If you've been wondering why numerous White Sox players haven't been able to bridge the gap between Charlotte and Chicago, you can start by doubting the talent or player development, because it's not like the Sox have earned the benefit of the doubt in that regard.
But it's also leaguewide issue. We've talked about executives saying the gap between the majors and minors is bigger than ever, and scouts decrying the quality of play due to the elimination of short-season leagues.
Now here's Defector with a good players' perspective on the issue, as Richard Staff talked to a bunch of credible minor-league veterans who have found work harder and harder to come by thanks to the reduction of organizational roster limits. Younger players are getting shoved up the ladder in search of challenges that might not be there for the best of the best.
For Michael Hermosillo, moving from Double-A to Triple-A was the level that made him realize that he was starting to compete against the best of the best, and would have to adjust if the majors were going to be a real possibility. “The first time I got called up to Triple-A, I faced the Brewers’ and the Dodgers’ farm teams and I just remember the amount of veterans on those teams and how much of an adjustment it was for me,” he said, thinking back to rosters that boasted recognizable big-league names such as Brandon Morrow, Justin Masterson, Wilmer Font, and Michael Blazek. “Going from Double-A, where it was guys throwing hard to challenge you, to a level up where you have these 30-year-olds who were not only throwing hard but still knew how to pitch like a big-leaguer, that made the transition to the majors a lot easier for me. You might know what 98 looks like, but you don’t know what 98 with big-league control and strategy looks like.” Today’s Triple-A players still might not. [...]
“How much better are you really getting against guys who aren’t good enough to be in the big leagues?” a Major League front-office employee asked me. “The young guys, teenagers like the Jackson Hollidays, the Junior Camineros, they’re so good [that] they end up reaching a sort of terminal velocity as far as development in the minors.” This, he said, is where the lack of veteran minor league talent really impacts the development of younger players—Holliday has hit well since being recalled for a second time. During his disastrous first stint with the Orioles, he was both too good for the minors, but very clearly not yet ready for the bigs. “In the majors, there’s less patience to see results at the same time as these guys are being pushed,” the front-office employee said. “That exists for No. 1 prospects and guys who just got drafted. It’s sink or swim, and you can see very quickly how priorities change.”
Nashville 12, Charlotte 2
- Bryan Ramos went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- So did Zach DeLoach, but with a strikeout.
- Tim Elko went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Colson Montgomery, 0-for-4.
- Oscar Colás was 1-for-4 with a double.
- Steven Wilson began a rehab stint: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
- Jordan Mikel's Triple-A debut: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 1 HBP, 17 of 38 pitches for strikes.
Notes:
*Danny Mendick pitched the final two innings.
Birmingham 7, Chattanooga 1
- Wilfred Veras went 1-for-4 with his 15th homer.
- DJ Gladney hit two homers, along with a single and a strikeout.
- Jacob Gonzalez was 1-for-4.
- Riley Gowens: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 46 of 68 pitches for strikes.
- Peyton Pallette: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 24 of 29 pitches for strikes.
Brooklyn 6, Winston-Salem 2
- Rikuu Nishida went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- William Bergolla singled in his only plate appearance.
- Caden Connor went 2-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Casey Saucke, 3-for-4.
- Calvin Harris went 0-for-4 with two strikeotus.
- Eddie Park was 0-for-4 with a stolen base.
- Lucas Gordon: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 50 of 78 pitches for strikes.
Kannapolis 5, Fredericksburg 1
- Sam Antonacci went 1-for-4.
- T.J. McCants was 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- George Wolkow was 1-for-4 with a double, two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Ronny Hernandez wore the collar and silver sombrero.
- Jeral Perez went 2-for-4 with a triple and a strikeout, and was caught stealing.
- Ryan Burrowes went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Jake Peppers: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 51 of 81 pitches for strikes.
