4/16/23 : Just Sayin

The Tampa Rays started the season 13-0 and are routinely a playoff contender each season.  What stands out about their organization is the progressive approach they take.  They are a teaching organization throughout, this spring we noticed the pairing of a young scout with an experienced teacher, it’s something we’ve seen from the Rays in times past as well.  The organization has a developmental philosophy throughout and a remarkable consistency regardless of who holds positions. The approach is also found in how they are able to take players from other organizations, place a focus on the player’s strength and teach them to utilize it to success, it happens over and again.  By the way the young scout I referred to earlier was a woman, the Rays have also long acknowledged women holding baseball operations jobs - good stuff.

While the Rays have had quite a bit of recent regular season success they’ve stumbled in the playoffs which brings me to another observation.  It rings true that when stars shine teams win, the lack of star identity and presence hinders championship runs.  We saw it last year first hand with the Phillies when Bryce Harper and crew made their run.  The Phillies are built to win titles however that’s heavily reliant on stars being stars.  So while it’s fan fodder to chat about batting lineups, bullpens, etc the true identity of the 2023 Phillies will be determined no differently than how the 2022 edition was, if the stars shine they will succeed, if not then they won’t - pretty simple.  Good thing is our club has plenty of stars that can step up to do so, teams like the Rays lack in that realm.

I’ve heard some folks discount the importance of RBIs - as an old ball player my response to that is as simplistic as the remark itself.  If one has never felt the pressure of being in the batters box with runners in scoring position then there’s no true understanding of the importance of delivering runs batted in (RBIs).  This year’s Phillies team ranks 24th amongst the 30 major league clubs in runners left in scoring position per game.  While it’s not the sole reason for their slow start it’s certainly a factor.  The ability to bring a runner home is a skill not taken lightly by knowledgeable baseball folks, clutch hitting isn’t just relegated to the moments shown on the highlight reels, it’s also embedded in bringing home runners consistently when opportunities present.  Damn right RBIs are important, always have been and always will be.  Just sayin.

The initial 2023 Clearwater Threshers roster is intentionally jam packed with the 2022 draft and amateur free agent signings.  The decision to do so was made earlier in the year with the mindset that developing the group collectively will build both camaraderie and success.  While the group won’t necessarily always play together as a team unit starting their first full year of play together, in my opinion, is a great approach.  However, we shouldn’t get too focused on what the club or for that matter any other affiliate does in the win/loss column.  That’s not to say that building a winning culture isn’t important as it most certainly is however after many hours of observing minor league baseball the primary emphasis and focus is on individual player development.  Team skills are part of that but minor league game management in regards in approach to actually winning the contest differs from the major leagues where that is the ultimate goal each and every day.   So when folks send me silly notes stating that the organization should move players up from Clearwater just because they’ve gotten off to a decent start I cringe.  In this sport making inconclusive opinions on just a few isolated observations rather than a continual review over multiple games is not only erroneous but overly simplistic.  Just sayin, do the homework over the long haul rather than jumping onto short term hype.

Generally when I attend practices or games at the Complex I try to blend in relatively unnoticed so that I can actually observe.  For the most part that works, there’s the occasional fist bump from players, coaches and administrators and my friends in security as well as the police officers on duty are always welcoming but usually I’m able to quietly watch.  I do the same each evening as I watch the big club play as well as each of the affiliates via streaming game feeds.  I try to reflect on what I see in my daily correspondence which I know has no real value (monetary or otherwise) in the overall scheme of things but yet I still publish them to share (just because).  Sometimes the view from the shadows shines a hidden light, that’s what I attempt to do by spotlighting the minor leaguers each day, it gets to be a grind sometimes, especially when negative folks comment but as long as I’m able to do so I will try to continue with the hope it’s worth perhaps a little something to at least a few.  Just sayin.  Btw it seems my tenure on the Phillies Beyond the Bell blog was short lived, I’ve submitted articles each day but none have been published beyond the initial two - my worthlessness emphasized I reckon 🤦‍♂️.

Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️