February 28, 2005
From Queens to the Bronx
New York Magazine looks at the upcoming baseball season, profiling Omar Minaya of the Mets and speaking to three experts about the Yankees. On Minaya, I thought this paragraph the most interesting:
More intriguing, though, is that Minaya envisions a new model for building a team that’s neither purely intuitive nor coldly rooted in on-base-percentage calculations. The Mets will still draft dozens of players, but they’ll increasingly deploy Minaya as a recruiter, almost in the mold of a college coach, particularly in Latin America. There, the amateur players aren’t subject to the major-league draft, so teams with big money and connections have a sizable advantage. This winter is a vivid example of how the approach can pay off at the bottom and top of the ladder: Minaya’s signing of Martinez attracted that 16-year-old Dominican shortstop who showed up at the Mets Academy because Pedro now wore blue and orange. And it also gave the Mets credibility with Carlos Beltran.
He's two for three on the salesmanship so far, landing Pedro and Beltran, but losing out on Delgado. Turning the Mets into winners will also help recruitment a great deal.
Tim McCarver, Rob Neyer, and an unnamed scout discuss the upcoming season for the Yankees here. I like this exchange on the age of the team:
Is the high number of yankees 35 or older a problem?
MCCARVER: You could ask that question of any team. Tony Womack’s 35—so what? A lot of guys at 35 are doing very well.
SCOUT: Put it this way: They’re built to win now. They didn’t go out and get any young, promising players. Pavano’s the youngest guy they picked up. And he’s 29.
NEYER: The trap that teams like the Red Sox and the Yankees fall into is the notion that they have to be good every year. If that’s the goal you’ve set for yourself, it’s very difficult to get young. You’re going to end up with guys who make a lot of money—so much that you can’t trade them—when their skills are declining.
I really like what Omar is doing for the Mets. Guys like Pedro and many other Latin Americans have a HUGE moral tie to loyalty. I see it with many of my best friends and Pedro has said as much in his press confrences. I think Omar can attract many young prospects to the Mets with his skills and the help of the other veterans he's already signed. It will be interesting and fun to watch throughout the next few years. I know as a DC baseball fan, one of the hottest tickets is going to be when the Mets roll into town.
For years, in New York... Money talks everything else walks. It started in 1977 with the free agency rollout. I remember in junior high school. Whopping $1 million contract George extended to Reggie Jackson. Then... Jim Catfish Hunter.
I guess money and grass roots networking will funnel prospects. I'm not sure where I read this, but MLB rosters have 30 % latino players. More surprising is the level of Latinos playing minor league baseball (45%). Can this be correct?
Omar Minaya... You Gotta Believe!
Funderbeans, Latin players are more loyal then other players? How does that explain Beltran and Pedro (and Delgado) jumping ship this offseason? Baseball is a business, and all the players understand that.
Sabernar-
Good point. I don't think you understood exactly what I was trying to say...about how Omar will be able to attract many young prospects...and that is probably my fault for not elaborating...but your point is well taken none-the-less.
FunderBeans
www.funderbeans.blogspot.com
Beisbol,
The demographics of the major leagues has always been a reflection of immigration patterns to the United States.
I wonder if a worldwide draft will come into play. It seems that the Mets would be against it now, along with some of the other deep pocket teams (Yankees, Red Sox). Would the players go for it?