Quote:

PJP said:
And Ani you keep saying over and over ..."Oh so and so wasn't supposed to be any good cause of his minor league record." that doesn't always mean anything. There are intangibles that stats can't predict and sometimes only being given an opportunity is the only way to see how some of the youngsters will do.



I've never said that someone "wasn't supposed to be any good". In this case, I'm saying it's been a surprise that Hanley Ramirez has performed as well as he has this season. When I speak of "minor league record", I'm not only speaking about statistics, but of scouting reports, as well. Hanley Ramirez was a guy that most everyone thought was talented, but someone who never put that talent to use. He was rarely complimented on his "intangibles"; he was considered raw and unrefined, lacking concentration and poise. His statistics bore that out.

That, combined with the fact that he skipped AAA entirely, and would be in a vital defensive spot on a team without much in the way of proven veterans to help him out, made it seem like he was essentially being thrown to the wolves. To his credit, he has excelled so far, but that doesn't change the fact that it was a surprise. It was not a situation conducive to success. Many(most) equally talented kids in that position have failed.

MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.