2017 Minor League Thread

[sportscoach]

I disagree, I think Zimmer gets a shot before Naquin now. Naquin needs to rebuild his entire approach, and that takes time.

Zimmer though has just as many issues with his bat that Naquin has to be sincere. He has more power, but he still hasn't shown he is actually better overall than Naquin would be. Zimmer ceiling is much higher, but he still has holes as well and they will platoon/limit his at bats against lefties when he comes up. Also the factor he isn't on the 40 man roster and they don't want to waste an option tells me they won't call him up and then send him back down so I think Naquin gets a shot first to show his worth and if he doesn't produce then Zimmer will get a chance. They aren't going to bring him up until they see he is ready and he had a much better approach in the spring it means nothing unless he keeps it in the minors.

 

[Derek]

Zimmer though has just as many issues with his bat that Naquin has to be sincere. He has more power, but he still hasn't shown he is actually better overall than Naquin would be. Zimmer ceiling is much higher, but he still has holes as well and they will platoon/limit his at bats against lefties when he comes up. Also the factor he isn't on the 40 man roster and they don't want to waste an option tells me they won't call him up and then send him back down so I think Naquin gets a shot first to show his worth and if he doesn't produce then Zimmer will get a chance. They aren't going to bring him up until they see he is ready and he had a much better approach in the spring it means nothing unless he keeps it in the minors.

Zimmer doesn't have as many issues. There are parts of the strike zone that Naquin literally can't hit. Nobody knows how Zimmer will perform, but that's because he hasn't had the opportunity yet. There's nothing really wrong with Zimmer's approach, it's good that he's patient and works deep in counts, he just needs to improve his contact rate.

I know you're just sticking to your guns since you said a while ago that Zimmer wouldn't be up this year, but it's pretty clear he's right on the cusp. Him not being on the 40 man doesn't mean anything, because no top prospect is on the 40 man until they get called up. Plus, DFA'ing Jackson (which would be my preference) clears a 40 man spot anyways.

 

[sportscoach]

Zimmer doesn't have as many issues. There are parts of the strike zone that Naquin literally can't hit. Nobody knows how Zimmer will perform, but that's because he hasn't had the opportunity yet. There's nothing really wrong with Zimmer's approach, it's good that he's patient and works deep in counts, he just needs to improve his contact rate.

I know you're just sticking to your guns since you said a while ago that Zimmer wouldn't be up this year, but it's pretty clear he's right on the cusp. Him not being on the 40 man doesn't mean anything, because no top prospect is on the 40 man until they get called up. Plus, DFA'ing Jackson (which would be my preference) clears a 40 man spot anyways.

Zimmer's strikeout rate says he has some issue still with his swing that he has got to work on. I also think they are not going to rush Zimmer as well, so he has to be hitting a lot better than he did last season. Essentially he has to show he can produce at AAA first at a solid clip before he gets the call up. If Naquin's hitting better than Zimmer then he will end up being called up before Zimmer. I am not opposed to Zimmer being up, I just think it's too soon

 

[Derek]

Zimmer's strikeout rate says he has some issue still with his swing that he has got to work on. I also think they are not going to rush Zimmer as well, so he has to be hitting a lot better than he did last season. Essentially he has to show he can produce at AAA first at a solid clip before he gets the call up. If Naquin's hitting better than Zimmer then he will end up being called up before Zimmer. I am not opposed to Zimmer being up, I just think it's too soon

Didn't say Zimmer was issue free. I admitted he needs to make more contact although him working deep in counts contributes to his K-rate, which is actually lower right now than it has been since he was in Lynchburg.

Given his early returns at AAA this season, I think it's safe to say he's going to be very successful there. Plus, we're not talking about calling him up now. This would be a June/July call-up, and by then he will have had plenty of time at AAA producing at a high level.

I honestly don't think Naquin's AAA production matters at all. We already knew he could hit down there, same as Laporta, Marte, Chisenhall, or any number of guys who struggled in the majors and went back down. It's not about producing in the minors anymore for Naquin, it's about making adjustments to help him be successful at the major league level. Him returning to the big league club doesn't hinge on anything that will show up in a box score.

 

[AZ_]

Didn't say Zimmer was issue free. I admitted he needs to make more contact although him working deep in counts contributes to his K-rate, which is actually lower right now than it has been since he was in Lynchburg.

Given his early returns at AAA this season, I think it's safe to say he's going to be very successful there. Plus, we're not talking about calling him up now. This would be a June/July call-up, and by then he will have had plenty of time at AAA producing at a high level.

I honestly don't think Naquin's AAA production matters at all. We already knew he could hit down there, same as Laporta, Marte, Chisenhall, or any number of guys who struggled in the majors and went back down. It's not about producing in the minors anymore for Naquin, it's about making adjustments to help him be successful at the major league level. Him returning to the big league club doesn't hinge on anything that will show up in a box score.

I think it's hilarious that people will argue for Tyler Naquin (30% strikeout rate in 2016) over Zimmer based on strikeouts.

Zimmer is the far more valuable player in the long-term and based on the factors I mentioned earlier would obviously be a candidate.

 

[sportscoach]

Zimmer is going to be the better player there isn't any doubt, I just don't want him up before he is actually ready for the pros. We need to take our time with him since he will likely be one of the faces of the franchise, but I'll leave it at that.

 

[AZ_]

Some would argue the current run at a World Series would take precedent.

Like, well, basically every other team that's brought up a prospect to help a big league club in similar circumstances.

But we'll certainly keep in mind the subjective measure of how ready he is

 

[Urban]

 

[sportscoach]

Meija at the end of the day is still only at AA, but if he keeps this up, next season they are going to have to do something about it, but outside of maybe just getting him in games in September this year we won't see him.

 

[Real Deal]

4/18 MiLB Report

Triston McKenzie:

W, 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, (2-1, 15.2 IP, 18 K, 1.72 ERA, 1.02 WHIP)

Greg Allen:

1-4, 1 R (.300 AVG, .750 OPS)

Francisco Meija:

1-5, 1 RBI (.370 AVG, .950 OPS, .550 SLG)

Bobby Bradley:

1-2, 2 R, 1 HR (2), 1 RBI, 3 BB (.143 AVG, .650 OPS, .315 SLG)

Bradley Zimmer:

0-3, 1 BB, 2 K (.267 AVG, .815 OPS, .490 SLG)

Jason Kipnis:

1-4, R (3-11, .273 AVG, .730 OPS)

Tyler Naquin:

1-4 (0 HR, 0 RBI, 5-16, .313 AVG, .700 OPS, .313 SLG)

Ryan Merrit:

W, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (2-1, 17 IP, 14 K, 3.63 ERA)

 

[sportscoach]

4/18 MiLB Report

Triston McKenzie:

W, 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, (2-1, 15.2 IP, 18 K, 1.72 ERA, 1.02 WHIP)

Greg Allen:

1-4, 1 R (.300 AVG, .750 OPS)

Francisco Meija:

1-5, 1 RBI (.370 AVG, .950 OPS, .550 SLG)

Bobby Bradley:

1-2, 2 R, 1 HR (2), 1 RBI, 3 BB (.143 AVG, .650 OPS, .315 SLG)

Bradley Zimmer:

0-3, 1 BB, 2 K (.267 AVG, .815 OPS, .490 SLG)

Jason Kipnis:

1-4, R (3-11, .273 AVG, .730 OPS)

Tyler Naquin:

1-4 (0 HR, 0 RBI, 5-16, .313 AVG, .700 OPS, .313 SLG)

Ryan Merrit:

W, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (2-1, 17 IP, 14 K, 3.63 ERA)

Meija's batting average went down with that 1-5 day!

 

[TopGun]

I was in Myrtle Beach last week and got to watch Lynchburg play. Saw McKenzie pitch, he struggled finding the strike zone, has a live arm, but man is that guy skinny, somebody needs to feed that boy. Not much of note from the hitters (they got shut out, only 2 hits) but Yonathan Mendoze made some outstanding plays in the field. Also, Ka'ai Tom is listed at 5'9" and that seems generous, that guy is tiny.

 

[Derek]

I was in Myrtle Beach last week and got to watch Lynchburg play. Saw McKenzie pitch, he struggled finding the strike zone, has a live arm, but man is that guy skinny, somebody needs to feed that boy. Not much of note from the hitters (they got shut out, only 2 hits) but Yonathan Mendoze made some outstanding plays in the field. Also, Ka'ai Tom is listed at 5'9" and that seems generous, that guy is tiny.

Struggled to find the strike zone or struggled to hit his spots within it? I see he didn't walk anybody, and threw 70% of his pitches for strikes, but that doesn't mean his control was good that day.

Clearly, I wasn't watching, so I'm legitimately just looking for the opinion of someone who was. Was he leaving the ball up, and just getting away with it?

And yeah, if you wanted to see hitters, you missed them by a year. Akron's currently stout lineup was tearing it up at Lynchburg last season.

 

[TopGun]

Struggled to find the strike zone or struggled to hit his spots within it? I see he didn't walk anybody, and threw 70% of his pitches for strikes, but that doesn't mean his control was good that day.

Clearly, I wasn't watching, so I'm legitimately just looking for the opinion of someone who was. Was he leaving the ball up, and just getting away with it?

And yeah, if you wanted to see hitters, you missed them by a year. Akron's currently stout lineup was tearing it up at Lynchburg last season.

He really struggled the first couple of innings, but then he settled down into a groove. You could tell he was getting frustrated on the mound with his lack of command early. He is good at setting up his fastball as an out pitch, but doesn't have confidence to throw breaking balls for strikes. Seems like every time he got deep into the count it was a guaranteed fastball. If he got ahead of a hitter early though he was in control.

 

[sportscoach]

I was about to say Zimmer is only hitting .230 with 20 SOs. I didn't think he was ready and that is showing he is not ready for the pros with his bat. I don't think he calls for a call up this season if he is not at least at the .270 mark.

Shaffer seems to be playing well in the minors, so we shall see if he is going to get a chance eventually or not this season.

Ps. D-Wreck you can disagree with me, but until Zimmer shows he can do better, I see no point of calling him up