Single biggest problem with the Sox over the past decade

[maggsmaggs]

The more I see how inconsistent all Sox teams are, talking about from season to season, it is clear that we put too much money into the 25-man roster and not enough into the other aspects: drafting, scouting and foreign free agents. Look at the top teams of the past decade in terms of consistent success, they all build mostly from within; Twins, As, Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies and Braves. The Yankees are an obvious exception, but are also an MLB anomaly. I would much rather have $10 million less in payroll per year if that means we increase our draft budget, get better scouts and scour the foreign free agent market better (and clearly that whole Dominican scandal set us back much). But look at the Twins who are considered up until this year a small-market team, they always have a smaller payroll than us, but also have higher draft budgets most years. Here's a quick comparison:

 

Sox

2005: $2.7 million

2006: $2.9 million

2007: $2.8 million

2008: $4.7 million

2009: $4.2 million

 

Twins

2005: $5.2 million

2006: $3.9 million

2007: $2.2 million

2008: $7.3 million

2009: $4.7 million

 

I would guess further back this trend continues as well. Every year but one they outpay us in the draft. A quick check of the As, Phillies, Red Sox, Dodgers and Braves all show much higher draft budgets. I am going to say this is the main reason the Sox can't ever get that sustained success: drafting. We all know we draft poorly and KW has done a good job of turning poor draft picks into MLB players. But part of the bad drafting is the ownerships' aversion to spend money on top prospects that slip in the first round and then not selecting signability risks later (although Thompson was a nice change). Looking back, I would much have seen payrolls $10 million less and the money appropriated to better drafting. Unless you are the Yankees you will not build a strong team on a year-to-year basis without building through your farm and I think KW has proven this by his philosophy. Sometimes I kinda wish Rick Hahn were in charge because I believe he would revamp the organization philosophy. Thoughts?

Edited April 18, 2010 by maggsmaggs

[Texsox]

Let me be the first to say, great post. Let me also be the first to point out the huge difference in number of World Series wins this century versus most of the teams you mentioned.

[caulfield12]

If you look at the Twins, look at all those guys they developed internally...

 

Bartlett, Casilla, Morneau, Mauer (yes, we know about Prior and this was the ONLY pick they could have made), Garza, Blackburn, Baker, Slowey, Perkins, Liriano (the trade of the century), Span, Cuddyer, Crain, etc. Then you have the likes of Duensing, Swarzak, the list goes on and on...and they ALWAYS seem to unearth bullpen gems like Rincon (steroids), Reyes/Mijares and Neshek that can dominate the 7th-8th to bridge to Nathan, although Guerrier/Crain was A BIG HOLE last year.

 

We have had to go out and BUY talent, the likes of Dotel and Linebrink. Our answer? Wasserman? Maybe Santos will help out, but it's ironic that someone drafted at another position becomes our best young reliever in five years.

 

They teach their pitchers how to value first pitch strikes and the best possible IP/BB/K and WHIP ratios.

 

They maximized "value" when they got Garza look in the first, whereas we have targeted the likes of Royce Ring, Broadway and McCulloch in the same areas of the first.

 

They have a slew of athletic young outfielders, most notably Revere and Hicks.

 

The scary thing is they completely whiffed on the Johan Santana trade (Gomez did net Hardy eventually, who's solid) and on the Bartlett/Garza deal, although Young is getting more consistent PT and producing finally.

 

Then you have the annoying Piranhas like Denny Hocking, Koskie, Rivas, Mientkiewicz, Blanco, Punto, Redmond, Jason Tyner, Lew Ford, et al, that have killed the White Sox over the years.

 

AND YES, I KNOW THEY'VE ONLY BEATEN THE A's ONCE AND WE WON IN 2005. TIRED OF THAT ARGUMENT.

 

 

Edited April 18, 2010 by caulfield12

[jenksycat]

If you look at the Twins, look at all those guys they developed internally...

 

Bartlett, Casilla, Morneau, Mauer (yes, we know about Prior and this was the ONLY pick they could have made), Garza, Blackburn, Baker, Slowey, Perkins, Liriano (the trade of the century), Span, Cuddyer, Crain, etc. Then you have the likes of Duensing, Swarzak, the list goes on and on...and they ALWAYS seem to unearth bullpen gems like Rincon (steroids), Reyes/Mijares and Neshek that can dominate the 7th-8th to bridge to Nathan, although Guerrier/Crain was A BIG HOLE last year.

 

We have had to go out and BUY talent, the likes of Dotel and Linebrink. Our answer? Wasserman? Maybe Santos will help out, but it's ironic that someone drafted at another position becomes our best young reliever in five years.

 

They teach their pitchers how to value first pitch strikes and the best possible IP/BB/K and WHIP ratios.

 

They maximized "value" when they got Garza look in the first, whereas we have targeted the likes of Royce Ring, Broadway and McCulloch in the same areas of the first.

 

They have a slew of athletic young outfielders, most notably Revere and Hicks.

 

The scary thing is they completely whiffed on the Johan Santana trade (Gomez did net Hardy eventually, who's solid) and on the Bartlett/Garza deal, although Young is getting more consistent PT and producing finally.

 

Then you have the annoying Piranhas like Denny Hocking, Koskie, Rivas, Mientkiewicz, Blanco, Punto, Redmond, Jason Tyner, Lew Ford, et al, that have killed the White Sox over the years.

 

AND YES, I KNOW THEY'VE ONLY BEATEN THE A's ONCE AND WE WON IN 2005. TIRED OF THAT ARGUMENT.

 

Too bad that's the only damn thing that matters. I'll take 1 ring over 6 division titles and sweeps in the first round.

[maggsmaggs]

Too bad that's the only damn thing that matters. I'll take 1 ring over 6 division titles and sweeps in the first round.

Of course we'll take it, but it's easy to see who the superior organization has been.

[jenksycat]

Of course we'll take it, but it's easy to see who the superior organization has been.

 

And again, how are they superior? Who the f*** cares about division titles and no playoff wins? That would piss me off more than having a team that only puts it together every couple years.

 

The Twins are like the Bulls, a fun little team to watch, but they can't, and won't ever, hang with the "big boys".

[maggsmaggs]

And again, how are they superior? Who the f*** cares about division titles and no playoff wins? That would piss me off more than having a team that only puts it together every couple years.

 

The Twins are like the Bulls, a fun little team to watch, but they can't, and won't ever, hang with the "big boys".

One World Series is indicative of great success (Borat voice) of one year whereas multiple playoff appearances is indicative of consistent success. While you can never take away the Sox 2005 WS, sustained success is always the goal because it gives you more opportunities for World Series. I think 90% of people here would agree the Twins have the more successful franchise the past decade.

[kitekrazy]

One World Series is indicative of great success (Borat voice) of one year whereas multiple playoff appearances is indicative of consistent success. While you can never take away the Sox 2005 WS, sustained success is always the goal because it gives you more opportunities for World Series. I think 90% of people here would agree the Twins have the more successful franchise the past decade.

 

Excellent post. If the Twins had the resources like the Yankees, they would have won a lot more. If baseball went to a salary cap, I would think the Twins would be a power house.

Edited April 18, 2010 by kitekrazy

[Dick Allen]

And again, how are they superior? Who the f*** cares about division titles and no playoff wins? That would piss me off more than having a team that only puts it together every couple years.

 

The Twins are like the Bulls, a fun little team to watch, but they can't, and won't ever, hang with the "big boys".

The Twins won the WS in 1987 and 1991. How long do the White Sox get to live off of 2005 before it doesn't count at all?

[dasox24]

One World Series is indicative of great success (Borat voice) of one year whereas multiple playoff appearances is indicative of consistent success. While you can never take away the Sox 2005 WS, sustained success is always the goal because it gives you more opportunities for World Series. I think 90% of people here would agree the Twins have the more successful franchise the past decade.

Count me in that 90%. I agree with you completely that the Twins have been the more successful franchise over the last 10 years.

[stretchstretch]

I over react every game on a small basis. I learned this from listening to Hawk.

 

I've taught myself that solo shots are my favorite kind of home run and small things like that to ensure that I even enjoy our losing efforts.

 

 

love the post, but it irks me to no end when people put Boston in a different category than NYY. They were an abysmal failure until they purchased, yes purchased, Manny, Ortiz, Schilling, then Beckett, Jason Bay. Take away those names and it's 92 yrs and counting......IMHO

 

As name recognized as their home grown players have become thanks to ESPN, it's the bought players that made it happen...

 

MN, and ATL absolutely, all ground up big names....

[Jordan4life_2007]

The more I see how inconsistent all Sox teams are, talking about from season to season, it is clear that we put too much money into the 25-man roster and not enough into the other aspects: drafting, scouting and foreign free agents. Look at the top teams of the past decade in terms of consistent success, they all build mostly from within; Twins, As, Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies and Braves. The Yankees are an obvious exception, but are also an MLB anomaly. I would much rather have $10 million less in payroll per year if that means we increase our draft budget, get better scouts and scour the foreign free agent market better (and clearly that whole Dominican scandal set us back much). But look at the Twins who are considered up until this year a small-market team, they always have a smaller payroll than us, but also have higher draft budgets most years. Here's a quick comparison:

 

Sox

2005: $2.7 million

2006: $2.9 million

2007: $2.8 million

2008: $4.7 million

2009: $4.2 million

 

Twins

2005: $5.2 million

2006: $3.9 million

2007: $2.2 million

2008: $7.3 million

2009: $4.7 million

 

I would guess further back this trend continues as well. Every year but one they outpay us in the draft. A quick check of the As, Phillies, Red Sox, Dodgers and Braves all show much higher draft budgets. I am going to say this is the main reason the Sox can't ever get that sustained success: drafting. We all know we draft poorly and KW has done a good job of turning poor draft picks into MLB players. But part of the bad drafting is the ownerships' aversion to spend money on top prospects that slip in the first round and then not selecting signability risks later (although Thompson was a nice change). Looking back, I would much have seen payrolls $10 million less and the money appropriated to better drafting. Unless you are the Yankees you will not build a strong team on a year-to-year basis without building through your farm and I think KW has proven this by his philosophy. Sometimes I kinda wish Rick Hahn were in charge because I believe he would revamp the organization philosophy. Thoughts?

 

Excellent post. I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, we have such a fickle/bandwagon fan base, that a potential "down" period in which we committed more to the draft and rebuilding the farm could be a PR disaster. I actually embraced this concept after 2007. The future never looked so bleak. Now to Kenny's credit, he made some terrific moves that led to an unexpected division title in 2008. However, last year and the start of this year is proving once again that the philosophy this team has adopted during the KW era is no recipe for sustained success.

[jenksycat]

One World Series is indicative of great success (Borat voice) of one year whereas multiple playoff appearances is indicative of consistent success. While you can never take away the Sox 2005 WS, sustained success is always the goal because it gives you more opportunities for World Series. I think 90% of people here would agree the Twins have the more successful franchise the past decade.

 

I guess we just have different versions of "success"

 

2000-2009

 

Twins- 5 postseason appearances, 6 PS wins, 1 DS win

'Hose- 3 postseason appearances, 11 PS wins, 1 DS win, 1 pennant, 1 ring

 

I know, I know, 2005 doesn't count anymore. But really, 2 more appearances and 1/2 the number of wins is "success"? I've always viewed success as winning championships, not divisional crowns in a s*** division.

 

And lets also remember that they will have at least 25% of their payroll dedicated to one player (yes he's a top 3 in the game) and unless they plan on being in the 9 figure range for the next 8 years, that's quite a big risk for them.

[SoxAce]

I just want to say this is an excellent thread. Usually I would be posting something relevant to this, but this is one I just want to sit back and read other people's views for a bit before posting mine. (if I even post anything) Gotta give credit where credit is due though.

Edited April 19, 2010 by SoxAce

[caulfield12]

Well, you can also argue we didn't get shut out by the Rays, haha....we won one game and were leading in at least two of the others without Quentin and Crede, right?

 

I do think things would look a little more bleak if you flipped Rick Hahn's son upside down and we lost Game 163 up at the Dome. Then we have only 2000 and 2005 to throw up against 2002-2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009. 6 to 2 versus 5 to 3 is a HUGE difference psychologically...that we finally proved at least ONE time that we could beat Minnesota in a post-season game was worth waiting through 6-7 years of Piranha-derived frustration. Still, six out of 9 titles would be quite an achievement, definitely. Especially since the White Sox and Tigers have outspent the Twins for much of that period

 

In some ways, 2008 was almost more fun down the stretch than 2005, because of the stress of almost blowing the lead...such a high, the improbable way we won 3 games in a row, even with the fact we pretty much knew we would be sunk playing on artificial turf against Longoria and company. That was just the Rays' year, pure and simple. The almost completely unexpected seasons from Quentin, Ramirez, Danks (well, he was a stud when we got him, but didn't pitch so well in 2007) and Floyd beocoming "men" and not just boys...I'll never forget that either. Or Vazquez/Cabrera/Swisher, on the downside of the ledger.

 

 

http://bmoorespecific.blogspot.com/2009/06...ark-wilson.html

 

I'm not sure if this is a direct link that's down/broken or it's being blocked by the "GREAT FIREWALL" here in China, but it looks worthwhile.

Edited April 19, 2010 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

aarongleeman.com

 

Longtime assistant Bill Smith takes over as GM and will no doubt attempt to keep the key components of Ryan's regime in place, which means that the Twins will likely continue to focus on scouting and player development. Ryan excelled on the macro level, turning the Twins into one of the premiere organizations in baseball on a limited budget by putting a system in place that thrived at identifying, acquiring, and developing young talent.

 

From Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau to Torii Hunter, Francisco Liriano, and Joe Nathan, Ryan found a way to stock the team with star-caliber long-term building blocks despite monetary limitations making it extremely difficult to acquire such players via free agency. He presided over a string of productive drafts that can be traced back to the strong emphasis on scouting and had an unmatched knack for getting incredible value from veteran-for-prospect trades.

 

When it comes to the big things, namely bringing in and developing talent, few GMs can match Ryan's track record. However, as fantastic as Ryan was at managing the big picture, he often struggled on the micro level. While he set the Twins up for success by putting championship-level building blocks in place, Ryan seemingly had difficulty fully trusting all the young talent he had assembled and frequently blocked young players by bringing in mediocre veterans to surround his stars.

 

Ryan's day-to-day weaknesses as GM also happened to be the areas that are easiest for outsiders to analyze. It's difficult to offer insight into large-scale organization building or scouting principles, but it's easy to see that someone has failed to fill gaping holes in the lineup while choosing to surround young talent with the likes of Juan Castro, Tony Batista, Sidney Ponson, and Ramon Ortiz. For people like me, who view the Twins from a distance, it's a lot easier to sweat the small stuff.

 

However, at the end of the day excelling at the big picture and struggling with the details gets you four playoff berths in six seasons and it's not difficult to see Ryan's finger prints on nearly everything the Twins have done during their current run of success. There's little question in my mind that Ryan was a very good GM who had many strengths, but he also had some very noticeable flaws and an extremely risk-averse approach that held the Twins back at times.

 

For Smith, being Ryan's right-hand man for so long is certainly a plus, but Wayne Krisvky was also a longtime Ryan assistant before leaving to take over as GM of the Reds and has proven to be miscast in the job. I suspect that the smallest impact from Ryan leaving will come in player development, where Minor League Director Jim Rantz and Scouting Director Mike Radcliff (now in a new role) remain after playing huge parts in the draft and minor-league system.

 

What will perhaps be most difficult to replace is Ryan's uncanny ability to synthesize the information given to him by the scouting department while uncovering low-level minor leaguers with potential from other organizations. Whether it's hitting home runs with guys like Santana and Liriano or targeting unheralded prospects like Jason Bartlett and Alexi Casilla, Ryan repeatedly found a way to squeeze unseen value from trades.

 

Smith likely won't match that ability, but might be more willing to make deals for major league-ready talent. Under Ryan the Twins have done an amazing job stockpiling talent, but they've struggled at times to utilize it optimally. Whether it's parting with some young pitching to acquire help for the lineup or not wasting money and playing time on washed-up veterans, there's room for Smith to make a major impact without straying from the organization's strengths.

 

With that said, Smith faces a very difficult task. Hunter becomes a free agent this winter, and both Santana and Nathan hit the open market following next season. Toss in the new ballpark opening in 2010 and this is one of the most important points in franchise history. Ryan indicated at his press conference yesterday that the stress of trying to negotiate contracts with players and agents was part of what burned him out on the job, and it certainly won't be any easier for a first-time GM.

 

Ryan will reportedly remain with the organization in a significant player-evaluation role, indicating during the press conference that getting back to his player-development roots perhaps fits his current skills and passion more than working on contract extensions, dealing with the media, and filling roster gaps around the team's building blocks. The franchise will miss having Ryan at the top, but he was part of an effective organizational structure that remains largely intact.

 

If Smith is able to continue utilizing the strengths of Rantz, Radcliff, and a scouting department that apparently now includes Ryan, there's a strong chance for stability. If he can do that while moving away from Ryan's team-building weaknesses, there's perhaps even room for improvement. The timing is odd, the move comes as a surprise, Ryan will be missed, and Smith will be forced to hit the ground running immediately, but the Twins are a franchise that remains well positioned for success.

[Jordan4life_2007]

I guess we just have different versions of "success"

 

2000-2009

 

Twins- 5 postseason appearances, 6 PS wins, 1 DS win

'Hose- 3 postseason appearances, 11 PS wins, 1 DS win, 1 pennant, 1 ring

 

I know, I know, 2005 doesn't count anymore. But really, 2 more appearances and 1/2 the number of wins is "success"? I've always viewed success as winning championships, not divisional crowns in a s*** division.

 

And lets also remember that they will have at least 25% of their payroll dedicated to one player (yes he's a top 3 in the game) and unless they plan on being in the 9 figure range for the next 8 years, that's quite a big risk for them.

 

Forget 2000. Start from the beginning of the KW era. That's 5-2 in favor of the Twins (and we needed an extra game at home that we didn't deserve in 2008. A coin-flip should not determine something as critical as homefield advantage in a do-or-die game). And you're being kinda silly in saying people are claiming 2005 "doesn't count." 2005 is what it is. A season in which we got career years from basically the entire pitching staff, were relatively healthy and took advantage of every break that came our way. Do these facts minimize that season? No. It was the greatest sports year of my life (along with the Illini's run to the title game). But one year, even one in which you win a title, doesn't equal putting yourself in a position to contend for titles EVERY year. By your logic, what we did in 2005 is as impressive as the Braves' run from '91-2005. Afterall, they only won one title. And even with Mauer's contract, the Twins are going to be able to ride the momentum of their new stadium (beautiful park by the way) for a while. So payroll shouldn't be much of an issue.

 

Kind of off-topic. But I don't think the Twins are going to be the only team to center on going forward. The Indians could be a real player soon (no, not just because they've waxed our asses so far). They've got a farm system, mainly due to the Blake/Sabathia/Lee/Martinez trades, that is as deep/talented as any in baseball. They've already got a solid offensive core to build around (Choo is a f***ing stud). And Carlos Santana looks like a star C in waiting.

Edited April 19, 2010 by Jordan4life

[caulfield12]

Indians don't really scare me because of their bullpen....their idiotic trade of Franklin Gutierrez and bringing in Kerry Wood...I don't know, without Hafner and an ailing Sizemore, they're just not as dangerous to me.

 

Cabrera looks like he could be a keeper...but for every Choo, there's a Peralta, Hafner, Marte or Josh Barfield behind them.

 

They're going to need a lot more quality pitching, and that takes time to develop. Westbrook won't be around much longer, and Carmona's been inconsistent (good this year, but 2/3 starts were against us). Losing Lee and Sabathia really set them back. Masterson's looked very good for them.

 

You're right, they really replenished their minor league system with all those trades (DeRosa and V-Mart too), but I'm not seeing them coming close to Minnesota, simply because their woeful attendance will depress their payroll and put them into the same situation the A's are in with young talent getting into years 4-5-6.

 

That said, I think they have a much brigher long-term future than the Tigers, who are a veteran ballclub but they also have Austin Jackson, Sizemore, Raburn, Clete Thomas, Ryan Perry, Porcello....a lot more good, young talent than the Sox I'm afraid.

Edited April 19, 2010 by caulfield12

[DBAHO]

You can also argue that the Sox have hardly had any top 10 picks besides Gordon Beckham hence why they don't have a huge draft budget over the years.

 

I think they've taken steps to improve the farm system by signing guys like Viciedo for instance, and by just drafting better prospects, but I agree that more needs to be done.

 

If you're going to point the finger at KW, I'd point it at him for the moves he's made major league wise over the past couple of seasons for not improving our offense.

[caulfield12]

YES, BUT...the Twins have been a top-notch organization since the 2001 season (when they threatened the Indians for most of that season before falling back) and have had mostly lower draft picks than the Sox in the first round....yes?

 

 

[DBAHO]

I believe that they've also had a lot more comp. 1st / 2nd round picks also IIRC, while the Sox haven't had at least a 2nd round pick once or twice in the last couple of seasons.

[maggsmaggs]

You can also argue that the Sox have hardly had any top 10 picks besides Gordon Beckham hence why they don't have a huge draft budget over the years.

 

I think they've taken steps to improve the farm system by signing guys like Viciedo for instance, and by just drafting better prospects, but I agree that more needs to be done.

 

If you're going to point the finger at KW, I'd point it at him for the moves he's made major league wise over the past couple of seasons for not improving our offense.

That hasn't stopped other big-market teams from having big draft budgets. With the way agents run baseball, enough elite prospects slip in the draft where they can be gobbled up in the 15-30 range, but the Sox refuse to play hardball and instead take the Kyle McCulloch's, Lance Broadway's, Royce Ring's of the world -- the easy signs (which is not a terrible thing if they make up for it later in the draft, but they don't). The Sox have rarely taken signability risk anywhere in the draft.

[maggsmaggs]

Since 1991 when the Sox became the world drafting team in the Major Leagues on the heels of being arguably the best drafting team in baseball for a 5-year stretch, the White Sox have had one all-star appearance from their first-round picks (supplemental picks included). That player was Aaron Rowand, and he didn't even become an all-star with the Sox. To me that is the most telling stat about our drafting. Where you are supposed to rebuild your franchise and bring in your next future stars, the Sox have done horribly -- the very worst in the major leagues.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?q...aft_type=junreg

Is there a more depressing list? Now in the 1990s, I would say that is more just bad scouting than anything, but in the 2000s, it has been about bad scouting and horrible appropriations of funds by the Sox organization. It's also kinda hilarious that the one time they go out and spend big on a player (Borchard), he was a complete bust.

 

If I have time today at work, I will try to do more research about the money the Sox pay to their draft pick at each respective spot in the draft compared to other teams in different years.

Edited April 19, 2010 by maggsmaggs

[caulfield12]

SAVED YOU THE TIME....INCOMPLETE HIGHLIGHTS

 

1997 Michael Cuddyer, 1st round/9th pick, $1.850,000 signing bonus

1999 Jason Morneau 3rd round/89th pick, $290,000 signing bonus

2001 Joe Mauer, 1st round/2nd pick, $4,000,000 signing bonus

Nick Blackburn, 29th round

2002 Denard Span, 1st round/20th pick, $1,700,000 signing bonus

Jesse Crain 2nd round/61st pick, $650,000 signing bonus

Pat Neshek, 6th round/182nd pick

Jose Mijares signed as FA

2003 Scott Baker, 2nd round/58th pick, $650,000

2004 Glen Perkins, 1st round/2nd pick, $1,425,000

Anthony Swarzak, 2nd round/61st pick, $575,000

2005 Matt Garza, 1st round/25th pick, $1,350,000

Kevin Slowey, 2nd round/73rd pick, $490,000

Brian Duensing, 3rd round/84th picks, $400,000

2006

2007 Ben Revere, 1st round/28th pick, $750,000

2008 Aaron Hicks, 1st round/14th pick, $1,780,000, Carlos Gutierrez, 1st round/27th pick

2009 Kyle Gibson (future monster/ace)

 

The Twins DON'T MISS VERY OFTEN with their first round draft picks. Michael Restovich is one of the few blown calls. Look at how well their 2nd round picks have done.

 

2009 Kyle Gibson RHP Missouri 22

2008 Carlos Gutierrez RHP Univ. of Miami (Fla.) 27

2008 Aaron Hicks OF Wilson H.S., Long Beach, Calif. 14

2007 Ben Revere OF Lexington (Ky.) Catholic HS 28

2006 Christopher Parmelee OF Chino Hills (Calif.) HS 20

2005 Matthew Albidrez-Garza RHP Fresno St 25

2004 Kyle Waldrop RHP Farragut HS (Tenn.) 25

2004 Glen Perkins LHP Minnesota 22

2004 Trevor Plouffe SS Crespi HS, Northridge, CA 20

2003 Matthew Moses 3B Mills Godwinn HS 21

2002 Denard Span OF Tampa, FL 20

2001 Joe Mauer C Cretin-Derham Hall HS, St 1

2000 Adam Johnson RHP San Diego, CA 2

1999 B.J. Garbe OF Moses Lake, WA 5

1998 Ryan Mills LHP Arizona State U. 6

1997 Michael Cuddyer SS Chesapeake, VA 9

 

You can see in 98/99/00, they blew 3 very high draft picks, Top 10 guys. All busts.

 

All of their other "bad" picks have been in the 20's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caulfield12]

Let's compare with White Sox blown draft picks

 

1999---Jason Stumm, 1st round/15th pick, $1,750,00

1999---Matt Ginter, 1st round/22nd pick, $1,275,000

1999---Danny Wright, 2nd round/64th pick

2000---Joe Borchard, 1st round/12th pick, $5,300,000

2001---Kris Honel, 1st round/16th pick, $1,780,000

2002---Royce Ring, 1st round/18th pick

2003---Brian Anderson, 1st round/15th pick, $1,650,000

2004---Josh Fields, 1st round/18th pick, $1,550,000

2005---Lance Broadway, 1st round/15th pick, $1,570,000

2006---Kyle McCulloch, 1st round, 29th pick, $1,050,000

2007---Aaron Poreda, 1st round, 25th pick, $1,200,000

 

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GET OUT A CALCULATOR AND ADD UP ALL THAT WASTED MONEY? That's SEVEN picks between 10-20, a lot more than the Twins have had.

 

Plus Dave Wilder's skimmed bonuses for the likes of Silverio and the Dominicans, Anderson Gomes, Paulo Orlando, etc., we lost a lot of money there and damaged Dominican relationships for years. I can't even remember our last Dominican, maybe it was JESUS PENA?

 

Anderson Gomes was caught with PED’s after being in the Futures Game and Paulo Orlando’s hyped up speed is a myth. Both are Wilder’s “sign-and-collect” prospects.

* our Latin stud 16 year old SS Juan Silverio is actually 20.5 years old, not 16.

* Outside of Wilder – Regier was the single most despised person by our entire staff. He was the one who made the “decisions” on who went where & when. Wilder was Regier’s “pimp” in that he hired Regier and told him where to put his players. The funny thing is – a Farm Director makes about 100K/season (not peanuts, but not extravagant either) and Regier was driving around in a $150,000+ Porsche and wearing a 15 K Rolex watch with $500+ dollar shoes & belts. You don’t make that kind of money as a Farm Director

Edited April 19, 2010 by caulfield12