Posted on 01/16/2008 10:05:04 AM PST by Lovebloggers
When you looked out at the football field in the indoor bubble at Boston College's Alumni Stadium yesterday, you saw the reason why many Red Sox fans don't want to make the Johan Santana trade.
related content gallery Photos from Tuesday's workout Sox prospects learn to deal with trade rumors more stories like thisYou saw a confident, personable, Derek Lowe-like Justin Masterson and shortstop-of-the-future Jed Lowrie, both of whom have been mentioned in a possible trade for Santana. You saw a bulked-up, maturing Clay Buchholz, who may be the Red Sox' lone untouchable, though he may not even break camp with them, given the depth of their rotation.
The talent on the field - invited guests to the Red Sox' annual rookie development program - was a testament to how far the system has come. Baseball America, the bible of minor league baseball, ranks the Red Sox farm system second overall (Tampa Bay is first). But farm director Mike Hazen isn't getting carried away.
"We don't put too much stock in those things," Hazen said. "We know our job is to continue to push forward and help each guy maximize his potential."
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Nope, NYY have the finest farm system in baseball. They went from nothing (using young talent as bait for established free agent stars) to in tense development and are sitting pretty. Look at their team today and you will see about 75% of their talent is home grown. There young pitchers are the best in baseball and I exclude nobody here.
Besides, NE teams cheat. Both the SAWX and the Pats have been caught cheating and when you do and the other guy doesn’t, you sort of have an edge.
BAHAHAHAHA.
Nice try, but no. Enjoy watching the Sox on their road of excellence for the next decade at least.
I love the Sox. I’m not a homer come lately fan cause I use to live in NH and rooted for them when they sucked. It’s nice to see them investing in their farm system. I remember the Duquette years, and that was pathetic they way they raped and pillaged their farm system in the fashion of Genghis Khan.
Also note, Jeter’s cheaters fans pointing the finger on cheating.
How many juicers in the Yankee mix?
Agreed. They're called the "Minnesota Twins"
Shall we call the Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-mbulance now? Give me a break "the other guy doesn't". Did you ever stop to think why Eric Linguine was about the only coach crying over the Pats "spying" incident? I think it has to do with a biblical saying about throwing stones and sin.
Doesn't necessarily make it right, but don't go throwing this holier-than-thou attitude around.
And then there are the Spankees, the O-for-the-Century Spankees who have employed the world's largest collection of overpaid, muscle-bound, bulked-up-by-pharmaceutical underachievers in baseball history. Except, of course for a certain overpaid blue lipped ball-slapper who tears up the league during the season and shrivels up like a falling leaf in October.
As long as your state has gay marriage you’ll never be taken seiously.
I like in New York but can’t stand the Yankees. Their fans are all remind me of Billy Martin: egotistical crybabies with a grotesque sense of entitlement.
Now, does anyone want to know what REALLY happened to these farm systems and get beyond the “Yankees Suck”/”Boston Sucks” mindless mentality?
Both the Boston Red Sox AND the New York Yankees have significantly improved their farm systems over the last several, in large measure because each team has successfully exploited huge loopholes in the Collective Bargaining Agreement pertaining to Type A/Type B free agent compensation.
Both teams stockpiled early round picks between 2004 and 2007 by dropping free agents and changing them out. They ended up with 4 to 5 picks in the top 50 or so each year. Then, combine more whacks at the pinata with their financial resources that allow them to scarf up the otherwise high 1st round talents that dropped in the draft due to signability concerns.
Bingo, you have a future frontline of Phillip Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, and Andrew Blackman about to take over. Or if you are Boston, you’re looking at Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie, Michael Bowden, and Justin Masterson.
This is no accident, IMO. It sets up the next generations of Yankees vs. Red Sox, and that rivalry is what has carried the game at the MLB for decades.
I never cry, I’ll leave that to the NE fans. I lived there for a lot of years and witnessed this first hand.
But that said it is also a fact the Pats and the SAWX have been caught cheating. The Pats everyone knows about and the SAWX were nailed with TV monitors in their bullpen. It would have been OK except they never put them in or offered them to the opposing team. The monitors allowed their pitchers to see how various hitters on the opposing team reacted certain pitches. It gave them a decided advantage if and when they were called into the game.
Yeah buddy, having a farm system has really helped propel those feared Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the forefront of baseball now haven’t they?
Ain’t just the Yankees pal, seems they all were doing the stuff.
NOt meaning to stand up for the N.Y. team, just know that many many were and probably still are to stay in the high salary game.
Here's why I am right. Schilling has one year if that remaining. Beckett is a truly great pitcher and I cannot take anything away from him. After that they have the knuckle baller who at best is erratic but has the benefit of being able to pitch almost everyday due to the almost total lack of wear and tear on his arm from throwing the floater. After that it gets a bit dicey for the sox as far as starters. In the bull pen they have Papelbon, who was supposed to be a starter but developed arm trouble and was made a closer and a sparsely used one at that due to concerns about how he will hold up under extreme use say like NYY closer Mariano Riviera has. The word is he is a pitch away from mediocrity.
Now the hitting. The strength of the SAWX is unarguably Popi and Ramires in the 3-4 slot. Popi hits a ton, no doubt, but why is that? Aficionados of the game can easily see that with Ramirez behind popi, no one wants to pitch around him and face Ramirez with a man on. Consequently he gets some good pitches to hit and hit them he does.
Here's the problem. It's no secret Manny wants out of Boston and he will be gone, maybe this year maybe next but when he goes the fear of pitching around popi leaves with him and unless the SAWX cam find someone with the power and ability of big popi the line up becomes very, very ordinary.
Last year was a bad one for NY because of the pitching injuries they had the entire first half of the year. They fell 13 games back by the end of May but even then the managed to be the best offensive club by far in the AL in BA, Total Bases, Hits, Runs, all across the board they took the top ranking. Defensively the SAWX had a fielding pct of .986 vs the Yankees .985, not enough here to matter.
The very important positions of second base and short stop where the NYY have Jeter and Cano, among the best in the game. Both are young and their dynamite play makes this "up the middle" combo a sure thing for the foreseeable future.
The NYY are lethal 1-9 in their line up while the SAWX are pretty much done once you get past the #5 hitter. In the end the entire future of the RS rests on Manny Ramirez batting behind BIG POPPI and Papelbon not stepping off correctly and finishing his promising career with the loud pop of ligaments tearing away from bone and muscle.
Giambi I think admitted a year or so ago to using something and also Pettit. But you may correct me but i don’t think when Growth hormone was used by Pettit to help him recover from an injury, it was not illegal to do so.
In any case that’s really not the same as team management conspiring to win by stealing intel from the other team illegally.
Using this as an excuse is about as weak as it gets. It is downright Liberal
Did you ever stop to think why Eric Linguine was about the only coach crying over the Pats "spying" incident? I think it has to do with a biblical saying about throwing stones and sin.
LOL, WHAT!! The only coach? The entire Eagles team was pointing to play after play when they played the Pats where the Pats knew EXACTLY where the ball was going. and the Eagles weren't alone. The fine was $750,000, that alone speaks to the severity of the offense and to make it worse it wasn't even the first time they were nailed doing this. Now if you can show me an instance where the Jets engaged in similar tactics, I'll listen.
Meantime the great year enjoyed by the Pats this season will always be under a cloud and along with their accomplishments will be mentioned the phrase, "yeah, but did they come by their success legitimately?"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.