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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat
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Travis
2:07
Hey Eric, really appreciate your analysis and as a Rangers fan super excited about Gore! Wondering if you’ve had a chance to watch some of Rocker this past season. His prospect hype/minor league success versus MLB results has been really fascinating to me. Midway through the season, he basically shelved his “death ball” slider that was his bread and butter, in favor of utilizing a cutter. Have you ever seen a prospect completely abandon a pitch was successful for years and be successful as a starter? Do you think he brings it back in some sort of capacity in order to level out rest of his arsenal Still hoping he can be a starter for us with a sinker, 4S, cutter and that slider. Thanks!
Eric A Longenhagen
2:08
I'm not sure how things will settle for Rocker because he's already made several changes o his stuff and delivery during a nearly decade-long window as a known prospect. I think the fact that he can make adjustments is a positive thing, but he's always been more of a fourth starter or closer type of prospect to me because of his health and fastball playability issues.
Ice Cream Helmet
2:08
Seems plate discipline and pitch recognition are the toughest tools to actually improve, especially at the majors. But I still read all the time some version of "If Player X can just learn to stay off the slider/improve chase rate/etc." Does anybody actually get better at this? Who are the best case examples players who have done it at MLB level?
tldr: Is Michael Harris II destined to hit like Jeff Francoeur?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:09
They mostly don't get better at it. Some career big leaguers show improvement over a very long period of time but mostly whether you ID balls and strikes well is a skill you have or you don't. I love MIchael Harris and think he does enough stuff to be a good player even though he goes through stretches where he's chasing everything and sucks for a month.
Damon Sublett
2:09
Is it too early to get excited about Dexter McCleon Jr?  Or is this guy a generational talent?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:10
It's too early for "Generational" but he is really tooled up and gigantic for a 2028. Plus you've gotta love the intersport, multi-generational Remembering Some Guys.
Watch Dex take BP and throw a bullpen here last week. It was good. Great event, as always, the Dream Series.
2:12
We're approaching the two-hour mark but more and more of you are showing up so I'll keep going for a bit yet.
Shirtless George Brett
2:12
I'm mildly fascinated with Asbel Gonzalez. Do you think he ever gets to more (or any) power as he ages? If not is there a path to MLB for a guy with his extreme tool set?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:12
I really like him and think he has a shot to grow into relevant pop.
Coral
2:13
Wait do you have a giant collection of free MiLB giveaways?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:14
No, I wasn't the guy hoarding the giveaways. I have a JA Happ bobblehead and a beach towel (which is in Catty) from my 'Pigs time. I think that's it.
Some of the giveaways I *do* want, like when I was last in Dunedin they had a Chris Weinke bobblehead night and I needed that.
Muggsy
2:15
Is there anything out there showing rise on four seamers increases with vertical location? Seems like there would be more runway to rise throwing to Judge versus say Altuve for extreme examples, if that makes sense?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:17
Nyeah, see.
Eric A Longenhagen
2:17
It does make sense, like your sliders to the glove side of the plate break more than tan ones you locate back door. Your position on the ball has changed enough to create more or less length on those pitches. But also the way the break is measured is impacted by the angle. Two fastballs that have the same IVB/Horiz movement aren't necessarily the same in terms of quality.
123
2:17
Do teams prospect hoard too much or too little?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:19
Depends on the team. If you develop players well the answer is probably "too little", if you can pay good long-term big leaguers the answer is probably "too much"
Guest
2:19
Do the yankees just end up swallowing their intl money or can they get any value out of it at all ?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:20
They'll be able to do something with it, but probably not a ton. It's going to depend on how joins that market late, a Cuban or Taiwanese pitcher maybe. Teams who have money this late are subject to the randomness of the later entries. Arizona and St. Louis have money left, too.
KB
2:20
Do fans ever recognize you at games and come up and talk to you? I know most MiLB games aren't flooded with people (except for in the beer garden) and you can often spot scouts pretty easily.
Eric A Longenhagen
2:22
Once in a while. Look for me and come say hi, just keep it low key. I'm the handsome one.
Shane
2:22
Who has the better career as a starter? Early or Tolle?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:22
Give me the better athlete with the better breaking stuff: Early.
Matt
2:23
I feel like the prospects/young players who get the least attention are the guys who break out right as they are losing their rookie eligibility. In this case I am thinking of guys like Troy Melton, Luis Morales, and Braxton Ashcraft, who all took steps forward late last year. Based on what you saw, would you upgrade any of those guys beyond the 50s you had on them on your last evaluations? Or do your last evaluations more or less hold?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:24
still on those guys to that degree, am glad they looked good when they debuted because I was kind of on an island stuffing them (Ashcraft and Melton at least, Morales idk) as high as I did twelve months ago.
Guest
2:24
What is your preferred method to over caffeinate? Drip, espresso, Monster, etc.
Eric A Longenhagen
2:25
I've never had an energy drink. I tried a Four Loko in college, I guess. Coffee. Drip at home, Cortado out in the world.
2:26
I'm not crushing huge amounts of caffeine and i swear I like coffee for the smell, taste, and holding a warm thing.
Jedixson Paez Ultras
2:26
Heard you on Sox Machine a month or so ago talking about guys like Paez or Duncan Davitt having perhaps under-indexed upsides based on the potential that they could wind up with like 7 command. Are there other player achetypes/skills that you think can lead to guys having under appreciated potential right tail outcomes?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:28
There are more guys with hit tools that will allow them to outperform their raw power in games and I don't think I've captured enough of them in my process. Like it's onlya  couple of guys per year who I might give a 50 raw power, 55-60 game power to, and there are probably a handful more of them.
Insert Witty Name Here
2:28
What do you want to see Aroon do this year to bump him up a half grade?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:29
Felt last year like he was a 45 on talent whose grade I nerfed to 40+ because a) multi-year DSL, b) injured/small sample in '24
Once he started hitting in full season ball it felt okay to 45 him
He's gonna stay there fyi
2:30
Late on fastballs, just okay 2B defender, data went from elite contact in '24 small sample to just above average in '25. Like him, 45 look 2B/3B
Randall Cunningham
2:30
Enjoyed Brendan’s Mariners list. How involved are you in that or does he consult you on the rankings/grades? Any players you are higher or lower on than his list?
Eric A Longenhagen
2:32
We're cross-checking each others 40+ tier and above, and generally using each other the way we would a scout source while compiling the lists ourselves. I don't think Laz Montes will hit enough to have him where Beeg put him, but I also don't think he's crazy for doing it.
Farhandrew Zaidman
2:32
Sorry for the dumb question, but why does college use metal bats anyway? When did that become standard? I imagine wood bats have existed for a lot longer....
Eric A Longenhagen
2:34
It's not a stupid question, but the answer might make you feel kinda silly: They don't break. Travelling with enough wood bats for the team to account for breakage is logistically difficult when you're St. Joe's going to play at St. Louis over the weekend and then back to Philly for midweek games at Rider.
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