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2021 Minor League Thread

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Fear not everyone... Karinchak finally pitched down in Columbus last night. Went one inning allowing one hit and striking out two.
yeah.. he's finally getting back to being healthy.. a good sign he's progressing..
 
Kieran is such a special guy, he's brilliant and articulate.

As we clamor over the futures of minor league assets, the system they seek to thrive in is nearly unlivable.


Is it really that hard to own a gated hotel/housing complex with facilities where players can go train and get food? I would think you would get better production and better talent overall if you had the best facilities... hence why college campus with the best facilities have a better chance of getting better recruits.
 
Is it really that hard to own a gated hotel/housing complex with facilities where players can go train and get food? I would think you would get better production and better talent overall if you had the best facilities... hence why college campus with the best facilities have a better chance of getting better recruits.
Well, yes. Especially when everyone living there isn't paying rent. Based upon the current model, teams would need to build and maintain 4 of these facilities for A, AA, and AAA. There is zero incentive for the owners of these franchises to do this too.

Also, these are adults. They can figure out how to live on their own just fine. What isn't acceptable, obviously, is the horrible pay. They need to make a livable wage at the least.
 
Well, yes. Especially when everyone living there isn't paying rent. Based upon the current model, teams would need to build and maintain 4 of these facilities for A, AA, and AAA. There is zero incentive for the owners of these franchises to do this too.

Also, these are adults. They can figure out how to live on their own just fine. What isn't acceptable, obviously, is the horrible pay. They need to make a livable wage at the least.

Thats the thing, wages don't exactly have to increase if you have a place for them to live, train and eat on the companies expense, which some of it can be written off in taxes... I would take 15k a year if I had housing, the gym and food paid for, that in itself is 15k+ a year if you are eating healthy and living in a good neighborhood...

Edit: what I am almost am saying is have it setup almost like a military base in a sense, where people have housing, place to eat, shop etc, but make certain facilities free for players...
 
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Is it really that hard to own a gated hotel/housing complex with facilities where players can go train and get food? I would think you would get better production and better talent overall if you had the best facilities... hence why college campus with the best facilities have a better chance of getting better recruits.
The facilities and equipment may be the best.. but the ability to teach and pass on the knowledge and nuance of baseball at the highest level, even with it being paid for through student fees.. is NOT even in the same league.. that is.. the Commodores baseball coach can only bring his guys up to about the A- level of competency as it relates to Major League Baseball.. but, he's paid more than just about every manager in Major League Baseball. The Colleges need to step up their game w/r to how they develop the talent.. not just have pretty ball parks with manicured lawns and top notch parking lots..
 
The Athletic's Jim Bowden included Espino in his list of 10 pitching prospects "primed to pop into his top 50".

10. Daniel Espino, RHP, Cleveland Indians
Age: 20
Height: 6-2 Weight: 205
Scouting grades: FB: 70 CB: 55 SLI: 65 CH: 50 CTL: 50 CMND: 45

Espino, a first-round pick in the 2019 draft out of Georgia Premier Academy, has pitched at Low A and High A this year to encouraging results: 19 starts, 85 innings, 62 hits allowed, 39 walks and a staggering 142 strikeouts. His fastball, both the two- and four-seamer, is consistently 95-98 mph. His slider is a wipeout pitch. One downside: Espino has long arm action, which affects his command, control and deception. He profiles best as a back-of-the-bullpen flamethrower because of the arm action.
 
Just fyi but CLE has done some of that already with the setup in the DR and in Goodyear, AZ.

Unfortunately with COVID the Goodyear campus in AZ was ordered to be emptied/ closed with ending spring training in March 2020.

The Goodyear site has reopened in 2021.
 
The Athletic's Jim Bowden
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The Athletic's Jim Bowden included Espino in his list of 10 pitching prospects "primed to pop into his top 50".

10. Daniel Espino, RHP, Cleveland Indians
Age: 20
Height: 6-2 Weight: 205
Scouting grades: FB: 70 CB: 55 SLI: 65 CH: 50 CTL: 50 CMND: 45

Espino, a first-round pick in the 2019 draft out of Georgia Premier Academy, has pitched at Low A and High A this year to encouraging results: 19 starts, 85 innings, 62 hits allowed, 39 walks and a staggering 142 strikeouts. His fastball, both the two- and four-seamer, is consistently 95-98 mph. His slider is a wipeout pitch. One downside: Espino has long arm action, which affects his command, control and deception. He profiles best as a back-of-the-bullpen flamethrower because of the arm action.

You have to pay to read this shit.

One of the worst scouting blurbs I’ve ever read, up there with DeShawn Stevenson being comped to Michael Jordan.
 
Jim Bowden is such a clown. He can't utter a full sentence without reminding everyone he was once a GM, while engaging in conjecture and useless speculation. I wouldn't be surprised if he had some unpaid intern write that stupid piece.
 
You can 100% tell when “scouts” like Bowden aren’t watching these guys.

They’re repeating info, or watching a few clips. Leveraging their contacts in the business.

The Mel Kiper school of television scouting is nothing unlike what folks like us have been doing here for years.
 
Jim Bowden is such a clown. He can't utter a full sentence without reminding everyone he was once a GM, while engaging in conjecture and useless speculation. I wouldn't be surprised if he had some unpaid intern write that stupid piece.
He also likes to say how he got shit for having certain prospects ranked higher than other sites. His prime example is Wander Franco who has been pretty much consensus #1 for every prospect ranking service the last two years, and he actually had Franco ranked lower than such sites as Baseball Prospectus a few years ago before Franco was at #1.
 

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