| By Chris Crawford |  | By 09-12-2010 |
Only a couple of games remain on the schedule for the minor leagues, but far too many are left for the Seattle Mariners.The Good: How close the M's are to having the No. 2 pick in the draft
As far as on the field, time to give a little bit of credit to David Aardsma. May and June were just short of pathetic, but August and September have been pretty solid. Since the trade-deadline, Aardsma has given up two runs and has started missing bats again (more than a strikeout per inning). The right-hander will not be the bargain he was in 2009 or '10 -- so the chances he's in Seattle for next year are slim. But at least the trade value should have increased with how well he has pitched of late.
Nick Franklinprobably wouldn't have gotten the promotion to West Tennessee if not for the injury to Carlos Triunfel, but let's keep a couple things in mind. If Franklin hadn't performed so well in Clinton there is absolutely no way he would have received that promotion. It was as much a reward as it was a necessity. In addition to the call, Franklin has more than held his own with a couple of multi-hit games. I Don't know how you could give Franklin anything but high marks for the 2010 season, he's done everything you could possibly ask a 19-year-old in his first full season as a pro.
The Bad: Saunders, Noriega struggle
Michael Saunders' injury has probably hurt his stastistics as much as anything, but it still has been a rough-going for the young Canadian. Saunders hasn't put up an OPS above .500 since July, and has only seven extra-base hits in the same time period. I'm not terribly concerned by the lack of results, but it'd be nice to see him play better than this, certainly.
Results that I am concerned with, however, are the statistics of shortstop prospect Gabriel Noriega. Having seen Noriega in Pulaski last season, there was little reason for me to expect the young middle-infielder from Venezuela to struggle in Clinton. Unfortunately, the proof is in the pudding. Noriega's highest OPS for a month was a paltry .681, and the reviews on defense were less than spectacular. The switch-hitting Noriega is very young -- and repeating the level isn't the worst thing to ever happen should Seattle decide that's what's best -- but his place as a top-10 prospect was too short for anyone's liking.
The Ugly: Two M's infielders
If there teams out there with bigger disasters than Jose Lopez and Chone Figgins -- at least compared to what they did the season before -- then I pity the fans of that team. According to Fangraphs, Figgins and Lopez were worth a combined 8.4 wins (Figgins 6.1, Lopez 2.3). But in 2010, the two have combined -- yes, combined -- for 1.3 (0.6 for Lopez, 0.7 for Figgins). That's a win difference of 7.1 between the two seasons.
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Year Age Tm Lg PA Rbat Rbaser Rroe Rdp Rfield Rpos Rrep RAR WAR Salary
2009 31 LAA AL 729 20 2 3 0 20 2 22 69 6.9 5775000
2010 32 SEA AL 564 -15 2 0 0 -4 3 21 7 0.7 8500000
Generated 9/12/2010.
In other words, the difference between the two infielders this year over last year, is right around what Josh Hamilton has been worth this season. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Year Age Tm Lg PA Rbat Rbaser Rroe Rdp Rfield Rpos Rrep RAR WAR Salary
2009 25 SEA AL 653 -5 0 0 -3 1 2 22 17 1.7 2250000
2010 26 SEA AL 536 -29 -0 0 0 14 2 19 5 0.6 3000000
Generated 9/12/2010.
Ok, we'll just call it ugly.
Notes
In case you haven't heard, the Double-A West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx will officially become the Jackson Generals. (link includes new logo as well)
The affiliation will remain, however, as will the club's deals with the Tacoma Rainiers, Everett AquaSox, the rookie club in Pulaski and the Clinton LumberKings. The M's have yet to extend their player development deal with the High Desert Mavericks, and it's been long thought that the club would prefer to move to the Carolina or Florida State League.
The Mavs have other issues, of course. They did recently sign a new lease to stay in Adelanto, Calif. for at least another year, but the franchise has no current ownership, since the previous owners, Brett Sports and Entertainment, purchased the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes last summer and by rule cannot own and operate two teams.
There is nothing new, at least that I can dig up, on the thought that two Cal League clubs could move to the Carolina League, which would work for everyone involved. But the Mavs are expected to have new owners sometime next spring.
- Jason A. Churchill
gbu----september-12,-2010
Comments
The following 45 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: J. R. Chushcoff on 09-13-2010 09:41:10 Is there any truth to the rummor that the M's are not re-newing the contract of their Head of Scouting over the Leutke trade? If so, Howard, Chuck, and Jack should go too. |
| 2. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-13-2010 10:28:34 That is the word. J.R. King 5 had it first. Carmen Fusco is the Pro Scouting Director, who will apparently not be brought back for 2011. I don't think it's a fireable offense for any of the above. It's bad, but depending on what it is we don't know, it's not something in and of itself that I'd fire anyone over. |
| 3. By: on 09-13-2010 11:29:11 Me, neither. But none of this makes sense, either from a management or admnistrative or baseball sense, from what the public can see. What aren't we seeing? (And I'm hoping it's something we don't know about). |
| 4. By: Edman on 09-13-2010 11:31:40 Really, Chushcoff? Last time I look, it's against the law to discriminate against a felon who's served his sentence. Naturally, businesses do it all the time. But, name the last time that any CEO, President or General Manager of any business got fired for hiring someone with a criminal record. Many are making way too much out of this. It's not like Lueke got the charges dropped. He was sentenced and served his time. I don't in anyway condone what he did. I think he's a punk. But, sadly, there are guys who are worse than him who get away with more. His career is on the line. He screws it up, his career is finished before it gets started. As for Fusco, it's more likely there were reasons other than the Lueke incident that got him fired. We'll never know the whole story, but I certainly hope he isn't the scapegoat for what was lack of effort to uncovering the truth. If the Yankees could get past the issues they faced after signing Steve Howe, when every team in baseball gave up on him and his drug addiction (and other problems), then the M's can get past this. From here on out, it's up to Lueke to right himself. |
| 5. By: Edman on 09-13-2010 11:38:03 #3, I'm not going to waste a moment of my time worrying about something I'll likely never get the full story about. It was an embarrassment for the franchise, not the battering ram to bring the franchise down. |
| 6. By: maqman on 09-13-2010 12:49:03 Across America and around the world baseball scouts and executives are learning how to Google. Unfortunately for one it's too late. |
| 7. By: masonb on 09-13-2010 13:48:41 Wouldn't teams do a standard background check on players before acquiring them, just like any normal business would do when hiring a new employee? If this is the only reason that Jack would get fired that's a travesty if you ask me |
| 8. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-13-2010 14:05:34 The only way Zduriencik is let go is if the ownership changes hands very, very early this winter -- highly, highly unlikely -- and they have a plan in place to bring in someone else specific. In other words, Jack isn't going anywhere, nor should he. |
| 9. By: Missthosepilots on 09-13-2010 14:36:55 Jason, I look forward to the many words you will no doubt continue to write on Lueke's current situation and potentials. Edman, in no way meaning to be argumentative as speaking from ignorance. I was under the impression Lueke had been trying to make himself right. Edman, you said you "think he's a punk." I was curious, is that from what happened in the past or from his attitude today? Thanks. Crazy season! Can the M's just live happily everafter? |
| 10. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-13-2010 14:47:43 I'm actually done talking about Lueke's situation. He made a mistake, maybe a really, really bad one -- we don't know for sure how bad, but we know at the very least he lied to the police -- but it's over with. If we knew for fact, or it was clear anyway, that he sexually assaulted or raped a girl, it would be different. I wouldn't want that player on my team. But what we do know for sure is that he lied to the cops, was 19 and everyone involved, including the victim, was drunk when it all went down. I do believe in second chances, however, and am fine with a "short leash" scenario for Lueke. He's apparently doing and saying all the right things now, and that matters a lot. There isn't any more for me to add, I wasn't there. As for his abilities -- he's good, and belongs in the prospect rankings on the cusp of the top 10 with Cortes, who has a higher ceiling but comes with more risk due to the control issues. |
| 11. By: Missthosepilots on 09-13-2010 14:52:31 Thanks Jason. Refreshing and agree. Didn't Cortes have his own laundry list of garbage too? It would be nice to see both contribute...to both the M's and society. Thanks for the article and comments. |
| 12. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-13-2010 14:58:59 Cortes' situation appears to be less serious in nature, however, but yes, he did have a run-in with the law himself. As have many ballplayers. |
| 13. By: Missthosepilots on 09-13-2010 15:11:53 Writing from Rockiesland,it has been interesting to watch the Rockies GM suddenly become willing to shed some veterans, even in a division race. They have made great strides with the kids coming up. Mariners are getting closer to that thankfully. Jason, would you put any different players in the Fall League? |
| 14. By: Edman on 09-13-2010 15:13:58 It's crap like this that pisses me off..... The Mariners fired pro scouting director Carmen Fusco, according to KING 5 Sports. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse confirms the report (on Twitter) and suggests it's a warning shot to GM Jack Zduriencik. The Mariners front office is under scrutiny after trading for Josh Lueke. What freakin' warning shot does the M's organization need? To fire someone to send a message to Jack? Some of these guys need to use their heads, instead of generating stuff from another another hole. All they have to do is tell Jack directly, that he can't make another mistake like this again. Was Fusco Jack's bffl? This isn't the freakin' Mafia. I just love the word "suggests".....which means, he has no clue in the world, but he can make up some pretty cool stuff. |
| 15. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-13-2010 15:45:07 Missthosepilots, I would have liked to have seen Liddi in the Fall League, but I don't have issues with the current group. Edman, Except Ed Price is correct. It may have been a suggestion, but that's likely because the information he has can't be confirmed because it was given to him off the record. Not two minutes after I posted above that Jack was safe unless the ownership changed I got word that the M's are trying to delay the D-backs' candidates from interviewing with Arizona because they might want to interview them, too. Which "SUGGESTS," that Jack could be next. Was it a warning shot? At the very least. |
| 16. By: Marco on 09-13-2010 16:03:01 JAC, don't you believe the Venezuela Pro League is a quite challenging environment for Liddi ? However is a big change from last year when they sent him home to rest, it seems they have more confindence in his potential at least. |
| 17. By: Jason A. Churchill on 09-13-2010 16:21:06 Sure, somewhat, Marco. Not like the AFL, though, where players get terrific coaching and don't have to play in an unstable, foreign land. Sending him to winter ball is just about getting him more work, not to challenge him. The Fall League would have been the ultimate challenge. While the best pitchers don't go, the arms that do go are always fresh, and many, many of the top relievers get sent, which means hitters face a starter for 3-5, then 3-5 more arms that are going max effort. if you want to start Liddi's development against better pitching than the AA Southern League offered this year, Peoria was the place to send him. |
| 18. By: Marco on 09-13-2010 16:29:31 "...where players...don't have to play in an unstable, foreign land" Don't forget Liddi comes from a similar land - at least as baseball fundamentals are concerned. If only he's still able to remember Italian baseball Venezuela playing time will be amazing ! Just joking... |
| 19. By: Edman on 09-13-2010 17:26:39 Jason, It would truly be sad if the Mariners over-reacted to the Lueke thing. If Jack goes, so should the entire front office, from Lincoln on down. Lincoln's internal email only fueled the fire. He fanned the flames instead of letting them die out. What worries me is that Jack is going to go elsewhere and make fans sorry that they did. This whole thing is a bloody mess. When this whole thing hit, they should have come out and taken the stance that Josh paid for his crime, and that in all fairness, it shouldn't be used against him being a Mariner. Instead, they tried to back down. They all played a part, from Daniels up to Lincoln. But backing down, gives the appearance of deceit, even is there was none. As far as I'm concerned, Lincoln and Armstrong should be the one's to go. Not because they allowed the trade. But, because they didn't stand up for the right values of the trade. Instead, they tried to beg out of it. Stand by your decisions, which I have to believe they made for what they thought were the right reasons at the time of the trade. But, don't let public opinion lead you down a path of denial. It's better to stand strong and be wrong. Than to be right, but show weakness because some don't like it. People have short memories, unless you keep doing things to remind them. Seattle's FO keeps reminding everyone. |
| 20. By: littlelinny6 on 09-13-2010 18:11:40 Why exactly should we worry about getting Liddi to the Fall League? Jason, I thought yourself and many scouts as well were of the opinion that: 1. He can't play 3B and must play 1B 2. Doesn't have the power to profile at 1B 3. Relative poor approach at the plate 4. Contact issues. Thus it seems we are left with a RH 1st baseman (bad idea in Safeco) without power, defensive value, and all that much plate discipline. Am I missing something because it seems his future in this organization is rather limited. Wouldn't the M's be better off sending someone like Lawson to the AFL (or even Seager) and teach him to play some 3B as well as 2B and prep the next utility player for the M's. |
| 21. By: J. R. Chushcoff on 09-13-2010 18:23:28 Edman, my reference to firing Howard, Chuck, and Jack was NOT a statement in support of Leuke's actions. It was a comment on the entire management style of this organization. "The buck stops at the feet of the easiest mark" seems to be their management style. Everyone's at fault except the holy trinity, it seems. Howard and Chuck saddle the team with Griffey Jr. and when it doesn't work out, fire the manager. The Team trades Lee for a package of prospects, and when they jointly fail to do their due dilligence, they fire the scouting director. Boy this is some group of wise and sophisticated managers. |
| 22. By: VikingArthur on 09-13-2010 18:31:20 I am shocked that anyone gives a damn either way about the rape thing. In the off chance that he actually raped the girl (minimal) it is reprehensible but that doesn't change what he does on the field. This isn't a boy scout troop or some church softball league. |
| 23. By: Edman on 09-13-2010 19:22:51 #22, if it was your daughter, would you feel that way? I don't in any way dismiss what Luke did. I realize there are probably many facts that are unknown. Rape is rape, and it doesn't matter if the victim is a good school girl, or a prostitute. In this case, there's a ton of gray matter. He paid for his crime, that should have ended it. None of us should assume that he'll reoffend. But, I disagree that his play on the field is all that matters. He should carry the burden of his actions. But, I don't agree that he should continue to be punished both by the media and fans. He served his time and should be allowed the opportunity to prove himself a good citizen. And Jason, I know what you're talking about. My point relates to the Lueke incident, but is part of a bigger problem in the front office. For the record, I have no problem with dismissing Wak. Excluding Griffey, he still mismanaged the team and lost the clubhouse. Blaming Griffey being on the roster is but one of many problems. He's paid to not only manage the team, but the personalities in it, no matter who's on the roster. Wak is probably a better manager than he showed. But, he might not have the skills yet to manage a clubhouse. I think he will be a good manager someday, but often time it happens because of what is learned through failure. I honestly can't imagine that Lincoln and Armstrong will get a pass this time. Lincoln's email is all I'd need to fire him, and I'm a reasonable man. To blame anyone but themselves, shows a great level of deniability. My point with the Lueke thing is, a good front office would have taken a strong stance, and ended it. I hate to use a George Steinbrenner example, but he'd have told everyong to F off, if they didn't like it. |
| 24. By: Daryl on 09-13-2010 20:06:41 If the FO feels this strongly about Lueke, Then why haven't they just released him or made a statement that they are not comfortable with his situation and that they will try to trade him in the off season. Then tell Jack, "Bad boy! Don't do that again!" and then tell Baker not to stir up unnecessary trouble like that again or they will cut his access off. |
| 25. By: Missthosepilots on 09-13-2010 22:14:41 Good comments all! Lots of issues to work through. I know that everyone here knows this and NOT wishing for loses but....If the game tonight continues as such, M's are in line for 2nd pick behind the Sunken Pirates. Always a silver lining...even if we are talking about a garbage can! |
| 26. By: Jackson on 09-13-2010 22:21:35 I suppose it's only fair for the next GM to get the #2 pick in the draft too. |
| 27. By: Timberwolf on 09-14-2010 02:44:03 The whole Lueke story smells of CYA. I wondered why Rick Adair was let go the same time as Wakamatsu. Now that he has verified that he was specifically asked about Lueke I think I get the picture. Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong have taken this franchise to the bottom. Hiring Jack Z looked like an attempt to turn things over to real baseball people and get out of the way. Getting rid of Jack z would be putting the clowns back in charge. We squandered an awful lot of premium draft choices before 2009. Nobody is condoning Lueke's behavior, but there is a difference between stupidity and evil. If Leuke does something else it won't matter how talented he is, but it sure looks like he can pitch. |
| 28. By: Edman on 09-14-2010 03:33:35 #27.....there is obviously CYA going on, but it has nothing to do with Adair. They'd have more control over what he says if he was an employee. Letting him go allows him to say whatever he wants. I don't know why he was let go, but the Lueke thing wasn't it. Both Lincoln and Armstrong need to go, but not just for this incident. Lincoln's memo shows exactly what it's trying to say doesn't exist. |
| 29. By: Ungnome on 09-14-2010 03:46:51 I severly dislike lying and by extention liars. I believe that GMZ knew exactly what he was getting with Lueke when he made said yes to the transaction. I know that I would have said yes too. For us, the fans, to hold this crime against Lueke for his entire life is not right. He paid his debt to society with his time in prison. That is the deal that our society makes with any criminal. With that said I also believe that the FO should have stood up for Lueke. They acquired him because they thought he would be a quality baseball player for this organization. If his prior choices pisses off some people then so be it. If our society cannot move past someone's mistakes then why do we let these people out of prison in the first place? Josh Lueke will live with this his entire life, do we need to keep reminding him of it? |
| 30. By: dawgncarolina on 09-14-2010 03:58:49 Even Edman's given up on Team Lincstrong. That's all anyone needs to know about how disasterous there reign has been. Props to you, Eddie, for having the balls to call them out. I honestly never thought I'd see the day. |
| 31. By: Marco on 09-14-2010 08:25:07 I'd not surprised if at the end Mariners Revolution was right all the way ! |
| 32. By: Portugal on 09-14-2010 09:02:34 The Good: How close the M's are to having the No. 2 pick in the draft Is There any chance of the Pirate`s passing on Anthony Rendon(because they have Pedro Alvarez at 3rd Base an rendon injuries) and pick Cole or Purke? even after they picked Taillon and Alliein the last draft. |
| 33. By: Edman on 09-14-2010 11:27:52 #32, it really is worthless to worry about what the Pirates will do in next year's draft. They'll take the best player, period. All clubs do that, regardless of what position they play. A position can be found for a talented player with offensive skills. And, the top 28 picks will be moving all over the board, as the college and high schools seasons progress next year. Regardless, Seattle's going to get a very good player if they hold on to the #2 overall pick, which I expect they will. |
| 34. By: maqman on 09-14-2010 13:36:52 Good thread guys! Edman I'm becoming a fan. I'm guessing that like me a lot of you have woken up some mornings, hungover, in bed with somebody you don't recognize and you can't remember what happened during the prior evening. Thankfully I never woke up to Lueke's nightmare but I know I've done a lot of dumb stuff in the day and I'm not throwing any stones at the guy, nor do I excuse his behaviour. He'll be paying for it the rest of his life and quite possibly doesn't know if he deserves it or not. He does deserve the right to show us what abilities and value he has to offer society. We owe him the right to do that. |
| 35. By: dawgncarolina on 09-14-2010 14:52:57 I don't think anyone really expects Alvarez to play 3rd. Certainly not well enough to warrant passing on Rendon. If the Pirates pass on Rendon, it will be because they like someone else better. Given how they just loaded up on pitchers this year, I'd expect them to take Rendon, unless his injury scares them off. In which case one would think it would scare the M's off as well. The M's will draft a pitcher, I'm almost certain of it. |
| 36. By: olystuart on 09-14-2010 18:17:37 Re: Saunders, true his numbers this year are lackluster, but at least he has improved them relative to last year even if the changes aren't huge. K/BB went down from 6.67 to 2.57, IF/FB went down, he's at least hit a few out, BABIP is down this year from .329 to .265. If the batted ball average goes back up next year and he keeps making improvements he'll be alright, at least that's how it seems to me. |
| 37. By: Jerry on 09-15-2010 11:11:06 Edman says: ".....it really is worthless to worry about what the Pirates will do in next year's draft. They'll take the best player, period. All clubs do that, regardless of what position they play." Thats just simply not true. Look back at the past several drafts. Top guys slide every year. The Pirates have actually been one of the clubs that consistently take value/probability players early in the draft. They reached for C Tony Sanchez in 2009 and Daniel Moskos in 2007. Their 2009 draft was actually really interesting, as they picked Sanchez #4 overall, even though nobody had him ranked that high, and picked up a bunch of guys who slid later in the draft. That strategy of spreading around the money is not a bad idea. The other issue is that teams don't always agree on who is the #1 guy. The past few drafts have had a clear #1 talent, but this draft seems to have less separation between #1 and #2. Rendon is hurt, and there are a handful of elite college players eligible for the draft this year. There are Rendon, Purke, Cole, Grey, Barnes, Jungmann, and Springer. All are elite guys. If Rendon isn't just dominant next year, he could slip past #1. In a lot of ways, this reminds me a lot of the 2008 draft, where Pedro Alvarez was the consensus #1 pick leading into the season, but slid to #2 after a less than dominant season. Also reminiscent of this year, Alvarez was hampered by an injury. The biggest difference is that this year has more depth of elite college guys. Obviously, I think we all hope that Rendon slips to #2. He is perfect for the M's, as they need help at 3B and need offense. As a polished, elite bat, Rendon could help the M's quick. It is really easy to get excited about an infield of Rendon at 3B, Franklin at SS, Ackley at 2B, and Smoak at 1B. How awesome would that be? But if Rendon does go #1, or really falls off the map, the M's will still do well. The one thing that I do agree with you about is that the M's will be in a great situation at #2, regardless of what happens. Rendon would be perfect, but George Springer is a really interesting guy too. He has bigtime tools, and could challenge Rendon as the best position player with a big year. Jackie Bradley Jr. could jump up too. And if not, the M's could just pick the best starter on the board. With Cole, Purke, Jungmann, Barnes, and Grey, one or two of those guys is going to take a step forward and separate from the rest. With so much depth in college starters, the M's could get a guy who could slide into the rotation quick. And who knows. A prep player could come out of nowhere and enter the conversation. Regardless, it will be fun to follow this draft. The M's will have a high pick, and this class has a lot of talent. |
| 38. By: bunvt on 09-15-2010 11:19:05 Draft is so far away. A lot can happen between now and then. Let's wait awhile and start drooling over our draft possibilities when the draft hype starts to pick up next year. |
| 39. By: Edman on 09-15-2010 11:53:29 Jerry, it is highly doubtful that the Pirates will take a value pick. They're under a lot of heat, as are the Marlins, for not spending the money that MLB has given them that was intended to be spent on payroll, only to use it for operation related tasks. MLB will not let them do it again. They have been given a massive monetary gift, so this year, more than any other, they'll be watched to make sure they're spending that money correctly. As bunvt said, the draft is a long way away. To pencil in Rendon right now makes no sense. And, they will not draft for need. They will draft the best player available to them, be it a pitcher or a hitter. They're going to get a potential impact player, and that's what's important. To say it's Rendon is futile at this point. Let's let next year's college and high school seasons finish, before we start drooling over any player in the draft. There are probably five who are possible #2 picks, at this point. |
| 40. By: Faceplant on 09-15-2010 17:46:38 "if it was your daughter, would you feel that way?" No offense intended, but I can't stand it when people try and use this line of reasoning. Of course people would feel different if this had happened to their child. Parents of violent crime victims are in no position to think rationally. |
| 41. By: gwangung on 09-15-2010 21:10:22 #40. No offense, but that was a terrible answer. YOU'RE not thinking rationally in discarding the feelings of the person (i.e., the victim). |
| 42. By: Lailoken on 09-15-2010 22:41:25 Smoak & Jones continue their ridiculous postseasons tonight (9/15). Sure feel better about Smoak as the starting 1B in the bigs. Before this successful run I was thinking the M's had to pick someone up this offseason to compete with him for the job. Now, we just need someone to hit behind him. :) Jones should post monster numbers in High Desert. His second half was just short of spectacular but his postseason performance has been spectacular plus some. The power & the walks are coming through. As a two-way player in college who many thought of as a pitcher his attention to hitting was diverted. Now, he seems to be coming into his own as a hitter. |
| 43. By: Timberwolf on 09-15-2010 23:47:20 When your team loses over 90 games it is OK to be thinking about draft picks. Even if there is an unexpected winning streak, there will be premium players available at #3 and #4. I sure love the decision to leave the guys at Tacoma to compete for a AAA championship instead of moping around with a last place team on the road to oblivion. |
| 44. By: Jerry on 09-16-2010 13:26:12 RE #38 and 39, I don't see how you could read my post and say that I was penciling anyone in. But why not pay attention to the draft? Perhaps its just me, but I am finding this team pretty close to unwatchable. The product on the field right now is just brutal. It will get a bit more interesting when Smoak, Lueke, Cortes, Robles, Carp, and perhaps Halman join the club. It'd be fun to see these guys get a shot. One thing is for sure, the status quo is just terrible. So, forgive me if I start thinking draft a bit too early. I just need to find something to keep myself interested during the final weeks of this terrible season. Having the #2 pick in a very good draft would be a great consolation prize, and give fans something to look forward to in an offseason that will probably be more about rebuilding than winning. I know that the only reason I check the scores and standings anymore is to see where the M's may end up in the draft next year. Its the only thing left that has any bearing on the teams future. That and how the young guys are playing. Finally, to respond to Edman's post, the Pirates haven't been skimping on the draft. They just haven't been spending tons of their first pick. When they picked Sanchez #4 overall and signed him for slot money, they went overslot often later in the draft. It's an interesting strategy, and is basically the polar opposite of what we did in 2009. Instead of paying a ton for one guy, they spread money around to several guys who got big bonuses. They gave five guys ~1 mil instead of spending all of it on one guy and going slot thereafter. Its debatable whether this is better than just paying out the nose for top-5 guy, but you can't argue that they aren't spending money in the draft. In terms of money spent in the draft, they have been near the top in terms of draft bonus money every year for the past few years. In fact, they have spent more than any other team between 2008-2010. See this link: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=2928 The issue of revenue sharing doesn't have anything to do with their decisions in the draft. They just have a little different MO in terms of how that money is distributed. |
| 45. By: Ungnome on 09-16-2010 14:08:38 The M's are going to get a player in the 2011 draft that will in all probability be making a contribution to the 2013 Mariners. So why shouldnt we be looking at those players as potential pieces to the puzzle? It seems to me that it would only make sense to pick a player that would fill a hole on that team. It absolutely makes sense to see how these players could potentially help in the near future because they will help in the near future. They may not be in the organization now but how would their presence affect the future personel decisions of the organization? As things become more clear in the draft planning for how those players will fit within the current roster is crucial to future success. |
Haven't created a Prospect Insider account yet? Sign up!
|
|
 |
|
|
| Copyright 2010 Prospect Insider | Created by AQ Central Prospect Insider is optimized for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome |