Mark Feinsand of MLB.com provides an interesting interview with Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto that’s well worth a full read. The topics range from the impact of Statcast to Dipoto’s seemingly insatiable appetite for trades.
Here’s more from the game’s western divisions:
- We checked in earlier tonight on Angels righty Garrett Richards, and there’s more news on that front. GM Billy Eppler says that the current concern is an ongoing lack of strength in Richards’s biceps, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links). Though cervical disc issues apparently aren’t at the root — an MRI came back clean — it seems that’ll need to be resolved before Richards can return to the hill.
- The Rangers will finally get a chance to see what they have in righty Andrew Cashner. He’s slated to make his first start for the team tomorrow, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Cashner, who signed a one-year make-good deal over the winter, was set back by biceps tendinitis in camp.
- There was other good news on the injury front for the Rangers. As Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes, key reliever Matt Bush could return to action as soon as this weekend. He has seemingly responded well to a cortisone shot in his shoulder, though the club is waiting a bit longer to make sure he’s pain free before putting him back on the rubber.
- Giants outfielder Michael Morse is nearly ready to take the field at Triple-A after rehabbing his hamstring, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports on Twitter. Indeed, Morse may be prepared for MLB action in just ten days, per the report. It’s unclear as yet what San Francisco’s plans are for the veteran, but he’d clearly represent an alternative to Chris Marrero if the club decides to make a change. Though Marrero has had a productive game tonight, including his first big league homer, he has struggled out of the gates.
- The Diamondbacks are still weighing just how to use Archie Bradley, who has shown resurgent form this year, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Bradley’s outstanding early work from the bullpen — no runs, ten strikeouts, and just two walks over 6 2/3 frames — has manager Torey Lovullo wondering how best to maximize the former top starting prospect. For now, it seems, Bradley is likely to continue working as a longman, but the skipper suggested that the young righty could begin to enter in higher-leverage spots. It’s worth noting that Bradley is now averaging 95.7 mph with his fastball after sitting just over 92 in his prior two MLB campaigns, though of course that’s probably aided in part by his move to a relief role.
Sometimes GMs get too much credit for doing something when things go well , and sometimes it’s just the opposite. The bottom line is it’s up to the players to win and be successful. When they are not the blame is on them most of the time, it’s called under achieving. In my opionion, the GM is resposible when teams are bad for a long time, they should have a 3 to 5 year window, the GM of the Padres,is in that boat. Some of the other teams that aren’t winning are still in that 3 to 5 year window. The problem in sports is there is really only one winner, I would give more credit to teams that are always in the playoffs and win their division like the Dodgers and Nats, Cards, and Yanks.. They have been winning teams for a long time.in one way or another..
Nationals? link to espn.com
I agree somewhat in general, but there are far too many variables to see what you say as definitive. Sometimes it doesn’t take 3 to 5 years, Dave Stewart at AZ, e.g. But there are factors like how much money the team is willing to spend. And the fact that prospects are a shot in the dark. There’s a high component of luck there. When the Rangers traded ARod to the NYYs, they got a list of prospects to choose from. They picked Joaquin Arias, and bypassed Robinson Cano. What does that say about the projecting of prospects, when the Rangers didn’t select Cano, but also the the Yankees made him available?
Everything kind of cuts both ways…Prospects are a variable but it’s not all blind luck. Teams that sustain success for more than a year or two hood scouting to find players and good development in the minors to grow them into big leaguers.
It says what I’ve always said about prospects, farm systems, and my outlook on top 100 prospects lists being BS, which is that every organization has their own opinion of prospects.
The Angels have been rated at or near the bottom of the farm system ratings yet they still managed to acquire Huston Street and Trevor Gott for a couple of youngsters that no one ever heard of.
And no one cared about Jean Segura and Randall Grichuk until the Angels traded them away and they became fixtures on their respective teams. Although Grichuk I still think gets way more attention than he should.
Patrick Corbin and Tyler Skaggs never got any love until after they were called up by the Diamondbacks and people for some reason made it a trend to second guess the Angels trading them fit Dan Haren.
Mark Trumbo was a nothing prospect. Matt Shoemaker was a career minor leaguer until 2013. Yet both were ROY runner up giving the Angels three rookies finishing second or higher in ROY voting in 3 out of 4 seasons (2011-2014).
Everyone missed Kole Calhoun.
So how bad has the Angels farm system really been? That’s the whole point I think. You never really know which top prospects are really going to pan out and which under the radar prospects are going to make everyone second guess themselves to the pint where FanGraphs writes a whole article on why Kole Calhoun was never a prospect. It’s all a crap shoot in the end.