minor objective

The Mississippi Braves have sent so many players to the big leagues in their six-plus seasons in Pearl — Randall Delgado was No. 53 — that it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the club hasn’t won a whole lot. The M-Braves have claimed two half-season titles out of 13 possible. They won a first half in 2007 and a second half in 2008, when they won the Southern League pennant. That was the Braves’ first Double-A championship since 1997 and just third overall since 1966. One could infer from this that the Braves don’t care about winning in the minor leagues. But that isn’t really true. Yes, the prime objective in the minors is developing players’ skills for the majors, finding out who can hack it and who can’t. But at the same time, they want to develop players who can do the things it takes to win. Winning is the only objective in the big leagues. No organization wants minor league players who pile up impressive stats but can’t do the little things that also win games. The old Greenville Braves produced six playoff teams in a seven-year stretch from 1988-94. It’s no coincidence that the long-suffering big league team started to win consistently in 1991 with many of those players on the field. The 2011 M-Braves, who finished 25-45 (ugh!) in the first half, have a lot of talent but apparently aren’t getting the little things done often enough. They lost 20 one-run games, primarily due to an offensive attack that doesn’t produce enough to blow open games. They start the second half tonight at Trustmark Park with much the same cast that began the season in Pearl. With young prospects filling the rotation and several more scattered throughout the everyday lineup, it’s time they showed, collectively, that they’re acclimated to Double-A ball now and have learned how to win. It matters.