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Excuse me if I get this wrong, I read the SI article a couple of days ago. I wanted to respond to this comment, specifically about Smoak v. Franklin, because of an article I read maybe two years ago concerning Smoak. I couldn't find the archive, but after being interviewed, Smoak mentioned that during the offseason (the one prior to 2011 I believe) he had INCREASED his training regimen and workout program to like 3 or 4 times a week. This struck me as soon as I read your comment because when you think about how the article explained that it requires 10,000 hours generally to become an expert at something and some amount of that needs to be indivualized private practice to increase your expertise even further, it might provide the clue in distinguishing your Smoaks from your Miller/Franklins early on.
If Smoak increased his individual training regimine to 3 or 4 times a week it stands to reason that previously his regimine was like 2 or 3 times a week or less. Contrast that with Franklin and Miller who, if the rumors are true, are the quintessential gym rats (presuming they work out or train every single day during the offseason, or at least more often than Smoak) then it stands to reason they are gettin the requisite individualized hours and overall hours before Smoak attains them. I disclaim that I have no actual knowledge of either Smoak's or Miller's/Franklin's true training regimines but am illustrating a point that jumped out to me thinking about the article and the question you posed. Presumably it would seem that if you can figure out which one plays the "violin" alone in their room after school more (to borrow an example from the SI article), you can predict which one will blossom sooner.
On a side note, while its still fresh in my mind, based on that article, I couldn't help but wonder if training the Condor and Ackley to sing to themselves while in the batters box wouldn't help improve their results. i am likening them to the example in the article where psychologists have found that professional golfers can get out of putting slumps by singing to themselves as it shuts down the frontal lobe of the brain that's causing them to over think, and activating the subconscious part of the brain which unleashes their expertise. As both Ackley and Saunders appear to me to be over thinking to much this could help, especially for Ackley who is the Greek God of contact, but the King's jester at monopolizing on early in count meatballs served by pitchers.
Anyway, fascininating stuff. Have been enjoying this week's articles.