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Tim Anderson's Don't Come Along Often


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24 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

You know that's easier said than done for smaller town kids though; for the big city kids who play in large conferences they can play other sports and they'll still get recognized. For some smaller town and high school kids, travel ball is their chance to get noticed in their eyes. 

Northern kids are already docked too much for the lack of "competition" in regular high school ball and travel ball; if you play somewhere small you take an even bigger hit.

Docked for what?  Herein lies the problem.  Parents thinking little Johnny has a future in baseball.  Well I have bad news.  The odds are overwhelming he doesn't so stop paying these exorbitant fees for travel teams and private lessons for absolutely nothing.  There are plenty of small towm leagues for kids to play and have fun and if little Johnny really is good he'll be found.  Parents have to stop feeding the machine.  

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3 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Docked for what?  Herein lies the problem.  Parents thinking little Johnny has a future in baseball.  Well I have bad news.  The odds are overwhelming he doesn't so stop paying these exorbitant fees for travel teams and private lessons for absolutely nothing.  There are plenty of small towm leagues for kids to play and have fun and if little Johnny really is good he'll be found.  Parents have to stop feeding the machine.  

If I was MLB I'd take the wind out of the tournament circuit, put together regional tournaments by invite only based on team scout nominations + increase the size of MLBs scouts, and make the trackman data and measurements available to all 30 teams. Make a show out of inviting kids who aren't on travel circuit.

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8 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Docked for what?  Herein lies the problem.  Parents thinking little Johnny has a future in baseball.  Well I have bad news.  The odds are overwhelming he doesn't so stop paying these exorbitant fees for travel teams and private lessons for absolutely nothing.  There are plenty of small towm leagues for kids to play and have fun and if little Johnny really is good he'll be found.  Parents have to stop feeding the machine.  

Scouts in general give performances in the Midwest less credence due to the decreased playing time and perceived lack of competition. 

It isn't absolutely nothing. As you said previously the odds are stacked against it for pro ball. However the increased visibility makes it much more likely they will get at least a portion of thier higher education paid for.

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4 minutes ago, bmags said:

If I was MLB I'd take the wind out of the tournament circuit, put together regional tournaments by invite only based on team scout nominations + increase the size of MLBs scouts, and make the trackman data and measurements available to all 30 teams. Make a show out of inviting kids who aren't on travel circuit.

You'll have to convince them that it's more cost effective than the current system.

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2 minutes ago, bmags said:

If I was MLB I'd take the wind out of the tournament circuit, put together regional tournaments by invite only based on team scout nominations + increase the size of MLBs scouts, and make the trackman data and measurements available to all 30 teams. Make a show out of inviting kids who aren't on travel circuit.

They've started that with the summer PDP league.  There were rumors a couple years ago MLB was trying to buy Perfect Game but those have died down.  I think they're going to do moreleagues now that they moved the draft date to threw a wrench in the summer circuit.  It's going to be interesting.

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26 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Correct.  He didn't play organized ball until his Jr year of HS.

 

22 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Honestly that is one of the more incredible things about his rise

I think in Tim’s case (as well as others like Lorenzo Cain), not being plugged into the system early on meant they could develop their own approach to playing that suited themselves best.  As a 16-19 year old you are more likely to understand what works well for you than when you are a 10-14 year old.  Conversely, you also have a better idea of which “conventional” ideas don’t work for you.  LIke trying to draw more walks, for instance.  As others have said, TA worked his ass off to get to this point and should be credited for finding his own way to get here.

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Just now, ptatc said:

You'll have to convince them that it's more cost effective than the current system.

Well in the post I'd BE the MLB not have to convince Manfred not to be an idiot. And it has the benefit and goal of increasing the number of kids playing baseball which leads to longer term fans. It is a goal to grow the sport overall and then league.

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Just now, Harold's Leg Lift said:

They've started that with the summer PDP league.  There were rumors a couple years ago MLB was trying to buy Perfect Game but those have died down.  I think they're going to do moreleagues now that they moved the draft date to threw a wrench in the summer circuit.  It's going to be interesting.

I know you were skeptical the MLB would do it right, but it did sounds like one of the side effects (according to law) of the changes this summer would be more scouts needed (since they can't be two places in once). Are you any more confident?

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3 minutes ago, ptatc said:

Scouts in general give performances in the Midwest less credence due to the decreased playing time and perceived lack of competition. 

It isn't absolutely nothing. As you said previously the odds are stacked against it for pro ball. However the increased visibility makes it much more likely they will get at least a portion of thier higher education paid for.

You're talking about an extremely small percentage of players. 

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1 minute ago, bmags said:

Well in the post I'd BE the MLB not have to convince Manfred not to be an idiot. And it has the benefit and goal of increasing the number of kids playing baseball which leads to longer term fans. It is a goal to grow the sport overall and then league.

He is essentially the owners puppet in most cases so if he really thought it was a good idea then HE would need to convince the owners it was a more cost effective way to do it. I'm not sure it would bring more people into the sport.

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3 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

You're talking about an extremely small percentage of players. 

It's actually not that small when you look at all of the scholarship from all levels of the NCAA. Granted it's still fairly small but without it, it is absolutely nothing. Parents just really need to be objective about it and that's really hard to do.

We had to make the choice with our daughter and running. She was among the top in Illinois which is a good but not the best for girls running. She had some offers from smaller schools. It wasn't until she competed in NY, TX, and CA against the some of the top national competition that she received offers from bigger DI programs. And this is in a sports against a clock which you would think would be strictly numbers based.

Athletes need to be seen with big competition to get offers. It's just the way it is.

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22 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Docked for what?  Herein lies the problem.  Parents thinking little Johnny has a future in baseball.  Well I have bad news.  The odds are overwhelming he doesn't so stop paying these exorbitant fees for travel teams and private lessons for absolutely nothing.  There are plenty of small towm leagues for kids to play and have fun and if little Johnny really is good he'll be found.  Parents have to stop feeding the machine.  

This is a fair point, but being seen can save parents money. This isn't about being a professional; this is, at it's core, about being seen and getting a college opportunity somewhere for most of these kids. Getting a scholarship - which for baseball likely sucks ha - and getting a chance at a college education.

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4 minutes ago, bmags said:

I know you were skeptical the MLB would do it right, but it did sounds like one of the side effects (according to law) of the changes this summer would be more scouts needed (since they can't be two places in once). Are you any more confident?

I'm still skeptical.  I'm worried about the lag time between the end of the HS/college season and the draft.  What are the players going to do during that time?  The top guys won't play in summer leagues for fear of injury and we could see how uncomfortable teams were with drafting guys that didn't play or played little during this last draft.  Too many radical changes at once for my liking.  

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1 minute ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

I'm still skeptical.  I'm worried about the lag time between the end of the HS/college season and the draft.  What are the players going to do during that time?  The top guys won't play in summer leagues for fear of injury and we could see how uncomfortable teams were with drafting guys that didn't play or played little during this last draft.  Too many radical changes at once for my liking.  

This is never a recipe for success in just about everything.

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TA7 is the superstar we all wanted but never expected. I have always been patient with him, but never thought this level was truly going to happen. I was all for Robert to bat leadoff as soon as this season, but realistically next season. Until he can lay off bad pitches he can't be that guy, but Anderson has basically forced himself into leadoff for the rest of his tenure...because TA bats wherever he says he is going to bat at this point. Enjoy the ride and the pasta. 

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TA always impressed me in the minors by how he always seemingly struggled for a bit and was able to adjust at every level.  Proved to me that not only was he a super smart player but also mentally tough to get through some of his struggles.  As other have said, I for sure thought he would regress offensively while improving defensively this season but damn this is something.  Kid is a superstar, fun as hell to watch and seems to be just a great overall human being.  Special player and person.

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26 minutes ago, EloyJenkins said:

TA7 is the superstar we all wanted but never expected. I have always been patient with him, but never thought this level was truly going to happen. I was all for Robert to bat leadoff as soon as this season, but realistically next season. Until he can lay off bad pitches he can't be that guy, but Anderson has basically forced himself into leadoff for the rest of his tenure...because TA bats wherever he says he is going to bat at this point. Enjoy the ride and the pasta. 

Exactly right

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36 minutes ago, fathom said:

In a season like this without fans, his swagger and energy really helps the team. It was evident how much he means to the team when he was out.

No. The team started playing better because the new guy, Keuchal, called them out in the media. It was just a coincidence that TA returned to the lineup the next day./sarcasm

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I've come around on Tim Anderson. So glad he's on the White Sox. I love how he moves around in the box to put himself in position to beat the pitcher. Wish more guys would do the same. Love his growing power, which may be his next level. Love how when he gets one hit, especially in his first at bat, it usually leads to several. Love his improving defense, which will continue to get better. Love his rah-rah leadership, and how he makes the game fun. Clearly this is a team of guys who love to have fun together while beating up their opponents. Love how he supports his community and gives back. 

I don't know how many posts I put up pining away for Fernando Tatis, Jr. No more!!  I'm thrilled we have Tim Anderson, who just keeps getting better. 

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