The Marauding Delmarva Offense

[RZNJ]

So the clueless posters have convinced others that the "college guys" shouldn't even be at this level cause it's too easy for them.  90% of college guys used to go to the NY Penn league their first summer and start at Low A the next year.  Since there no longer leagues like the NY Penn league they start at Delmarva. This is the appropriate level. To just scoff it off that these are college guys who "should be doing this" misses the whole point.  Sure, Cowser and Norby should be doing well but it's nice to see all of the other players doing well also.  Sheesh!

[Moose Milligan]

4 minutes ago, Big Mac said:

Cowser's 12 BB to 6 Ks screams that he isn't being challenged to me. I would move him up to Aberdeen next week.  He isn't hitting for any power but it's a small sample size and they may be just pitching around him.

It was reasonable to give him a little bit of time at Delmarva though. 

Also just hoping that his pitch recognition/batters eye and patience at the plate is just that good.  12/6 probably isn't sustainable as he advances through the system but it'd be nice to have a guy like that.

[owknows]

There is a reasonable argument to be made, that the level at which a top prospect starts should always be one at which he is expected to be resoundingly successful.

A lot of baseball is between the ears. And players moving from an environment in which they were successful, to one in which they are immediately and overwhelmingly challenged, runs the risk of creating self doubt. Possibly for a long time.

Give 'em a taste of success early. It goes a long way

 

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, MurphDogg said:

Sal Frelick just got promoted to High-A this week, Matt McLain and Mat Nelson both skipped Low-A, going straight to A+ and have struggled a bit. The other college players drafted before Norby have not yet reached High-A.

I agree Cowser should see some time in Aberdeen and hopefully is in Bowie sooner rather than later next year, but the idea that either of them should be in Bowie now isn't compatible with how any team treats college draftees.

I don’t think the Orioles’ treatment of their draftees in the year they were drafted is at all unusual, especially considering that the draft was held very late and most of the draftees hadn’t been playing any competitive baseball for a couple of months.   It’s all a bit different this year since there’s no Short Season A, which is where a lot of college draftees after the first round or two usually spent their summer.   

I’m not against moving Cowser up another level, but there’s only two weeks left after this one in the MiL season, so it won’t make much of a difference in terms of next year’s initial placement.   
 

[Getz]

Maybe Cowser should have gotten straight to Aberdeen, but a couple of days ago MASN interviewed the players currenttly in Delmarva and they just said they puch each other up and are really close. I say let them all enjoy the postseason with the Shorebirds and next year promote the guys that are ready to next level.

[Can_of_corn]

14 minutes ago, owknows said:

There is a reasonable argument to be made, that the level at which a top prospect starts should always be one at which he is expected to be resoundingly successful.

A lot of baseball is between the ears. And players moving from an environment in which they were successful, to one in which they are immediately and overwhelmingly challenged, runs the risk of creating self doubt. Possibly for a long time.

Give 'em a taste of success early. It goes a long way

 

While I won't call that argument unreasonable I don't agree with it.

If a guy is a top prospect I expect part of that package to be the mental toughness to handle not being a resoundingly successful right off the bat.  I'd rather they have a taste of failure.  I am of the school that you learn more from failure and adversity than you do from easy victories.

Go ahead and check that ego young man, you are no longer the big fish in the little pond.

[Sports Guy]

24 minutes ago, owknows said:

There is a reasonable argument to be made, that the level at which a top prospect starts should always be one at which he is expected to be resoundingly successful.

A lot of baseball is between the ears. And players moving from an environment in which they were successful, to one in which they are immediately and overwhelmingly challenged, runs the risk of creating self doubt. Possibly for a long time.

Give 'em a taste of success early. It goes a long way

 

And they have had that taste.  Now get them to a level where they should be.

I mean, the lineup as a whole, filled with college guys at what appears to be an advanced HS bat (at least advanced for single A) is dominating the league.  The whole team looks like it doesn’t belong, at least offensively.

Is this a better lineup than what Aberdeen is putting out there?  It might be.  I wonder if we swapped lineups what the outcomes would be.

[owknows]

7 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

While I won't call that argument unreasonable I don't agree with it.

If a guy is a top prospect I expect part of that package to be the mental toughness to handle not being a resoundingly successful right off the bat.  I'd rather they have a taste of failure.  I am of the school that you learn more from failure and adversity than you do from easy victories.

Go ahead and check that ego young man, you are no longer the big fish in the little pond.

I'd rather have the monster ego.

Crush every level... and your mind tells you that you're the guy who crushes every level.

Struggle at every level... likewise.

I'm sure that your advocacy works for some... and mine for others. The mind is a funny thing.

[RZNJ]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

Great.  Say something to me in PM (don’t worry, I know you won’t).

I really don’t care if you or anyone else is annoyed.  I’m not doing anything wrong .  I’m talking about baseball.  You are crying.

 

I've talked to you in PM before. Big deal.  Send me a message if you like. I'll respond.   No one is crying as much as you.  I keep getting notifications every two minutes. Plus rep from others and whiny posts from you.

[owknows]

Just now, Sports Guy said:

And they have had that taste.  Now get them to a level where they should be.

 

Not sure I disagree.

 

(although as others have pointed out, there's an emerging fraternity of players developing at Delmarva who are sort of becoming a thing... and it might not hurt to see them spend that last few weeks winning something together.)

[Sports Guy]

7 minutes ago, owknows said:

Not sure I disagree.

 

(although as others have pointed out, there's an emerging fraternity of players developing at Delmarva who are sort of becoming a thing... and it might not hurt to see them spend that last few weeks winning something together.)

I think that is overblown.  These guys will have plenty of time to spend with each other.  Guys don’t need to be artificially kept at a level that is beneath them so they can hang out with their buddies.  
 

They can develop those relationships with their next set of teammates too. 

 

[owknows]

Just now, Sports Guy said:

I think that is overblown.  These guys will have plenty of time to spend with each other.  Guys don’t need to be artificially kept at a level that is beneath them so they can hang out with their buddies.  
 

They can develop those relationships with their next set of teammates too. 

 

Yeah... I think that point might be more meaningful if we weren't talking about current tenures measured in handfuls of weeks, with a handful of weeks remaining in the season.

[RZNJ]

Players need success. Success breeds confidence.  They also need to be challenged and learn to overcome struggles.  There is no, one size fits all approach.  We don't know all of the reasons that go into why a certain player is at a certain level.  If you feel that almost all of these college players belong in Aberdeen at this time, then Elias just had a hell of a draft.  Personally, I feel Cowser and Norby probably are ready.  I think the others are where they should be.  At the same time, I have no problem with Cowser and Norby finishing the year at Delmarva. Cowser is the only one who seems "too good" for that level.  

[interloper]

Well, @Frobby, you tried. 

[SteveA]

Regardless of whether they get promoted as fast as some want or not, it is clear that the effect of taking 9 college bats in the first 10 rounds is going to have a ripple effect upwards throughout the system.   With that much 21+ year old talent coming in the bottom, they will HAVE to advance at a certain pace...as I said, maybe not as fast as SG & others would prefer, but they will advance.

That is going to force guys above them in the system who are performing to move up as well.   I think we will see 5 or 6 legitimate position player prospects make their major league debut next year, which will be nice.   

And it also means guys like Diaz are going to be in a last chance type scenario where they have to produce at AAA/MLB or they will be trampled by the herd coming up behind them.

Looking forward to it.   From a position player point of view, watching the farm system next year is going to be really exciting.

Wish I could say the same for pitching.