Reading James' description of watching an Arizona Complex League game in person gave me some context for a column published the same day in Baseball America by Geoff Pontes, which decried the quality of baseball being played in the minor leagues.
He places a lot of emphasis on the elimination of the short-season leagues -- the Pioneer League, the Applachian League, the New York-Penn League -- which used to provide a baby step out of complex leagues, where raw prep picks and international signings could match up with more experienced collegiate players who were themselves being afforded a gentle entry into professional baseball.
Instead, there's a larger gap, and Pontes says that walks are filling the void.
There’s likely several factors at play. Tightening domestic roster caps have eliminated jobs, but it also messed with the natural order of things. The elimination of short-season levels removed a rung in the minor league ladder and forced aggressive assignments for far too many players over the last few seasons. There’s a significant bump in quality of play with each level you climb, and the move from complex league play to full-season seems to be a more considerable challenge.
Fundamentals are worse; there are more walks and a lot fewer strikes. There seem to be less and less players with well-balanced skill sets who show the ability to play a position at an average major league level while providing average or better offensive output.
Charlotte 6, Durham 4
- Colson Montgomery was 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.
- Bryan Ramos, 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Zach DeLoach, 0-for-4 with a walk, strikeout and stolen base.
- Adam Hackenberg singled, walked and struck out twice.
Winston-Salem 6, Greensboro 3
- Samuel Zavala went 0-for-2 with two walks and an HBP.
- Ryan Galanie went 2-for-5 with a homer and a strikeout.
- Calvin Harris, 2-for-4 with a walk.
- Wes Kath was 0-for-4.
- Eddie Park went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- Loidel Chapelli, 2-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Juan Carela: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HBP, 56 of 93 pitches for strikes.
Delmarva 7, Kannapolis 4
- Rikuu Nishida went 1-for-4 with an HBP and a stolen base.
- Ronny Hernandez was 1-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout.
- George Wolkow, 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Ryan Burrowes was 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.
- Seth Keener: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 49 of 83 pitches for strikes.
ACL White Sox 4, ACL Dodgers 3 (7 innings)
- Eloy Jiménez went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Javier Mogollon, 1-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Adrian Gil tripled, singled twice and was caught stealing.
- Abraham Nunez went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases.
- Stiven Flores, 0-for-3 with a K.
- Jordany Chirinos: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
DSL Nationals 11, DSL White Sox 0
- Christian Gonzalez went 1-for-2 at the plate and on the basepaths, and he drew two walks.
- Jurdrick Profar singled, struck out twice and got plunked.
- Eduardo Herrera went 0-for-4 with a walk.
- Jesus Premoli, 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Orlando Suarez: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K
