Brandon Wood Update

[Stradling]

While I completely agree with the fact that Scioscia could have done a better job, I don't care for Wood having that opinion. I would prefer my players have self accountability about such things.

[Docwaukee]

I've always held Sosh partially responsible for what happened to Brandon Wood.

 

He should have been kept in the minors playing everyday until he had a real spot open.

 

I like Sosh but I believe one of his weaknesses is dealing with young players who don't succeed immediately.

 

I'm not sure it's on MS as it is on the org as a whole.  Like Brandon even mentioned in the article, he was coming up at a time where the team was expected to win.  By the time he got his shot, the mental side of his game was shot.  

 

It's like that more a lot of minor leaguers who come up and have to perform.  Some do and they never leave the lineup.  Most struggle and need time to get things together if they are going to make it.  A few top prospects never find it.  

 

If you have to give every newbie the perfect scenario for them to succeed then what happens when times are tough?  

 

My nit with the org though is that there should have been some sort of recognition that he was struggling mentally and there should have been a resource to help him.  He's obviously got some sort of anxiety disorder and there are ways to treat that.  

 

Now I think we have a 'mental skills' coach so at least we are moving in the right direction.  

[California Cajun]

Brandon isn't the only one who didn't meet the expectations of "experts." Hopefully he finds his niche in another capacity.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

Wow, he's 31 already!

 

 

Which actually isn't old! He could still be playing~ obviously if he could get through the mental block.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

Love the top gun reference.

 

Mental and Emotional approach to the game can be just as if not more important than the physical.

 

 

The game is 90% mental~ 

[Chuck]

Which actually isn't old! He could still be playing~ obviously if he could get through the mental block.

 

Yeah I know it's not old, but I just remembered when he was a 20 year old prospect. Crazy! 

[mrwicked]

Clint Hurdle was a "can't miss" prospect who has turned out pretty well as a manager....

 

and that beane guy up in oakland did pretty well for himself after being a "can't miss" prospect.

[mrwicked]

Which actually isn't old! He could still be playing~ obviously if he could get through the mental block.

 

yeah he could still be playing at the age of 49 just like pujols now.

[Wallerrrr]

I've always held Sosh partially responsible for what happened to Brandon Wood.

 

He should have been kept in the minors playing everyday until he had a real spot open.

 

I like Sosh but I believe one of his weaknesses is dealing with young players who don't succeed immediately.

 

Agreed...you see how a guy like Joe Maddon handles young players and you watch them thrive. I like Sosh as well but handling young players isn't really something he does well..

[Jobu]

While I completely agree with the fact that Scioscia could have done a better job, I don't care for Wood having that opinion. I would prefer my players have self accountability about such things.

Angelswin: where having an opinion about your own life is distasteful if it makes the team you don't even play for look bad.

[mtangelsfan]

While I completely agree with the fact that Scioscia could have done a better job, I don't care for Wood having that opinion. I would prefer my players have self accountability about such things.

 

I don't think he was saying that though.  I think he was just saying that the team in general wasn't the best fit for him because they couldn't be that patient.

[mtangelsfan]

Angelswin: where having an opinion about your own life is distasteful if it makes the team you don't even play for look bad.

 

So you find his opinion of someone else's opinion distasteful?

[Second Base]

Wood was sooooo good. Watching him play in the minors vs majors was like watching two completely different players. You could watch him in AA and AAA and be absolutely certain you're looking at a future all-star, then in the majors it was like you're looking at a kid that was afraid of his own shadow.

[Stradling]

Angelswin: where having an opinion about your own life is distasteful if it makes the team you don't even play for look bad.

Society: where personal accountability has vanished.

Like MT said this may not have been the case. The article reads like he took responsibility for his struggles. I was more referring to what Chuck had posted.

[TEvans]

Damn those Bees teams from the mid to late 2000's were stacked and so fun to watch.

Wood was so good in his time in SL. Really cool to hear him open up and speak positively about moving forward. Hope him all the best. 

[m0nkey]

I remember when Katie and I were the last ones in the fan club. That said, would he ever have put it together if he was in a different organization? I doubt it

[Homebrewer]

I remember when Katie and I were the last ones in the fan club. That said, would he ever have put it together if he was in a different organization? I doubt it

While some players never adjust to ML pitching, I really think the organization has to take a lot of the blame. Much as I enjoy jumping on Scioscia, it's impossible to pin this one all on one person. I see it as an all around organizational failure, and hopefully one that is being addressed, however slowly.

Teams put a lot more interest time and money into transitioning minor league players into major league stars than they did in the past. The Cubs are a good example of an old organization that decided to completely revamp and re-invent how their minor leagues were run. They went, under new ownership and new FO people, from being the team who spent the least in the minors, to the team that spends the most.

From facilities and coaches, to councilors and psychologists...they tore all the old ways up, and started new.

It paid off quickly.

Look where they are today.

The Angels have an old school skipper that may not see that the kids today are different than he was when he came up, but I'm pretty sure that the organization doesn't want another Brandon Wood type experience.

I'm confident that the deficiencies that existed are being addressed in the Halo's minor league system, now all they need is some real talent down there to develop.

[Second Base]

Damn those Bees teams from the mid to late 2000's were stacked and so fun to watch.

Wood was so good in his time in SL. Really cool to hear him open up and speak positively about moving forward. Hope him all the best.

Terry Evans was the man in 2007-2010.

[Erstad Grit]

Wow he really stunk in independent ball. Nice to see he may have a career in the MLB still. 

[Troll Daddy]

Hard to blame Scioscia for his failures. Angels spent a draft pick, money, and time waiting for him to become our future third baseman. Just wasn't going to happen.

[Jobu]

So you find his opinion of someone else's opinion distasteful?

No, amusing.

[Stradling]

Hard to blame Scioscia for his failures. Angels spent a draft pick, money, and time waiting for him to become our future third baseman. Just wasn't going to happen.

None of that is relevant to what they are talking about. The issue people are talking about is he was called up and would play very infrequently, which, if you aren't mentally strong enough, could be very challenging for a young player. He never recovered, it is ultimately his fault for not performing the following year when he was given the opportunity, but when he was called up and didn't have immediate success and then played once a week, it went to his head and he didn't recover.

[Jobu]

Society: where personal accountability has vanished.

Well you would hope the Padres wouldn't put someone like that in charge of developing and leading players. He was young then and older now, but it's possible for him to be responsible for his own actions and be honest about how other behavior influenced him.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Holy crap, everyone actually agrees on something?

good call.

The padres suck!

(Just to keep the gods happy)

[Tank]

Best wishes to him. I hope this is a good fit for him and that he can be helpful to the kids he works with.