Minor League Players Being Promoted

[chancellor]

So, this comment from revo got me thinking:

As far as keeper leagues with deep minor league systems go (like RJEL), this season -- and possible next -- will be trying as there will be no minor leagues being played, so how do you value these players? They're literally going to be sitting at home for a year or possibly two. It will make dump trades interesting to say the least.

At least by best accounts, teams will have expanded rosters, probably mostly/all pitchers. To revo's point, I'd think teams would want players getting some reps rather than not playing, especially since everyone will get the service year anyway. So which players do you think teams will add from their minor leagues?

[revo]

I don't think there's been an agreement yet on how minor leaguers who have had no service time will be impacted. The 20-man taxi squad being proposed will surely include these kinds of players (Jo Adell, Alec Bohm, etc.), so would teams have to wait 2 to 3 weeks to promote them before they get a year of service? That seems dumb in today's environment.

Will all players added to the taxi squad just automatically get credited with a year of MLB service time? If so, that could preclude these types of players (or much lower-level prospects) from being added. It would also mean that Adell and Bohm, for example, could be full-timers almost immediately.

But what of top lower tier prospects not yet ready, like Wander Franco? Does he just sit at home all season long?

[Hornsby]

I've read that there's essentially going to be a developmental camp for each team, how many players they'll have I don't know. But if each team has it's 50 best prospects, development shouldn't slow to a crawl...

[revo]

They were talking on MLB Network Radio a short while ago that many teams will carry top prospects on their taxi squad who we may not have seen in a normal year (they specifically mentioned Joey Bart, Wander Franco & Jarred Kelenic), which may spell the end of many fringe veterans.

[chancellor]

They were talking on MLB Network Radio a short while ago that many teams will carry top prospects on their taxi squad who we may not have seen in a normal year (they specifically mentioned Joey Bart, Wander Franco & Jarred Kelenic), which may spell the end of many fringe veterans.

That's what I was thinking. And Detroit has about no reason at all not to bring up Manning and Mize right from the start.

[revo]

That's what I was thinking. And Detroit has about no reason at all not to bring up Manning and Mize right from the start.

Exactly. Would the development of Mize and Manning be greater if they were with Detroit all season long playing in meaningful games against higher competition, or playing backyard baseball? While I don't think it would stall altogether, it won't be nearly as great than if they're with the big club -- as long as they're willing to eat the cost of a year of their service time.

[cavebird]

I really doubt players on the taxi squad will get service time unless called up to the main squad---hell, some won't even be on the 40-man roster. Therefore, I imagine those players who were likely to be called up, will be called up, once the usual service time manipulation happens (I would suspect with half a season, the easy deal will just be a two-for-one---each day counts as two days). As for the 30-man rosters, I don't think all the extras will be pitchers, although some will be. Especially in the NL with the DH now, there will probably be a hitter or two added (for example, the Braves had Camargo and Riley competing for the third base job, with Riley to be sent down to play every day if he lost out---he's now the DH, more or less).

[revo]

Remember, the taxi squad is going to be for players the team needs to use at any given moment to cover for injuries or ineffectiveness. Why would they carry players there who they may not want to call up for 2 months?

[cavebird]

Remember, the taxi squad is going to be for players the team needs to use at any given moment to cover for injuries or ineffectiveness. Why would they carry players there who they may not want to call up for 2 months?

It would be basically one week for the extra year of service time, and about one month for the Super Two if there is a pro-rated service time deal, which would seem logical.

[revo]

It would be basically one week for the extra year of service time, and about one month for the Super Two if there is a pro-rated service time deal, which would seem logical.

Right, but we don’t know yet if this taxi squad will allow for new additions throughout the year. If it doesn’t, will teams really use up one spot on a player who’s clock they may not want to start yet?

OTOH, with a shortened season, some teams with a solid minor league corps may decide they can strike lightning in a bottle and exceed expectations in an 82-game season.

[cavebird]

Right, but we don’t know yet if this taxi squad will allow for new additions throughout the year. If it doesn’t, will teams really use up one spot on a player who’s clock they may not want to start yet?

OTOH, with a shortened season, some teams with a solid minor league corps may decide they can strike lightning in a bottle and exceed expectations in an 82-game season.

My guess is that the taxi squad will be more or less the equivalent to the 40-man roster---you can add to it, but subtracting from it would require the 60-day IL or exposing a player or something. As for whether teams would want to use a spot on a prospect, I think it depends on the team. For Detroit, for example, Mize and Manning will be there if they think it is good for their development, whenever they want to activate them because they don't really care about wasting a spot. Contending teams, on the other hand, would have other factors that are more important.

[Judge Jude]

for the first time in the 33-year history of our farmhand draft, I have the first overall pick.

the first 30 or so years, the 7 out-of-the-money teams took part in an unweighted lottery. I was in it half the time, but not even sure I ever got the second slot. one year I had two picks - and scored 6th and 7th.

making it worse was that in most of those years, I ran the lottery! I'd put seven same-sized, folded slots of paper into a baseball cap and then walk around the office asking random people to pick a slip.

a bad finish last season slipped me to 6th, and now we go by that automatically being the 1st pick.

and then..... this happened. but now that I think about it, the expanded rosters (if they ever play) makes the pick even more valuable. a number of lower-ceiling, near-ready guys who would get picked now will be on NL rosters.

I'm looking at that teenager Luciano of the Giants, though, and I doubt he will be up under any scenario.