Yeah, the 2019 IFA class was the first (and last) class Luhnow had post-penalties, and we haven't had a chance to see what they look like yet. I'd throw Miguel Palma (catcher with some offensive skills) and Rainer Rivas (Non-zero chance he mashes) as other hitters I'm keeping an eye on this year.
Enmanuel Valdez with two homers (4) and 7 RBI for Asheville tonight. McCormick Field living up to its reputation as Lancaster East tonight as the Tourists lead Bowling Green 16-11
Why would you want to shift from the Luhnow strategy. Or for that matter not cater to Goldstein by letting him do most of his work from home. You should let really talented people work from where they're most comfortable and reap the rewards from their immense talents.
Fayetteville lost 2-0 in a game which they were held to five hits, and Yohander Martinez had two of them. Last time we heard from Martinez, he had a really nice pro debut in the Dominican Summer League a couple of years ago.
I'm not sure that rarely signing minor league free agents was a particularly important part of Luhnow's process. The quality of minor league free agents is probably better than normal due to the contraction of the minors.
Jaime Melendez, 19, with another nice outing for Fayateville: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K. For the year: 12.1 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 24 K, 0.73 ERA.
Well, external factors have changed significantly since Luhnow was fired. Who’s to say Luhnow wouldn’t have embraced signing minor leaguers free agents in light of contraction, as it seems like contraction would be a boon to teams with weak farms (similar to the Rule 5 draft). One thing Luhnow showed was a willingness to adapt and not stick to one strategy.
You're talking in hypotheticals Give me some concrete examples of changes and yes I understand contraction. Luhnow was the godfather of that idea and it's one of the reasons he got blackballed. You say a willingness to adapt, you mean like hiring one of the best baseball minds alive (Goldstein) and letting him work from home? Yeah the Astros could use some of that type of adaptation right now. Hopefully Petula has the loudest voice in the room these days but somehow I doubt that's the case.
I wouldn’t say Kevin Goldstein is definitively one of the “best baseball minds alive”. If that were so, wouldn’t you think another forward thinking team would have hired him? Also, I would be utterly shocked if Luhnow’s thoughts on restructuring the minor leagues had anything to do with his ouster, especially since it’s something they ended up implementing.
Best baseball minds alive is highly subjective. He's probably the best among the current writers at FanGraphs, and FanGraphs has had several writers go to teams. Another team not hiring him could easily be a personal choice at least for the time being. From a work life balance standpoint, FanGraphs is likely more attractive than working for a team.
I find it extremely hard to believe that if anyone with any credibility on the subject viewed Goldstein as “one of the greatest baseball minds alive” that he would be at Fangraphs instead of being an AGM. If he were that talented some team would find a way to offer him something he would accept (through some combo of money-whipping or offering him work-life balance). That’s not to denigrate Goldstein, as I think he’s a really sharp guy. I’m just highlighting the hyperbole.
I don't know if he was the godfather but Luhnow did push for the changes that have happen and was a strong supporter of them.
We really need to have a "merits and demerits of the Luhnow regime" thread. In other news, after a mediocre season in 2019 Freudis Nova is having a hot start in Asheville. I know that MiLB wRC+ is league adjusted, but does anyone know if it is also ballpark adjusted? It seems Asheville is very offense friendly.
Not for minors. It is still a small sample, but he looks to have cut down his swings a lot and to have cut down his swinging strike rate. If this is an actual plate discipline improvement, he should become the prospect he has previously been thought to be.
Thats an insane stat line, especially for a teenager. There’s almost nothing online about his stuff. He’s from Mexico and signed in 2019. Another 2 months of that would warrant a promotion, and a teenager with 20+ dominant innings in High A would generate a lot of hype. Although I’m sure his lack of pedigree and his small size would likely keep him out of any Top 100 consideration until he gets to AA.
