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FMcgriff1b
Joined: 11/23/2012
Posts: 103

Inactive

Broken Bat Baseball
I made this press release but I thought I'd post it here as well because I think it might make for a good discussion. Basically I'm wondering how you guys determine which prospects to keep and which ones to let go.

Here's the press release:

Prospects are never sure things and when filling up the team with the maximum of 50 players. Owners have to ask themselves Can I find someone better. Well some players that were nearly dropped for someone hopefully better can become all stars and gold glovers such as Emilano Rosales, rookie of the years and all stars such as Gonzalez, and even superstars such as Zach Golden. Each of these players were nearly let go at one point or another. On the other hand there are prospects that projected to be stars and never made it such as Gilbert Wall, Dave Knapp, and Manny Morris. At bats are precious things and in order for prospects to reach their potential they need to play. Deciding which prospects play and which ones get dropped can be the difference between promotion and demotion. You don't want a player to hit .220 for three years to have him in his prime hitting .250-.260 because you can easily find a guy who can do that in the free agent market and not have to go through the growing pains. You also don't want to let go of a future superstar either. This segment today will look at prospects the team let go and we'll determine if the team is too cautious about prospects. Letting duds play too often or if they're letting go of too many quality players.

P. Darren Reed : Division 6 All- Star

Well we're going to start with a bang on this one as this was the one where the team was very apprehensive about dropping a player but needed room to sign a free agent. Darren Reed is now 29 years old and has had a successful career. He started with some growing pains and it took him a little bit longer to be successful than other pitchers. However he has come into his own and with his low stamina there is no other place for him other than the bullpen. He has been named to an All-Star team with over 50 saves. He continues to pitch well this year.
Would Reed be able to help the Cubs if they hadn't dropped him?
Yes he would fit nicely in the bullpen. I'm not sure he'd take over the closer position as Dean Thompson has tenure there with 400+ career saves but certainly he could be the second set up man instead of the aging Martin Randolph. Or an excellent mid relief pitcher.

P Ulrich
One of the teams first prospects to play for the team he played a bit for the Cubs before being dropped. He's had minor success in division 5 and 6.
Would he be able to help the Cubs if they hadn't dropped him?
Probably not so it's best he was dropped.

OF Castonado

A player with good hitting and power but no plate discipline. He played a few games and then was let go. His inability to walk didn't fit in with the needs of the team at the time. He's hit some home runs and has had a few successful seasons.
Would he be able to help the Cubs if they hadn't dropped him?
Again I think not.

Maya, Turner

These players were all drafted by the team before ever making it to the majors and were then picked up by other teams. They received training and playing time on other teams but and Turner has not been successful even in division 6. Maya made the all star team and hit over .300 in div. 6 but has a top rating of 14 hitting I don't think he'd have that year in division 3. Clearly a good move to drop them.


Verdict:
Well with over 30 prospects dropped before ever playing a game for the team and only one of them good enough to have made the current roster. It's safe to say that management is not dropping too many players but with position players like Wall, Schmidt, Morris, Castonado and others who have compiled more than 600 at bats and have hit for lower than a .230 average and .300 obp. It appears that the team needs to stop being so cautious about dropping prospects that just aren't good enough before they take up valuable playing time. Right?

Again it's hard to say as ownership admitted that Zach Golden was continually discussed as a player to be dropped with his low SI and older age but progressed extremely quickly when given playing time and is now an extremely important piece of the starting rotation. However, right now the team has 5 young players who might end up being duds (duds as in not as good as a player you can sign via free agency) in King, Schmidt, Moran, Morse, and Humphrey. Humphrey and Morse are pitching well but their ratings aren't improving much. If one of these five players end up being the next Zach Golden does that make it worth it? I'll leave that for you all to decide.
Tiger504
Joined: 06/17/2014
Posts: 1314

Kalamazoo Bloody Tigers
IV.7

Broken Bat Baseball
Interesting read


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