Sports Weekly Ranks Sox Farm System 29th

[Wealz]

I can't find the article online though.

Williams, Shaffer, etc... should be held accountable for the deplorable state of our system.

[The Tom]

That is exactly why i would be a bit weary of giving further young talent up in further trades. Our system needs to be replenished.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Wealz

I can't find the article online though.

Williams, Shaffer, etc... should be held accountable for the deplorable state of our system.

Many of these rankings use depth or W-L records as measures, something the Sox haven't had much of in either of the past several years because they've had to make so many trades.

So, you can take your pick. Sit around for the next 10 years and wait for the prospects to make MLB impacts, or trade them while they're unknown commodities for proven MLB talent. You can't have it both ways, although I'm guessing it won't stop you from bitching about it. I'd like to see where they have the Yankees ranked, because if they're not last, then it immediately invalidates the whole thing.

[Wealz]

Originally Posted by Randar68

Many of these rankings use depth or W-L records as measures, something the Sox haven't had much of in either of the past several years because they've had to make so many trades.

So, you can take your pick. Sit around for the next 10 years and wait for the prospects to make MLB impacts, or trade them while they're unknown commodities for proven MLB talent. You can't have it both ways, although I'm guessing it won't stop you from bitching about it. I'd like to see where they have the Yankees ranked, because if they're not last, then it immediately invalidates the whole thing.

Reed, Morse, Ring, Francisco, Rupe, Webster, and Quintero were lost in trades. To think those seven were significant enough losses to bankrupt the system is folly.

Where is the top end talent? The system is littered with disappointments and guys who were reaches when drafted. Allen, Borchard, Gonzales, Valido, are the names that spring to mind. Incredibly, Dave Wilder was quoted recently as saying they believe Borchard will be a star. No wonder they're 29th.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Wealz

Reed, Morse, Ring, Francisco, Rupe, Webster, and Quintero were lost in trades. To think those seven were significant enough losses to bankrupt the system is folly.

Where is the top end talent? The system is littered with disappointments and guys who were reaches when drafted. Allen, Borchard, Gonzales, Valido, are the names that spring to mind. Incredibly, Dave Wilder was quoted recently as saying they believe Borchard will be a star. No wonder they're 29th.

Reed was the top prospect in the system when traded, Webster was #4, Francisco is pitching out of the Ranger's bullpen at age 20 (maybe 21) and jumped basically from A-ball. Rupe is a risk/reward prospect, Ring was a first round draft choice (and even if you say he was a reach, which he was, he was no worse than a sadwich pick projection).

The names that spring to mind? Brian Anderson, Ryan Sweeney, Honel and Wing pre-injuries, Brandon McCarthy, Borchard (a Ron Schueler pick, pal), Valido is in his first full season fer chrissakes.

You just don't seem to have any real grasp of the expectations and realistic time-frames that prospects progress/develop at, and it suits your crying and whining tact.

You take half of a team's top 10 prospects and trade them or they are injured within a 12 month window, and no-**** the organization is going to drop in ranking!

Do you go for it now and trade prospects or sit around waiting? KW has shown he's not going to sit around waiting, and that does cost the system, but gives you a better chance to win on the MLB level now. You still didn't answer which you'd prefer, but the first tactic didn't work for Schueler, hopefully the latter works for KW. If they win a WS, are you going to cry and whine about the status of the farm teams?

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by Wealz

I can't find the article online though.

Williams, Shaffer, etc... should be held accountable for the deplorable state of our system.

Oh please. Baseball America ranked us as the number 1 organization in 2000 and look where those guys got us. Spare us the melodrama...

[Wealz]

Originally Posted by Randar68

Reed was the top prospect in the system when traded, Webster was #4, Francisco is pitching out of the Ranger's bullpen at age 20 (maybe 21) and jumped basically from A-ball. Rupe is a risk/reward prospect, Ring was a first round draft choice (and even if you say he was a reach, which he was, he was no worse than a sadwich pick projection).

The names that spring to mind? Brian Anderson, Ryan Sweeney, Honel and Wing pre-injuries, Brandon McCarthy, Borchard (a Ron Schueler pick, pal), Valido is in his first full season fer chrissakes.

You just don't seem to have any real grasp of the expectations and realistic time-frames that prospects progress/develop at, and it suits your crying and whining tact.

You take half of a team's top 10 prospects and trade them or they are injured within a 12 month window, and no-**** the organization is going to drop in ranking!

Do you go for it now and trade prospects or sit around waiting? KW has shown he's not going to sit around waiting, and that does cost the system, but gives you a better chance to win on the MLB level now. You still didn't answer which you'd prefer, but the first tactic didn't work for Schueler, hopefully the latter works for KW. If they win a WS, are you going to cry and whine about the status of the farm teams?

Honel, Reed, Anderson, and Sweeney. That's it. Four highly touted prospects all taken in the first 50 picks. If a player was drafted outside of the top 50 by Shaffer and his crew history tells us there's a real good chance he can't play. That's unacceptable for a middle-of-the-pack revenue team. Borchard will be a star according to Dave Wilder? The Sox scouting and development is need of an overhaul.

[Wealz]

Originally Posted by rdivaldi

Oh please. Baseball America ranked us as the number 1 organization in 2000 and look where those guys got us. Spare us the melodrama...

So being rated 29th out of 30 isn't a concern?

[maurice]

Morse, Francisco, Rupe, Webster, Quintero, Olivo, Munoz, Diaz, McCarthy, Rogowski, Young, Bajenaru, Pacheco, Cotts, and Adkins were not top 50 draft picks by the Sox, IIRC. The prospects KW traded for were not highly touted at the time he acquired them, even if they were drafted in the top 50 by other teams.

[Wealz]

Buehrle is the only pitcher on the roster drafted by the team and four years into the Williams regime none of his picks are near the majors either. Think about that. If every pick in the Kenny Williams era was a hitter their major league team would be no worse off than they already are.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by Wealz

So being rated 29th out of 30 isn't a concern?

No, it's not. Farm system rankings are for the most part meaningless. Sure it's nice to be ranked high, but that doesn't guarantee a thing.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by Wealz

four years into the Williams regime none of his picks are near the majors either.

Considering that the 2002 #1, #2, and #3 picks were traded, and the #1, #2, and #3 picks from 2001 are ALL injured I think you'll have to agree there's a flaw in your statement above.

[The Tom]

Originally Posted by Wealz

Honel, Reed, Anderson, and Sweeney. That's it. Four highly touted prospects all taken in the first 50 picks. If a player was drafted outside of the top 50 by Shaffer and his crew history tells us there's a real good chance he can't play. That's unacceptable for a middle-of-the-pack revenue team. Borchard will be a star according to Dave Wilder? The Sox scouting and development is need of an overhaul.

How about McCarthy, Fields, Lumsden, Gonzalez, and Nanita. Also, Munoz and Rauch arent finished yet. It's hardly fair to say that Borchard is good for nothing after 3 games with the big club. Walker has worked wonders with our offens, he could do Borchard some good. Also Cotts and Diaz have both shown flashes and havent been given an opportunity to settle in and pitch. Every start or appearance for them determines whether theyll get another appearance. That's a lot of added pressure to an already stressful situation. WE HAVE GUYS, GIVE THEM SOME TIME.

[Chisoxfn]

This is ridiculous. Sweeney and Anderson have as much upside as a lot of prospects out there and then the Sox have guys like McCarthy, Giovany, Honel, Wing, Munoz, Diaz, etc. They don't have much in the higher levels, which is why I think they are rated low, but they have a lot of guys that have talent down in the lower levels and it will be interesting to see where this system rates in the next few years.

I really am high on a lot of the talent down in A ball and lower.

[Wealz]

Anderson, Sweeney, McCarthy. Terrific. Compare that to other systems around baseball and you'll find it to be severely lacking. It was below medocre before the trades of Reed, Francisco, Webster, Ring, etc. too. Top end prospects has been virtually non-existent the last 4 years.

Middle-of-the-pack revenues coupled with one of the 3 or 4 worst systems in baseball is a recipe for disaster.