P2Daily: Recapping the Early Results From the Pirates’ Farm System

I don’t really know what I’m doing.

At a certain point, we’re just all making it up as we go along for the most part.

As far as this site goes, there’s no guide. There’s no example. It’s not like every other team in the majors has a fully credentialed prospect site, run independently. The Pirates’ fan base might be one of the few that is hardcore enough to follow that deeply. Pirates fans get heavily upset with the team, but there’s no doubt the support they show in following that team. I’m proof. In a late-stage capitalist world where journalism is not a thriving career, I’ve made it work here independently for over a decade by providing information on the Pirates’ minor league players.

A lot of what has made this work is treating the site like an art project, and always adjusting the approach and featured content.

During that time, the site has seen many changes and many versions. The newest version, launched at the start of this year, features the Tuesday article drops. Recently, that has also included a new series called Prospect Roundtable, which features player analysis from all of our writers.

The first week we did this new approach, I was nervous. I knew my articles, and had everything ready to publish by 3 AM that Tuesday morning. I just wasn’t sure if we could maintain such an approach, with seven new articles each week, working somewhat loosely on a theme.

Today we wrapped up the 18th week of those article drops. Even better, I’ve got themes line up through the whole year, with only a few weeks during the summer needing something. Those might end up being fun bigger projects for me.

For now, the big project I’m working on is finishing the edits to the Prospect Guide. That book has also seen some changes this year. The biggest change has been the removal of the rankings. I moved those to the site this year, with the book now only featuring Tiered Rankings and a lot more room for reports on the players. I’ve been designing the book for it’s original purpose: Giving me something to work off of throughout the season as I’m watching all of these players. It’s also being designed for you guys to not only have reports on every player, but to have some insight on the challenges of being a prospect.

I thank everyone for their patience with the later release this year, and the new format. This week I’ll be taking some time away from P2Daily to finish that final push for the book editing. John Dreker and Wilbur Miller will be stepping in.

Next week, we’re going to try the start of a month-long focus. Each week this month, our Tuesday article drops will focus on an individual team. That focus will begin next week with a look at Indianapolis, and will continue with looks at Altoona, Greensboro, and Bradenton in the following weeks. Just like that first week, I’m nervous about this house of cards plan. However, I’m hoping that in a month, you’ve got articles on the top prospects on each team, along with a unique look at the team, and a team-specific Prospect Roundtable.

I hope you enjoy this week’s recap of the first month. I’ll have some features from Bradenton in the daily articles this week. Check back next week for more updates on everything to come!