Baseball has its well-known major league seasonal cycle. The ballplayers arrive in Florida and Arizona in February while the snow (now often only remembered from Februarys past) is still on the ground here. They come north  in April with the spring, bloom in summer, and depart after a wished-for blaze of colour in autumn.

There is another longer cycle in baseball, that begins with the choosing of a player in the major league draft and which ends with his retirement from baseball 5, 10 or even 25 years later. For some, the game itself is slow, the pennant race is even slower, and the development cycle of a ballplayer unbearably so. For others, watching a ballplayer develop is a welcome respite from a world moving too fast for its own good. They retreat to their baseball garden to watch their prospects get chosen, grow and, with careful tending and a little luck, bloom like Alex Rios. With the draft upcoming next week, it is time for the baseball gardeners to assess what one already has and then turn over the soil where needed so that it is ready for our little perennial plants.

So, what are the home team's needs in the longer run?  Which spots in the garden are a little bare?

Pitchers

Of course, there must always be pitchers be coming up through the system.  It is though an area of strength in Toronto.  There are righthanders and lefthanders, power pitchers and control artists, starters and relievers, up and down the system. Depending on one's count, there are between 15 and 25 pitchers of interest, with many of them toiling away in the upper levels of the system..  That is a very healthy number.  A simple gentle replenishment, and nothing more, is in order.

Catchers

With the departure of Guillermo Quiroz, there is one good catching prospect in the system, Curtis Thigpen, although Josh Bell may surprise.  That is at least one short of what the system should have.  Staying healthy is a major project for catchers, so it is always a good idea to have an extra one coming up.

Middle Infielders

The system is also somewhat thin in this area.  Ryan Klosterman, Jesus Gonzalez, Sean Shoffit and Wes Stone are interesting prospects further down in the system, and Ryan Roberts or Sergio Santos may surprise us and contribute, but there is definitely need for a  good middle infield prospect or two.

Centerfielders

Ouch.  With the departure of Miguel Negron and the struggles of Yuber Rodriguez, this is definitely an area of immediate need especially in light of Vernon Wells' contract status.

Corner infielders

A third baseman would be very nice, as it does not seem likely that John Hattig will help much at third base, if needed, and there are few other realistic possibilities.  Chip Cannon and Joey Metropoulos are two interesting first basemen, and Adam Lind may end up there.

Corner outfielders

Ryan Patterson, Adam Lind, and perhaps Cory Patton and Brian Pettway, constitute a relative strength for the organization at this point.  There is generally a shortage of speed in the organization, but whether new speed is acquired through a corner outfielder or through some other position is purely a matter of choice.


Alas, some years, as with garden plants, the available players at a position of need are of inferior quality to those where there is less need. It is a delicate balancing act for the organization to take into account both the available talent and its own positional needs when making selections.  This year is, by all accounts, a poor draft year generally and for position players particularly.  There are unlikely to be too many prospects making quick jumps up the system, but rather slow steady growth is what one can hope for. 

Stay tuned next week, as Pistol provides us with his draft day analysis.  This year Pistol will also be following the Auburn Doubledays, where many of the top prospects will go, after the draft.