Baseball has its well-known major league seasonal cycle. The ballplayers arrive in Florida and Arizona in February while the snow (now often only remembered from Februarys past) is still on the ground here. They come north in April with the spring, bloom in summer, and depart after a wished-for blaze of colour in autumn.
There is another longer cycle in baseball, that begins with the
choosing of a player in the major league draft and which ends with his
retirement from baseball 5, 10 or even 25 years later. For some, the
game itself is slow, the pennant race is even slower, and the
development cycle of a ballplayer unbearably so. For others, watching a
ballplayer develop is a welcome respite from a world moving too fast
for its own good. They retreat to their baseball garden to watch their
prospects get chosen, grow and, with careful tending and a little luck,
bloom like Alex Rios. With the draft upcoming next week, it is time for
the baseball gardeners to assess what one already has and then turn
over the soil where needed so that it is ready for our little perennial
plants.
So, what are the home team's needs in the longer run? Which spots in the garden are a little bare?
Pitchers
Of course, there must always be pitchers be coming up through the
system. It is though an area of strength in Toronto. There
are righthanders and lefthanders, power pitchers and control artists,
starters and relievers, up and down the system. Depending on one's
count, there are between 15 and 25 pitchers of interest, with many of
them toiling away in the upper levels of the system.. That is a
very healthy number. A simple gentle replenishment, and nothing
more, is in order.
Catchers
With the departure of Guillermo Quiroz, there is one good catching
prospect in the system, Curtis Thigpen, although Josh Bell may
surprise. That is at least one short of what the system should
have. Staying healthy is a major project for catchers, so it is
always a good idea to have an extra one coming up.
Middle Infielders
The system is also somewhat thin in this area. Ryan
Klosterman, Jesus Gonzalez, Sean Shoffit and Wes Stone are interesting
prospects further down in the system, and Ryan Roberts or Sergio Santos
may surprise us and contribute, but there is definitely need for
a good middle infield prospect or two.
Centerfielders
Ouch. With the departure of Miguel Negron and the struggles
of Yuber Rodriguez, this is definitely an area of immediate need
especially in light of Vernon Wells' contract status.
Corner infielders
A third baseman would be very nice, as it does not seem likely that
John Hattig will help much at third base, if needed, and there are few
other realistic possibilities. Chip Cannon and Joey Metropoulos
are two interesting first basemen, and Adam Lind may end up there.
Corner outfielders
Ryan Patterson, Adam Lind, and perhaps Cory Patton and Brian
Pettway, constitute a relative strength for the organization at this
point. There is generally a shortage of speed in the
organization, but whether new speed is acquired through a corner
outfielder or through some other position is purely a matter of choice.
Alas, some years, as with garden plants, the available players at a
position of need are of inferior quality to those where there is less
need. It is a delicate balancing act for the organization to take into
account both the available talent and its own positional needs when
making selections. This year is, by all accounts, a poor draft
year generally and for position players particularly. There are
unlikely to be too many prospects making quick jumps up the system, but
rather slow steady growth is what one can hope for.
Stay tuned next week, as Pistol provides us with his draft day
analysis. This year Pistol will also be following the Auburn
Doubledays, where many of the top prospects will go, after the draft.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20060602093411748