Quote:
Originally Posted by Mecca
Stuff like this is what I was referring to when I said I didn't think they did a great job of developing guys. Hosmer would be a much better player today had they worked that stubbornness out of him while he was in the minors. There was obviously some of the "hey these guys are top prospects we don't want to piss them off" to some of those calls I think...but at the same time Hosmers approach and refusal to make changes has hurt his career.
I think a lot of that is why it took Moustakas so long to be a good major leaguer.
|
I get that, but on the flip side, the Royals also showed what happens when you do try to work players natural style out of them - they just did it on the pitching front.
Forcing pitchers out of the long-toss and away from the Slider was an organization philosophy for far too long - and surprise! Avoiding drafting pitchers from their pitch selection or moving them away from their strengths has backfired in more ways than one. In fact, forcing Duffy and Collins to change their delivery/pitches didn't prevent a torn UCL, and only had the effect of impacting their development.
A lot of people say the Royals missed out on an ace when they didn't draft Chris Sale, but idk, if they "cleaned up" his delivery and commandeered his pitch selection, it's quite possible his first six years in the majors would have been somewhat similar to Duffy's (after we took away Danny's out pitch).
Not that the Royals shouldn't have been more forceful with their hitters, but there is a fine line, and it seems the Royals took a while before finding it with their pitchers.