Minor League Game Thread for Friday, April 07, 2023

[texasdave]

Williamson has a lot of work to do if he plans to pitch for the Reds.
His command is shaky and he isn't showing he has an out pitch.

He'll pretty much fit right in then.

[mth123]

Williamson has a lot of work to do if he plans to pitch for the Reds.
His command is shaky and he isn't showing he has an out pitch.

I'm still hopeful he can be a decent lefty reliever. He walks too many guys to start. If he'd lose a couple of his pitches and focus on one or two in shorter stints, I think his stuff would play, but I don't see him ever being a successful big league starter. I feel that way about most of the Reds top starting prospects. Have my fingers crossed for Abbott as the best hope. I hope they take an another advanced starter with that high draft pick they have.

[j.u.FAIRFIIELD]

Bats: Not a good look.

[redsfan9988]

I'm still hopeful he can be a decent lefty reliever. He walks too many guys to start. If he'd lose a couple of his pitches and focus on one or two in shorter stints, I think his stuff would play, but I don't see him ever being a successful big league starter. I feel that way about most of the Reds top starting prospects. Have my fingers crossed for Abbott as the best hope. I hope they take an another advanced starter with that high draft pick they have.

Conner Phillips could be something as well. Maybe Chase Petty too? I agree that Abbott seems to be pretty much running unopposed as the top arm in the system currently. He’s probably the only MiLB pitcher in the system that looks like a sure MOR SP.

As for Williamson, I’d be pretty tempted to transition him to RP sometime in 2023. Guy throws too many pitches to be a SP. Maybe his stuff will play up in the pen.

[mth123]

Conner Phillips could be something as well. Maybe Chase Petty too? I agree that Abbott seems to be pretty much running unopposed as the top arm in the system currently. He’s probably the only MiLB pitcher in the system that looks like a sure MOR SP.

As for Williamson, I’d be pretty tempted to transition him to RP sometime in 2023. Guy throws too many pitches to be a SP. Maybe his stuff will play up in the pen.

Petty maybe. Phillips also has control problems, I think Seattle knew they were selling high on these guys.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Petty maybe. Phillips also has control problems, I think Seattle knew they were selling high on these guys.

Nah.

Phillips is young. He's definitely still got a shot, as does Stoudt (who's looked great so far), Petty (who's been a real find), and Acuna (who pitched as well as anyone in the system after being acquired). Christian Roa has got four above average pitches and was dominant for a month before hitting a wall in the AFL. I still hold out hope for Boyle as well.

There are a lot of options for starters coming through the system-- it'll take some time to get them sorted, and most won't make it. Some will be knock-out relief arms. Most will be fungible depth arms. (Which still has real value.) Some won't make it even that far.

But the Reds are in an enviable situation right now, your pessimism be darned.

[Kc61]

This is how building from the minors works. Abbott does well, maybe better than expected. Williamson does worse than expected so far. Others are talented question marks at this stage. Some emerge, some disappoint. That’s why you need sufficient quantity.

Most exciting thing so far is Abbott’s continued excellent starting pitching at AA. He was good there last year too. Hope he joins the Reds rotation later this season or by OD 2024.

You’re not going to bat 1000. I still wonder what happened with Williamson, it’s somewhat reminiscent of Robert Stephenson thus far. But at the end of the day it’s as simple as some prospects surprise in a positive way, others in the opposite direction.

[mth123]

This is how building from the minors works. Abbott does well, maybe better than expected. Williamson does worse than expected so far. Others are talented question marks at this stage. Some emerge, some disappoint. That’s why you need sufficient quantity.

Most exciting thing so far is Abbott’s continued excellent starting pitching at AA. He was good there last year too. Hope he joins the Reds rotation later this season or by OD 2024.

You’re not going to bat 1000. I still wonder what happened with Williamson, it’s somewhat reminiscent of Robert Stephenson thus far. But at the end of the day it’s as simple as some prospects surprise in a positive way, others in the opposite direction.

Or just go get a veteran starter and put these guys in the bullpen where they can be upgrades to the retreads and career minor leaguers they are using there.

[Kc61]

Or just go get a veteran starter and put these guys in the bullpen where they can be upgrades to the retreads and career minor leaguers they are using there.

Not Andrew Abbott. He had 20 AA starts last year and averaged nearly 12 Ks. This year his first AA start was totally dominant. I’m not letting him near the bullpen. Some of the others in the pen, sure, absolutely.

Though the pen isn’t always a panacea. I look at Williamson’s current peripherals and don’t see the pen as a likely answer. Has to re-learn to throw strikes, and do so effectively, as a first step.

[mth123]

Not Andrew Abbott. He had 20 AA starts last year and averaged nearly 12 Ks. This year his first AA start was totally dominant. I’m not letting him near the bullpen. Some of the others in the pen, sure.

Though the pen isn’t always a panacea. I look at Williamson’s current peripherals and don’t see the pen as a likely answer. Has to learn to throw strikes, and do so effectively, as a first step.

First step is to stop throwing the pitch he can't get over the plate. In the pen he wouldn't need that extra pitch. Just throw the ones that work. Chase pitches also work better against three or four hitters than they do through a line-up multiple times. A lot of his problems would go away as a 1 or 2 inning pitcher.

[j.u.FAIRFIIELD]

It's a bit of a steep climb from Double-A to Triple-A, even for the really good ones.
Abbott might be the one who does that, although pitching for the Bats has to be an emotional bummer.
Still, he's a premium lefty and he might be as fast to the gate as Ashcraft has been. I think it's way too early to evaluate anybody else's chances.
I want to see Roa throw a couple of games. I have this peculiar hunch he's better than we think he is.

[mth123]

It's a bit of a steep climb from Double-A to Triple-A, even for the really good ones.
Abbott might be the one who does that, although pitching for the Bats has to be an emotional bummer.
Still, he's a premium lefty and he might be as fast to the gate as Ashcraft has been. I think it's way too early to evaluate anybody else's chances.
I want to see Roa throw a couple of games. I have this peculiar hunch he's better than we think he is.

I like Roa as a sleeper as well. I think I've been a little too pessimistic about Petty. He could be a guy, but he's more of a 2025 or 2026 guy. I also have hopes for Acuna at around that timeframe. But others like Boyle, Williamson and Stoudt (Phillips is young enough to give him more time) should be fast tracked as relievers IMO. Instead of continuing to struggle with that 3rd or 4th pitch that they need to go through a line-up multiple times and can't throw for a strike, just drop it and use them as one or two innings guys. I think they'd be a quick upgrade over the Derek Law's and Fernando Cruzes of the world. The Reds have to keep them starting because they have 2 giant holes in the rotation and their plan for addressing it is to cross their fingers and hope.

[Kc61]

First step is to stop throwing the pitch he can't get over the plate. In the pen he wouldn't need that extra pitch. Just throw the ones that work. Chase pitches also work better against three or four hitters than they do through a line-up multiple times. A lot of his problems would go away as a 1 or 2 inning pitcher.

I haven’t seen evidence that Williamson’s problem is inability to control a particular pitch.

[mth123]

I haven’t seen evidence that Williamson’s problem is inability to control a particular pitch.

He'll never control any of them if he's working on 4 or 5 different ones at the same time that he can't get over the plate. Drop the worst ones and focus on the two best ones he has. He's already 25. By then end of this year he'll officially morph from prospect to suspect.

[j.u.FAIRFIIELD]

I like Roa as a sleeper as well. I think I've been a little too pessimistic about Petty. He could be a guy, but he's more of a 2025 or 2026 guy. I also have hopes for Acuna at around that timeframe. But others like Boyle, Williamson and Stoudt (Phillips is young enough to give him more time) should be fast tracked as relievers IMO. Instead of continuing to struggle with that 3rd or 4th pitch that they need to go through a line-up multiple times and can't throw for a strike, just drop it and use them as one or two innings guys. I think they'd be a quick upgrade over the Derek Law's and Fernando Cruzes of the world. The Reds have to keep them starting because they have 2 giant holes in the rotation and their plan for addressing it is to cross their fingers and hope.

Scrabbling together a bullpen with Fernando Cruz, and some of the others we've seen over the past couple of years -- I guess it comes back to this: Why is it necessary to just concede you are going to lose 90 games? Get some Stricklands and leave no doubt about it. Meanwhile, guys who can conceivably pitch that well are being left on the dock.

I mean, really ... is the service clock almighty now? They gave Ryan Hendrix a shot at it, and it failed. But it was worth the gamble.
Garcia and Wong are both at 'Nooga. They won't stay there. Do they get to spend the duration of their career pitching for the Bats?