This past weekend I had the privilege of speaking with several members of the Pittsburgh Pirates 2020 Draft and UDFA Class, all of whom are currently participating in the Instructional League at the Pirates Spring Training Facilitates in Bradenton, Florida. As each interview progressed I always found myself coming around to their individual draft experienceContinue reading “Through The Prospect Porthole: A Year Without Minor League Baseball”
Tag Archives: Minor League Baseball
Five Thoughts At Five: Moments In Time
Over the last few months my feelings toward Major League Baseball have gone through what feels like a journey through the 5 Stages of Grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. With what appears to be no end in sight to the negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA, I look back on the last monthContinue reading “Five Thoughts At Five: Moments In Time”
Law Of The Instrument: Will Manfred Bang The Gavel?
In psychology there is a theory that attempts to explain an underlying bias based on the over reliance of a certain tool. This concept is often and easily represented by the saying, “when all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail”. From everything I have seen and read about RobContinue reading “Law Of The Instrument: Will Manfred Bang The Gavel?”
From The Crows Nest: The St. Louis Cardinals Farm System
So far in this series we have looked into the three NL Central Division Farm Systems who have taken some hits over the past few years and find themselves with either lack of depth or nearly barren of any elite players as it pertains to the MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospects. The Chicago Cubs areContinue reading “From The Crows Nest: The St. Louis Cardinals Farm System”
A Tale of Two Tuckers
It was a humid afternoon/evening at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday April 20, 2019 and rain clouds were on the horizon. Pirates #5 Prospect, Cole Tucker, had just been called up to the majors and would be getting his first big league start thanks in part to a mid-game collision between starting shortstop,Continue reading “A Tale of Two Tuckers”
From The Crows Nest: The Cincinnati Reds Farm System
In the first installment of this series I took a look at the Chicago Cubs Farm System because I felt like it was one that has followed a similar path to the Pittsburgh Pirates, at least over the last 10 years or so; on top for a while, falling of at times and attempting toContinue reading “From The Crows Nest: The Cincinnati Reds Farm System”
Identifying Talent in The Draft: The Job of a MLB GM
In one of my first articles on our new site I discussed the unique nature of the MLB June Amateur Draft. In a period of 12 years following the turn of this century there were 17,925 players selected in the MLB Draft. Of those almost 18,000 players, approximately 66% percent of them signed with aContinue reading “Identifying Talent in The Draft: The Job of a MLB GM”
Communication is the Fuel That Fires the Engine – A Conversation with Eric Minshall and Scott Seabol
We all know this somewhere in the back of our heads, but to hear it like that, so plain and straightforward, wow. We all see the finished product on our favorite teams, talking to people like Scott and Eric you really get a feel for just how daunting making it is, simply from understanding the very beginning of the journey for some.
From The Crows Nest: The Chicago Cubs Farm System
The once highly touted Chicago Cubs Farm System of the early to mid 2010’s has fallen from grace and is currently ranked in the bottom third of the league in every experts’ opinions, landing at #23 according to MLB Pipeline. I have even seen them as low as 29th on one list. This is hardContinue reading “From The Crows Nest: The Chicago Cubs Farm System”
Through The Prospect Port Hole: Juan Jerez
After a quick trip back to the states to profile right handed pitching prospect Colin Selby, my attention was drawn back to the Dominican Summer League and the Pirates1 squad. I understand that it is very hard to project the abilities of a 16 or 17 year old kid, but what are you supposed toContinue reading “Through The Prospect Port Hole: Juan Jerez”
Inside The Bucs Basement 