I’ve worked in sales for the better part of six years now, and let me tell you, if you’ve never worked in a commission based job, that can feel like a lifetime.
It was the rush of the sale (money) for me that got me hooked, what keeps me around for so long. Also it gave me an opportunity to let my competitiveness come out again, even if it was just against myself, pushing to do better and better (more money).
Maybe the thing I liked the most was what each month brought, especially if I struggled the previous one. It’s the clean slate that comes when the calendar turns over. I struggled the previous month? That’s fine, toss it in the trash and start it from scratch.
That’s something I absolutely love about baseball as well. You went 0-for-4 the day before? Tomorrow is a brand new game. You had a slow start to the season? Well it’s a very long season, plenty of time to turn it around.
April was a rough month for a lot of players in the system, including a lot of teams at the top of the prospect lists. Now that May has come and gone, we can take a look back and see who struggled out the gate, but took a good step forward last month.
Here’s a look at a few names, not necessarily some of the top guys, but some notable names nonetheless.
Sergio Campana
May: .350 wOBA, 118 wRC+
Campana is one of the fastest players in the system. The issue has been actually getting on base to showcase that speed. He did that really well in May, looking like a decent hitter while posting strong contact numbers.
Matt Fraizer
April: .208 wOBA, 24 wRC+
May: .325 wOBA, 101 wRC+
Last year’s breakout star in the system really struggled out the gate in April, and that’s even after hitting a home run in his first game. He’s still working things out, but he’s shown signs of finally turning the bat loose in late-May.
Travis Swaggerty
April: .246 wOBA, 44 wRC+
May: .398 wOBA, 143 wRC+
There was a lot of hope over the small sample size Swaggerty got last year in Triple-A that he’d be one of the first call-ups to the majors this year. A really slow start likely fueled by multiple injuries prevented that from happening. May hit and he’s started to look like the player they envisioned when they took him in the first round back in 2018.
Travis MacGregor
April: 9.28 ERA, 9.65 FIP, 23.6 K%, 21.8 BB%
May: 1.42 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 29.9 K%, 10.4 BB%
Not the first prospect you’d think of on the Altoona pitching staff, but he had one of the better months of May, after really struggling in April. He started the year in the rotation but has really found a role out the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever (sound familiar?)
Pirates Prospects Spotlight
Pirates Links
Prospect Watch: Del Rosario Tosses Six Shutout Frames; Burrows Hits His First Bump
Daily Video Rundown: Sean Sullivan, Tyler Samaniego, Matt Fraizer
Pirates Discussion: Pirates 8, Dodgers 4
P2Daily Articles:
- Bligh Madris reworks swing to gain elevation
- Injury Updates on Oneil Cruz, Nick Gonzales and Henry Davis
- New Mock Draft, Same Name for the Pirates
THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
Williams: The Growing Pains of Single-A
Carlos Jimenez Has Emerged As One of the Pirates’ Best Lower Level Pitching Prospects
Anthony Solometo: High Changeup Usage Highlights Debut
Bradenton Statcast: Who Is Hitting The Ball Well?
Tsung-Che Cheng: “He’s the type of guy who has an elite level of focus, an elite level of drive”
Joelvis Del Rosario is Starting to Make a Name For Himself
Brenden Dixon: Approach Leading To Success As Bradenton’s Table Setter
Song of the Day
