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Not to pile on but this issue goes beyond development and includes aggressive player promotion to the bigs, starting as early as April of the 2021 season. It's definitely not an 'in the future' problem.
I haven't gone through every roster but, in my current save, every team I have faced has at least one player who hasn't played above A ball and often more. And they are playing regularly or in the starting rotation or working prominent BP innings.
Just finished a series with the Cubs who have a young C Amaya, with a few at bats at A+ under his belt, splitting time with Contreras. He was 0 for 30 coming into our series and scratched out an IF hit against us.
But many of the young players are thriving, performing like established MLB stars, not raw rookies.
Look, our club (Cleveland) started 28-10 so this is not about losing a couple games. In fact, as we embarked on a road trip starting in Seattle, I only asked myself HOW things were going to start to balance out against the sub-.500 Mariners, not whether or not they would.
We've lost the first two games 5-1 and 10-1 predictably. But it was Jared Kelenic (going to be in line for an all star berth) and Julio Rodriguez who played key roles in their line up.
Meanwhile, Logan Gilbert shut us out for 6 innings of 4-hit ball, followed by 2020 draft pick Emerson Hancock (having never thrown a pitch in the minors) who should have no-hit us over his 5.1 innings except that I got pissed and managed a bunt single on an 0-2 count. And didn't feel badly about it!
Really, though, Kelenic and Gilbert in the majors? OK. No problem.
But both thriving. MMMM.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez has 65 AB at high A to his credit and Hancock has never pitched in the minors.
And their flourishing during their first appearances in the show, too?
Yah, I think both development and promotion still need to be dialed down.
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