There R Giants Top 50: 36-40
Looking on the bright side of life
Photo Credit: Samantha McCloskey | Richmond Flying Squirrels
Top 50 time is here! So far we’ve looked at:
There’s a quote I saw recently from the dear departed Brian Sabean, in an interview given to a Yankees blog, about how he approaches player development:
One of the things we tried to do with our scouting staffs – not only in New York and in San Francisco – was to constantly remind ourselves of how tough the game was to play. You have to look at the positives. Don’t be overly critical. Note what they can do and try to fix the areas that need polishing.
That seems to me such a perfect distillation of how to approach prospecting that I’ve actually created a little draft post containing just that quote in my behind the scenes draft board so that I can look at it and remind myself constantly.
The game is tough. The odds are long. Focus on what players can do and how they help you win games. Every player is his own distinct incarnation, and not everyone who posts a .750 OPS gives value in the same way.
These are all great words of advice that must be constantly reinforced — because when you look at a player’s stat line, it becomes only too easy to get dismissive from a safe remove. THAT will never do! HE’LL never make it doing that! Part of our natural filtering and winnowing-down mechanisms, I suppose.
All of today’s players have taken their bumps and bruises along the development road, as everyone does. But each of them brings unique abilities to the game as well. Our 36-40 group may not be the highest ceiling group in the prospect world, but they have the ability to help their teams win, and that’s always something to worth celebrating. So let’s dive in and talk about some guys who are always ready to ball out and lend a hand where needed…
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