The California Missile
Can we resist the urge to stick this guy in the bullpen?
“I think I throw the ball as hard as anyone. The ball just doesn't get there as fast.” — Eddie Bane
“We know we're better than this ... but we can't prove it.” — Tony Gwynn
Send him to Pensacola ! Everyone is tired !
http://diamondvisits.blogspot.com/ My Minor League stadium review site.
What kind of trajectory would you guys expect for Stephenson? Is it an absolute given that all of his innings for the rest of the year will be at the low A level, or could he possibly get a High A start?
“I don’t care,” Votto said of passing his friend and former teammate. “He’s in the past. Bye-bye, Jay.”
Dayton, 70 pitch limit.
It's all about these three things with this kid right now:
1) Keep him healthy
2) Keep him from trying to overextend
3) See item # 1
If he dominates the rest of the season, I could see the Cincinnati brass deciding he should skip Bakersfield in favor of the larger park in AA Pensacola.
It's not likely, but possible.
Stephenson did not look like a guy who was ready for the next level last night. He was ready for this level, but not the next one.
Clearly the focus should be on keeping him healthy and performing in Dayton for the rest of this season.
Depending on how he looks and continues to progress over the next few months, he could potentially be a candidate to begin next year in A+ or even AA.
Fortunately, there is no need whatsoever to rush him. He should be in Dayton no matter what for the rest of this season, and only be promoted to A+ or AA for next year if he is clearly ready for the challenge.
Even in a best-case scenario (including his health), he is not a guy who should get major league consideration until 2015, when he'll be 22 years old. It's quite possible that he will not be ready until 2016 or even 2017. You never know...
Go BLUE!!!
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