Identification. Acquisition. Development. Deployment.
Get used to those four words. They are the four pillars to player development, according to Ben Cherington. He stressed them throughout his introduction as the team's new general manager Monday, and I have a feeling we're going to hear it a lot more in the future, especially if the Pirates embark on a rebuild. So get ready for some I.A.D.D..
Today, we will be focusing on identification of talent. While that could mean free agents and trade targets, it is just as important to evaluate the talent within the system. Cherington recognizes this.
"That identification has to exist for our own players as much as it does for someone else’s. It’s the same process," Cherington said in our sitdown with him and Pirates brass Monday.
On Wednesday, we got our first example of Cherington identifying the talent he inherited from Neal Huntington. The Pirates added five players to their 40-man roster and designated four others for assignment ahead of the Rule 5 deadline. Most of the moves were not too surprising. Of course Ke'Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz would be added, and Blake Cederlind is a young fireballer who had Rule 5 project written all over him if he wasn't protected. Will Craig is a former first round pick with a good glove at first base and untapped raw power.
Meanwhile, Luis Escobar was removed from the 40-man. A bit surprising since he is still considered a decent prospect, but there is a better chance of keeping him through the draft than Cederlind. Montana DuRapau, a 27 year old fringe reliever, and Williams Jerez, a September waiver claim, were also DFA'd. Neither came as a shock.
But there were some decisions that definitely went against the grain of how the previous regime operated. We will focus on four pitchers who were involved in Wednesday's roster moves and tie in with the theme of identification of talent. One pitcher was removed from the roster. Another was added. One was left off the 40-man even though many think he should be on it, and another was surprisingly not released. In order, they are: Dario Agrazal, Cody Ponce, James Marvel and Dovydas Neverauskas.
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