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Morning Reading

This winter, it feels like I’m hitchhiking along Route 50 in Nevada. The news about the minors has slowed to a coma and what’s usually the most reliable news peg – transactions – has been almost non-existent. Until this past Friday.

Hold on to your hats, because there are not one, but TWO line items to pass along:

• OF Roismar Quintana assigned to DSL Nationals
• RHP Andry Lara assigned to DSL Nationals

Of course, this is not news. This is dog bites man. An IFA getting assigned to the DSL is like discovering a frat boy has rich parents. But it’s all we really have right now.

Baseball America has turned its attention almost exclusively to college baseball, the draft, and remarketing its prospect handbook for fantasy baseball.

The Associated Press took time off from the morality play that is the Houston Astros scandal to pass along word that MLB will raise MiLB salaries in 2021, albeit from migrant farm worker to suburban media courier.

Finally, the folks over at Fangraphs have delved into the minor-league contraction issue, and come to the conclusion that many reached early on, that this not about making life better for the minor-leaguers, it’s this:

By creating greater supply than demand, MLB can then force more favorable terms on potential affiliates and keep current affiliates in line. The prospect of losing affiliation would serve to drive down a minor league team’s value in potential sales if an MLB team wanted to swoop in, or else keep the minor league franchise more dependent on MLB to maintain its value.

Six more days until the games begin.

23 Commments

    1. If memory serves me right years ago I read an article where it said UPS drivers made more salary. Than most minor leaguers not on the 40 man. Sound right ??

  2. Since Quintana and (particularly) Lara are said to be advanced-for-their-age studs, the announced DSL assignments are somewhat surprising. There’s nothing that says they won’t/can’t end up in the GCL, of course, but this just seems a little curious. We have no visibility on the level of life skills development with any of the prospects, of course, unless they publicly screw up. Maybe they’re going to be a little slower pushing some of the Latin prospects because of the ongoing PED issues?

      2. I am going to repeat a thought previously said. No matter who is in the Commish seat and in the mlb clowns office there is no difference between the corrupt mindset with shutting the expos out of the 1994 WS and the 2019 “ let’s not talk about this cheating stuff “ especially in Houston and the town called Boston where even NFL practices of opponents are recorded. ….what a bunch of clowns ….

    2. Eh, I remember getting unreasonably excited when the Nats assigned Rodney Theophile to Hagerstown for his professional debut, then he never appeared in a game for the Suns before being reassigned to the GCL and promptly having a mediocre first year. Taught me an important lesson about parsing transactions. Teams can change their minds — or the data entry hamsters can make mistakes.

    3. Right, the Nats have been relatively aggressive with their high value IFAs. Soto and De la Rosa both skipped DSL, and I’d have figured Lara would have too. Though it does seem that Lara is a bit less developed than the other two. Let’s hope he gets a quick promotion stateside.

      1. Could we say that Jonathan LuCroy as the eagles sing in Lyin Eyes is going to that cheating side of town ??

  4. Boz, from his chat on Monday, on minor league contraction:

    It’s mostly a shameless money grab. I haven’t studied the economics of the low minors, but the salaries are a pittance and the overall costs are small. Baseball has part of a “feeder system” in college baseball. But they need more places for players to develop, including those who want to turn pro as soon as possible. The current system has worked well for many years. Minor league ball is truly important to many small and mid-sized towns. Also, everybody always moans about “growing the game at the grass roots” and “getting the next generation to love the game.” There is nothing better for both those objectives than minor league baseball where prices are half-or-less than at a MLB game and lower than going to a movie. Also, kids can get up close and meet players. When you’re in the minors and you get asked for an autograph or a photo, if you say, “No” too many times, then your manager is going to find out about it and so will “the front office.” And the player will learn fast to be “fan friendly” or else …

  5. The Cubs & Giants just announced they’re starting the minor league pay raise a year early, as in right now. Good for them.

    Nats, are you listening?

    1. This may help explain why some kids say enough of this I will go raise a family on the real world …

    1. I feel for Fedde, I really do. He hasn’t failed to stick in this league for lack of trying. But he strikes out only a few more guys than you or I do, and he gives up too many walks and hits. Sometimes, you’re just not good enough, and when you’ve devoted the last decade of your life and pinned every hope and dream on it, that can be a crushing realization. It’s like climbing Everest and just not quite being able to make it to the summit (a lot of climbers can’t, even with perfect conditioning).

      I’m glad he’s using it as motivation to try to figure it out, and it sounds like he’s doing his best to take this tough break in stride. Hopefully something clicks for him this year, some way, somehow.

  7. Jesse Dougherty on German:

    There has been some light buzz within the organization surrounding 25-year-old reliever Jhonatan German. A few members of the front office have suggested keeping an eye on him. A few players have mentioned the movement and deceptiveness of his stuff. German, a native of the Dominican Republic, is a nonroster invitee after excelling with Class AA Harrisburg last summer. He had a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings, walked just one batter and did not allow a home run while pitching for the Senators.

    German’s fastball sits between 94 and 96 mph, but the extension of his release makes it appear faster. Catcher Tres Barrera pointed to him Thursday and said, “Those are the longest arms I have ever seen!” They even seem disproportionate to his 6-foot-4 frame. But they make it so his heat seems a few ticks faster, and hitters notice. One player who faced German in live batting practice walked away with a wide-eyed assessment: “It shouldn’t be too long before he is in the show.”

  8. Okay KW, you made me look. German signed as a 20 year old, which is incredibly old, think signing a 40 year old in Dominican terms.
    This is his 6th year in the organization. If he can replicate his numbers in the PCL/beer league then we may have a new star.

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