2021 General Minor League Discussion

schillingfan 2021-02-13 22:13:38 UTC #21

I am confused by the Low A and High A. According to this Clearwater is in Low A and Jersey Shore is High A. Have they swapped the levels?

LoneStarPhan 2021-02-13 22:13:51 UTC #22

It is always hard to see tradition throw aside, but it isn't the first time this has happened. In a short time we will fully adjust to the new structure, names, etc.

Because of family in upstate New York, I have typically (prior to COVID) spent several weeks every year in very close proximity to Dutchess County Stadium, now home of the Yankees' high A Renegades. I look forward to catching the Phillies Jersey Shore team there in coming years.

Yes, Schillingfan, Clearwater will be the low A affiliate for the Phillies and Jersey Shore will be the high A team. Hudson Valley goes from short season low A to high A. A significant upgrade.

zambonir 2021-02-13 23:50:04 UTC #23

Yes. Was reported this was going to happen all along, now it's just official. With no more Williamsport it means drafted players can just report to the complex, some might actually play a little, others will just get to know the coaching and training staff before starting their first full season without ever having to leave Clearwater. I bet a lot of them will also just move and maybe even work there instead of spending September-January somewhere else.

I'm sure MLB will try to buy the league names but I don't blame the leagues for wanting to strike a decent bargain, and of course MLB will continue to want to make the worst possible bargain. I doubt they will actually sell sponsored names but it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to create their own new branding that creates some kind of unified them. We've seen the NHL do this at the big league level and I wouldn't say anyone ever came to like it.

BostonRoss 2021-02-14 05:54:17 UTC #24

Come visit anytime!

(Well, maybe wait a little while )

andyb 2021-02-16 20:06:48 UTC #25

Matt Winkelman has a pretty good depth chart here. These are not the same as likely assignments. Just trying to slot everyone somewhere after the 18-month layoff. Johan Rojas to Reading might be a wee bit aggressive. The Jersey Shore infield with Casey Martin at 2B, Luis Garcia at SS, and Kendall Simmons at 3B could be fascinating. I imagine they will still rotate all of them through all the infield positions, but that could be fun to watch. And they all could deserve that placement, even Luis Garcia who theoretically would have played Low A in 2020 and then High A in 2021.

zambonir 2021-02-16 20:40:59 UTC #26

He's got Stott in AAA, you've got Stott in Reading, with only 4 career games above Williamsport I still can't help but think he has to start in High A.

andyb 2021-02-16 20:43:10 UTC #27

I'd start Stott in Reading. Last year would have been Clearwater. He is advanced and polished. There is not that much difference between AA and AAA for a guy with Stott's background but I think AA is enough for now. Gamboa is likely a reserve at this point.

Matt_Winkelman 2021-02-16 21:21:12 UTC #28

Trying to do a pure depth chart when there was much we didn't know was pretty impossible. Especially since we know regular minor league spring training is delayed and so for the first 1-2 months we either just get AAA or we get an alternate site. For now I decided to split the different and put almost all of the non-roster invitees in AAA until we get clarity.

As for Stott in particular, if he had played a normal season in 2020 (and remember he was at Summer Camp and the alternate site) he would be starting in AA or AAA having probably finished 2020 in AA. So maybe AAA is aggressive, but he is going to get at bats to open the year and that is going to happen in AAA or at an alt site that feels like AAA, and I just don't see how after a month+ of that they then demote him to AA.

Rojas to AA is aggressive, but so was inviting him to even their mini-camp, this morning I had him on the Jersey Shore roster in CF.

andyb 2021-02-16 21:47:40 UTC #29

That all makes sense. Just hard to know where all these prospects are after a year of internal play only. I was hoping to see someone like Rojas in the Dominican Winter League but I am guessing he was scrimmaging somewhere.

Hope you don't mind me posting the depth chart. Just trying to start some minor league talk here. Really appreciate your rankings over the years.

zambonir 2021-02-16 21:48:03 UTC #30

Oh yeah, that makes sense - that his 2019 action has already taken him past High A, and that he just has to go wherever there is baseball for the moment. Things are so screwy that I don't necessarily think it would be a demotion if he does end up in Reading, but who knows until we see how he does.

To me the bigger question was if the Phillies being forced to give Didi a second year meant they also didn't expect Stott to be a consideration until 2023. But who knows how much MLB we'll even have in 2022.

Matt_Winkelman 2021-02-16 21:58:57 UTC #31

Oh god no, they are pinned tweet for a reason. Honestly all the spreadsheets are mostly for my benefit which is why they can be a bit arbitrary at times, but I also know that other people like keeping track of all of this.

Rojas I believe wasn't even eligible for the DWL draft (and I am not sure it actually happened this year) because he hasn't played full season ball yet. It was hard for guys to get at bats who were high minors players. My assumption is that he has spent time at the complex, but I don't have any reporting to say that specifically.

Philsmania 2021-02-16 22:56:31 UTC #32

How is it going to work down in the Florida complex? Are they just going to play XST games or will there be some kind of organized league similar to what the GCL used to be?

andyb 2021-02-16 23:30:09 UTC #33

I don't think they have really figured it out. Step 1 is this major league camp. At the end of March they will cut the roster to 26 going North and another 28 designated as the alternate squad. Then the first wave of minor leaguers will come in at the beginning of April. Minor leaguers probably come in a couple of waves (AAA and AA players first, A ball and down second). Hopefully vaccinations will be done by April so things get simpler.

There are plans to have either 1 or 2 GCL teams in the future (MLB has not yet ruled on whether teams can have a second). For this year it is possible they will just do XST, but COVID will really drive that decision. There are also organizational roster limits (190 now, eventually 180) that will factor in. Dominican League players do not count on those limits so I think we will see players stay in the DSL a bit longer, especially if they go with only 1 GCL team.

COVID is making the decisions this year unfortunately. If there is GCL I hope they start earlier as there is no reason to wait for the draft (which is later anyway).

zambonir 2021-02-17 01:05:33 UTC #34

With virtually no draft class from last year won't Clearwater (now Low A) and XST probably covering most players until August?

allentown 2021-02-17 01:07:01 UTC #35

The Phillies did sign a lot of college pitchers after the draft, so they will be available for A-level CLW.

zambonir 2021-02-17 01:15:43 UTC #36

Yeah, I'm not saying CLW won't be a little crowded, but those guys (10 of them right?) wouldn't have been in the GCL either.

zambonir 2021-02-18 03:29:18 UTC #37

Some AAA info I hadn't noticed. Every series will be six games long too.

The former International League has absorbed some former Pacific Coast League franchises and will be the biggest league, with 20 teams. The smallest division within the league — the Northeast — will play in its own “bubble” this season. The Buffalo Bisons*, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Rochester Red Wings, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Syracuse Mets and Worcester Red Sox will only play within their division this season, keeping the travel regional.

andyb 2021-02-18 05:24:05 UTC #38

Looks like they want to start AAA pretty early if that schedule is the plan about a week after the majors and staying with 144 games. Other levels are shortened to 120 games and starting in May. AA was supposed to be 138 and single A 132.

This assumes that most AAA players will be in major league camp I guess.

Taudawg 2021-02-18 17:38:02 UTC #39

BlueClaws schedule is out -

Reading -

andyb 2021-02-18 17:41:09 UTC #40

Such a beautiful thing to see. And an Aberdeen road trip is not too bad for me if we have fans in the stands in the second half of the year.