24 PM	#7
cincyreds Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Mississippi Posts: 117	Yeah, you have to be careful with development. I had a RF named Bobby Brighton and he moved up quickly through the minors. When I drafted him he was 19 yrs old. His comments read something like this: He would be a career .300 hitter, would hit for power and possibly when a HR title or 2. He had a good eye at the plate and his defense only enhanced his game. A REAL SUPERSTAR!! Half way through his first season, he had the arrow beside his name, letting me know he was ready for AA and when the next season began, the arrow was beside his name telling me he was ready for AAA. He was only 20 yrs old and he was playing in AAA. I let him play a whole year and half in AAA, just so that he could get seasoned. After the all-star break of Brighton 2 1/2 yrs in the minors, I called him up and let him finish the season in the majors. He did not hit for average at all (.190/6/22) This was after playing 60+ games. I thought about letting him play another year in AAA, besides he was only 22 yrs old. But instead, I let him stay and play in the majors. Again he did not hit for average but showed pretty good power. In his 1st full season (.235/22/79/147 gms) not a great average but pretty good numbers, he went on the 15-day DL with a pulled hamstring, that is why he did not play 162 gms. In his 3rd season he proved the hype. His 3rd season numbers (.312/37/114/152 gms). 4th season: (.341/44/128/157 gms). came in 2nd in the batting title. So far in his 5th season at the all-star break he is doing very well. (.353/18/66/84 gms.) I just signed him to a contract extension (7 yrs $78 mil). Anyway, I guess you can say I called him up to early, but I was trying to prove that you have to be careful and not get to excited about one kids talents. I usually wait until a kid is 23 or 24 yrs old before I let him play a full season. Sorry for the long post.

08-02-2002, 03:36 AM	#8
alinkens All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: CT Posts: 1,072	I traded for David Cone while he was in the KC minor league system. I planned to keep him at AAA for a year or so but lost two pitchers to injury, one was full season and the other career over. Anyway I brought Cone up with sixes in most ratings except arm which was an 8. He struggled finishing that year with a high 5 ERA. I kept him in the majors the next year and he was bad again finishing the year with a 5+ ERA again, the worst on the staff. His numbers stayed at sixes although he just could not seem to get the job done. The next year he started even worse, which prompted me to move him to the bullpen where he was even worse. I dropped him to AAA in late august when he had a 9+ ERA. His numbers dropped quickly to mostly fours. I left him in AAA for two years to try and develop, his control got better but his stuff and movement dropped even lower. When he became a free agent his numbers were 2 movement 4 stuff 8 control 5 velocity and a endurance of d as a starter and c as a reliever. He ended up not signing and finished his career in the free agent pool. Although I have seen it go the other way with Jeff Kent. I needed a 2b when I got him as a rookie so I brought him up. He had good talent but had 4 2 5 ratings. He ended up winning rookie of the year and the following season had 6 7 5 ratings. Not really sure how the game goes about development at major league levels, but it seems varried. The only thing I know for sure is that you cant learn a new position in the majors. I have more than once had to send someone to AAA for a few weeks to learn a new position.