2011 Minor League Catch-All

[KMcMahon817]

Dirty, what the that White Sox minor league website again? The name is escaping me.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by DirtySox

Completely neglecting almost the entirety of the international talent available to them is inexcusable

That's pure hyperbole. Let's not go overboard with wild statements like this, okay?

Originally Posted by DirtySox

The same goes for the draft and player development. It needs to be fixed.

The draft has been successful as of late. What needs to be fixed in terms of player development?

[California Sox]

Actually, since Wilder it is fair to say that the Sox have abandoned the international market. They may get back in, but they have done very little the last 2/3 years.

And yes the 2008, 2009, and 2010 drafts all look promising, but 2007 and 2006 were so bad, the system is going to need a while to recover. I have followed the Sox minor leagues for a long time. I don't recall them ever being this thin in starting pitching before. I bet in the early rounds you will see the Sox take a college pitcher with every pick, just to get some depth.

[SoxSpeed22]

We did trade a ton of our pitching prospects, going back to 2008. That was one reason why the 2010 draft was pitching heavy and I think this next draft should focus on pitching and outfield. I think the system is taking a few steps in the right direction, but there is still a very long way to go. The whole Wilder incident really hurt and international scouting is where the Sox really fell behind, compared to the rest of the league.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by California Sox

Actually, since Wilder it is fair to say that the Sox have abandoned the international market.

This again is hyperbole. The Sox have not "abandoned" the international market, they still have overseas training centers, a couple of summer league teams, etc. Sematics? Yes. But after reading the constant bashing over the past season or so, it's time to reign everybody back down to Earth. The Wilder scandal has obviously set us back, but the White Sox will be more active in the coming year.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by California Sox

but 2007 and 2006 were so bad, the system is going to need a while to recover.

I agree that 2006 and 2007 were sub-par to say the least. However, the White Sox are not going to change their current philosophy. Thus I can't seem them keeping players in the farm system long term. We're obviously built to win now and our GM is a gunslinger.

[California Sox]

Originally Posted by rdivaldi

I agree that 2006 and 2007 were sub-par to say the least. However, the White Sox are not going to change their current philosophy. Thus I can't seem them keeping players in the farm system long term. We're obviously built to win now and our GM is a gunslinger.

We are not really in tremendous disagreement. I am not as down on the overall system as some. There are quite a few position players I believe in like Viciedo, Flowers, Mitchell, and Wilkins. But the dearth of pitching is a concern when 40 percent of the rotation is eligible for free agency, Danks is headed for a giant raise, and Peavy's health continues to be a question mark.

I would say Laumann has done a great job. I would love to get someone in international scouting who would bring that side up to par.

[DirtySox]

Originally Posted by KMcMahon817

Dirty, what the that White Sox minor league website again? The name is escaping me.

I'm not sure which site you are referring to.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by California Sox

But the dearth of pitching is a concern when 40 percent of the rotation is eligible for free agency, Danks is headed for a giant raise, and Peavy's health continues to be a question mark.

Agreed. In fairness though, most teams don't have a AA/AAA glut of pitching waiting to make an instant impact in the majors at the drop of a hat. I'm not concerned about Danks, I think we'll give him the $$$ he deserves. Peavy on the other hand is of major concern. I do think he'll make 20+ starts for us this year, but I don't like the injury guessing-game.

[Domeshot17]

I am a little confused on how the last 3 drafts have been successful? I mean, yes, Gordon vs. Smoak was a tough choice, Mitchell we still don't know, and Sale was a dream scenerio. We still completely blew sandwich picks and spent very little on all 3 drafts. We continue to have one of the bottom 3-4 farms in baseball year in and out. This is not just because of trades. Anyone who doesn't see the problem here is just lying to themselves.

In terms of player development, a ton needs to be fixed.

[Daver]

Originally Posted by rdivaldi

The draft has been successful as of late. What needs to be fixed in terms of player development?

Being able to turn out an overall balanced ballplayer would be nice, the only way they do that know is if the player was already that in HS or college.

They really need to get over the philosophy of rushing players to the MLB club, with all the failures they have had because of it you would think they would have learned this lesson, but they haven't.

[DirtySox]

Originally Posted by Domeshot17

I am a little confused on how the last 3 drafts have been successful? I mean, yes, Gordon vs. Smoak was a tough choice, Mitchell we still don't know, and Sale was a dream scenerio. We still completely blew sandwich picks and spent very little on all 3 drafts. We continue to have one of the bottom 3-4 farms in baseball year in and out. This is not just because of trades. Anyone who doesn't see the problem here is just lying to themselves.

In terms of player development, a ton needs to be fixed. They have no idea how to do it.

This.

I don't see how anyone can argue that the farm system is in a good state, or on the upswing. I like the 1st round picks the last 4 years, but that's about it. The Sox don't spend on the draft, fail to sign early round picks, and don't spend internationally. Daver mentioned that the amount of scouts employed is abysmal compared to other organizations. The lack of depth is scary. With Sale and Morel graduating this year and no 1st round pick, things look even worse. Aside from Jared Mitchell who is no sure thing, what else is there? Maybe all the sleepers have breakout years and I eat crow, but I won't hold my breath.

[DirtySox]

Originally Posted by KMcMahon817

Dirty, what the that White Sox minor league website again? The name is escaping me.

Maybe you are referring to FutureSox?

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/future-sox/

[KMcMahon817]

Originally Posted by DirtySox

I'm not sure which site you are referring to.

I am not really sure how to explain it. It just gives scouting reports for the Sox minor league systems and follows all the teams as the season progresses. It was just like an aggregate site that had a little bit of everything for each team. I did a couple of google searches but couldn't find it.

[KMcMahon817]

Originally Posted by DirtySox

Maybe you are referring to FutureSox?

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/future-sox/

Whoops. Didn't see this. Yes, this is it. Thank you.