Community Discussion: Quantity or Quality?

by John Sickels on Feb 4, 2026 4:00 PM EST

PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 05: Jarrod Parker #56 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning of Game Four of the National League Divison Series at Chase Field on October 5, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

This question was raised in the AQA yesterday. Someone asked me if I would prefer to have the Seattle Mariners Trio of pitching prospects (Taijuan Walker, A-; Danny Hultzen, A-: James Paxton, strong B+) or the Oakland Athletics Quartet of pitching prospects (Jarrod Parker, A-; A.J. Cole, B+; Sonny Gray, strong B, Brad Peacock, strong B).

I said I wasn't sure, given the attrition rate of pitching prospects, quantity had a quality of its own. What do you guys think? Which group of pitching prospects would you rather have?

Poll

Which group of pitching prospects would you rather have?

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Read More: Jarrod Parker (P - OAK), Brad Peacock (P - OAK), Danny Hultzen (P - SEA), Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners

Comments

A's

I would have to go with the A’s group though I am higher on Parker and Cole than many. So personally I would take Parker and Cole over Walker and Hultzen and I like Gray and Peacock more than Paxton. So to me this is an easier question because of my preference of the A’s pitchers than most of the M’s pitchers.

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by JDizzidy on Feb 4, 2026 4:12 PM EST reply actions

A's

I’d rather have a high quantity of good pitchers than a low quantity of excellent pitchers. Even the best pitching prospects aren’t sure things, as there is always the injury risk (eg. Mark Prior).

"We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct."
- Niels Bohr

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by Frag on Feb 4, 2026 4:14 PM EST reply actions

Though

The difference in quantity here isn’t large, so it makes this comparison a lot closer than I initially thought.

"We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct."
- Niels Bohr

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by Frag on Feb 4, 2026 4:16 PM EST up reply actions

While I agree that pitcher attrition makes quantity important,

not all pitchers have the same amount of risk (I’d take 2 guys in AAA over 4 in rookie ball). And this is only 3 guys vs. 4 guys, which, considering the floors of the various players involved, makes the difference in risk pretty small, IMO. Since the Mariners’ trio is consistently ranked higher, I’ll go with them.

by WhyGodWhy on Feb 4, 2026 4:30 PM EST reply actions