A while back Bluto included the following in a post regarding what might be a MiLB manager’s criteria for evaluation. He listed four criteria and concluded he had no clue which to evaluate more highly than the others. The four areas he earmarked were:
- Development
- Relationship with players
- Getting players to our-perform their individual projects
- Team win/loss vs. Projections.
If he intended the four areas mentioned to be in order from most important to least important it seems he has something going there. I too can only pretend to know what is going in the minds of MiLB player development personnel, in the clubhouse or on the field aside from skill development.
I did a bit of scouting the net – not in very great depth – to attempt to find out what the plan for a newly drafted player entering the Dodger system is. More than once I found others saying this about the Dodgers MiLB development plan. Simply put, “They’re the model.” That is, it is thought that the Dodgers player development plan sets the benchmark for all of baseball.
Since I had initially mentioned Great Lakes Loons manager Austin Chubb I mostly concentrated on what his perspective might be while guiding MiLB players under his care. Actually I was most interested in Bluto’s fourth point which centered around winning.
Since I have been followings Chubb’s progression through the Dodger coaching ranks I will share what I had written about him on March 31, 2017.
https://pro4mer.com/pros/austin-chubb/
Former catcher Austin Chubb, 27, will take over as manager of the Dominican Summer League Dodgers 2 for the 2017 season. In doing so he becomes the first American born manager in the history of the famous Campo Las Palmas.
Chubb was born in Lake Mary, Florida and attended high school in his home town. Following his graduation, he attended State College of Florida in Bradenton, Florida playing for the Manatees for two years. He then transferred to Florida Southern University for his junior and senior years.
As a junior, he hit .295 with five home runs and 26 RBI. In his senior year, Chubb hit .291 with eight home runs and 33 RBI. He had a team high 17 doubles.
Following his senior year with the Moccasins, he was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 21st round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.
Chubb had a four-year minor league career in which he played 91 games and hit .213. On January 6, 2015, he was released by the Nationals and signed by the Dodgers on January 23. Chubb played only 10 games with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2016 while spending four stints on the 7-DL list which limited his playing time to that hand full of games.
Chubb elected free agency following the 2015 season and was subsequently signed as the hitting coach for the Ogden Raptors of the rookie level Pioneer League.
One can only wonder what it was, or is, that has so quickly entrenched Chubb in the coaching ranks. Perhaps this tweet by Dodgers Director of Player Development, Gabe Kapler, on Chubb’s one game with the Great Lakes Loons on May 15, 2015 helps answer the question.
“So proud of Austin Chubb. Watching him hit for the Great Lakes Loons is inspiring. Grinder, great teammate, valued in our organization.”
Chubb became manager of the Ogden Raptors in the Rookie level Pioneer League in 2019. Those Raptors would go on to claim the best half record in Pioneer League history. Minor League Baseball isn’t always about winning as top prospects can develop into stars even on teams that lose. However, Austin Chubb said before that season that he teaches winning is part of player development.
“Every time you step on the field, your goal is to win,” Chubb said. “Obviously, minor-league baseball is about development, but winning is a part of that. Some of these guys are going to move up. We want them to move up together and win together.”
“We fully expect to win.”
Chubb returned to the Great Lakes Loons as manager for the 2022 season. In an interview before the season he spoke of unfinished business with the Loons.
“We had a chance at the postseason last year and came up a bit short, so we all have a chip on our shoulder to go even further and win a championship in Great Lakes.”
There can be little doubt that players and coaches in the minor league play to win every time they take the field. However, winning has to take place inside of a paradigm, a model of player development within the Dodger MiLB and MLB system. The two are not separated by the leap from the MiLB level to the MLB level.
Back to the Dodger “model” mentioned earlier in this brief look at the now “Dodger Way”. Player development in its broadest terms is the hallmark of the Dodgers MiLB system. The cornerstones are communication, information synchronization and player individualization within the whole of the Dodgers organization. The effect has fostered an easy transition for new arrivals, who don’t have to worry about deciphering unfamiliar scouting reports or adjusting their pregame routines. They can just go out and play because what they experienced at the previous level is what they experience at their newest level. There are no surprises.
Austin Chubb spoke to the constant changes in player personnel as the season progresses. Keeping a core locker room intact which helps with team chemistry is important in building a winner on the field but he feels the Dodgers have done a number one job organizationally to create a culture at each affiliate. That is, a common culture so players come in to new team and can simply be themselves with a seamless transition.
Former Dodger Matt Beaty spoke to the easy transition to the MLB level from the AAA level. He was surprised to learn when he got called up that Dodgers’ trainers, strength and conditioning staff and hitting coaches already knew his pregame routine after speaking with their counterparts at Triple-A.
Another former Dodger spoke of the same transition from the minor leagues to MLB.
“The actual development does a really good job of not being different from the big leagues,” Corey Seager said. “They talk about what they do up here. They work like they do up here, so once you get up here you already know what to expect and you know what you need to be able to do. You can just go out there and try to perform.”
“We don’t want the first time that you are warming up in a major league bullpen to be the first time you’re presented with information in that manner, “Director of Player Development Will Rhymes said . “As much as we can make it a similar experience and take away the newness of things, the better.”
Perhaps we wonder why young pitchers on the minor league teams are not stretched out more as we might like and perhaps the answer is simply that the reason lies in the Dodger way for pitchers at all of the levels including the MLB level.
The Dodger system is one and the same at all levels on the field and off the field. Another plank in the player development platform is the culture the Dodgers strive to develop. They do so not just from a philosophical point of view but by the coaches that they hire that already possess the values they are helping to develop in the young players in the clubhouse and on the field.
“At the end of the day we’re trying to empower our players”, Will Rhymes said. “So we want coaches who are positive and who exemplify the values we think are important in our players. Creating lifelong learners, really high baseball IQ, people who have tremendous work ethic…That’s the environment we want our players to be in.”
Besides the on field skill development players at all levels are encouraged to be themselves. That is, there is not a cookie cutter approach where every young player is handled in the same manner. Communication with coaches is all important in helping these young men pursue their dream and to become better young men.
“We just leave them be, let them do their thing,” said Justin Turner, the Dodgers’ clubhouse leader. “The analogy I always use is a bowling analogy. We try to be the bumpers and make sure they’re keeping moving down the lane and don’t ever make it to the gutters. If they go sideways, we just try to give them a little nudge and keep them back going the right direction.”
Is winning at the MiLB level important? With a resounding “yes”, it is. However, as in Bluto’s hierarchy of MiLB player development, winning is number four. A young player’s health and development will never be compromised to win a game just as a Dodger arm will not be compromised to claim a no-hitter and potentially perfect game.
Congrats to baseball alum, Austin Chubb (2011-12) who has been named manager of the Great Lakes Loons, Class A affiliate of the LA Dodgers. Chubb was named the Pioneer Manager of the Year in 2019 after leading Rookie-level Ogden to a 54-22 record. #LetsGoMocs #MocsBaseball pic.twitter.com/KeJGswB1nh
— Florida Southern Mocs (@FSC_Mocs) February 9, 2021
Big week ahead for Dodger Poke.
Talking with High A Great Lakes manager Austin Chubb, and Flame throwing Top 30 Pitching prospect, Carlos Duran, has also agreed to a question and answer interview.#Dodgers #MLB #baseball @greatlakesloons pic.twitter.com/LLDY3Q5Egs— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) January 31, 2022
A special thanks to Harold for letting me hold one of his posts back for such an occasion. This is a tough week for me as I was out of town for 2 days, and on Thursday night, friends took us to a concert to see Shawn Mendes. I have never heard of Shawn Mendes, but he does put on a very entertaining show. I like loud concerts, and this one qualified.
I have another engagement coming Sunday night. We are heading to the rodeo here in Folsom.
Anyway, thank you Harold for a quality post.
And also, thank you to JT and the LAD bullpen who were all sensational. Game 1 to the Dodgers. It is even better beating Joe Musgrove. Next up, Blake Snell.
The rest of the team was 2 for 25 with 12 strikeouts.
The Dodgers have a way of winning ugly
Was just discussing with my wife how the Dodgers can stand there and look at strike three or, as in Bellinger’s case swing at pitches in the dirt. (I think he needs glasses, he’s not seeing spin) To start the game both Turner and Freeman stood there with bat on shoulder and looked at strike three. She asked why they did that. I didn’t have an answer, and I don’t have an answer. What is the Dodger approach with two strikes? It most certainly isn’t choke up and protect. I understand that they score a lot of runs, best team in league, run differential etc, but why do they get caught looking or chasing strike three as often as they do? 12 K’s in 25 at bats? That is awful. Musgrove ain’t Koufax.
You are right. Joe Musgrove is not Sandy Koufax, but he is having a great year. He is 7th in ERA for ML (3rd NL), 6th WHIP for ML (4th NL), and 10th in SO/W for ML (6th NL). So not Koufax, but he will be in the CY discussion if he keeps it up. He will be an All Star pitcher. The metamorphosis began last year. He has just got better this year.
But your commentary on the lack of a good offensive approach is on the mark.
After reading today’s post a second time, and giving more thought to it, it’s my unprofessional opinion that Development is the goal and that encompasses everything listed in Bluto’s list.
One thing I think is important to talk about in development. “Defense never slumps”. A scout said that to a family member in ‘66 and I’ve never forgotten it. Obviously you hit your way to the bigs, but winning is accomplished by doing all the little things well. Everyone on defense has something to do on every pitch. Think ahead, be in motion on the pitch, every base is covered and every base is backed up. Take the outs they give you and steal one whenever you can. Never give a base away. When I’m at the park I watch for this movement. It’s amazing how often I don’t see it. I see guys standing out there clearly thinking about either their last at bat or their next one, not backing up or arriving late. It’s my opinion the Dodger organization does not stress defense and it reflects in play at the Major League level.
just as there’s a German word for everything we lack in English, there seems to be a stat for everything in Modern Basebal.
THAT said, this stat seems much more fixated on positioning and out-creating. NOT on being in the right place for cut-off throws or the more nuanced stuff.
http://www.fieldingbible.com/TeamDefensiveRunsSaved
Quite the eye opener. As a side note, small business is where most of the new jobs are created and France doesn’t even have a word for entrepreneur.
The Giants surprised me. The only stat they look good at is the Shift.
I remember Ron Cey saying his group of prospects while working their way up beat their Giant counterparts so they expected to beat them when they got to the Majors.
IMHO, learning how to win is part of development. Bums mentioned that was how Ron Cey remembered about beating the Giants. As Badger said, there are many ways of winning. Playing old school defense is clearly not on the minds of many players (not just the Dodgers). I have even seen Mookie late on a bad throw down the line while he was anticipating an accurate throw. Those that anticipate a bad throw stop the extra base. I have seen the pitcher backup the wrong base…3rd when he should have been home or vice versa.
I saw a great example of pulling a win out of a loss just last weekend. The Dodger batters were being handily throttled by Braves pitchers, and then with two outs in the 9th and two strikes on the batter, Gavin Lux singled, and running on the pitch, Lux went to 3rd on a CT3 single. CT3 stole 2nd, and Trayce Thompson singles both of them home to tie the score. A game they eventually won in XTRA innings for the 1st time all year.
Dodger hitters do not learn to take what is given them. With a runner on 3rd, how many times have we seen a hitter with 2 strikes swing as hard as he can at pitch that he cannot hit and try to jerk it out of the yard , when all is needed is to choke up and get the ball in the air, or if the infield is back, just making contact. When most of us were growing up playing the game, we learned to hit behind the runner to get that extra base. Junior Gilliam was a master at that. Now the game is throw the ball as hard as you can for as long as you can or hit the ball as hard as you can as far as you can.
Learning how to win is part of a winning culture. It is part of a complete development posture that can be learned at the lowest level in professional ball. Most of the players at that level could win games on their own, now they have to learn how to win as a team.
I don’t know what is happening with player development. But I wonder if doing the things that win games as taught throughout the system is rewarded as much as barrel rate, ave exit velocity, batting average, homeruns, RBIs?
Puig knew it was crowd pleasing to throw home instead of to second to hold a runner at first. He was allowed to do so as long as he smacked the ball hard.
Dominican players know they have to hit their way off the Island. Walking won’t get it done.
Who makes the big bucks? The ones that hit behind the runner? Does Belli get benched for taking big swings WRISP and two outs and two strikes?
You have described the sport of baseball as it is played today.
Apparently Joe Musgrove does not think much of Justin Turner as a threat
He certainly pitched to Justin with that belief.
Jefe’, do you know if those numbers were before or after last night’s game?
I do not know, but I will check it out.
Checked – The numbers are after the game. Before the game he was 2-9.
Before last night Turner was hitting .217 and OPS’n .634. Though it was a dumb thing to say, Musgrove wasn’t wrong. Does snap Turner out of it? We’ll see but I kinda doubt it. San Diego pitchers will likely approach his at bats differently than Musgrove did.
Musgrove is a pin head.
This is a story on Austin Barnes and the respect he has in the clubhouse. Well at least for this Austin Barnes fan it was a cool story.
That is a great story and I too am an Austin Barnes fan.
Austin gives everything he can and has had some important hits.this year and in the past. He always looks like he is playing under control and not rattled by anything.
I love these kinds of stories and appreciate players like Austin Barnes, Justin Bruihl and others.
Barnes is not a big strong looking guy but his teammates say he is the one they want with them if trouble breaks out.
For me, he is the perfect #2 catcher.
Yes he is, which is why I am hoping that LAD gives him an extension.
Imanol Vargas has just hit grand slams in back-to-back games for the Loons. A forgotten man he has been on fire for all of June.