Next Steps on Snyder & Bell?

[ejf1025]

Simple question...

What would you do with them this year?

[Sports Guy]

Bell to AAA...Snyder...Chance to make team out of ST...See how he ends the year this year and what improvements he makes over the offseason.

EDIT: Oops...You said this year...Probably leave them where they are. If they both really go on a huge surge over the next few weeks, maybe consider bringing them up. Just kind of depends on their performance.

[JTrea81]

If Bell mashes through August, promote him to Norfolk and have him and Snyder experience the playoffs in AAA. Then send both to the AFL.

[Anonymous]

Bell to AAA...Snyder...Chance to make team out of ST...See how he ends the year this year and what improvements he makes over the offseason.

Why remove the dish from the AA oven before the prescribed half hour has elapsed?

[ShaneDawg85]

I'd probably keep Bell at Bowie. He should definitely be at Norfolk next year.

The thought of calling up Snyder for September is tempting, but I think I'm going to stop short of it and just bring him into Spring Training with every chance to win the 1st base job.

[jerios55]

Bell doesn't move for any reason in my book. Synder maybe, but I would rather he just completed the season on a strong note.

[Mackus]

I'd leave both where they are for the remainder of this season.

Snyder would have a chance to make the club out of ST next year, although I'd probably leave him down at least a couple weeks for contract purposes. It'd be nice to have more than just one year between his free agency and the group of guys we called up this season (Bergesen, Reimold, Wieters, Hernandez, Tillman, Matusz).

[ejf1025]

So another question to the keep Snyder in the minors camp...

If McPhail were to move Huff, would that change your position?

[Mackus]

So another question to the keep Snyder in the minors camp...

If McPhail were to move Huff, would that change your position?

Not really.

[Smokin' Joe O]

Why not just promote them? Let's play the future, what do we have to lose?

[MisterCrash]

So another question to the keep Snyder in the minors camp...

If McPhail were to move Huff, would that change your position?

Absolutely not. You would make Wigginton the 1B and try and roll with it. There is nothing to be gained by calling up Snyder now. Let him hit in AAA and prove that his current 20-game bonanza isn't flukey, and also get more ABs in. Give him a shot during ST.

[TyCobb]

I'd leave both where they are for the remainder of this season.

Snyder would have a chance to make the club out of ST next year, although I'd probably leave him down at least a couple weeks for contract purposes. It'd be nice to have more than just one year between his free agency and the group of guys we called up this season (Bergesen, Reimold, Wieters, Hernandez, Tillman, Matusz).

This is probably going to be crazy, but I wonder if signing Huff to backstop 1B at the start of the year would be crazy. When Synder becomes ready you take playing time away from Huff and use him to his full value (1b/3b) role player. And maybe Huff takes that 1 year contract to show teams he can still hit (something he isn't showing this year).

[Mackus]

This is probably going to be crazy, but I wonder if signing Huff to backstop 1B at the start of the year would be crazy. When Synder becomes ready you take playing time away from Huff and use him to his full value (1b/3b) role player.

I think its crazy at this point. I don't think you can reasonably expect anything higher than maybe a .750 OPS from him.

If you want a poor-fielding 1B stop gap for the first month or two, just go with Wigginton. Of course, he may be our poor-fielding 3B stop gap, although I'd prefer to sign a legit 3B to a 1-year deal to give Bell plenty of time to adjust to AAA before being called up to MLB.

[MisterCrash]

Why not just promote them? Let's play the future' date=' what do we have to lose?[/quote']

1.) Calling up a player too soon is a great way to shatter his confidence when he gets knocked around.

2.) Service time rules regulating when players become FAs. When Bedard was traded, if he'd had one additional day of ML service, he would have been a FA in one year, not two - and if that were true, we wouldn't have gotten the package we did. Calling a guy up just to do it is a mistake.

3.) The Orioles are a professional organization, not a MLB '10 roster. You can't just field a team of guys who haven't proven that they're ready; you do that and it's a great way to kill fan interest.

4.) Players develop at their own rate. Bell and Snyder need more time in the minors; let them get it and they'll be better in the long run.

[Mackus]

Why not just promote them? Let's play the future' date=' what do we have to lose?[/quote']Its possible, maybe even probable, that you can really screw up a kid's development by throwing them into the fire before they are ready.

Even if they eventually can make the adjustments, you are losing service time and accelerating these guys down the arbitration and FA road, and we're already going to be in very rough shape when this year's crop of rookies need arbitration increases and new contracts. Unless you need them up immediately to fill a hole during an important season (read not the O's 2009 season), letting them learn in the minors means that there will be less of an adjustment period in the majors, and hence less wasted service time when they are under-performing while learning the ropes.