You're the Farm Director!

by John Sickels on Sep 16, 2025 11:45 AM EDT

Let's play You're the Farm Director!

Assuming all of these players are healthy in April, 2011, and perform well in spring training, what level do you assign them in your farm system?

Kyle Drabek: Do you send him to Las Vegas, or do you give him a spot in the Blue Jays rotation?
Dee Gordon: Triple-A, or return him to Double-A for a bit more seasoning?
Alex Wimmers: High-A or Double-A?
John Lamb, Chris Dwyer, and Danny Duffy: If you are the Royals, do you return this trio to Double-A, or do you bump them up to Omaha to begin the year?
Josh Vitters: Don't tell me what you think the Cubs will do, tell me what you think they should do.
Bryce Harper: How aggressive will you be with him?

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Read More: Kyle Drabek (P - TOR), Danny Duffy (P - KAN), Josh Vitters (3B - CHC), Dee Gordon (SS - LOS)

Comments

Farm Director

Kyle Drabek - My gut feeling says major leagues, and given the Blue Jays performance this season, I wouldn’t want to hold out a player that could help us win games right out of the gate.

Dee Gordon - Start off in AA. Perhaps even if he’s more than capable of handling AA pitching now, he needs to get some confidence boost after a poor showing at the plate. Not another season where he advances and does worse.

Alex Wimmers - Double-A

John Lamb - Double-A. Danny Duffy - Triple-A. Chris Dwyer - Double-A.

Josh Vitters - I’m tempted to send him back to high-A. 21 years old isn’t terribly high for the league. But he needs to get back on track. Either that, or trade him.

Bryce Harper - Low-A with aggressive promotions along the way. If he is unstoppable, I don’t care what his age is. And I do think he could end up in high-A by seasons end.

by Humbled Fan on Sep 16, 2025 12:00 PM EDT reply actions

Regarding Dee Gordon

I agree that he should start in AA. However, I wouldnt say he had a poor showing at the plate. He basically played the same way he did in A ball in AA, except he did the two biggest jumps in the minors at the same time…

by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Sep 16, 2025 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions

He got worse across the board, challenged or not, he should maybe have one season where he doesn't automatically feel challenged.

Maybe he should just start to feel comfortable, I don’t know. Because at this pace if he goes to AAA, he’ll hit .250/.300/.315

by Humbled Fan on Sep 16, 2025 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions

He had a BABIP that is 32 points lower this year than last year

Yes, some of that could be attributed to an increase in defense, but not all of it for sure. My point is his K and BB rates remained constant, as did his SB%. The only difference is his BABIP difference, which leads to the change in average and OBP

by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Sep 16, 2025 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Not exactly

Gordon did see a half percent reduction in his BB rate and his SB% was down from 74.5% to 72.6%. Not huge differences, but there was a drop there along with his ISO dropping from .093 to .078 as well. The drop in BABIP certainly accounts for a lot the change in his numbers, but there were other things that happened too.

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by gatling on Sep 16, 2025 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions

The SB rate needs to improve

But I was impressed at how well he held his plate discipline after skipping a level. I’m really surprised that they’re not sending him to the AFL.

http://bullpenbanter.com/

by Jeff Reese on Sep 17, 2025 8:30 AM EDT up reply actions

Here's what I'd do..

Drabek: Start him off in Triple-A. Let the rotation be Romero/Marcum/Cecil/Morrow/Rzepczynski. He’s ready, but no need to start him in the majors unless he totally blows everyone away in the spring.

Gordon: Let him start in Double-A, he’s not that old and there’s no need to rush him. They still got Ivan DeJesus Jr. in Triple-A, anyways.

Wimmers: Double-A. I think he’s a guy worth being aggressive with, he’s shown a ton of polish so far.

Royals trio: The only one I might send to Triple-A is Duffy. There’s not a big need for the Royals to be aggressive with their pitching.

Vitters: Send him back to Double-A. The numbers will get much better. He won’t put up a .247 BABIP again.

Harper: Send him to low-A, challenge the kid. I wouldn’t commit to being aggressive or going one-level-at-a-time. Let his development dictate the progression through the minors. I think he’s up in 2013.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Sep 16, 2025 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

+1

Agree 100%

PPPPPPUNTO 4 MVP 2010

by punto4mvp on Sep 16, 2025 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree with all of this

Buster Posey>
"Screw it, Redbull time"-Brian Wilson

by Gobroks on Sep 16, 2025 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions

DeJesus is going to make a push to the Dodgers 2B spot

He has been playing 2B all season

by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Sep 16, 2025 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, I saw that after I posted this

Spent all but 20 games at second rather than short. We’ll see if they tender Theriot.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Sep 16, 2025 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea

his future has always been at 2B, but after the broken leg I think they decided to not test his range too much at short and just move him to 2B for most of the time.

With Theriot, it will be interesting if not only if they tender him a contract, but also if they try to trade Blake and move Theriot to 3B to give DeJesus a starting spot(or have Blake and Loney platoon at 1B). There is a lot of things they could do with the infield next year

by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Sep 16, 2025 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll go

Kyle Drabek - Send him to AAA.

Dee Gordon - AA.

Alex Wimmers - AA.

John Lamb - AA.

Danny Duffy - Start at AA but with the idea that he could be in AAA real quick.

Chris Dwyer - AA.

Josh Vitters - AA.

Bryce Harper - I’d start him at Low A.

by toonsterwu on Sep 16, 2025 12:12 PM EDT reply actions

Interesting

Here are my thoughts on the few topics above:

1) Drabek - I feel you give him a chance to win the starting job out of camp but give him competition. Maybe you bring in a cheap veteran to keep with him or give a few youngsters a chance to fight it out. Obviously Stewart, Rzepczynski and Litsch should also be given a chance as well. Then let this play out like the Cards did with Garcia in ST. I personally think he end up in AAA to start the year and then comes up in June.

2) D. Gordon - I start him in AA and then if he preforms and shows improvements I move him to AAA to finish the year. How fast you move him up depends on many factors but I would be surprised if he did spend half the year in AAA with an eye for a MLB job in 2012.

3) Wimmers - I feel he is polished enough to start in AA…and he should get challenged in that league. He has a strong head on his shoulders so he should be able to handle when he struggles out of the gate and makes adjustments.

4) Lamb, Dwyer, Duffy - They all need more experience in AA before getting promoted. I start them all there and let them make some adjustments…depending on how each does I promote them as needed. I see by the end of the year 2 of the 3 ends up in AAA.

5) Vitters - WOW! I say keep him at AA and see how he responds. Hopefully he spends the offseason working hard and comes in ready to show why many thought so highly of him (me not being one of those guys)

6) Harper - Lets start him in Low A. He should not be overmatched offensively at that level and make sure to work on his D…always overlooked a bit is D in the minors. I think he will be just fine in the OF but make sure he is fundamentally sound in his approach on D.

by JDizzidy on Sep 16, 2025 12:14 PM EDT reply actions

John Lamb, Chris Dwyer, and Danny Duffy

Lamb needs to repeat for sure.

Depending on how Dwyer and Duffy look this winter, I move them up to AAA.

What about Montgomery though? Start him in AAA or AA?

Scouting the Royals
Scouting the Royals

by 306008 on Sep 16, 2025 12:21 PM EDT reply actions

Montgomery

He needs to start in AA as well. That could be the best MiLB staff I have ever seen if all 4 are in AA!!

by JDizzidy on Sep 16, 2025 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Why is everyone so aggressive with Wimmers?

Yet so passive on Harper?

Scouting the Royals
Royals Prospects

by 306008 on Sep 16, 2025 12:23 PM EDT reply actions

Wimmers

He was as polished as any pitcher in the 2010 draft. Harper is younger and hasn’t played against the level of competition as Wimmers. Harper needs to prove for at least half a season that he can mash the Low A pitchers and has a good grasp of playing his everyday position. The Nats won’t contend until probably 2012 at the earliest so why try to get Harper to the show in the next 2 years? The Twins are competing as we speak so the sooner he can arrive and help the Twins staff the better. Just my opinion on the topic.

by JDizzidy on Sep 16, 2025 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions

re: farm director

Kyle Drabek: AAA. Vegas is a tough place to pitch and while I get the idea of not scarring a pitcher’s pysche by putting him in a tough ballpark… I want to at least test their mettle and see if they can handle it. MLB isn’t all peaches and cream and some adversity training can’t hurt.

Dee Gordon: AA… he’s gotta show he can avoid getting the bat knocked out of his hands first.
Alex Wimmers: slow and steady… high A

John Lamb, Chris Dwyer, and Danny Duffy: They all start in AA for me and then move their way up depending on what I see from them after the first month.

Josh Vitters: He repeats AA, most of the season I think.

Bryce Harper: High A for at least a month or two. Let him learn what it’s like to play pro ball and get comfortable as far away from the spotlight as you can manage (knowing that it’s really futile) while still challenging him. Considering all the questions about his attitude and such I wouldn’t want to rush him up the chain too fast without him getting the full minor league experience.

by BoBtheMule on Sep 16, 2025 12:36 PM EDT reply actions

Drabek: AAA
Gordon: AA
Duffy: AAA, Lamb and Dwyer: AA
Vitters: AA
Harper: Low-A, don’t hold back.

R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9

by doublestix on Sep 16, 2025 12:42 PM EDT reply actions

Harper

Harper should start in Hagerstown and spend at least a half season there. Let the hype come to him as opposed to having him come to the hype. Let him mash Hagerstown for a half season. If he utterly destroys the league offensively, shows he can field his position, and demonstrates coachibility, he can spend as little as 6 weeks in Potomac on his way to Harrisburg. AFL next year and start at Harrisburg.

Harper needs challenge to curtail his overconfidence. He’s like the reverse of other prospects in that respect. He needs to get AA as fast as possible and spend as much time there as needed to show he can hit the bigs. I don’t think that’s until 2012, but the door should be cracked open for him to get there before that.

I’m as interested to see if the door is still cracked for him to get a few ABs in the AFL if he mashes instructional league.

On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park. In Rizzo and Ramos we trust.

by souldrummer on Sep 16, 2025 12:45 PM EDT reply actions

+1

Agree with you. “Demonstrates coachibility” is a big thing for him.

by Senatorsfansunite on Sep 17, 2025 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions

for me...

Wtih Kyle Drabek, I send him to AAA at least until late May…get his feet wet…if he dominates like Lincecum did a few years ago, he makes you bring him up early.

Send Dee Gordon to AAA. His K and walk numbers/rates probably dont get horribly better, and he has done a nice job in AA, time for him to make the next leap. But I dont bring him up to MLB until September at the very earliest.

Alex Wimmers, full year at A+. Hes only put in 15 IP, needs time to learn, fail, progress. Still only 21 years old. Id do the one year at a time progression with him, and maybe even do a Rays style 2 years in AAA with him. Cant hurt him.

Royal Arms…keep them all at AA for the full season, for the same reasons as above. Especially with the Royals track record, I dont rush these guys.

Vitters…full year at AA to figure things out. Still only 20 years old. AAA the next year, and starting 3B in chicago by 2013 or 14. At which point he will still only be 23 or 24.

Harper Low A ball. Still hasnt really faced top quality pitching yet. With his age, and the lack of really good competition, low A is a good place to start him, and hopefully learns failure a little, and go year by year until he is ready.

by backtocali on Sep 16, 2025 12:48 PM EDT reply actions

You'd send Gordon to Triple-A but hold back all of the pitchers?

Interesting.

I think that Wimmers has shown that a move to Double-A would be best for his development. He was flat-out dominating in four starts at Hi Single-A, and it’s not totally surprising as he was regarded as a pretty polished pitcher coming out of college.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Sep 16, 2025 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I tend to be more careful with pitchers

But Gordon put in a full year in AA and despite the drop in production Id account that more to advanced pitchers. He maintained his k and bb numbers and still fared pretty well.

After reading about Hellickson in the latest Baseball America, I’m really on board with being slow with pitchers. None of the guys above put in a full season at their highest levels, and theyre all still young.

Sure Wimmers is polished and had nice starts, but its still only 15 IP in low a ball. I dont doubt his prospects as a future #3, but he could have been so dominant against teams that lost players due to promotion and maybe a bit less competitive, if you catch my drift. id at the very least give him another half year in A+, and if he puts up an April like he had in his 4 starts this year, definitely move him to high A ball. But at that point, stick with him there for the full year no matter how effective he is.

by backtocali on Sep 16, 2025 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not saying that Gordon needs another full year in Double-A

But I think that he could benefit from going there, getting more comfortable, playing well, and then moving on to the transition to Triple-A.

As for Wimmers, I’m just not sure how much he has left to learn in Single-A. We’ve seen it before- sometimes college pitchers can end up tearing through the minors really fast.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Sep 16, 2025 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions

wimmers

Wimmers was actually in High-A.

by John Sickels on Sep 16, 2025 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

miss type on my behalf

in response. Gladly I caught it in my original. Even more reasonable to give him another shot, at least half a season, given his age, and lack of innings he threw there this year.

by backtocali on Sep 16, 2025 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions

But why not push the kid, if he's ready for Double-A?

A big part of the appeal of college pitchers is that they can advance through the minors quickly. They started him in Hi Single-A and he looked totally in control- I think he’s ready for Double-A.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Sep 16, 2025 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Why send David Price back to AAA in 2009?

Maybe its an upper level thing….but I dont see any harm at all in sending a guy like Wimmers back to High A ball for a half season just to prove that his 4 starts werent a fluke. I am not saying they were a fluke, but its 4 starts. And if he proves in April of 2011 that it wasnt, hes in AA by May 15 or so and hasnt really missed out on much more than a nandful of starts. And it doesnt really delay his clock all that much either.

by backtocali on Sep 16, 2025 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions

A few reasons, actually.

1. Delay his arbitration clock, which didn’t start with his September call-up the year before.

2. To limit his innings

3. So he could continue to work on his offspeed stuff and command

4. They already had a pretty set rotation anyways going into 2009

Leaving Price in Triple-A to begin 2009 made and still makes perfect sense to me.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Sep 16, 2025 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Just taking a page from the Rays

According to that articlie I referenced above from BA,most of the top Rays pitching prospects have logged almost 400 IP in the minor leagues. The reason for it being super seasoning, that way when they arrive in pro ball, situationally, they are prepared for whatever may come. Has worked out damn well for them.

by backtocali on Sep 17, 2025 6:57 AM EDT up reply actions

It is similar to Rubby De La Rosa with the Dodgers in AA

he absolutely dominated AA, but I dont think it was any more than 10 starts. Yes, he did good, but there is no way people and the Dodgers would start him in AAA…

by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Sep 16, 2025 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Drabek - AAA
Gordon - AA
Wimmers - High A
Royals pitchers - AA
Viters - AA
Harper - Low A, no rushing

by Yankees10 on Sep 16, 2025 1:37 PM EDT reply actions

For me

Drabek - AAA for sure
Gordon - AA
Wimmers - A+, move him up if he dominates
Lamb - AA
Dwyer - AA
Duffy - AA to start, move him up with any early success
Vitters - A+, but, like Duffy, move him up if he has early success
Harper - A. I’d rather have him in full season ball, but I could see short season ball with him too.

by Navi's_Navy on Sep 16, 2025 1:55 PM EDT reply actions

Well...

Drabek- majors
Gordon- AAA
Wimmers- AA
Lamb- AAA
Dwyer- AA
Duffy- MLB bullpen
Vitters- AA
Harper -High A but I could see him getting to AA quick.

ETHAN MARTIN!!!!

by joegonzo on Sep 16, 2025 3:32 PM EDT reply actions

You want to move Duffy to the bullpen and expect Harper to hit Double-A at 18?

Damn.. somebody is feeling aggressive today.

Damn.. somebody is feeling aggressive today.Why would the Royals move Duffy to the bullpen? They need all of the quality starting pitching that they can get, and Duffy’s stuff has actually taken a step forward this season. No way I’d mess this up by moving him to the bullpen.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Sep 16, 2025 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

The Dodgers do that with their young pitchers

recently, both Billingsley and Jmac started in the pen to get their feet wet. However, to do that, you either have to punt the whole season, call him up mid season, or have him go back down to get stretched back out..

by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Sep 16, 2025 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions

i could see Duffy making his ML debut out of the pen

but not right away next year. maybe July.

and honestly i see Dwyer as more likely to start in AAA than Lamb.

R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9

by doublestix on Sep 16, 2025 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Agree on Lamb and Duffy

Lamb is really young and hit a bit of a wall in AA (he’s thrown a ton of innings though), no way he starts in AAA.

Dwyer is older and scouting reports have been very positive. I think there’s a shot he could start, or at least play the majority of the year in AAA.

by deezle on Sep 16, 2025 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Agree on Lamb

He hit a wall and definately needs to repeat AA. His BB rate went way up and his K rate went down not to mention other peripherals. He most definately needs to start the year in AA and move up from there.

by slickwdb on Sep 16, 2025 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Duffy

There was talk of him potentially making the Royals roster THIS year, so it’s not crazy to think he could make the team out of 2011 spring training.

by deezle on Sep 16, 2025 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Kyle Drabek: Back to Las Vegas to start the year… call up in May or June likely. Both seasoning and service time considerations here. I don’t for a second doubt he could help the team, but I don’t think he’s a clearly superior option for next year over the other guys they have. Jays have a lot of #3-4 starters with upside hanging around.
Dee Gordon: Definitely Double-A. Let him taste some success at some point and let his skills catch up to the tools.
Alex Wimmers: No strong feelings here… I think he could handle either to some degree and my decision would likely come down to which level I want other players in my org. My slight preference would be to start him at High-A for a month or so.
John Lamb: AA, but I would expect him to succeed there and end the year at AAA
Danny Duffy: Ahh… he’s only had ~50 IP between A+ and AA combined… but my gut says test him at AAA. He’s also still only 21… but I’m a big believer. I could go either way on this one… the bump in stuff and velo argues for a challenge, but he could probably use some more seasoning at AA.
Chris Dwyer: Same as the two above… They should probably all start at AA. Its not like any of them got significant innings at that level. Similarly, I expect them all to feature at AAA by August at the latest.
Josh Vitters: If it were me, I would keep him in extended spring and rework some parts of his game. I would also consider a demotion to high-A, but sending him to the FSL doesn’t thrill me. So… keep him where he is (for once) and hopefully it slows down for him some the second time around and the added comfort leads to a better approach and better results in the field. Not optimistic, though.
Bryce Harper: I’d take it slow to start. As much as the fan in me would like to see him playing in games in April/May/June the prudent course is probably to keep him in Florida and work on fundamentals, instill in him the way your org does things and let him get adjusted to life as a pro. Then unleash him on short season ball… and when he dominates there you let him finish up at Hagerstown(A). If he hits like I expect once he debuts then I would have qualms really moving him in 2012… I could even see him in the majors halfway through 2012 in a perfect world scenario… which would be amazing considering his age.

Bullpen Banter
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twitter: @alskor

by alskor on Sep 16, 2025 4:35 PM EDT reply actions

Re Harper

Great comment. The one thing only a few want to discuss with Harper is what will happen when he finally experiences difficulty. That will happen. And it may happen before the first big jump from Potomac to Harrisburg. To assume continuous, uninterrupted success as he mows down minor league pitching at every level in an unstoppable march to a September call-up seems to me to miss the point. Now his opponents have a lot more on the line: their own livelihoods. No more college boys hoping to be noticed. Now the other guys have money in the game, and their futures in the balance in a sport where failure is the norm.

What will be his mental response when he has a slump of more than a handful of at bats? He has never experienced substantial failure at the levels where he’s competed. That has to be his real test. He’ll learn to play outfield. What he may need to learn is how to handle some failure, make adjustments, and move on in his development. An arrival in MLB sometime in the latter part of 2012 seems aggressive, but possible, and it would be amazing. He may need until 2013 to have a chance to be the next Griffey or Kaline.

zzard (Arlington, VA)

by zzard on Sep 16, 2025 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Define "difficulty"

Griffey hit low-A as a 17 year old and was in the majors 2 years after being drafted, never struggling much along the way. I’d actually say that it wasn’t until the last couple of seasons that he really ever “sucked”

Alex Rodriguez mauled three levels when he was 18, his first year, played sparingly in the majors (without much success) over 94 and 95 before he was robbed of an MVP in 1996.

Am I comparing Bryce Harper to players of this caliber, saying that “of course this is what he will do”?

No, so please nobody rip my head off. But does he have the offensive talent to mow through the minors, never facing much difficulty? Yes, absolutely.

by Humbled Fan on Sep 16, 2025 7:59 PM EDT up reply actions

But does he have the offensive talent to mow through the minors, never facing much difficulty? Yes, absolutely.

That’s kind of my concern… moving to the OF and all the other adjustment… well, if I’m a coach in the Nats org, I would love to have 2-3 months to really work on him outside of a game atmosphere, you know? Let him take it all in first… because once he starts playing his bat is going to fast track his development and (for a minor leaguer) he’ll have a national spotlight on him to some degree. You don’t have to wait for short season to start… you can keep him back when you break camp and then send him on to A Ball whenever you feel he’s ready, too.

Bullpen Banter
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twitter: @alskor

by alskor on Sep 16, 2025 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Its rare that we get to follow a player like this from such an early age knowing what he has the potential to be.

So I’m excited to see the development. I wish we had known 2-3 years ago how good Jason Heyward was.

by Humbled Fan on Sep 17, 2025 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Or at least "I wish I had known"!

by Humbled Fan on Sep 17, 2025 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Duffy

despite the lighter workload this year, he had 126 IP in A+ in 2009.

by deezle on Sep 16, 2025 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Ah... you're right.

Looked at the wrong column.

Bullpen Banter
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twitter: @alskor

by alskor on Sep 16, 2025 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions

My Take

Kyle Drabek – Keep him in the majors are the #5 starter, keep him away from LV

Dee Gordon – Start off in AA until the AS break a la Domonic Brown.

Alex Wimmers – High A, Kyle Gibson plan

John Lamb – Double-A.

Danny Duffy – AA

Chris Dwyer – Double-A.

Josh Vitters – Start in high A for a month to see if he can tear the cover off the ball.

Bryce Harper – Hagerstown, if he has no challenge, send him to AA and give him a Sept call up

by Bravesin07 on Sep 16, 2025 4:38 PM EDT reply actions

+1 this is mine

except for Duffy being in AA, I HAVE him in AAA…..

I called on the exact pitch - Joe Mauer's first career Home-Run at Target Field !!!

Why Oh Why did the D'Backs select A.J. Pollock over Mike Trout?

by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Sep 16, 2025 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions

my take:

Drabek— 5-10 more starts in AAA to hone his command, he looked like he needed a bit more time. I know, I know, 1 start doesn’t make or break… I don’t think the Blue Jays should think “win now”.

D. Gordon- leave him in AA and promote him to AAA if he hits .300 or better.

Wimmers- leave him in high A for a season, unless he continues to rip minor league opponents to shreds, then promote to AA.

Duffy- leave him in AA for most of the year and promote him to AAA when he’s ready.

Vitters- keep him in AA for a full season, not convinced about this guy.

Harper— start with low A, then promote him to each stop if he has no trouble, and finally, perhaps a Sept call up.

I tend to be a little more conservative with my pitchers, I don’t want another Mejia Debacle on my hands…

"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"

by feslenraster on Sep 16, 2025 4:49 PM EDT reply actions

Id like to see what people have to say about Ackley and Pineda

by tarheels1 on Sep 16, 2025 4:57 PM EDT reply actions

Ackley/Pineda

I was not a fan of how Ackley was handled this year. A guy trying to learn 2B and they throw him into the very aggressive plan. I was not a fan of that at all. But since they already did that I feel they should put him at AA for the first half and hopefully he tears it up and has a ton of confidence…also improving his 2B skills if that is where they ultimately want him to play. Then promote him as needed to AAA and then give him a cup at the end of the year if he is performing well.

Pineda is going to AAA if its up to me. He pitched extremely well in AA this year but struggled a bit in AAA. No way do I mess with another young promising pitcher the way they did with Morrow. Keep him as a starter and have him pitch all or most of the year in AAA. I just don’t see the need to rush him to the bigs in any capacity since it doesn’t appear that the M’s will compete next year.

The M’s should be playing for 2012 or 2013 and playing their cards with their young stars accordingly.

by JDizzidy on Sep 16, 2025 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions

The problem is that you don't really want Ackley playing at High Desert in High-A ball so he's 22 years old and they put him in AA where he did just fine.

When he was promoted to AAA, the walks were swapped out for extra power. I don’t think it was all that aggressive, from an offensive standpoint it was a fine promotion and I think you can learn taking grounders and turning double-plays from any level.

He’s going to play in the AFL, he’s going to be in Spring Training, you don’t put him back in AA as a 23-year-old.

Precisely for the reason that the M’s are playing for 2012 is why Ackley will get called up from AAA midseason barring a horrible season from him in the minors.

Pineda will go back to AAA and continue to build up arm strength, probably come up in September. His ERA jumped in AAA, but his K/9 actually jumped and his K/BB was the same. The difference came in the long ball as he gave up 9 HR in 62 innings compared to 1 HR in 77 AA innings. He’s not going to give up many HR in Safeco.

Both players start in Tacoma. Ackley in the majors June/July, Pineda in August/September. And I say that both as what the M’s will do and what I think they should do. They’ll have two guys here in 2012 with major league experience as two budding stars.

by Humbled Fan on Sep 16, 2025 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Disagree

I don’t put stock into if you are a certain age you MUST play above a certain level in the minors. It is not a cake walk to learn a fairly new defensive position AND trying to keep your offense up. So keep him at a level that he doesn’t have to focus as much on offensive adjustments while getting a better grasp of playing 2B. Worst case scenario he is sizzling hot on both sides for a few months and you promote him…no harm no foul. You put him at a level higher and he struggles alot and you set him back which is the last thing you want to do IMO. We just obviously have 2 different perspectives of how to handle him which is fine.

by JDizzidy on Sep 16, 2025 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions

The age doesn't really matter but he isn't sucking at AAA. That's why he's going to stay there and he should.

by Humbled Fan on Sep 17, 2025 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Conservative on All

Assuming all of these players are healthy in April, 2011, and perform well in spring training, what level do you assign them in your farm system?

Kyle Drabek: 1-2 months in AAA on the Madison Bumgarner path.
Dee Gordon: AA for the first half of the year. Having Furcal allows them to be conservative
Alex Wimmers: High A, with the possibility of following Gibson’s development schedule
John Lamb, Chris Dwyer, and Danny Duffy: Lamb AA, Duffy AAA, and Dwyer based on what he shows in March but leaning towards AS
Josh Vitters: High A to regain some confidence before a AA promotion after he regains enough.
Bryce Harper: Low A for the entire year unless he really tears it up and then an August promotion to High A

I’m not usually this conservative, but these guys can all use a little more time. I’d go with a Mike Trout in AA.

by mattp31 on Sep 16, 2025 5:38 PM EDT via mobile reply actions