Was eliminating short season A ball a good idea?

[Frobby]

I’m watching how the elimination of short season A ball is playing out and wondering if that move made sense from a developmental standpoint.   

Looking at the FCL, the median age is 19.9 for hitters, 20.8 for pitchers.   But it’s a really odd mix of 18-19 year old kids from Latin America and 21-22 year old college guys who were just drafted.  It feels like the jump from that league to low A is a pretty big one.   I feel like in the future you’re going to have a lot more guys repeating the FCL because they’re not quite ready for full season ball and yet there is no other place for them to go even though they had good success against their peers in the FCL.  Short season ball was a nice in-between spot.

Interestingly, the average age in the low A East is about a half-year younger than the Sally League average in 2019.  It’s a little hard to tell if that really means anything, but it suggests that a lot of younger players are getting pushed to low A who previously would have gone to short season A.   

Anyway, I’m not trying to argue for or against the change, just wondering if it’s working out from a developmental standpoint.  


 

[phatty]

8 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’m watching how the elimination of short season A ball is playing out and wondering if that move made sense from a developmental standpoint.   

Looking at the FCL, the median age is 19.9 for hitters, 20.8 for pitchers.   But it’s a really odd mix of 18-19 year old kids from Latin America and 21-22 year old college guys who were just drafted.  It feels like the jump from that league to low A is a pretty big one.   I feel like in the future you’re going to have a lot more guys repeating the FCL because they’re not quite ready for full season ball and yet there is no other place for them to go even though they had good success against their peers in the FCL.  Short season ball was a nice in-between spot.

Interestingly, the average age in the low A East is about a half-year younger than the Sally League average in 2019.  It’s a little hard to tell if that really means anything, but it suggests that a lot of younger players are getting pushed to low A who previously would have gone to short season A.   

Anyway, I’m not trying to argue for or against the change, just wondering if it’s working out from a developmental standpoint.  


 

From a developmental standpoint I think the obvious answer is no. Having a good farm system finally I think we are going to start to see a log jam at some positions, possibly releasing someone that ends up developing somewhere else. However, the purpose was to reduce overall spending (I think minor league pay will eventually be increased significantly due to labor laws that have been circumvented with anti-trust). 
 

I do like that the Orioles were one of the teams to add a 2nd short season affiliate. The Ironbirds played 72 games in short season. The FCL looks like it will play up to 56 games (albeit a ton of rain outs). 

[Pickles]

No.

It's typical corporatism.  It's trash.  And it's exactly what is killing this country.

"Saving" money while you kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

And yes it is bad for development too.  That is self-evident.

[waynebug]

I think they're trying to limit the number of farmhands in full season baseball.

I really wonder how much longer we'll be able to have 4 short season teams.  Just eliminate the more marginal players.  

And I also don't think we'll ever have the 40 round draft ever again.  I think the 20 round draft is permanent.  And you can still sign free agents but only for $20,000.

They've already capped the international signing process with their bonus pool restrictions.  

 

[JustLearning]

I've been looking all year at the roster from the Orioles and on down the farm system, and I noticed that several top people once they made it to the MLB, they could not perform. It's almost as if they lost their talent or mentally, it was too much.

The marginal players tend not to get as much playing time but could have more mental and physical stamina. They are good for fill-ins and with the pressure not being so great with them, they seem to perform more consistently, even though they are not superstars.

Honestly, with all intense focus on international recruitment nowadays, the talent pool is merely becoming greater. 

[sportsfan8703]

Other than a handful of players in the FCL, most of whom are recent draftees, I really don’t see who has been affected by this. Maybe Dan Hammer, Dallas Litscher, and Connor Loepsch. On the flip side we seem to have a good amount more of international signees “stateside” versus spending another year in the DSL. 
 

Ultimately, I’d rather have more 18-21 year olds getting a shot in rookie ball than the handful of 3-5 players that would benefit from what short season Aberdeen used to be. Not only for player development, but if that extra money saved will lead to more int’l signings and better facilities, than that’s even more of a win. 

[Tony-OH]

As much as I love the minor leagues, I'm going to say no to the college leagues, but yes to advanced rookie leagues, but I'm also going to caveat this with I think the rookie leagues should be full seasons.

What is missing in my mind is the league for the high school and international players the year after they debut in the FCL. Not every 19-year old is ready for Low-A, and returning to the FCL is deflating for most players. Playing in extreme heat and humidity in front of few fans during the day is not the best environment after that initial pro debut.

What they need is advance rookie full season league that would allow 19 and 20 year old to have a league where they can compete a bit and develop without being overwhelmed.

As for the college players, after a little adjustment period from their time off (perhaps a quick week in the FCL), they should be able to compete in Delmarva. 

Right now, you can look at Delmarva and even Frederick and see a lot of org guys starting everyday. The college guys should be able to come and fill those spots.

This would be my ideal system with key age groups.
2 x DSL team: 16-19..
2 x FCL (R) - 17-19 year olds, rehab guys, newly signed draftees initial placement)
Advance Rookie: Full season - (19-20)
Low A: 19-22
High A: 20-24
Double-A: 21-25
AAA: Your marginal major leaguers, AAAA guys and last stop for real prospects.