How important is winning in the minor leagues?

It is a question that is debated from time to time in baseball: How important is winning in the minor leagues? Well, who doesn't like to win, but can you develop players to help your major league team without winning?

Orioles director of player development Brian Graham spoke with me at length recently on this topic.

He said sure you can develop players no matter a team's won-loss record, but they are also trying to develop players that understand what it takes to win.

"It is a very important part of the development process," Graham said. "To start with, it creates the right culture and is an attitude and a mindset. If you think back, that is what Buck Showalter brought to our organization. He created a culture that it is not okay to lose.

"From a development standpoint, if you are winning games and your team is playing with a lead, you have so many more opportunities to execute in developmental areas.

"You have (more) opportunities to steal bases, opportunities to execute situational hitting and get runners in from third with less than two outs. You know, a two-strike approach is so important to the process. You have the chance to hit and run or hit behind runners. Hitters can work the count. All that happens playing in a game with a lead and you play from an aggressive, positive standpoint. Those opportunities don't present themselves as much when you are losing games."

Graham said that winning matters on the mound as well.

"Pitchers have the chance to pitch in roles and pressure situations, like a set-up guy or closer or starter who you are trying to teach get deeper into the game. If you are losing games, there are no set-up guys, no closers. When you are winning you are teaching pitchers how to pitch in important roles and pressure roles."

I asked Graham if players come from the amateur ranks into pro ball with the proper winning mentality or if they have to teach some of that after they sign pro contracts?

"I think everyone wants to win, but I don't think they understand how to win," he said. "Teaching players how to win is teaching how to play the game correctly. Like defensive fundamentals. Outfielders keeping a double play in order by hitting the cutoff man, infielders executing a bunt play properly, pitchers holding runners. You have catchers blocking balls, catchers calling a good game.

"There are so many things that go into the process of winning a game that are so valuable. They can be overlooked by people that don't look at the process, they look at the result. In player development, we have to look at the process that gets the result."

Graham said each Orioles minor leaguer gets his own "player plan." He discusses that with each player in spring training and the individual team managers review it with players throughout the season.

"That outlines what kind of player we want them to be. Some players, we want them to get on base and score runs. Some guys we want to be more run producers. You need to understand yourself, and our player plans let the players have a role in the process. We talk to them every six weeks and talk to them about the process of becoming a complete player."

But not every team can have a winning record. Can the Orioles develop major leaguers on the farm on losing teams?

"Absolutely, they are going to develop from the day in and day out process of playing the game and with our instruction. But having teams win definitely helps the development process. If you have a good team with good chemistry and they play the right way, it helps everyone on the field.

"Buck Showalter told me in spring training that he would love to see our minor league teams win, and he knows that creates the right culture and helps us teach. Playing in a winning environment is a better environment to teach baseball," Graham said.