Is there one singular trait big leaguers possess that Independent Leaguers don’t, or is it merely a flaw unique to each player that’s keeping them from a major league stadium near you?

I posed the question to the skippers of last night’s All-Star Clubs, former big leaguers Butch Hobson (Southern Maryland Blue Crabs) and Chris Hoiles (York Revolution), and while their opinions on the question differed, each provided great insight into how teams evaluate talent.

“I think it’s more of a case-by-case basis,” Hoiles said. “Some guys possess a lot more (talent) than others. I think some of them are here for different reasons, whether it be an offensive player working on going the other way and maybe being too pull-conscious, I think it’s a case-by-case basis, because with a lot of these guys, there’s not a whole lot separating them. It might just be a consistency; a day-in, day-out thing, where major leaguers know how to do that on a more consistent basis.”

Hobson took a different perspective on the question, basing whether or not a player makes it out of the Atlantic League on being in the right place at the right time, and performing when important eyes are on you.

“I think it’s more based on a team having a need, and sending the scouts out here. I talk to scouts all the time; some scouts are coming out to the game, some are just asking questions. It’s like scouting a young kid. If a guy comes in and has a bad day, they don’t come back. And you’re going to have bad days in this game.”

“You can look at the numbers, and the numbers will generally tell you how a guy is doing, so then you have to say ‘OK, I need to go watch this guy again, because obviously he’s pitching well, maybe he just didn’t have a good day. Maybe we stunk behind him defensively. Maybe the umpire was screwing him. Maybe he didn’t get some pitches he should have gotten. But I think it’s more of a need they have, so they send people out and say ‘Ok, we need a closer in AA or a closer in AAA’ if one of their guys is struggling.”

I would tend to agree more with Hoiles’ line of thinking, though Hobson’s theory is equally valid and happens just as much. I think each player possesses some weakness, whether it be consistency or lack of a skill, that is keeping them from succeeding at the big league level.

Tags: Atlantic League, Butch Hobson, Chris Hoiles