Heels On The Field: A Baseball Blog

The Importance Of Maturity Trumps Dazzling Talent

It's easy to be overwhelmed by a prospect's potential. Maybe his swing is so natural, hitting looks easy. Perhaps you're in desperate need of a reason to feel excited about your team, and the young players coming up are all that inspires you.

The guy can hit. Or he can pitch. Great.

What else?

A Major League scout recently told me that, when a team asks for his reports, one of the first things they want to know is where a player is at mentally. Does he have psychological issues that could hurt his chances and, ultimately, hurt the team that's investing in him?

A young player with tremendous natural talent in one area might have you impatiently tapping your toes: When's he getting his shot? He's ready!

Maturity is often used in baseball terms, but it's so deeply important in the development of any player. He might get there, but staying there is the tough part.

The dilemma for a team must be extraordinary. A player that has clear talent, but a history of emotional, legal or family troubles, is a risk for them both in the short and long term. To invest in a player with those issues, likely will require some extra effort on their part.

One young player who made it to the Majors, only to go back down again, had such trouble keeping in line that his father was asked to travel with the team. He followed the bus in his car. It turns out, the extra effort didn't quite pay off.

Baseball folks talk about Yankees pitcher (reliever, starter...) Joba Chamberlain's lack of maturity. And how impressive Blue Jays minor leaguer Kyle Drabek's maturity is. When Curt Schilling was young, he was considered a goof off. That worked itself out. Regardless of how you feel about some of Schilling's other tendencies, he learned what he needed to have longevity. He (don't gasp) had the benefit of maturity.

Phillies reliever Ryan Madson told me that when he was at Triple-A Scranton (formerly a Phillies affiliate), he knew mentally that he required more time at that level. And not because he was lacking maturity or harbored any fear.

"It took awhile for me to have the strength to handle that kind of pressure."

He knew instinctively what he needed to do and he executed. His quest to get to the Majors involved knowing what he was good at and what he needed to have to be successful.

Oh, the...relief in a team obtaining a young player with that kind of nature. Half the battle is already won.

When you see a spectacular player on the field, it's easy to see the future of your team. The ones with the natural talent, those are the guys that'll give you a start. There's a moment, sometimes, where you see someone and you know you're watching something special.

But he has to know it too. He has to respect his opportunity.

Otherwise, his dad's trailing behind the bus.

And there's no guarantee that's going to work.

2009 World Series Opponents Phillies and Yankees Farm Issues in '10

The start of a new era for the teams that faced one another in the 2009 Fall Classic is set to take shape in 2010.

While the World Champion Yankees continue the development of a potential replacement for catcher Jorge Posada, the Phillies rebuild (recover?) from a mind-blowing trade that changed the near-future of the team. 

The Yankees aren't regarded highly for their Minor League development, though a number of their young and veteran players are farm-grown. There's been exciting players to come out of their own system through the years - SS and Yankee Captain Derek Jeter being an obvious one, Jorge Posada and pitcher Joba Chamberlain, unless you're in the camp that believes Chamberlain is a colossal waste of time.

Another player coming up the pike is Jesus Montero, the 20-year old catcher whose season with the Double-A Trenton Thunder was cut short due to a hand injury. There's intense speculation among fans and baseball writers about Montero's future. Can he be moved to another position? Would it make more sense for his physical makeup? Montero is projected for 2011, so it seems a concrete decision would be necessary soon. His power at the plate is one thing. Utilizing his strength on the field is another.

Before his season was cut short in August, Montero had knocked in 33 runs and had an OBP of .370. He'd also accumulated 14 walks and 53 hits.

The Phillies and Yankees indirectly affected each other this off-season as well: former Yankees prospect Austin Jackson will now be in the Tigers everyday lineup, with the trade of Placido Polanco to the Phillies, where he signed three-year contract worth $18 million.

The Phillies were a team that appeared to have a lot of their ducks in order on the farm. There was little doubt that Kyle Drabek was soon to be Major League ready as part of the starting rotation. Drabek was considered by Phillies fans and media to be (hold for the millionth time this word is used) untouchable. There's dispute over whether or not GM Ruben Amaro Jr., said it, though...it wasn't regarded as a secret. Drabek's future was in Philadelphia and no one doubted that. It was just about waiting for him to be handed the key to the city.

Well, never mind that.

There was opportunity to strike a complex, gigantic trade for Cy Young award winning pitcher Roy Halladay. The Phillies had to make a decision that many are still puzzled by. I don't question these things a lot. Because sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Nothing is certain. Drabek wasn't certain to be a glorious success. Cliff Lee? That Cy Young award winner wasn't certain to be a Phillie, but, wait, he was behind the wheel, on his way to seeing about that.

Nope, never mind.

The Phillies struck a deal that sent Lee to the Seattle Mariners and Drabek, OF Michael Taylor, and C Travis D' Arnaud to the Toronto Blue Jays. In return the Phillies got Halladay, $6 M in cash, and a trio of Minor League players: RHP'S Phillipe Aumont and Juan Carlos, and OF Tyson Gillies.

It was surprising to see the Phillies make a deal that compromised their farm system in such a grand way. This is a team that built the majority of their 2008 World Series winning team from the ground up: Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers and Carlos Ruiz were all developed within the system with great care and effort. The idea that a player as touted as Drabek would be traded for anyone, was huge.

However, Halladay was the crowning jewel. To get him in their possession, the Phillies had to sell some of their gold.

Lee would go, according to the Phillies, for several reasons all having to do with money and business. Roy Halladay's worth a lot. On that point, there's no argument.

The question ahead, in the months and years to come is about how much the loss of Drabek particularly will hurt the Phillies. Both Drabek and Taylor were examples of highly developed mature players who seemed close to big league opportunity and, possibly, success.

Essentially, the Phillies traded potential for a potential lock on the NLE for several years to come. But the fans will lament the lost potential of Lee and Halladay at the helm of their beloved ship. Drabek was part of the future dream. The outcome they envision remains perfect, because there will never be a chance to see it fail, as those perfect baseball dreams often do.

It's an interesting twist. Would the Yankees part with a young superstar like Joba Chamberlain for a big name pitcher? There are Yankees fans that are all for it and those who think he needs more time to grow.

Though Drabek was unproven, Chamberlain is still in the early stages of his Major League career and yet, the Yankees don't appear to have any less faith in him. They've set rules for him. Grappled with where he serves the team best. Parting with him doesn't seem in their plans. They believe in him.

As for Montero, the Yankees believe in him, but it's a matter of, similarly, where to give him the best chance for success on the team.

Neither team knows if they've got the winning hand.

But, clearly, they both have faith in the potential they are rich with.

Floodlights On: Phillies Minor Leaguer Brian Gump Hopes For Higher (A) Start

Brian Gump is both realistic and optimistic.

"This may be my imagination running wild," he said.  "I think that I can show up and do some things in spring training to possibly get a shot at starting in Clearwater."

The Lakewood BlueClaws outfielder has worked particularly hard this off-season, utilizing a Phillies-established facility in Compton. There he's worked with other pitchers under the expert eye of top scouts.

"We have the opportunity to hit on a field with quality bp throwers and some knowledgeable scouts supervising," he said. "So far, it has mostly just been myself, John Singleton and Zach Collier, but Darby (Myers) and (Kelly) Dugan have also made appearances."

The 23 year old also focused his energies on specifics in improving his offensive abilities.

"I have really been focusing on loading my hands and trying to utilize my legs a bit more in my swing. I have fairly strong legs so I need to tap into them for more power," he said.

"I am currently weighing in at around 203, up from the 190 to 193 I was during the season. I feel very strong and powerful and I'm getting pretty excited to see my hard work express itself on the field."

Greg Legg, a Phillies minor league coach/manager for 16 seasons, returns as a coach for the BlueClaws and Gump spent some time working with him this winter.

The hand load is a small tweak that will go a long way once I really master it because until this off-season, I never really had one, my hands were essentially completely still," he said. "Greg made the suggestion to work that into my swing before we parted ways for the off-season and so I have been working hard on adding it to my mechanics."

In 2009 he began his first professional season with the GCL Phillies hitting .317 with 19 RBI, before being promoted to the BlueClaws. There the left-hander hit just .200 and his OBP dropped from .386 to .317. But he took it all as a learning experience, not a failure.

He took a guess at where he'd start 2010, but seemed fairly sure.

"I would guess that I am slated to start in Lakewood."

While his hope is to start the season at a higher level, he is keeping his usual positive attitude.

"I really feel that I have put in a lot of work to prepare myself well, so it should be a lot of fun."

Gump is coming into his own and to the realization, that there are differences in hitters who get to the big leagues, and those who stay to enjoy a long career.

"I did not realize how tired I was at the end of the season until I started swinging regularly again and I picked up the bat again and felt a huge difference," he said.

"That's something every ball player has to fight through, and often what separates good hitters and great hitters."

"Chase Utely was and is obviously very impressive. He is an extremely talented ball player to say the least. I really enjoy watching how each player carries himself on the field, especially on such a grand stage. Unfortunately, Hideki Matsui was out of his mind all series, but that was pretty special to watch regardless of my affiliation."- Brian Gump's thoughts on 2009 World Series

Mark McGwire Admission Should Lead You BACK To Baseball

The new era of baseball offers you many opportunities.

This era gives you new ballparks, with state of the art features and, most are smaller venues, so you can see more, no matter where you sit. You have a lot more options if you're a vegetarian and can breathe freely if you're a non-smoker.

This era gives you a network dedicated to the sport, without interruption of football or basketball.

There's also the matter of seeing baseball played as clean as it possibly ever has been, or at least in the past thirty or so years.

Former St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire confirmed what baseball fans and insiders suspected, believed and insisted upon. His sit-down interview with Bob Costas will be debated a great deal. Just in time to replace the debate and jokes about his testimony before Congress. He did PED's and now, we know, absolutely.

Is he the last to step forward? Does it matter?

Reports of the death of baseball are greatly exaggerated. It should be a rebirth.

What Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez can do, is hit 'em out for the next five years and give baseball it's chance again. Rodriguez has something more to prove, though he's already on his way. If he can hit a parade of home runs across every season for some years to come, he could silence his detractors and, essentially, announce another truth: he can do all that powerful stuff without...all that powerful stuff.

And a young guy like Howard can also make a declaration. He can show that a guy can hit a baseball out of the yard and blow spectators away with his talent, clean and purely talented.

Think about the minor leaguers who are developing during a time when MLB is getting tougher and tougher on steroid users. Lowering tolerance should scare them. And if it doesn't, they'll quickly learn baseball has no place for them.

Viewing the McGwire admission as a loss of childhood is fine. You're right. We believed in what our eyes told us. We enjoyed every minute of our blindness and there should be no regrets.

But today is a new day, and the seasons to come are our opportunity to see baseball in a new way, allowing our game to be as close to pure as possible.

Rebuild baseball, and they will come.