Farm System question.

This one is directed at cybsball or whoever can answer it.

This kid I know pitched for U of Illinois, was all big ten as a sophomore. He dropped out due to academics, and played in the frontier league with the southern illinois miners. In 2008 he was drafted by the rangers in the 25th round. He then played in played for the AZL rangers, until he was moved up to High-A Bakersfield in mid-july. That is really the last I have heard about him so far.

"He split time between the Arizona League and the California league and pitched a total of 42 1/3 innings combining for a 2.76 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Another thing that bodes well for Roark is that he posted more then a strike out an inning and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was 3:1. He showed good control in his first season of minor league ball, though was hit a bit by the long ball upon his promotion to Bakersfield.Even with that being said he kept the ball on the ground nearly 50% of the time, a number that would only help him as he advances further in the Rangers organization.
He’ll likely begin 2009 in A-ball but if things go well likely will be in Double-A before long."



What does all of this mean? How do the lower levels of baseball work? What are the different levels, and what comes next? How likely is it that he makes the pros?

Here is the last article i saw on him
Scout.com: Roark works to stay in High-A

It means he is still playing and progressing ok... The real key, with his age, is to see where he is assigned this year. Alot of guys get picked up out of the independent league to just fill holes on minor league teams though... If he gets held back at extended spring training then you can count him as good as done.

I may not be an expert but there are several levels.

Basically it goes Rookie League, Short Season, Low-A, Hi-A, AA, AAA, MLB

Rookie League goes from June to Sept. I believe it is geared towards new draft picks but there are guys drafted from the previous year as well. I think there are mostly guys drafted straight from High School in this league

Short-Season is a step higher than Rookie League, but runs on a similar schedule (June to Sept). I think a majority of guys drafted from College start here, although I would expect decent high school guys to start at this level as well.

Low A - Full season (April to Sept), and it's the next level for guys to go. I would guess some stud draft picks may start at this level, but I think a lot of guys move up from the Rookie or Short Season Leagues

High A - Better level of play than Low A. Guys from Low A will get promoted to this level, yet again I am sure there are cases of stud draft picks starting at this level

AA - Higher level than A. You have a lot of cases of really good prospects going straight from AA to the pros. Personally this is one of my favorite levels of minor leagues as you can often see some future stars.

AAA - Just 1 level below the MLB. You will find a lot more career minor leaguers at this level or guys that are 1 injury away from going to the MLB. You also tend to have MLB rehab-start guys go down to this level while they get back in MLB form. I find AAA to suck. You see a lot of career minor leaguers and guys over the hill. If someone is really good in AAA, they will find themselves on a MLB 25 man roster somewhere. So if you go to I-Cubs games and see the same guys on a year in and year out basis, those guys aren't likely going anywhere.

So how does it all work? Well, depending on a guy's ability, they start at a level the organization deems fit. A lot of the lower leagues are getting guys adjusted to pro ball and getting used to wood bats. They then can move up between the levels as the organization sees fit. If a guy is outplaying competition at a certain level, they will move him up. They also will move a guy down if he seems to be a little over their head.

As far as your friend goes, I have NO idea. I will say that a vast majority of guys that get drafted never play in the MLB, but in the minor leagues.

Perhaps Cysbsball can chime in with some better answers for you, but that's what I know (or at least I think I know).

Being 21 and starting in Arizona means they didn't really have high hopes for him, normally the high school kids go to Arizona and Fl and the rest go to more advanced short seasons... The call up can mean anything, they could have just needed a filler because of other call ups or injuries, who knows... He did well, so that will help... This will be the big year for him at his age.

awesome guys, I really appreciate the insight.