They are older but not better. The pitchers especially throw less hard and less accurately. There will always be an incentive to have a layer of AAAA ballplayers at AAA to serve as short term replacements. They are just less good.
It impacts every level. Most of Low A should be in short season. Much of High A should be in Low A. At the AA and AAA levels they probably have 10 fewer significant veterans on the roster before you get to that layer of 25th round college picks that don't even get to affiliated ball any more.
From the article:
âWhen I first got there, there were more older guys, maybe more pitchability and stuff,â Martini said. âYouâd face guys with six years, seven years (experience) in â15, â16. I think now, maybe, itâs more like a prospect-ish league.â
Anecdotally, changes in the sport at the MLB level have also altered the Triple-A game. Because of baseballâs obsession with stuff, older pitchers who hit the corners may be phased out in favor of stuff-heavy prospects. The prospects with the best stuff, though, tend to get to the majors quickly. The net result is fewer MLB-caliber pitchers in Triple A. Roster cuts in the minor leagues may have accelerated this phenomenon.
AAA is just less good than it used to be as every level is less good. Doesn't mean there still aren't almost as many prospects. There is just less depth.
