What to do with a young player that has lost some skill

[brian_msbc]

I have an SP that’s only 25. At 23 he was at 65 stuff, 65 move, 40 control (20-80) and was performing nicely. Has good stamina, 4 elite pitches, no righty lefty splits. But his control dipped down to 30 (his OSA climbed back up to 35 recently). The 30 control has proved too low to continue to start, so I put him in long relief in low leverage situations. Should he go to AAA and continue starting? Is there hope for this guy?

[BIG17EASY]

I'd give him a shot in the pen right away, especially if he has a neutral or groundball tendency. The few walks he will give up won't be magnified by the home run ball very often if he pairs that high movement with a groundball tendency, so he'd probably be valuable in late innings. That's especially considering he'll get a small bump in stuff and movement by moving to the pen.

[CBeisbol]

What's his potential control?

If he has some improvement, then I'd might send him to the minors to work on it as a starter.

[brian_msbc]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

What's his potential control?

If he has some improvement, then I'd might send him to the minors to work on it as a starter.

The OSA and head scout potential has dropped to 35. My hope is that talent randomness will work in his favor and climb back up to 40. He is a groundballer so he has so much going for him that I think he could thrive with 40 control, or survive with 35 control. 30 is just not cutting it for him.

Send him to AAA? His FIP is only 4.75 at the all-star break and he’s been 3 WAR or better in his age 23 and 24 seasons, but this year his BB/9 is up and so is his ERA. I’m absolutely stacked at SP and RP so I can afford to send him down.

[ALB123]

Originally Posted by brian_msbc

The OSA and head scout potential has dropped to 35. My hope is that talent randomness will work in his favor and climb back up to 40. He is a groundballer so he has so much going for him that I think he could thrive with 40 control, or survive with 35 control. 30 is just not cutting it for him.

Send him to AAA? His FIP is only 4.75 at the all-star break and he’s been 3 WAR or better in his age 23 and 24 seasons, but this year his BB/9 is up and so is his ERA. I’m absolutely stacked at SP and RP so I can afford to send him down.

If you're stacked at SP & RP in the bigs then I would say, yeah...go ahead and put him in AAA. How will this pitcher fit into your future plans if he can get that control back up to 40? If he gets back up to a 40 Control and everything else stays the same will that be enough to put him back in the MLB starting rotation?

There is a good chance he would be 26 years old by then, right? Do you have anyone a bit younger that is developing nicely? Either way, since you're at the All-Star break already, if you move this dude back down to AAA, it will probably be for the remainder of the season...which isn't the end of the world. Then you invite him to Spring Training, give him decent innings, and make a decision from there.

These are some of the toughest decisions we have to make as General Managers. I don't think I feel comfortable saying, "This is what I would do if I were in your shoes..." because I don't have enough info about your MLB, AAA & AA team rosters, ya know? Good luck and please keep us updated on what you do soon and what happens in the future with this pitcher. Thanks!

[brian_msbc]

Originally Posted by ALB123

If you're stacked at SP & RP in the bigs then I would say, yeah...go ahead and put him in AAA. How will this pitcher fit into your future plans if he can get that control back up to 40? If he gets back up to a 40 Control and everything else stays the same will that be enough to put him back in the MLB starting rotation?

There is a good chance he would be 26 years old by then, right? Do you have anyone a bit younger that is developing nicely? Either way, since you're at the All-Star break already, if you move this dude back down to AAA, it will probably be for the remainder of the season...which isn't the end of the world. Then you invite him to Spring Training, give him decent innings, and make a decision from there.

These are some of the toughest decisions we have to make as General Managers. I don't think I feel comfortable saying, "This is what I would do if I were in your shoes..." because I don't have enough info about your MLB, AAA & AA team rosters, ya know? Good luck and please keep us updated on what you do soon and what happens in the future with this pitcher. Thanks!

Well he’s not in my plans because I have had a lot of luck matching pitcher types (Power pitchers) to my pitching coach specialty. I’m really trying to trade all non-Power Pitchers away from my team, and He is a groundball pitcher type. I would like for him to regain some control, and then trade him for a prospect. Just don’t see anyone giving him a chance until his control is back up to 40. So I’m mainly just trying to see if there are any strategies to give him the best chance at finding his control.

[ALB123]

Originally Posted by brian_msbc

Well he’s not in my plans because I have had a lot of luck matching pitcher types (Power pitchers) to my pitching coach specialty. I’m really trying to trade all non-Power Pitchers away from my team, and He is a groundball pitcher type. I would like for him to regain some control, and then trade him for a prospect. Just don’t see anyone giving him a chance until his control is back up to 40. So I’m mainly just trying to see if there are any strategies to give him the best chance at finding his control.

Ahhh. Well, let me congratulate you on matching your pitcher types to your Pitching Coach's specialty. In almost one year of playing OOTP, I have never even considered that when developing a pitching staff. I am jealous about that, for sure. Putting together a pitching staff is hard enough for me when I'm focusing on CUR & POT Ratings, Age, and past performance (in trades or free agents). Heck, I have a hard enough time trying to make sure that I have adequate left-handed pitching throughout my organization.

Knowing your future plans, it's probably wise to let him pitch his butt off in AAA. I'm just assuming that since he'll be facing AAA lineups and not MLB lineups, he's going to perform better...which most likely means he is going to pitch more innings per appearance on average in AAA. I don't know if that will help you out at all, but it's the only thing that I can think of right now. Hopefully, some wiser GMs & Managers pop into this thread and give you better advice.

[The_Offspring187]

This honestly sounds a lot like a couple of guys I had to let go on waivers because I was stacked and they were out of options. They have ended up being solid contributors in the bigs. I think you have the right thought to try to get a prospect out of this guy. He may contribute solidly somewhere else but if your team is stacked it seems to me that he might not have a chance to stay in your starting rotation.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by brian_msbc

The OSA and head scout potential has dropped to 35. My hope is that talent randomness will work in his favor and climb back up to 40. He is a groundballer so he has so much going for him that I think he could thrive with 40 control, or survive with 35 control. 30 is just not cutting it for him.

Send him to AAA? His FIP is only 4.75 at the all-star break and he’s been 3 WAR or better in his age 23 and 24 seasons, but this year his BB/9 is up and so is his ERA. I’m absolutely stacked at SP and RP so I can afford to send him down.

As always, it's finding a balance between what is best for your team now vs in the future.

If it's not hurting your team to have this pitcher starting in the majors, I would keep them there.

If you need to upgrade their spot in the rotation, I'd probably prefer to have them starting in the minors than relieving in the majors.