A few weeks ago, we relaunched the Pirates Prospects app silently. We did a silent release in order to do some live testing, and make sure the big problems that led to the app being pulled in the first place were removed.
The biggest problem with the old app was that it was allowing free access to the site for a lot of users on Apple devices. I own zero Apple devices, so after the initial testing, I didn’t notice this problem. It only came up when someone’s subscription expired, allowing them continued access on the iOS version of the app, even though they hadn’t renewed. The person had no clue their subscription expired. I had no clue this was going on until a few people told me that their subscription wasn’t working on their desktop, but was working on the app.
So we took it down, did some repairs, and the app has now returned. I’ve confirmed that the old problem of free access has been removed. We’re still working out a few things, but if you own an Apple device, you can find our app in the App store.
If you’re an Android user, there wasn’t much wrong with your version, and that one is also back. Go ahead and download the new version, and pat yourself on the back for having a much better device than anything Apple puts out. Well, unless you’ve got a Samsung that is three years old. Then that’s basically what Apple is putting out now.
If you experience any issues on either device, let me know by emailing tim@piratesprospects.com.
The Paperback Prospect Guide
We’ve had some printing issues with the paperback version of the Prospect Guide. I’ve been using the same file for the book for about six or seven years, and the margins went crazy this year. It took me some time to format everything for the print copy of the book, especially trying to fix it during Spring Training.
I’ve got the final proof arriving tomorrow, and once I approve it, the book will be printed and should ship out early next week. That would lead to the book arriving for most of you by the end of next week.
This is going to be the final year that the Prospect Guide is available in print form. I wanted to do a limited run this year as we transition to the eBook. However, more people are buying the eBook than the paperback version, and the paperback version comes with too much hassle when considering the printing, proofing, picking the book up from Tampa, and shipping it out, then dealing with all of the inevitable shipping issues.
There are still a few copies available, which can be purchased on the products page.
Upcoming Coverage
Minor league games started this week, so I’ll have more reports upcoming based on how the players are playing. There have been a few features that I’ve held back on the minor league side, waiting to see how players look in games, rather than in batting practice or other drills. I’ll have some analysis on where players are expected to go in the upcoming week as well.
Matt Gajtka arrives in Bradenton tomorrow, and will be covering games over the weekend and into Monday, plus getting upcoming features together. Alan Saunders will get into town on Monday, and will be taking over the MLB coverage the rest of the way.
We’ve been going with about 2-3 articles per day. I’m expecting that we’ll have 5-6 articles per day during the season, plus any news or transactions that come up. Over the next two weeks, we should be increasing from the current total, to something closer to the in-season total, now that we’ll have two people down here the rest of the way.
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