The Role Of Player Development In MLB Team Building

Player development has always played a key role in sport, and that includes Major League Baseball. Primarily, it is the process of ensuring that amateur baseball players are prepared for a professional career in the big leagues. If a MLB team has aspirations for success then their world series odds can be hugely affected by player development. Put bluntly, without a promising farm system or players brought in and developed properly, any team will find it difficult to progress to the next level.

How Player Development Begins

The process of player development starts when talented and promising young players are identified as having the potential to become successful players. This is where scouts come in to spot these players and evaluate their potential early enough, essentially to predict how good they will become. Identified players will then be put into a player development program to improve those skills and develop the techniques that you would expect from a professional player. 

This can be an arduous and time-consuming process yet every MLB team must have a system if they want to remain competitive. The player development process requires dedication and hard work, both from the players themselves and their team. That is if they want to mold a promising yet raw player into one fit for the MLB. Who knows, one of those rookie players may even play a role in the 2023 World Series.

The Balance Of Player Development

There is a certain balance to be sought with player development to ensure that it works. Too many rookie players and the team may be lacking in the required experience to get through many difficult situations. Too few rookie players and a team can lack the energy and raw power to excite a fanbase that a team is developing that could have the potential to win a World Series.

Player development has a lot to do with work ethic and attitude too as the organization needs to understand how to push certain players. This can start with scouting as there are telltale signs of a player’s emotional standing and an organization will know how best to develop a player. Some players need to be pushed along, others may need encouragement after being hard on themselves. Others may need a pick-me-up after becoming their own worst enemy, therefore it is important that each player is spoken to on a personal level and understood.

Not every player is the same and players need to be understood as individuals on a human level. Treating everyone the same is likely to have a detrimental effect, even if it seems like the easiest approach. The best coaches understand that one player needs to be coaxed with a quiet word while another can have their fire stoked by a strong word or ten. Then again, organizations will have standards and expectations for each player and it is worth teaching them, even on an individual level, to engender a feeling of solidarity. 

The renowned skills of a player will still be there yet they need to be brought out to the forefront. A pitcher will still have the capacity to throw the ball yet their range of pitches can be improved. Even their signature pitches can be tweaked with intensive player development and coaching. Those tiny percentage points can make a big difference when it comes to those key moments in games so it is worth investing in.

The Importance Of Player Development

Sure, international signings, and high-end draft picks will likely dominate the preseason headlines yet a strong farm system is important too. Each method of bringing in new players falls under the umbrella of player development and each MLB team should have a robust system. Talent is one thing yet players need to be developed for the benefit of the team and its eventual success.

Whether it is an expensive international signing or a player brought through the farm system, each player is an investment. Certainly, there are different levels of expectations between a player signed for $2m straight from high school and one bought from college for a fraction of that price tag. However, each player needs to be evaluated and understood for their role in the system and that should be done prior to their signing. 

A lot of player development is down to the organization in determining their role. While each player will have a potential value, that largely depends on their role. They could be a future big leaguer, trade bait, or a defined role player in a system. Whatever the role is, the organization needs to determine that and work on their development accordingly. 

Summary

It may be difficult to spot those teams that have a strong player development yet the successful teams should have it. You can tell when each player knows exactly what their role is and the coach knows how to get the best out of them. That can be from a player molded from a MLB team’s farm system or one brought in as a huge international signing. Each player will be coached and cajoled to bring the best out of them for the benefit of the team.