Good afternoon prospect watchers. Let's get down to business.
***Yesterday's Minor League Ball Gameday thread.
***As you have likely heard, the Mets promoted Wilmer Flores to the major league roster today. He will be Prospect of the Day tomorrow. My other main goal is to finish off the team summaries ASAP, with the White Sox next.
***The main thing I want to point out today is this article by former major leaguer Gabe Kapler about Lars Anderson and baseball makeup sent along by a reader. David Schoenfield over at ESPN picked up in this article too with his own commentary. Anderson drew his release earlier this month in the middle of an 0-for-29 slump at Triple-A Charlotte in the White Sox system, hitting .194 in 66 games overall.
Kapler thinks that Lars' problems basically involved thinking too much and undermining his own confidence. David, drawing on David Epstein's book The Sports Gene, wonders if Anderson's brain just isn't wired quite right for major league level pattern recognition. Both Kapler's original article and Schoenfield's commentary are well worth your time to read, and I suggest you do.
The whole topic of makeup is something that can be endlessly explored. Obviously you don't want players to be too stupid, but can they be too smart? Some players paralyze themselves with analysis, but over-analysis doesn't necessarily lead to loss of confidence as in Lars' case, or Billy Beane's. Trevor Bauer seems to over-analyze things perhaps, but he doesn't seem to want for self-confidence the way that Anderson did.
***One of my favorite under-appreciated prospects is Josmil Pinto in the Twins system, a catcher just promoted to Triple-A, who went 3-for-4 yesterday, is hitting .444 in his first five games for Rochester and .314/.413/.485 overall on the season. The 24-year-old from Venezuela isn't horrid with the glove (has thrown out 29% this year while drawing better reviews for his mobility compared to a few years ago) and has hit very well over the last two seasons. He's on the 40-man roster and I'd have to think we will see him in September.
***Josh Haderthrew six shutout innings for Low-A Quad Cities in his first start since joining the Astros system, allowing just one hit with no walks and two strikeouts.
***Are you reading Grant Brisbee regularly? If not, you need to be. "Clutch boson" by itself should win him an award of some kind.
***Are we seeing more top prospects promoted to the major leagues this year? Bryan Grosnick examines the issue.
***More Astros!Craig Goldstein takes a look at Delino DeShields Jr.
More from Minor League Ball:
- Kansas City Royals Top 20 2013 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review
- Prospect of the Day: Engel Beltre, OF, Texas Rangers
- Minor League Ball Gameday, August 5
- Colorado Rockies Top 20 2013 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review
- Prospect of the Day: Marcus Semien, INF, Chicago White Sox
- Toronto Blue Jays Top 20 2013 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review
- Minor League Ball Gameday, August 4
- 2013 Twins Shadow Draft Update
- 2013 Astros Shadow Draft Update
- Minor League Ball Gameday, August 3
- San Diego Padres Top 20 2013 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review
- Minor League Ball Gameday, August 2