Post by rog on Dec 19, 2018 15:10:57 GMT -5
I found this discussion of AA vs. AAA very intriguing. It was slightly different than I thought. Since it indicates the biggest jump is from A to AA, this might bode well for Travis Bergen, although the jump from AA or AAA to the majors is the biggest. But that Bergen made the leap from A to AA without much loss is encouraging (even given his advanced age for either category).
The answer isn’t as obvious as you would think. While the minor league system in baseball is generally hierarchical — Low A is better than rookie ball, High A is better than Low A, AA is better than High A — that hierarchy splits at AA / AAA rather than continuing in sequence.
Counter-intuitively, the talent level at AA is at least as good as AAA and likely slightly better than AAA.
What? Why? How?
In the baseball minor leagues, the most valuable assets (players) are so-called “prospects”. Having the label of prospect means the major league team that owns a player’s rights believes that player’s top-end ceiling (assuming he fully develops) is high enough to produce a major league quality player.
Starting with rookie ball, players are generally matched up by age and ability. Players who succeed quickly are often pushed up to play with older and more proven players to see how they perform vs harder competition. Players who languish too long at lower levels can lose that prospect label.
So players move up levels as they show they can handle each lower level, increasing the level of competition each step of the way until they get to AA. Then they typically stop at AA, because AA is the level where most of the best prospects for every team play.
Why? Because AAA is where older prospects, players who are no longer prospects but still productive against minor league players, and lifelong minor league veterans (think Crash Davis from Bull Durham) play. Teams want their best young prospects to play against other teams’ top young prospects, not against the grown men of AAA who already have topped out as players and may succeed against the young prospects on veteran guile and experience.
Sometimes if a top prospect stagnates at AA, you will see them promoted to AAA to see if they can get them jump started by playing against different players or getting different coaching or just getting a change of scenery.
Sometimes a top AA prospect will move to AAA because the big league club thinks they are almost ready for the big leagues and just need polishing and practice rather than developmental time in AA, so it is true that you will see some top prospects in AAA. However the best prospects in baseball are usually jumping directly from AA to the majors instead of making a stop at AAA first.
Among all of the levels in the minor leagues, it is generally accepted that the transition from High A into AA is the hardest one to make and represents the biggest step up in competition.
The answer isn’t as obvious as you would think. While the minor league system in baseball is generally hierarchical — Low A is better than rookie ball, High A is better than Low A, AA is better than High A — that hierarchy splits at AA / AAA rather than continuing in sequence.
Counter-intuitively, the talent level at AA is at least as good as AAA and likely slightly better than AAA.
What? Why? How?
In the baseball minor leagues, the most valuable assets (players) are so-called “prospects”. Having the label of prospect means the major league team that owns a player’s rights believes that player’s top-end ceiling (assuming he fully develops) is high enough to produce a major league quality player.
Starting with rookie ball, players are generally matched up by age and ability. Players who succeed quickly are often pushed up to play with older and more proven players to see how they perform vs harder competition. Players who languish too long at lower levels can lose that prospect label.
So players move up levels as they show they can handle each lower level, increasing the level of competition each step of the way until they get to AA. Then they typically stop at AA, because AA is the level where most of the best prospects for every team play.
Why? Because AAA is where older prospects, players who are no longer prospects but still productive against minor league players, and lifelong minor league veterans (think Crash Davis from Bull Durham) play. Teams want their best young prospects to play against other teams’ top young prospects, not against the grown men of AAA who already have topped out as players and may succeed against the young prospects on veteran guile and experience.
Sometimes if a top prospect stagnates at AA, you will see them promoted to AAA to see if they can get them jump started by playing against different players or getting different coaching or just getting a change of scenery.
Sometimes a top AA prospect will move to AAA because the big league club thinks they are almost ready for the big leagues and just need polishing and practice rather than developmental time in AA, so it is true that you will see some top prospects in AAA. However the best prospects in baseball are usually jumping directly from AA to the majors instead of making a stop at AAA first.
Among all of the levels in the minor leagues, it is generally accepted that the transition from High A into AA is the hardest one to make and represents the biggest step up in competition.
