Q&A With Reggie Yinger, Former O’s Player Development Coordinator

Baltimore Sports and Life has recently added a new contributor to the site. His name is Reggie Yinger and he gives this site something we haven’t had before. Reggie spent the last 5 years working with the Baltimore Orioles in the Player Development side of things. I reached out to our new colleague to answer some questions about what player development actually is, as well as getting into specifics about the Orioles organization. Our thanks to Reggie for his candor and taking the time to answer these questions.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

BSL: Can you please explain what your role was when you worked for the Orioles?

Yinger: My title was Player Development Coordinator. However, this is a generic title that encompasses a ton of different job duties. I did everything from gathering video on current and opposing players to looking at match-ups for upcoming games at the big league and minor league level. Mostly, the work revolved around the minor league side and coordinating with players and coaches anything from video to statistical information.

BSL: Explain to our audience what player development is. What do they do to develop players?

Yinger: The goal of player development is to develop individual players for what a club needs at the big-league level. Each player and each team is different. There are so many factors that go into player development, from the diet and conditioning to the mental part of the game. The goal however is the same; prepare players to play to their absolute best talent on a big-league stage. In order to accomplish this, communication is a key, key factor. It’s not only the club’s responsibility to develop players, but the player needs to be held accountable as well.

BSL: Getting into specifics about the Orioles now. In your time there, what did you feel the Orioles did well?

Yinger: I think the Orioles do a good job of preparing the players to play every day. From the scouting side and the analytic side – meaning that Buck Showalter may not always seem like a “tech-savvy” type of manager, but he’s incredibly intelligent and notices all of the small things. For example, Buck is very big on video and reviewing video from all levels, and not just for prospects, but making sure people are in the correct position.

BSL: When comparing them to other organizations that are very successful with their minor leagues and player development, what do the Orioles not do that other teams do?

Yinger: It may seem small, but it’s important when you think about it – nutrition. Recently, a lot of clubs bring in a specialist and have their minor league clubs eating good food for your body, not the typical minor league special of peanut butter and jelly. Put it this way, if you are paying a prospect a ton of money to go out and perform to his best ability, don’t feed him junk for pre and post game.

BSL: You were with the team for 5 years…what changes did you see over the years that you felt impacted the minor leagues, both good and bad?

Yinger: The one change that I think was extremely important was the ability to accept and at least try different things. Specifically, video for players at home and on the road. Up until 3 years ago, this wasn’t an option. If you look at a club like the Texas Rangers, they have had video for their minor league guys since the mid-2000s. Certainly the Orioles were behind the times with the video, but they showed the initiative to jump in and get things moving quickly. Additionally, they’ve brought in TrackMan and have really blended both video and TrackMan nicely.

BSL: All off-season, the Orioles have said they feel their minor league system is better than it is being rated and that many teams have called about their players. What is your opinion of the overall talent in the system?

Yinger: Overall, the system is certainly not as strong as others. Whether that is a factor of the talent of recent drafts (which the drafts have lacked) or simply by trading guys away in order to acquire a player that will help them at the big-league level right away.

BSL: Do the Orioles put enough resources into the minor league system? This includes player acquisition, scouting, player development, conditioning, etc.?

Yinger: In recent years, the scouting has absolutely been there. The system is big on trying to find resources that have been overlooked or simply forgotten about. This includes everything from looking at Independent ball to scouting players in Cuba. Recent examples include LHP Chris Lee (trade) and LHP Ariel Miranda (Cuba).

BSL: Do you think Sisco will stay at C?

Yinger: Yes. He made huge jumps not only in his defensive play at catcher in 2015, but calling a game and working to the strengths of each pitcher. I think a lot of the talk among prospect sites is his lack of defense. Sure, it was rocky to start the 2015 season, but you also have to remember he’s 20 years old. Again, 20 years old and working with a large group of minor league pitchers is no easy task. He has an above-average arm behind the plate and will have plenty of time to work on the defensive side of the game.

BSL: Does Jomar Reyes have a chance to be an impact prospect within the next year or 2?

Yinger: Within the next year or two, I don’t see unless he’s primary position is first base. Reyes certainly has the raw power needed to play a corner infield spot, but his footwork at third base needs a lot of work. I’m not ready to jump him to first base yet, simply because of the injuries he went through on and off last season in Delmarva. This also goes back to what I mentioned with Chance Sisco. He’s a young player and there is no rush for him to the big leagues at this point, simply because of Manny Machado and Chris Davis.

BSL: Who is the best Orioles prospect that no one is talking about?

Yinger: Donnie Hart for my pitcher and Jonah Heim as my position player. Hart is a LHP who doesn’t have a “blow me away” fastball but has three very good pitches (FB, SL, CH) and knows how to use all three of them to get lefties and righties out. As far as Heim, he’s probably a player that is mentioned/talked about, but may also be overlooked because of Chance Sisco. Heim is terrific behind the plate, not only calling a game, but defensively. He’s a switch hitter that has shown that he’s able to understand the strike zone offensively and defensively.