6/21/25 : That’s Baseball (Player Development Style)

Back on June 2nd the Lehigh Valley IronPigs were sitting in sole possession of first place in the International League with a 41-16 record which at the time was the best in all of pro baseball. They had just 18 games to play in the first half with a very clear path to earning a playoff spot. Since then they’ve gone 5-11 and have fallen into a tie with Jacksonville (they’ve went 12-4 in their last 16 games) for the league lead. With two games remaining the IronPigs are now in must win mode and need help from Syracuse to at least defeat Jacksonville once in their final games of the half as Jacksonville owns the tiebreaker.

Lehigh Valley was on a remarkable run but as I wrote on June 2nd they also had the rare occurrence of their roster remaining virtually intact with a very stable lineup as usually the AAA level affiliate is a feeder to the major league club for fill in needs. They also were fortunate to be void of significant injuries. Then injuries occurred and a bunch of those fill in needs arose - their best starter Mick Abel was promoted to the show on 6/4/25 when it was decided that Taijuan Walker would move to the bullpen and Mick would fill the long term absence of Aaron Nola. In search of potential bullpen help the big club claimed RHP Ryan Cusick off waivers on 6/8/25 and designated RHP Kyle Tyler for assignment, Tyler was claimed by the Orioles. He had been arguably the IronPigs second most reliable starter.

The stable everyday lineup took a jolt when team MVP Otto Kemp was promoted to the big leagues on 6/7/25 to fill a role needed when Bryce Harper was placed on the IL. Buddy Kennedy got the call on 6/19/25 taking another key cog from the lineup. Justin Crawford went down with a quad strain on June 5th and didn’t return till 6/14. Christian Arroyo went on the IL on 6/7/25. All four players had delivered consistent top of the order run production during the initial 57 games. While Keaton Anthony has produced admirably since his 6/11/25 promotion from Reading (15 for 36 - .417 batting average) most of the fellas charged with filling the opened roles have struggled.

But that’s pro baseball where the only level where team wins and losses truly matter is the one at the very top. While I feel bad for the loyal Lehigh Valley fans (and there are plenty of them - they consistently are amongst the leaders in minor league attendance) the truth of the matter is it’s not unexpected that the team talent was segmented. Cheering for a minor league affiliate necessitates also cheering for the big club as that’s what the minor league system is there for - to support and furnish the major league team with ready talent. It’s actually a written segment of the Phillies “Protect the Standard” charter.

Minor league baseball is a different breed - player development is primary, folks may not like to hear that but it’s entirely the case and always will be. Anyone who judges the success of a player development organization solely by the affiliates winning percentage is missing the boat. Player development tiers are purposely built, lineups are dictated and work is scheduled with little regard to game outcomes -the job is to develop individual talent - wins are a byproduct if the talent produces collectively.

So with two games left in the first half I truly hope for the Allentown fan base that the IronPigs somehow find a way to provide them a chance to cheer a winning effort. The second half starts next week, even if the IronPigs find a way to the first half playoff entitlement it’s very unlikely that the present roster is the one in September that would go to Vegas for the playoffs - turnover is just how the minor leagues work - that’s baseball - pro player development style.

Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️

Keaton Anthony - photo by Cheryl Pursell

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