I think it's as simple (and others are alluding to this) as a maturing process that had to travel its road. I say this to my soon to be 7-year-old daughter all the time and it applies with Ernesto's career arc: the time it takes is the time it takes. Let's not forget his COVID year was also stolen from his development path. Then, very thankfully, he flashed quite a bit of promise at Low-A Carolina but we were wondering if he could cut down on the big swing and miss inherent in that version of his swing. In his younger days, he really lacked head discipline during his massive hacks. It was quite common to see less plate discipline and his head leaving the swing path and looking into the 1B side stands. As Jake mentions, very long levers. Then he missed nearly his entire 2022 season with injury. He played, yes, but he missed May, June, July of that season and most of the first week of August and the T-Rats weren't really sniffing playoffs in 2022 - close but no cigar. That's simply a significant gap of wondering where his game was truly at.
The light really started turning on @ Cedar Rapids in late May of 2023. The second to last game, I literally have in my player notes: "I think I see a subtle shift in approach that could bear real fruit." Naturally, he went 0-for-3 with 3 K in the following and final game of that series. 😅 What do I know? However, from that point in time is legitimately when he officially started putting to rest my nagging questions I had had over his offensive game. If you remember, he went on an absolutely torrid run to close out his High-A work before promotion that summer. When he didn't skip a beat during his original Biloxi promotion? I started getting genuinely excited. Like, actually excited with reservations falling to the wayside by each game's completion. When he performed for an entire season in the Southern League, he very easily moved into my own personal belief he was the clear front runner as the best true first baseman in the entire system. I've stated this on more than one occasion. He had developed into a player that was clearly swinging harder and hitting the ball harder than pretty much any other player in the system - it was obvious - and he was doing so with control. Just a massive maturation.
The defense always had many many more pluses than minuses. Sure, he may lose a bit of that lateral side-by-side agility in terms of diving for balls that are hit hard and in that 'no man's land' for a man his size. BUT, he more than makes up for that with his incredible hands and overall mammoth coverage. He makes everyone's job easier to the left of the infield. If we couple this with his incredible personhood - his personality is magnetic and his 'joi de vivre' palpable - he is just arguably the most likable player in all the Minors. This is why I have been pining for a career in Milwaukee. Let the investment give the fans real dividends. A man can dream. I continue to do so.