bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
you said Hack which is shortened for either prospect...
Minor League Thread Part Deux
- Thread starter 50PoundHead
- Start date
WaitingFor2017
Well-known member
Today in the DSL (with no other action):
Braves beat Dodgers 2-0 in 5 innings:
Tornes: 0-1, 1 BB
Espinal: 0-2, 2 K
Braves beat Dodgers 2-0 in 5 innings:
Tornes: 0-1, 1 BB
Espinal: 0-2, 2 K
Deester11
Well-known member
Lmao..Hackenburg....
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
I thought Hack was the name of the hitting instructor.
Most of us thought than when Hackenburg was drafted that he would be a well-below-slot guy, but that wasn't the case. There's a mentality in the player development community (not just the Braves) when it comes to how to to best develop players. It used to be that teams would take guys with big-time tools and try to hone their skills. Some teams now take guys with stronger skills and try to push their physical development. For an example, teams would take a hitter with good contact skills and work to enhance their power or a pitcher with better command and try to build up their velocity instead of vice-versa (trying to teach a power hitter better contact skills or a teach a guy with a great fastball better command). I think Hackenburg is an example of a guy with above-average command that the Braves are trying to get to throw harder. I could be wrong.
Deester11
Well-known member
The below thoughts are what AI thinks, and I agree to a point. But I added my own interpretation :
Developing a well-rounded repertoire: Relying too heavily on one or two dominant pitches can limit a pitcher's ability to succeed against advanced hitters. By encouraging the development and refinement of other pitches, teams help prospects build a more complete and versatile arsenal, making them less predictable and more adaptable to different situations and lineups.
-This has worked wonders with Swelly. Strider was a 2 pitch pitcher who honed in on a change up to get hitters off of his 2 pitches. AJSS same deal. Good repertoire, refined. Love these examples.
-opposite end : Waldrep, Anderson...more. Still no command. Win some lose some? Command and repertoire has literally relegated these type of pitchers to AAAA. Even if they are more talented than most..including myself realize.
Refining mechanics: Focusing on other pitches can help a pitcher develop more efficient and repeatable mechanics that are less taxing on the arm. This is particularly important for prospects still refining their delivery and aiming to throw with both power and control.
Strategic pitch sequencing and situational pitching:By using a variety of pitches, a pitcher can learn to better sequence their pitches, set up hitters, and react to different game situations, all crucial aspects of successful pitching at higher levels. Relying too heavily on one "best" pitch can lead to diminishing returns as hitters become more familiar with it.
Top pitching prospects are Caminiti, Ritchie, Fuentes, Murphy, Baumann, Hackenburg and Braun.
Command escapes each of these pitchers at one point or another. (As it does with any pitcher) However, Caminiti, Ritchie, Fuentes and Murphy have a more forgiving repertoire allowing them to be off on one pitch and still get to two more.
Baumann, Hackenburg and Braun have to have command in order to succeed. Hackenburg has a good amount of pitches, but to say they are above average doesnt seem visible TO ME. These pitchers have a chance to be mlb pitchers. But they need things to break right.
I said all this to say that, I agree 50, throwing harder has been a focus, but their repoire and command need to be the target. There's a lot of arm talent in the organization, but some of the results have been subpar. Take my boy Raudy Reyes....he has the best arm in the system at 17. But he has zero command of secondaries. I didn't see that at first when I saw him. Instructs and the complex have their work cut out for them. Mauricio Cabrera or does he develop command?
It's Gonna be fun to see if the lower levels can produce more pitching gems. Right now though...the Braves have a few arms I can see transitioning into solid contributors....IF....
Developing a well-rounded repertoire: Relying too heavily on one or two dominant pitches can limit a pitcher's ability to succeed against advanced hitters. By encouraging the development and refinement of other pitches, teams help prospects build a more complete and versatile arsenal, making them less predictable and more adaptable to different situations and lineups.
-This has worked wonders with Swelly. Strider was a 2 pitch pitcher who honed in on a change up to get hitters off of his 2 pitches. AJSS same deal. Good repertoire, refined. Love these examples.
-opposite end : Waldrep, Anderson...more. Still no command. Win some lose some? Command and repertoire has literally relegated these type of pitchers to AAAA. Even if they are more talented than most..including myself realize.
Refining mechanics: Focusing on other pitches can help a pitcher develop more efficient and repeatable mechanics that are less taxing on the arm. This is particularly important for prospects still refining their delivery and aiming to throw with both power and control.
Strategic pitch sequencing and situational pitching:By using a variety of pitches, a pitcher can learn to better sequence their pitches, set up hitters, and react to different game situations, all crucial aspects of successful pitching at higher levels. Relying too heavily on one "best" pitch can lead to diminishing returns as hitters become more familiar with it.
Top pitching prospects are Caminiti, Ritchie, Fuentes, Murphy, Baumann, Hackenburg and Braun.
Command escapes each of these pitchers at one point or another. (As it does with any pitcher) However, Caminiti, Ritchie, Fuentes and Murphy have a more forgiving repertoire allowing them to be off on one pitch and still get to two more.
Baumann, Hackenburg and Braun have to have command in order to succeed. Hackenburg has a good amount of pitches, but to say they are above average doesnt seem visible TO ME. These pitchers have a chance to be mlb pitchers. But they need things to break right.
I said all this to say that, I agree 50, throwing harder has been a focus, but their repoire and command need to be the target. There's a lot of arm talent in the organization, but some of the results have been subpar. Take my boy Raudy Reyes....he has the best arm in the system at 17. But he has zero command of secondaries. I didn't see that at first when I saw him. Instructs and the complex have their work cut out for them. Mauricio Cabrera or does he develop command?
It's Gonna be fun to see if the lower levels can produce more pitching gems. Right now though...the Braves have a few arms I can see transitioning into solid contributors....IF....
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Of the guys you mention, I think Baumann is an example of what I was talking about with skills over tools. He's a behemoth physically, but the scouting report on him is that he didn't throw as hard as his size might indicate. On the other hand, for a huge human being, his minor league numbers show he has really good command of the strike zone and doesn't walk anyone. It's the inverse of what one might have thought when the Braves' drafted him.
I agree on the multiple pitch angle, but in a combination of pitches, at least a couple of them have to be plus-plus offerings. Jumping into the Wayback Machine with Mr. Peabody, I remember when the Braves drafted Florida HS RHP Jamie Arnold in 1992 (same year they drafted Terrell Buckley in the 38th round). The scouting report on Arnold was that he threw six pitches and those of us in the fan base were pretty amazed. As it turned out, just because you have pitches doesn't mean they are good pitches. Those Chuck Lamar drafts produced some good players, but almost every one of them included someone who was better at football.
Braves are obviously doing something right with pitching development, but I still think they need to pump the brakes on the aggressive promotion of some of these guys.
I agree on the multiple pitch angle, but in a combination of pitches, at least a couple of them have to be plus-plus offerings. Jumping into the Wayback Machine with Mr. Peabody, I remember when the Braves drafted Florida HS RHP Jamie Arnold in 1992 (same year they drafted Terrell Buckley in the 38th round). The scouting report on Arnold was that he threw six pitches and those of us in the fan base were pretty amazed. As it turned out, just because you have pitches doesn't mean they are good pitches. Those Chuck Lamar drafts produced some good players, but almost every one of them included someone who was better at football.
Braves are obviously doing something right with pitching development, but I still think they need to pump the brakes on the aggressive promotion of some of these guys.