His veritable destruction of the pitching staffs of the 2019 Grapefruit League notwithstanding, there’s been little doubt in anyone’s mind that Pete Alonso is ticketed for Syracuse to start the season. But for a team that will live and die on marginal wins, shouldn’t there be?
It’s been accepted as a no-brainer for years that any prospect of value should be left in the minors for three weeks to start the season in order to preserve an extra year of team control. Indeed, you’d be hard-pressed to find a top prospect who wasn’t held down for this reason.