We have completed our "State of..." series. We still have 2 weeks before the season starts, if it starts at all. Even when the season starts we won't have Down on the Farm this year because there is no farm this year! I am soliciting suggestions for a new series. I am thinking we could do a team-by-team review of the 2020 draft? Anything else out there we haven't covered?
I want to hear from you!
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How about re-ranking the top prospects after the draft?
ReplyDeleteI would like to know why the Giants aren’t more involved in the International prospect market. Though not sure if that’s the type of topic that could be easily covered in this format. Thanks...
ReplyDeleteNot sure why the Giants haven't made more of a splash in the international market since Zaidi took charge except I understand that most international deals are agreed to a much as 2-4 years prior to actual signing which means a kid who is 16 years old at signing was as young as 12 or 13 when the agreement was made.
DeleteOh, and to clarify, I mean why haven’t they been more involved since Zaidi has taken over. Thanks
ReplyDeleteYou're addicted!
ReplyDeleteAND, you've addicted a LOT of US!
You could insert the 2020 draftees to your TOP 50 with your best guesses ever!
Other than finalizing Kyle Harrison everything else is signed with the Giants edging over their $9,231,800 but not enough to lose picks.
Now that ALL 7 draftees plus a number of undrafted players are signed, the Brilliance of the Giants Plan becomes clear: They got an "unsignable" first round talent in the 3rd round without risking not being able to sign a "high" pick or anyone else gambling late like they did.
ReplyDeleteBy going under slot everywhere else (except Swiney slightly), they had enough money to throw at Harrison without penalty (a little 5% overage) to get him to forego UCLA.
Plus, Buster's opting out shows how much they need another Catcher: the cupboard after Bart is pretty bare.
Cheers for Farhan and his staff for picking upstream to the consternation of many: Harrison and Bailey are missing cogs plus Schmitt and Swiney have interesting potential.
I agree. I think they did about was well or better than we could expect or even hope for in the draft. I think the Bailey pick is highly underrated by most fans who are way too hung up on the fact that Bart is also a catcher.
DeleteYou were really high on Cole Wilcox who apparently slipped because of sign-ability questions.
DeletePerhaps the Giants were thinking about him in the 3rd round (instead of Harrison) where an un-signable guy doesn't hurt so much - the Giants already had made 4 picks.
The Padres had the 8th pick, 5 ahead of SF, and took Wilcox. Then had to go to $3,300,000 to sign him! The Giants had to go through enough loops to free up $2,500,000 to sign Harrison, but even that much money - $3.3M - isn't a lot for a consensus 1st rounder.
So, we will see who works out best: Wilcox or Harrison? Matt Cain or Madison Bumgarner?
Kudos to Zaidi: spits on Puig, says he rather see what Darin Ruf and Jaylin Davis bring if given a chance to in the outfield.
ReplyDelete"So right now, we're not looking outside the organization at all."
Zaidi on the "TK Show" on Wednesday.
I would love top have you do an in-depth analysis of Rob Manfred's tenure as Commissioner of MLB. I believe he is as poor a leader as we have seen in a while in all of the major sports, and we have witnessed poor leadership all across the National board in recent years. I can recall being horrified that the alternate to Manfred was Tom Werner, if my memory serves me well. I believe that all of the erratic and poorly crafted decisions of his attempts to placate the owners and shove an ill-advised 're-start' upon all of us is cause to be removed from office. But, that's what I think...and I would love to have you express your opinion. It's not a series as you asked, but it is at the core of MLB's current and future dilemma.
ReplyDeletebest,
Thanks again
Baseball's dilemma: it's not fun anymore, it's all about money, from the owners to the bottom of the MLBPA.
DeleteMinor league ball, below AAA, from the bottom up, it begins as a game, sort of, and loses its fun at each level by a factor of (1/player age)*(1/league level)/(observer age squared)
I don't know that I have enough of a well-formed opinion about Rob Manfred to do a write up like that. I was encouraged when he first took over as I agree something has to be done with pace of play. He also seems to be open to technological innovations like an electronic strike zone.
DeleteOn the other hand, it looks like he is using his management-centric labor relations skills to absolutely crush both minor league players and the MLBLPA neither of which is good for the sport of baseball, IMO.
As for this season, we are in largely uncharted territory here. I believe he is honestly trying to balance the business and public health aspects of this while having to work with tragically mixed messages from the federal government and a bewildering array of seemingly contradictory and conflicting scientific evidence(I personally believe it's not as complicated as it's being made out to be the fundamentals of the pandemic have not changed since I posted about them in March and April, but that's another story).
What I am saying is, honest mistakes are going to happen from even the most knowledgeable scientists. It's willful ignorance and denial of well established science that has been so unfortunate in our country. I don't see Manfred as part of that....at least yet.