Saturday Thread, Mike Minor Grade Change

by John Sickels on Jan 8, 2026 11:01 AM EST

One major grade change this morning, Mike Minor moves from a Grade A- to a Grade B+. This is an adjustment necessary for his proper placement on the 50/50 list, as there were a couple of guys with B+ grades that I wanted ahead of Minor, thus indicating that Minor's grade was too high.

I'm not looking at the book the rest of today.

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Don't get it at all

I’d take him over every other one of you A- guys. Awesome K rates through the upper minors that translated well to the majors. Think you might regret this chance down the road.

by nixa37 on Jan 8, 2026 11:21 AM EST reply actions

+1

This guy has elite K/9 and K/BB that have translated to the Majors in his limited time. The BABIP near .400 is unsustainably high. The one thing I’m interested to see is if his groundball tendencies in the minors will continue or if we’ll see a carryover from his flyball tendencies (that we’ve seen in his limited time so far in the Majors). No matter what he deserves at least an A- for how good he is and how close he is to contributing in the majors.

by lions1 on Jan 8, 2026 12:29 PM EST up reply actions

this

by Braves24 on Jan 8, 2026 7:46 PM EST up reply actions

A-

was perfect for him…He’s not quite deserving of an A since he’s not a special talent, but he’s a very good one with a high degree of polish and pro readiness…like a LH Mussina or something…

by SenorGato on Jan 8, 2026 12:37 PM EST reply actions

if he's a LH Mussina then he's clearly an A

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Jan 8, 2026 3:16 PM EST up reply actions

I liked A- too

But I suppose it’s not a huge difference.

http://bullpenbanter.com/

by Jeff Reese on Jan 8, 2026 12:38 PM EST reply actions

Why???

His minor league numbers were staggering and he showed that his skills can translate to the Major League level. I don’t think you can put Britton and Duffy at A-, but move Minor to B+.

by at022482 on Jan 8, 2026 12:45 PM EST reply actions

Didn't he move Duffy down to B+

If Britton’s at A- and both Minor and Duffy are at B+, that doesn’t seem unreasonable to me.

Baseball is my preferred sport. It should be yours, too.
I'm an editor for Beyond the Box Score, an SB Nation blog.

by Satchel Price on Jan 8, 2026 1:20 PM EST up reply actions

I can't imagine...

Brody Colvin and Mike Minor having the same grade, even if there are tiers within the grades themselves

by brok515 on Jan 8, 2026 1:00 PM EST reply actions

tis true

I have Minor at A-, Colvin at B.

by mrkupe on Jan 8, 2026 1:10 PM EST up reply actions

+1

Dewey and KBR are just.......too........sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!

The Wolfpac is looking for new soldiers! Change your logo to the black and red!!!

by Dewey Finn on Jan 8, 2026 4:45 PM EST up reply actions

John is a Pro's Pro

No doubt, but I certainly agree with the opinions of those above. He appears to be getting better, and his minor league #‘s were awfully good. The peripheral #’s in the bigs were just fine too, I think I watched 5 of his first 6 starts and there were so many terrible contact bloop hits or several flares that a lumbering Glaus couldn’t get to-lol.

by St.Steve on Jan 8, 2026 1:02 PM EST reply actions

+1

He is much better than the other B+ guys and some of the A- guys.

Dewey and KBR are just.......too........sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!

The Wolfpac is looking for new soldiers! Change your logo to the black and red!!!

by King Billy Royal on Jan 9, 2026 2:22 AM EST up reply actions

all of you guys should write your own books

i'm eager to see which of you is going to put his jacket down first so as to ensure the other’s dress doesn’t get wet. by craigws

by e-gus on Jan 8, 2026 3:01 PM EST reply actions

. . .would you buy it?

by mrkupe on Jan 8, 2026 3:05 PM EST up reply actions

I may actually buy yours Kupe

I respect your view on prospects more then some of the so called professionals.

Dewey and KBR are just.......too........sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!

The Wolfpac is looking for new soldiers! Change your logo to the black and red!!!

by King Billy Royal on Jan 9, 2026 2:22 AM EST up reply actions

+1

lots of expert opinions here

Who loves orange soda?

by Kenan and Kel on Jan 8, 2026 3:31 PM EST up reply actions

This was a fail. :/

He was being sarcastic and pretty much saying that John is the expert. Who are we to change his opinion. Maybe he sees something in Minor we don’t.

by mr. maniac on Jan 8, 2026 9:32 PM EST up reply actions

With this being said, there is no problem with contending his opinion, debating it, or asking why he has his opinion/

by mr. maniac on Jan 8, 2026 9:32 PM EST up reply actions

I do like Minor

but yes i was just being sarcastic. Its fine to disagree with John. I do on some things, there just seems to be excessive lobbying lately as these grades are about to go to press. Give the guy a break already. Your list doesn’t have to match his.

I thought K&K was following suit actually, too. Maybe that was a whoosh.

dropping a guy 1/3 of a grade isn’t that big of a deal. The grade isn’t the end all be all. Sometimes John’s instincts lead you to the gold.

From the White Sox 2009 list for example:
2) Aaron Poreda, LHP, Grade B+
12) Dan Hudson, RHP, Grade C+: I think he is a major sleeper.

I don’t think there is any question his major sleeper label was dead on. His B+ for Poreda though, not so much it turns out.

i'm eager to see which of you is going to put his jacket down first so as to ensure the other’s dress doesn’t get wet. by craigws

by e-gus on Jan 9, 2026 4:22 AM EST up reply actions

There's always lobbying for grade changes at this time

Respectable/intelligent disagreement has generally been welcomed.

http://bullpenbanter.com/

by Jeff Reese on Jan 9, 2026 9:45 AM EST up reply actions

i know that.

maybe I was just crabby that day or something but it just seemed excessive.

i'm eager to see which of you is going to put his jacket down first so as to ensure the other’s dress doesn’t get wet. by craigws

by e-gus on Jan 9, 2026 1:05 PM EST up reply actions

Wow

My point -————

Your Head -———

get that?

Who loves orange soda?

by Kenan and Kel on Jan 11, 2026 2:41 PM EST up reply actions

I love what John does but

Even he know that there will be critics.

by Jay212033 on Jan 8, 2026 5:25 PM EST up reply actions

Critics are fine

John makes his living criticizing and evaluating others, so I am sure he understands that criticizing and evaluating his work is fair game.

Dewey and KBR are just.......too........sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!

The Wolfpac is looking for new soldiers! Change your logo to the black and red!!!

by King Billy Royal on Jan 9, 2026 2:23 AM EST up reply actions

John encourages people to express their own opinions

Things would be pretty boring around here if no one disagreed with John. As long as we can be reasonable and respectful, I don’t see the issue.

by nixa37 on Jan 8, 2026 5:49 PM EST up reply actions

Bowl system for Minors

Mike Minor can be compared to the BCS in college football. Like any contender not from the so-called good conferences, he started with a deficit to make up … considered by most to be an overdraft by the Braves where he was taken. So he didn’t start out with the cachet of other high picks. If he would have started out with a higher floor of prospect consensus, he would currently be a “through the roof” prospect.

by jedjethro on Jan 9, 2026 10:39 AM EST reply actions

Minor adustment

“through the roof” prospect was probably a little overstated, however.

by jedjethro on Jan 9, 2026 12:53 PM EST up reply actions

For me he's a B+.

I agree with John’s placement. He fits better as one of the top B+s, IMHO. That’s really not an insult at all… and if you actually read what he wrote above, John really didn’t even change his placement on his list as much as just superficially change the letter grade for consistency issues. Its not like he all of a sudden dropped him 30 places. This didn’t represent a change of heart by John or anything (from what I can tell, not to put words in his mouth).

www.bullpenbanter.com
twitter: @alskor

by alskor on Jan 9, 2026 11:21 AM EST reply actions

Moving him behind guys he initially graded out higher than isn't changing his placement?

I don’t think its an insult or anything, but I don’t agree with ranking him behind quite a few guys despite his MLB-readiness and elite K rates through the high minors and into the MLB.

by nixa37 on Jan 9, 2026 9:14 PM EST up reply actions

It sounds like he started as one of the lowest A-s

and through tweaking ended up behind a couple B+s, requiring a grade change. The change already occurred previously and it required John to fix his initial grade assessment. It wasn’t like John was pondering Minor at home and had an epiphany that his grade was too high… (again, you’d have to ask John, though).

www.bullpenbanter.com
twitter: @alskor

by alskor on Jan 10, 2026 1:57 PM EST up reply actions

I'm confused

You said “through tweaking [Minor] ended up behind a couple B+s.” How is that different from changing his placement exactly? I’m just saying, I don’t think you can say John didn’t change his placement on the list like you did. He ended up moving him behind guys that John initially graded him higher than. There’s not anything wrong with that. I disagree with it and think this may end up looking almost as bad as the Tommy Hanson B+ two years ago, but if that’s how John feels that’s what he should go with in his book.

by nixa37 on Jan 10, 2026 3:55 PM EST up reply actions

When he hung the A- on Minor I don't believe it was in a top 50/top 100 list.

It was just the general feeling of what grade he should be when doing the Braves list. As he compiled the team lists into the top 50s (hitters/pitchers) he found that he liked a couple of guys he liked as B+s better than he liked Minor. This necessitated a grade change for Minor for consistency issues. It wasn’t some big revelation on the prospect status of Minor. Again - be aware I’m simply speculating as to how this occurred. You’d have to ask John. His previous comments on Minor and others lead me to believe that is how the process works.

I also think looking back at the Hanson grade like that is a little harsh. Very defensible at the time. When he first put the grade on him he didn’t have the knowledge of his AFL dominance that was to come. Grades are a snapshot of a prospect at a certain moment in time. At that moment in time a B+ was a pretty typical grade for John on someone like that. To say that grade looks bad because of what he became is flawed logic. By extension, you’re basically arguing it looks bad that John didn’t ALWAYS grade him a B+ from the first year he signed.

www.bullpenbanter.com
twitter: @alskor

by alskor on Jan 10, 2026 10:01 PM EST up reply actions

If he didn't think Minor was a top 10-12 pitcher going in he shouldn't have given him an A-

Remember, we’ve had a lot more A and A- pitchers this year than in the past, so it just seems strange that John would give an A- to someone he didn’t think was at least top 10-12 at the time of the grade. I think he clearly did at the time, but as time has gone he has come to like other guys more. Like I said, nothing wrong with that, I just think its the wrong decision.

As for Hanson, while the initial grade came out during the AFL, he had plenty of time afterward to change the grade upward. I pushed hard for it at the time. Especially when he bumped Cahill and Anderson up to an A-, I pushed really hard for Hanson to get the same bump. I think John even admitted he underestimated Hanson. A guy with a good fastball, two breaking pitches that grade out at least plus, and dominating K rates in his first AA exposure…he definitely deserved an A- at least. He hasn’t even fundamentally changed as a pitcher since then. Still doesn’t have a change and still doesn’t have good command. He just had the tools to succeed then and he’s using them now.

And no, you can’t say that extending my logic would mean that Hanson should have gotten a B+ when he signed, or even the year before his breakout. He added a slider that graded somewhere between 60 and 70 during his breakout year. It was well publicized by the time John finalized his grades. That pitch is what should have pushed him to at least an A-.

My reasoning with Minor is similar. The B+ grade won’t look good a few years from now because the information that should have led to a higher grade is readily available now. Dominating K rates throughout the upper minors and an impressive MLB debut with K rate carrying over, completely backed up by an elite swinging strike rate. 2-3 years from now, I think John will look back on this grade and wonder why he didn’t grade Minor out higher, just like he wasn’t quite sure a few days ago on why he didn’t grade Hanson higher.

by nixa37 on Jan 11, 2026 2:08 AM EST up reply actions

you seem to be really freaking out over this

I don’t see what Hanson has to do with Minor other than the hats that they’ve worn. Fine, Hanson was underrated, it’s something that happens to lots of players. Minor doesn’t get credit by association. Each evaluation is an individual one.

I like Minor a lot as well, but I don’t think John’s losing sleep over whether a guy should be a B+ or an A-, as both grades suggest that John is a fan. The line of statistical performance that divides a B+ prospect from an A- prospect is an arbitrary one if it exists at all.

by mrkupe on Jan 11, 2026 3:32 PM EST up reply actions

Well

they are…Braves! lol

As homers go, nixa is better than most I encounter.

by blackoutyears on Jan 11, 2026 3:37 PM EST up reply actions

Thanks I guess

I understand why I get the reputation as a homer since I talk about Braves prospects more than any other, but my enthusiasm certainly doesn’t extend to all Braves prospects. I’m just vocal on the guys I really feel strongly about.

I think I also have a pretty good track record thus far on the really strong opinions that I’ve expressed. I pushed for Hanson getting a higher grade and that looks right in retrospect. I told people that they were underestimating Heyward’s plate discipline going into last season and I was right. Maybe I’m wrong for pushing Minor and Freeman so hard this offseason, but if I end up being right again, am I really a homer or just correct?

This isn’t solely directed at you or anything. Not like you’re saying anything offensive. Guess I’m just thinking out loud here.

by nixa37 on Jan 11, 2026 4:08 PM EST up reply actions

my enthusiasm certainly doesn’t extend to all Braves prospects.

Absolutely. Just giving you a hard time as you are definitely most vocal about Bravos. OTOH, people tend to know the most about their own team’s prospects, so it’s not like homerism is inherently bad.

by blackoutyears on Jan 12, 2026 4:04 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah I took no offense at your post

I just think some people don’t take what I say about Braves prospects seriously (not you but others) because I’m a Braves fan. Personally, I think the fact that I’m a Braves fans has just led me to learn as much as possible about Braves prospects. Yeah, I’m vocal in support of the top 3, but I also don’t think all that highly of anyone else compared to the general consensus (and I actually had Teheran behind Hellickson which seemingly makes me fall on the conservative side on him around here).

by nixa37 on Jan 12, 2026 4:37 PM EST up reply actions

How am I freaking out? I though I was being fairly reasonable

Al was saying that the grade change didn’t mean John was changing his placement on the list which just doesn’t seem right to me, so we discussed that.

I said I thought the grade would end up looking bad like Hanson’s B+ did a few years after fact. I never said that Minor deserved a higher grade just because Hanson did. I just think both are guys where the information available at the time of grading clearly meant they warranted a higher grade. Other than that, I was just explaining why I thought the B+ was the wrong grade at the time, not just in retrospect as Al claimed.

I’m also not saying John should lose sleep over this or anything. Like I said, if that’s how John feels he should go with the B+. I simply think its the wrong grade, I think he’ll look back in a few years without knowing why he didn’t rank Minor higher (like he did with Hanson, when I asked he wasn’t sure why exactly it happened), and I was explaining my reasoning. I’ll leave it at that.

You always seem to read a lot more emotion into my posts than actually exists on my end. Yeah, I write out long posts because I like to justify my opinions. It doesn’t mean I’m sitting on the other end of the computer furiously smashing away at my keyboard.

by nixa37 on Jan 11, 2026 4:00 PM EST up reply actions

minor

it was a matter of slotting on the 50/50 list. I knew it would go against the consensus around here, but i have to call it like I see it.

by John Sickels on Jan 9, 2026 1:54 PM EST reply actions

Minor issue

I don’t see how you can make a major grade change on Minor. This betrays a shocking lack of respect for my fantasy team. If, as a result of this grade change, Minor pitches in 2011 like a B+ instead of an A-, there will be retribution in the form of posts both verbose and vitriolic. Next time you might want to think about the consequences before taking such a rash action.

by crazyfox on Jan 9, 2026 7:02 PM EST reply actions 3 recs

fxxk you crazy

I’m impressed by you and your sense of humor. I am mildly familiar with Minor, and his numbers, and his scouting reports, and I’ve never seen him in person. Right now I have no real basis for pretending to distinguish whether he is an A- or B+.
I have been slacking my ass off for a few weeks and I have had it with you.

by realitypolice on Jan 10, 2026 11:34 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs