Broken Bat - Discussion Forum: Seeking advice for rebuild

Forum >> Discussions >> Seeking advice for rebuild

Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date

#95432	03/30/2025 6:10:56 pm	Aug 29th, 2068
SanKaloon Joined: 06/24/2023 Posts: 83 Lincoln Park Wolves V.6	So it's September 1st. My team is basically the 2024 White Sox. All the old good players that got me here have moved on and I'm starting to bring in the young guys that are hopefully the future. Question I have, is on Elton Lang. He seems like he could be good, possibly my CF, but has not been recommended for the majors yet even though he's 24 and has a 101 skill index. If I bring him up for September, will that improve his chances of playing well in 2069, or should I leave him in AAA the rest of the season? I don't want to stunt his growth, but at the current rate he will retire before I get to play him . Also, much like Bennett11 in the 'Constant mediocrity' thread, I welcome any other advice with my team and what I could improve upon in the next chapter, as this year has been a bit of a disappointment.

#95433	03/30/2025 6:57:50 pm	Aug 29th, 2068
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9843 Haverhill Halflings II.1	This year was a setback, but overall your team has made steady progress, so I don't think I would call it "mediocrity". A POT 14 still has a lot of growth left at 101 SI. He hasn't even been in AAA for a full year. Yes, he absolutely needs more time in AAA. On the flip side, I see no issue with getting him some major experience now. Just be sure to put him back down to AAA for spring. Also, he might get an early call because of major league experience, so possibly leave him down for a couple week even after he gets the recommendation (next year). Your GB/FB is relatively average - so it doesn't lean towards any specific park. However, you are giving up a LOT more HRs than you hit. So you really want to make the park less HR friendly. Probably raise the walls a bit. Since you are rebuilding, I'll just review the younger guys. Bales looks good. Certainly better in LF than RF when you have control (which you don't when he is a sub). Valenzuela looks like a dead end. No hitting report isn't great, but his BC is basically flatlined. Low BC guys can do ok in the lower leagues, but they generally can't hit in the upper leagues. Escobar has an odd build for 2B. A lot of SI wasted in Arm. Its always hard to drop a POT 15 though... End of the day I don't think he is very good. Maybe a backup SS/2B. That low BC and PD combined it going to make him strike out a TON and pretty much never walk - so expect a low OBP. He should be fine in LL-5 though. Is Becerra targeted to 3B? He might be ok, but slow Hitting growth makes me think he is going to be one of those "very good hitter" with 13 or 14 Hitting... So he might not really be helpful at the plate in the long run. Still worth keeping in the low leagues. Szewczyk is an odd duck. His HR number his first year in the majors is surprisingly high given his minor performance. Maybe lucky? Despite only being a "good hitter", he may well have more Hitting than Becerra. Probably worth keeping and watching for a while. I'm skeptical of anyone who is only a "good hitter", but he looks like he is on the high end of "good hitter". Macaluso is ok if you just need an Arm at C, but he isn't going to be a good hitter. That flatlined BC is the biggest issue. The low PD is killing Everett, but I've seen worst at 2B. At least he has a good Power-GB/FB matchup, and good defensive stats. Wants to play in a small park with high walls though. Low PD is killing Ureño as well. But I don't think he has any real positives to offset that. Menendez will always struggle with the VERY low BC and below average PD. McHenry doesn't really have any dominating tools. He's done ok so far, but I don't think he is very good. Davey is similar. I think these kinds of pitchers can do well in the lower Leagues, but they aren't going to help when you get back to LL-IV. I'd try to get guys with at LEAST one good tool. Two tools is more optimal. You really only need Stamina for your Starters.

#95434	03/30/2025 7:54:06 pm	Aug 29th, 2068
SanKaloon Joined: 06/24/2023 Posts: 83 Lincoln Park Wolves V.6	Thanks for your input Rock - really appreciated. I need some time to unpack it all. The advice on things that work at LL5 and don't work at higher leagues is definitely helpful. I have now learned that I can't really compete well above LL5 with what I was doing, so trying to learn. I have never really known what to do with Becerra. I think that's why I've ignored him in the minors for so long. I picked up Macaluso just as a backup because hopefully Gilley is the future at C, but he wasn't ready to come up yet. Menendez was a guy that I was rooting for coming out of the Mexican League that had good total bases and oWar. I don't know why I kept him this long. I'm still rooting for him .

#95435	04/04/2025 5:21:48 pm	Sep 16th, 2068
Tiger504 Joined: 06/17/2014 Posts: 1353 Kalamazoo Bloody Tigers II.2	We all have to play with the cards/players we have unfortunately. Just some quick observations.... Macaluso is definitely not the answer at C. Gilley may be. But this you already know. Of your young 1B, I think Valenzuela is your best possibility. No he's not great but he could be the most useful. He has alot of SI to go yet. Szewcyzk I just don't like but I've not been impressed with international players. They almost always seem to underperform their scout reports. Escobar should be a SS. I think you should move him there. He may blossom there if he hits for more power. Give him time. At 25 his best seasons are ahead and almost here. Bales has possibilities as a LF/DH. Keep him. Lang is your CF of the almost now and future. I suspect he will do fine if you moved him up sooner but if you decide he needs another season in AAA, so be it. He will be a good player for you. Your AAA is clogged up, as is mine. Both of us have several players there that will not pan out even though we hope lol. Of those in AAA, I like these: Bond is the only pitcher I have high hopes for. Gilley of course. Yeager should be a good shortstop for you. If Escobar turns out for you, he can always go back to 2B when Yeager shows up. Lastly, I think Mills has possibilities believe it or not.

#95436	04/05/2025 8:38:11 am	Sep 16th, 2068
SanKaloon Joined: 06/24/2023 Posts: 83 Lincoln Park Wolves V.6	Thanks for the reply Tiger504. Bales and Mills were both drafted with the thought that maybe they could DH. But I didn't expect much else. Both you and Rock have made me think that maybe Bales can pay LF - so I'm trying him out there. Escobar's range has always made me question if he could play short, but Gotzy is getting up there in age. Maybe I should swap Gotz and Escobar for the rest of the season to get Escobar some positional experience? And yeah my AAA is full - I don't like letting go. Fletcher looks like a dud, but it's tough to drop a 14 POT, but it doesn't seem like it's going to be 14.

#95437	04/05/2025 12:19:35 pm	Sep 16th, 2068
Tiger504 Joined: 06/17/2014 Posts: 1353 Kalamazoo Bloody Tigers II.2	Fletcher is an interesting case. You should try to nurse him along. I'd suggest putting him back to AA for 2069 for a full season. And then a season at AAA for 2070. That plus 3 spring trainings of the starting rotation and you could be pleasantly surprised.

#95438	04/05/2025 1:12:09 pm	Sep 16th, 2068
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9843 Haverhill Halflings II.1	Bales is on the low side for Range, but he is a good enough hitter to trot him out to LF. Just make sure your CF has good range. I'm skeptical of Escobar's range as well. I like more at SS. But Tiger is right that SS is really his only option. That or backup. Fletcher is 21, which means he will get his final scouting refinement at the end of this season. It will be interesting to see if he maintains 14. I think he is borderline, but borderline doesn't mean cut.

#95439	04/05/2025 1:12:09 pm	Sep 16th, 2068
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9843 Haverhill Halflings II.1	Posted twice Updated Saturday, April 5 2025 @ 1:12:39 pm PDT

#95442	04/06/2025 9:08:15 am	Sep 20th, 2068
SanKaloon Joined: 06/24/2023 Posts: 83 Lincoln Park Wolves V.6	OK, thinking about 2B. I agree Chico Escobar is not productive since moving to LL4, and never will be. The low PD is killing Everett, but I've seen worst at 2B. At least he has a good Power-GB/FB matchup, and good defensive stats. Wants to play in a small park with high walls though. Is that because he's an extreme fly ball hitter, so he's pretty much going to fly out everytime he actually makes contact? Could Simpson play 2B? Would he be a better long term solution than Everett? Or does his 'solid' fielding make him a liability at 2B?