Minor League Transitions: Low A to High A with Lindsay Crosby – Farm to Fountains

In the fiercely competitive world of Minor League baseball, as we pivot into the 2024 season, we delve deep into the critical transition from Low A to High A. That progression is a pivotal step in the career of aspiring major leaguers. We’re bringing insights from the frontline, engaging with players who’ve navigated these waters, analysts who dissect every play, and members of the organization who shape these careers. Kicking off this in-depth exploration, we have the privilege of starting with Lindsay Crosby, a name synonymous with baseball wisdom and a beacon for understanding this crucial phase in the sport.

Lindsay Crosby is the host of Locked on MLB Prospects (over on X at @LockedOnFarm), a Senior Baseball Writer for Auburn Daily, and a member of both the National College Baseball Writers Association and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. He was awarded the 2023 Prospects/Minors/College Writer of the Year Award. 

Sean: You’ve followed college baseball and minor-league baseball for some time. Could you walk us through what the transition from Low A to High A used to be and what it is now? 

Crosby: To me, the transition from Single-A to High-A is characterized by facing better opponents who are better acclimated to the grind of a season. Let’s break it down between pitching and hitting. 

For a position player, you’re usually facing a pitcher who has successfully transitioned into being a professional – he’s had an entire season, usually, in full-season ball and has moved from pitching once a week to every five days. He typically has better command/control in High-A, as well as a more fully formed plan as to what he’s trying to do on the mound. Some hitters are extraordinarily passive in Single-A because they know that the opposing pitcher is just as likely to walk them as strike them out, and here’s the first place where you could pay for that offensive game plan. 

For a pitcher, you’re facing a hitter who’s adjusted to professional velocity and spin and typically has a better eye for pitches out of the zone than in Single-A. Rather than living on chase, you have to be able to bring your pitches into the zone and get swing & miss with them. Additionally, those hitters are being proactive – they have a plan at the plate, and you need one, as well.  

The big difference between making that transition years ago versus making that transition now is how quickly you have to do it – there’s not a short-season league to let you “get your feet wet” anymore. You might go from the complex league or extended spring directly into Low-A or High-A, and so not only is the timeframe and adjustment period compressed, but you’re also seeing new players added midseason when new draftees leave the complex and get assigned to an affiliate. It’s more challenging for everyone involved, whether that’s the prospects themselves, the coaching staff/PD folks, or even the fans who have to adjust to players being moved in and out of their favorite minor league team.    

Sean: What expectations will a Minor League player have getting from High A to AA that they might not have going from Single-A to High A? 

Crosby: This is commonly referred to as the largest transition in the minors, and for good reason. For me, a prospect moving from the lower minors to the upper minors means he’s, for the most part, dealing with a roster mostly composed of potential MLB players. Even in the lower minors, there’s a larger percentage of “organizational” guys than we’d like to admit – someone who was a good college player or a talented prep prospect that, for whatever reason, doesn’t really have a chance to make MLB. Double-A and up is different, as everyone here could legitimately get time at the major league level if everything broke right.

It’s a lot harder to “hide” if you’re the type of player that’s been successful so far by dominating the inferior competition you’ve faced in the lower minors – there’s no more starters throwing 89 mph with a changeup as their primary secondary, or hitters that you can throw three straight down-and-away sliders to for a strikeout. You have to bring your A-game every single night. And you have to be serious about being a professional baseball player – the competition is too talented for most players to succeed on sheer talent alone. You have to put in the work every day. 

Sean: I used to be a fan of football and basketball before I realized that there’s such an epic narrative of minor-league baseball development. Which part of development do you prefer watching — learning behavior or motor behavior? 

Crosby: Ooh, that’s a really good question. For me, I enjoy watching a player who’s figured out a problem and learned to correct it — that “a-ha” moment is what does it for me. Take Gavin Cross, for instance – he was very clearly deciding to be ultra-aggressive last season and selling out for power, which led to him pressing and making poor contact. But in instructs late last season, he was a lot more balanced and realized that going 2-4 with two base hits, a stolen base, and a run scored is a good outcome. Makes me feel good about what he could do once the 2024 season comes around. 

If I was getting granular, I enjoy learning behavior from hitters and motor behavior from pitchers. I want the hitter to figure out the right balance to their approach to get the best possible outcome for their skill set, but I also enjoy watching the pitcher finally figure out what he has to do with his grip/delivery/etc to unlock that last little bit in his arsenal and reach a new level of production. 

Sean: Even in an era where pitching and hitting labs seem to be developing scientific wonders at the plate or on the mound…. players at the major league levels talk about focusing on winning each game and gaining that Championship mindset. Do you think that organizations are in threat of losing the ability to cultivate that in this “Lab Experiment” era of development?

Crosby: Some of the good organizations make sure they’re balancing these aspects, but the focus on individual development sometimes gets weighted too heavily, agreed. I think the right way for an organization to develop some of their most talented young players is to group them together at various affiliates and let them compete together for an extended time period. Last season, Texas did a good job of putting groups in both Down East (Low-A) and Hickory (High-A) and letting them get extended run together.

San Diego’s moved prospects in “waves” for a while, promoting multiple players around the same time. Part of the reason that catcher Ethan Salas made it to AA as quickly as he did is they wanted him to move up with the group of pitchers they were moving through the system, to continue working on his gamecalling and staff management skills. It’s not as long of a window, but Seattle pushed some of their kids to Modesto late in the season and that team went on an absurd streak, winning something like 21 of their final 23 games and taking home the California League Championship.