So it looks virtually certain that the short season teams are history; no more Tri-City Valleycats. They’ll go to 4 full season leagues plus the complex leagues. I really hope the draft is 30 rounds instead of 20. A longer draft is better for the game.
Reducing the number of rosters would mean 50+ releases next season, and that doesn’t account for 2021 draftees or international signees next July. Gonna be a bloodbath. Updated 2021 roster projections: Houston: C: Maldonado, TBD IF: Jones, Altuve, Correa, Bregman, Diaz, Toro OF: Tucker, TBD, TBD, Straw, Alvarez SP: Verlander, Greinke, McCullers, Valdez, Javier, Urquidy RP: Pruitt, James, Smith, Devenski, Paredes, Taylor, Pressly Free agents: Reddick, Gurriel, Springer, Brantley, Peacock Non-tendered: Biagini, Osuna Traded/DFA: De Jong, Armenteros, Raley, Bailey, Sneed, Castellanos, Emanuel AAA: C: Stubbs*, Shaver, Ritchie IF: Matijevic, Mayfield*, De Goti, Tanielu, Duarte OF: McCormicck*, Dawson, Ferguson, Meyers, De La Cruz SP: Whitley*, Abreu*, Bielak*, C Perez*, Martes*, N Rodriguez*, Garcia* RP: Ferrell, Blanco, Garza, Sanabria*, Scrubb*, Torres Inactive/released: Deetz, Hartman, G Valdez, LaRue, McCurry, A Sierra, Quintana, Scheetz, McKee, Wrenn AA: C: Salazar, Manea, Papierski IF: Adams, Santana, Pena, M Sierra, Hensley, Schreiber OF: Julks, Adolph, Taylor, Costes SP: Ivey*, Conine, Daniels, Solomon, Dubin, Donato, Deason, Mushinski, Hansen RP: L Rodriguez, N Hernandez, Collado, DeJuneas Inactive/released: Robinson, Canelon, Benedetti, Bermudez, Henderson High A: C: Perry, Stubbs, Campos IF: Biermann, Kessinger, Nova*, E Valdez, Wielansky OF: W Abreu, Brewer, McKenna, Barefoot, Dirden SP: Solis*, H Brown, Henley, Rivera, Bellozo, Freure, Moclair, Ruppenthal RP: Conn, Ceballos, France, Cody, Tejada Inactive/released: Holderbach, A Lee, Machado, R Rodriguez, Saldana, Rosado, Cabral A: C: K Lee, N Rodriguez, Paulino IF: Zimmerman, Whitcomb, Carrasco, J Perez, Cueta OF: Daniels, Barber, Guerrero, Orr, Corona SP: Macuare, Schroeder, T Brown, Gusto, Robaina, J Lopez, JP Lopez, M Ramirez, G Chavez, Serrano, Bravo RP: Holcomb, Gayle Inactive/released: Krabbe, Jordan, Arias, Urdaneta, S Mendoza, Y Ramirez, De Paula, West, Plumlee, Medina, McDonald, Jimenez, Palmer, Barry, Casey, Jaquez, Dickey, E Rodriguez, Harrell, C Gomez, Endersby, Sprinkle, Mathews, Gruller, Drennan EST (GCL): C: Palma, Alvarez, Hurtado, Castillo IF: Coutinho, Correa, Martinez, Gonzalez, Espinosa, J Mendoza OF: Uceta, Rivas, Carrillo, Pinto, T Ramirez, Cortabarria, Perez, Machandy, Giron P: Santos, Tokar, Vega, J Chavez, F Garcia, J Ramirez, Subero, Taveras, Cobos, Pereira, Mejias, Solano, Padilla, Reina, Bojorquez, Tamarez DSL Notables: Santander, Balogh, Ortiz, Lorenzo, Perez, P Leon, Liranzo, Betances, R Leon, Nodal, Cooper, Gonzalez
Is there a limit to the number of players that can develop at the ST complex without being in a league?
So, with no MiLB season, some of these guys are training at the alternate site. Others (Barber and McKenna) are playing in an independent league. But the others? What do they do to stay in shape and sharpen their skills? And will there be an Arizona Fall League? I heard rumors about a month or two ago that this year it would be expanded, but so far I've heard nothing lately. Any word?
I am not sure. I think normally (in past seasons) there is a rule that the short season rosters are limited to 35 and there were rules requiring all players to be on a roster, but I am not sure of the specifics of those rules and have no idea if they would still be in place after this year. Given that the goal of the reduction is to reduce the number of prospects being developed, and assuming they will want all orgs to be on a level playing field, my guess is they would have roster limits for complex leagues, but my hope is that they’d be expanded beyond 35 (or have a certain number of “unassigned” spots available).
Teams have coordinated with all their prospects to put a plan in for this season, but I think it probably varies greatly from Org to Org and from prospect to prospect. Guys in data-driven orgs who have access to facilities and equipment (trackman etc) will be at a big advantage over guys who are stuck at home with nothing. Here’s hoping Putila was out in front in this and lots of Houston’s guys come out next season having taken a big step forward during the lost year. Some position player prospects I think might be more likely to break out after a year of solely training and not playing: Lee, Matijevic, Nova, J Perez, Julks, Barefoot, Brewer, Barber, De La Cruz, Uceta, Corona, Rivas, Daniels, Guerrero Also, I think a few guys who have been in Corpus this season will benefit greatly from that exposure, namely Jake Meyers and Mike Papierski. Twitter has shown Meyers hit at least 3 HR during intrasquad games, which is a great sign for a guy whose trademark is CF defense. I’m anxious to see what the AFL and Instructional leagues look like this year. Hopefully both are expanded and reported on.
I think the reductions are mostly about cost. Formal leagues requires non-prospects to be acquired to fill out rosters, travel accommodations to be paid. The Astros for instance have a ton of pitching prospects, but likely keep more guys as hitting prospects just to fill out teams. While I think there will be some cap to the number of prospects not on a roster, I don't think the goal is to cause a team to lose actual prospects. I think the goal is more to cut travel expenses, cut organizational guy expenses, and to increase development time with coaches prior to going to professional league. Also, cutting the leagues down will help keep the upper and mid levels of the minors from being watered down with organizational prospects. I am sure the Astros would have preferred Matthew Barefoot to fix his swing first before having him spend time in games for Tri-City without having his swing the way they wanted it as well as losing development time traveling.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-allows-instructional-camps-to-proceed/ Instructs are a go. So 20-30 of Houston’s lower level prospects should get 20 or so games worth of development this year. Combine that with the fact that most of the guys who would’ve been in AAA have been getting intrasquad action it’s the alternative site, and it really only leaves the High A/AA guys and the most marginal prospects as not getting any pro development in 2020. An expanded Arizona Fall League in which each mlb Org fields it’s own roster (or maybe 2 orgs per roster instead of the usual 5) would get the best of the High A/AA group some games. All told, there’s a chance that Houstons top 60 or so prospects will have gotten some kind of competitive development this year.
Breaking down what action each of Houston’s mlb.com Top 30 prospects has seen or should see in 2020: 1. Whitley: Alternative site 2. Urquidy: MLB 3. Nova: Instructs? 4. Abreu: MLB, Alternative site 5. Javier: MLB 6. Pena: AFL? 7. Lee: Instructs? 8. Brown: Instructs? 9. Santos: Instructs? 10. Solis: AFL? 11. Barber: Instructs?, Independent League 12. Bielak: MLB 13. Paredes: MLB 14. Brewer: Instructs? 15. Kessinger: AFL? 16. Ivey: AFL? 17. Garcia: Alternative site 18. Rivera: AFL 19. Torres: Alternative Site 20. Dubin: Alternative site 21. Brown: Instructs? 22. Lorenzo: Dominican Winter League? 23. Santana: Instructs? 24. Jones: MLB, Alternative site 25. Daniels: Instructs? 26. McCormick: Alternative site 27. Conine: Alternative site 28. Taylor: MLB 29. Lopez: Instructs 30. Rodriguez: MLB, Alternative site So 8 guys have seen time in the majors, another 6 have been in the 60 man pool at the alternative site. I’d project 5 to be in the Fall League, and the remainder (except Dauri Lorenzo, who may play in a winter league or just have the year off) would see time in the Instructional League. There are probably a few of those guys who have played in some kind of competitive unaffiliated league (Barber being one we know about).
I have asked about Forest Whitley and all I got was a chuckle and a sly smile, then a subject change to talking about DeKalb Illinois.... there is nothing to talk about in DeKalb except cornfields and service stations.
I am not sure... but I didn’t take it as a good thing. From what I have heard the last year or so.... he is an interesting person.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29795127/why-mlb-minor-leagues-know-end-sept-30 Really long article on how the current situation with the minors played out. MLB really ****ed MiLB over but MiLB put themselves in a bad spot with no leverage. I will say that the “contraction” essentially is confined to the short season non-complex leagues, which makes perfect sense to me, as I’ve always felt it was a waste to send those kids directly to an offsite league after signing. A handful may be ready for pro competition but the vast majority would be better served getting evaluated and developed in the complex. I’d be totally ok with a 40 round draft that includes international amateurs, with 4 full season minor league teams per org all owned by the orgs, plus expanded complex leagues. Especially if that was accompanied by a big increase in minor league salaries. I wonder if this situation had anything to do with the Ryan’s splitting away from the Astros, as it looks virtually certain that the Sugarland Skeeters will be owned by the Astros and become their AAA team. I assume the Rangers will take on the Express, but if that doesn’t work out, Round Rock could be left out in the cold.
Sugar land Skeeters as AAA. Gross. Would love New Orleans as A+ (since they lose their AAA team), Corpus as AA, and SA or RR as AAA to cover all nearby areas, rather than concede to the Rangers. Don’t want the Astros to be just confined to Harris County and the surrounding ones. Seems like we’ve regressed in terms of our footprint in Louisiana, and South/Central Texas over the past decade and a half. I understand Crane wanted to move the AAA team for some time for logistics, but I don’t like it.
I don’t really understand why, but expanding the team’s market seems to have not been a factor at all in these changes. In the proposal at the end of last year, Sugarland was to be Houstons AAA team and the Quad Cities franchise was named as potentially on the chopping block contingent on an ownership and stadium change for another MWL franchise. Logistically it isn’t feasible for Sugarland or Round Rock to be an A ball or High A franchise, as the only leagues with nearby teams are the AAA PCL and AA Texas League. My total guess is that Round Rock would go back to the Rangers, with Sugarland going to Houston as the AAA team, and Houston buying another A ball franchise that would replace Quad Cities. Maybe there’s an outside scenario where a new lower level League is formed in Texas so 5 franchises have their AAA, AA, and High A franchises all near texas (in this scenario the current High A franchise Houston owns in Fayetteville would move to A ball, like the South Atlantic League.
I thought MLB paid travel expenses. Round Rock will either be Astros AA or Rangers AA/AAA. On Sugar Land Skeeters, it would make it so easy to shuttle guys from AAA to MLB team that I'm surprised Astros AAA wasn;t in Sugar Land or Woodlands already. I did not like this statement: An MLB source said large-market clubs initially balked at the plan because they can afford to have more affiliated teams and thus develop more talent. It implies that there will be a roster limit at the complexes that could hurt teams trying to stock up the farm.
I would not say that. I would say other factors were more important. I think the Astros want to strengthen their core market as well as helping themselves shuttle players between AAA and the majors more easily. And I think pissing off Ryans was also a factor.
