Morning Reading
BA flip-flopping its schedule (again) made for a busy day yesterday… and messed up my plan for having a daily post today. So I’ll pass along some stories that separately wouldn’t warrant a post separately.
…It’s no secret that the Nationals are unhappy with the arrangement in Viera, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have the gall to ask for $700K in improvements to Space Coast Stadium. I think most of us don’t much care so long as they stay in Florida for spring training. My personal guess is that they’ll go in with the Mets or Astros on a new or upgraded facility.
…Steve Lombardozzi was the winner of the revived Rawlings Fielding Awards for minor leaguers for his time as the Harrisburg second baseman (though I’m sure his performance at Syracuse didn’t hurt).
…The Arizona Fall League is coming up on us quick. As in next week. MASN’s Byron Kerr files this story as a preview of the action to come. Yours truly will provide AFL updates just like last fall. Still no word on who the taxi squad players for the Nats, if any, will be.
Wondering where such players as the top five in this year’s draft are going to play next year. What about Hill, Estevez, Dupra, Karns and McGreary? Will they all be placed higher than short season? I realize that’s not possible-too many bodies for the A teams when ones tosses in Jordan, Hanson, maybe, Demny. And others. Is it possible that a healthy Purke could start at Double A?
How are these decisions made? Sue? Anybody? Help me out here. How else can I possibly set up next year’s lineups unless I know these things?
It’s a ripple effect that really can’t be quantified until ST is over. Look at this past spring, for example, in Syracuse: Detwiler, Maya, Martin, Stammen were all in AAA to start the season. At this time in 2010, I think most of us would have pegged at least two of those pitchers to make the 25-man roster the following spring.
Basically, until the parent club is set, the minors rosters are a collection of moving parts. When in doubt, I’d recommend going a level lower than you initially think. That’s a lesson I learned while looking over my 2011 Watchlist predictions.
Good advise for all of us Sue. Thanks !!! BTW thanks for a wonderful job this year. I don’t write much here but I read your blog everyday. Sometimes more than once a day, ha!
With the AFL rosters all but set, I’m a little suprised by the # of players repeating this year (roughly 12% of total). That seems a bit unusual, does it not?
The only one that sticks out is Norris. Harper’s repeating but he was a taxi-squad player last year. Solis didn’t even throw 100 IP, so another month working with the coaches makes sense. But as a Rule-5 eligible player, Norris is a conundrum: If he does well, they “have” to protect him. If he does poorly, are they then going to expose him to the draft?
Suspect sending Norris to the AFL is the Nats way of shopping him to other teams. It’s also Norris’ opportunity to show he has “it” or he doesn’t.
I am interested in how Norris does, as I think there is now some healthy competition for the catcher position within the organization. With Pudge most likely not coming back at the Nats, there is going to be some serious scrutiny of who is playing the minors. I’ve been lucky to watch Norris, Leon, et al play…..is it now time for a Norris move to first? Or could he become trade bait?
A move to first would mean a repeat of Harrisburg for Norris, if Tyler Moore survives the Rule 5 draft or gets protected. With Moore turning 25 in January, it’s unlikely he’ll be added to the 40-man unless Marrero is traded. And with LaRoche coming off surgery, you’d have to think Marrero is safe unless the big club decides to go after a FA, which doesn’t seem as likely as going the trade route given how thin (well, except for Fielder) the 1B/OF crop looks this offseason.
BA just released their top 20 prospects for the eastern league. No surprise that Harper was #1, but what was surprising is Peacock at # 4 (ahead of Jacob Turner, Manny Banuelos and Betances). But the one that i wasn’t all at expecting was Norris at #12!! I mean, it was a pretty stacked league so it is quite shocking to see him that high given that i thought his lustre had worn off a little.