Could time on Developmental List help Abel?
Roster management is a term that is used in baseball, primarily in the minor leagues.
It refers to being able to stash a player — or multiple players — somewhere without having them count on a team’s roster, but not be exposed to being lost on waivers to another team.
Years back, there were phantom injuries like turf toe or shin splints, and sometimes the occasional back strain. All of these are real injuries and all can be very painful in real life, but were often painless in baseball terms.
Former IronPigs player and current Phillies assistant general manager Jorge Velandia suffered from the baseball version of shin splints.
Velandia was a decent player that the Phillies liked to have around because he had some major league playing time, was good in the clubhouse, and was easy going. Basically, they liked the guy and signed him to a minor league contract for the 2009 season.
Funny thing though, whenever the Phillies needed to open a roster spot on the IronPigs, Velandia came down with a bout of shin splints. The condition cleared up just as Lehigh Valley had an open roster spot that Velandia could fill. He was with Lehigh Valley for the entire 2009 season but played in just 10 games, mainly because of those dreaded shin splints.
Now, minor league teams can use something called the Developmental List (DL) to stash players. The DL allows players to take time off from games to work with coaches, or just have some time off to clear their head. It also allows for some roster management in that teams can stash a player on the DL and basically expand their roster.
Recently, the Phillies used the DL with the IronPigs roster in exactly the way it was intended to be used. Mick Abel has struggled all season with Lehigh Valley and the coaches have worked with him on different things and tried a few different approaches, but nothing has pulled him out of his struggles.
Somewhat in desperation, the team put him on the Developmental List as a way to simply let him sit and watch games and take a bit of an in-season breather in an attempt to reboot him mentally. In 17 starts this season, Abel has managed to pitch an average of just 4.5 innings per game and has a 6.67 ERA with Lehigh Valley.
Abel — who turns 23 later this month and is one of the Phillies top pitching prospects — has faced a lot of pressure. Many players put even more pressure on themselves than coaches, media, and fans do and it can become overwhelming for a young player.
Abel was mentioned as a potential trade piece at the trade deadline, but his value had sunk to a point where the Phillies didn’t feel they would be able to get enough value in exchange since they still believe Abel will eventually be a very good major league pitcher. Just the fact of being mentioned as a possible trade piece can put more pressure on a young player, so perhaps a stint on the DL will do Abel some good.
The Phillies could conceivably even send him to their training camp in Clearwater, Florida to completely get away from the grind while still being able to work out and train. While the DL may not be an absolute last resort, it does show that there is some legitimate concern over Abel, and that there is something wrong that they have not been able to fix.
GREAT SCOTT … The hottest hitter on the IronPigs right now is former Phillies infielder Scott Kingery. Since June 23, Kingery is batting .342 (39-114) with nine home runs and 21 RBIs. Yes, Kingery has had fits and starts at the plate, but this one just feels different. In the IronPigs recent series in Jacksonville, Kingery was 9-for-20 (.450) with three homers and seven RBIs. An interesting part of the streak is that Kingery has been playing pretty much every day and has been at shortstop in 25 of the 28 games he has played during the stretch with one game each at second base, center field and designated hitter. If you think back to when Kingery’s problems started, it was when the Phillies attempted to make him into a multi-positional player who never knew when or where he was going to be playing. Perhaps that’s the key. Kingery has a season slash line of 22-55-.275/.332/.427 with Lehigh Valley.
CLASSIC KROONER … Thanks to a stint on the IL, Matt Kroon missed most of July and it took him a few games to get his swing back, but it looks like he found that swing on the IronPigs trip to Jacksonville last week. In three games against the Jumbo Shrimp, Kroon hit .455 (5-11) and had a double, three homers and nine RBIs..
STANDINGS UPDATE … In the second-half standings, Lehigh Valley is 20-12 and holds a 1 ½ game lead over Rochester in the IL East. They are two games behind Columbus (22-10) for the top spot in the IL that would send them into the league playoffs at the conclusion of the season.