How the White Sox can find their next great hitter

[caulfield12]

 

 

 

Despite everyone believing I don't love the White Sox because I'm often skeptical/critical, that doesn't mean I haven't thought about how the White Sox can find and develop their next great hitter...and do it relatively cheaply, in a way that benefits the sport of baseball as well as Sox sponsors/Chicago businesses.

 

 

 

 

At any rate, everyone can tell me why this won't work and pick it apart...which will give me something to do when I take a sabbatical from SoxTalk and return when one of Ventura/Hahn/KW is gone, as promised to Kyle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It struck me from watching the movie Million Dollar Arm (about the search in India for a potential MLB pitcher) that they actually had it backwards, they should have called it Million Dollar Bat, because there are so many similarities between the game of cricket and baseball in terms of hitting the ball (as opposed to the throwing motion)...and, from my travels there (three weeks in the summer of 2013), the passion for that sport in the rural areas is just the same as what you'd typically see in the Dominican, Cuba and Venezuela for beisbol, in Central/South America for futbol/soccer...impromptu pick-up games played in fields littered with weeds with balls made out of socks and tape, etc. Another comparison would be all the Hispanic kids playing soccer around Chicago on Sundays...

 

 

 

 

 

If I was the White Sox, I would set up a baseball academy in India and be the first MLB team with a baseball academy in Cuba.

 

 

 

 

 

If MLB wants to grow globally, India's a better choice because China is already NBA/basketball crazy and India would be much easier to work with in terms of eventually forming a Development/al League or the equivalent of the old Continental Basketball Association. Growing economy (compared to China's falling GDP trajectory), emerging democracy...it makes too much sense, then you have the Pacific Rim for the World Baseball Classic (Japan/South Korea/Taiwan, China, Australia and India) and the Eastern Hemisphere. China does have hand-eye coordination sports in badminton and ping pong/table tennis, but nothing close to cricket. And, soccer is evolving as the secondary favorite sport here for young boys to play, even though World Cup results have been disastrous considering a 1.5 billion population.

 

 

 

 

 

But first there would be a Million Dollar Bat competition to find the talent...and I'd hire Tadahito Iguchi, Shingo Takatsu and 2-3 more of the best Japanese instructors/coaches to run it. You'd have a cross-cultural/global interchange aspect going on. From watching baseball since I was a kid, the two most interesting styles of play are the Japanese/Korean team-oriented approach, and the flair and elegance of the Cubans. So the Japanese style would be brought to India.

 

 

 

 

I doubt there's any interest in making another Disney movie because of the lackluster performance of the first one, but I think it would be fairly easy to set up a country-wide talent competition along the same lines...except this time a hitter using a regulation wooden bat would have to hit 3 balls out of 1015 pitches thrown by a pitching machine at somewhere between 88-92 MPH at least 350 feet in the air.

 

 

 

 

It could be called "Bedford Park's BRICS for Bats" (maybe that's too unwieldy a name, maybe just BRICS for Bats or Bats for BRICS) and there would be three goals:

 

 

 

 

1) Building business connections between Brazil, India, China, Cuba and South Africa to the Chicago-land area/Sox sponsors (and to the White Sox as well).

 

 

 

 

2) Finding the next great hitter for the White Sox and developing a new, untapped market for baseball, growing the game.

 

 

 

 

3) Cross-cultural exchange (for example, Takatsu/Iguchi working with youngsters in India)...in conjunction with BASEBALL MIRACLES (non-profit run by White Sox scout John Tumminia and supported by Jerry Reinsdorf, see recent article about their trips to Kenya and Honduras at chisox.com).

 

 

 

 

 

I think between the combination of the White Sox, Bedford Park, New Lenox and finding an insurance company with ties to the White Sox to underwrite against the possibility of someone actually winning the competition, you could pull it off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other thing I would do is push to develop the first MLB training academy in Cuba, probably in Havana.

 

 

 

 

The reasons for this are obvious:

 

 

 

 

1) To make the White Sox Cuba's national team (bringing in Cespedes would have helped...maybe they can still sign Yadiel Hernandez)...but there's the long history there with Jaime Torres (agent), Contreras, El Duque, Alexei Ramirez, etc. As the economy is opened up (and, of course, that could change depending on the new president), more and more opportunities will present themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

2) Tapping into the Brazilian and Jamaican markets for athletic/defensive players like Anderson Gomes/Paulo Orlando that would fit the new "small ball" style of play...plus the White Sox should have SOME connections there because of Marco Paddy.

 

 

 

 

 

(Not sure what Jerry Krause did in that territory in his brief time scouting in 2010, and quite obviously the Dave Wilder situation didn't help there and in the Dominican, but it needs to be overcome...another reason is the White Sox never took advantage of the Ozzie/Venezuelan connection at the major or minor league level. Now, it's probably too late as many teams are pulling out of Venezuela and their training academies due to political/safety concerns.)

 

 

 

 

3) The Brazilian and Jamaican (because they also have a cricket culture to an extent) players would be funneled through the Cuban academy...along with players coming from Colombia and Central America...or "shared" with the Dominican Academy (obviously there's already a strong connection there with Rafael Santana running it) so they would have the opportunity to learn in both places from teachers with different methods and styles.

[BamaDoc]

I like it. Thinking outside the box but with decent reasoning.

[Dam8610]

This is actually a great idea, but the Sox won't be the franchise to do it. When was the last time the White Sox did anything that resembled an innovative program that no one else had tried? They're just not the type of franchise to do this sort of thing. Maybe with a different owner, but not the current ownership group.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Dam8610

[reiks12]

I would bet this has been discussed. You can't ignore a potential market of over 1 billion people.

[Jose Abreu]

*Sees Caulfield, does a "Control + F" search for 'Royals' and finds nothing*

I approve!

 

In all seriousness, great post. India is an interesting market. There was the movie, Million Dollar Arm, (which caulfield mentioned) about those two pitchers who went to the Pirates from India. That probably got some people thinking about the market. It would be great to see the Sox/baseball expand to there.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Jose Abreu

[Chisoxfn]

Caufield....that was an excellent and well thought out post. I'd be curious of the logistical issues / concerns getting something set-up, but do agree that the concept would be brilliant if done right. Not sure what sort of legal parameters need to be in place / MLB rules, but getting in Cuba before others (if it is even possible...not sure if they would be open to it) and from an India perspective, why not. I see little reason why franchises don't at a minimum enter into partnership type deals all throughout the globe to maximize there ability on potential talent and while you can't hit every country, India would be an excellent place to start.

 

One risk is resources are finite so there are real costs associated with set-up, operating, finding other talented players to play with them (if the quality of talent is super poor, harder to be able to get guys to develop / find resources). This likely means the initial costs before hitting on real talent could be pretty high (as you'd have years and years before truly establishing). Might ultimately mean cost / benefit doesn't pan out, but the general thought and line of thought is spot on, and ultimately good for the global brand of baseball.

[caulfield12]

They're already doing it, but not in an effort to bring in players but more in a similar way to MLB clubs investing in the Reviving Baseball in the Inner City program with Boys & Girls Clubs. What's the name of the Chicago version of that program, that was involved with Jackie Robinson LL?

 

Also, if you search John Tumminia (White Sox scout) and Scott Merkin (and "Baseball Miracles"), you'll see that Reinsdorf has supported these efforts since at least 2012...but, once again, more "non-profit" oriented, almost like mission/volunteer work rather than marketing the White Sox and trying to unearth new players.

 

 

A previous winter clinic was run by Tumminia in the Monte Plata province of the Dominican Republic. Tumminia plans to return to the same area at the end of October with Rafael Santana, the White Sox player development and scouting supervisor for their Dominican Academy, serving as the guest speaker.

 

Tumminia hopes to take seven staff members to the Dominican for that trip, although he laughed while adding that he's not sure how they are going to do it. The White Sox as an organization paid the way for five people to visit South Dakota, also sending along White Sox hats and gloves, after Tumminia placed a call to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf asking for assistance.

 

"I called Jerry and said, 'I need your help. I need financial help. You know it's a good thing,'" Tumminia said. "He said, 'I'll get back to you,' and [White Sox vice president of communications] Scott [Reifert] called and they really came through."

 

"I'm not sure what we did, but we helped out a little bit," Reinsdorf said. "This is really John's project. He's a terrific guy, and I'm very proud of him. He really likes to do this kind of stuff. John is a Brooklyn boy, and all the Brooklyn boys, we were all brought up to do good stuff."

 

Kenya and Nepal stand as two other potential destinations for Tumminia clinics in the near future, and Havana is also on his list. The clinic at the Pine Ridge Reservation finished with a barbecue involving traditional baseball food such as hot dogs and peanuts and a rousing rending of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," not to mention excitement instilled in children who probably hadn't had much previous organized interaction with baseball.

 

"Our goal is to reach out in a humanitarian way and represent baseball and, this year, the White Sox," Tumminia said. "As I was mentioning to Scott and Jerry, I want to try to give back to baseball in a different way."

 

 

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/print...60&c_id=cws

 

 

 

 

This one of the main reasons I'm proud to be a White Sox fan...stuff like this that you never hear about unless you really investigate closely, as well as Sox Charities in general, one of the best programs in the majors.

 

 

FWIW, I've been to that same Pine Ridge Indian Reservation...it's famous for being the location of Wounded Knee and is the poorest county (Boone, SD) in all of the United States. Back in the day, there was a movie called THUNDERHEART with Val Kilmer and Sam Shepard about this same area. Lots of alcohol/addiction, education and casino-related issues, certainly not the kind of place you'd ever expect to unearth a future MLB player but stranger things have happened.

[caulfield12]

Caufield....that was an excellent and well thought out post. I'd be curious of the logistical issues / concerns getting something set-up, but do agree that the concept would be brilliant if done right. Not sure what sort of legal parameters need to be in place / MLB rules, but getting in Cuba before others (if it is even possible...not sure if they would be open to it) and from an India perspective, why not. I see little reason why franchises don't at a minimum enter into partnership type deals all throughout the globe to maximize there ability on potential talent and while you can't hit every country, India would be an excellent place to start.

 

One risk is resources are finite so there are real costs associated with set-up, operating, finding other talented players to play with them (if the quality of talent is super poor, harder to be able to get guys to develop / find resources). This likely means the initial costs before hitting on real talent could be pretty high (as you'd have years and years before truly establishing). Might ultimately mean cost / benefit doesn't pan out, but the general thought and line of thought is spot on, and ultimately good for the global brand of baseball.

 

 

Thanks, I was looking at it more from the macro-perspective of growing the game of baseball in the future, then the smaller level of the White Sox and then the more generic idea of "charity" as we know it.

 

Combining "social entrepreneurialism" ideas in a way that would have an eventual payoff, thinking about the massive amounts spent on bonuses on the Latin American players under 21 that are almost like lottery tickets (such as Micker Adolfo).

 

If there was a way to get the funds (whether through the White Sox, convincing municipalities like Bedford Park...that's where the idea came from, that Crain's Business Journal article...from MLB International...or from an insurance company sponsoring a contest that anyone is quite unlikely to win but being able to throw out the "Million Dollar" aspect of a competition's the best way I know of to quickly create a pool of possible talent with the least amount of actual money initially invested.

 

 

And yes, the start-up costs are going to be considerable, but then when I think about how much money goes into Latin America or Bonifacio or Gordon Beckham, it doesn't seem quite so ludicrous if you really think about it.

 

The White Sox have been pioneers in Brazil (Gomes, Paulo Orlando, Andre Rienzo...but unfortunately not J. Gomes at catcher) and Cuba. That has to be worth something in terms of social capital.

 

We missed the huge opportunity in Venezuela, IMO, when Ozzie was manager...I don't think we got anyone other than Freddy Garcia you could directly attribute to the connection, but that alone was a huge factor in the world championship. I'm honestly not sure why we never put an academy down in Venezuela when at least 10-12 teams were doing so (the Astros, most famously). Budget for minor league operations was squeezed for major league payroll, I suppose.

 

I even looked up to see what Jerry Krause was doing (he was sent on a mystical mission in 2010 to find Latin American talent and quickly ended up with the DBacks the next year without a peep) and also Dave Wilder, who should have recently been released from prison after serving two years.

 

Granted, Reinsdorf is famous to a fault for being loyal, but I don't think that would allow for Dave Wilder or someone like Chris Correa (Cardinals' hacking scandal) to have a place with the team. Then again, America is a sucker for the comeback/rehabilitation story...when someone on top of the world gets knocked off and fights to return to their previous glory.

 

 

I just liked the idea of the BRICS countries because 1) their might be more opportunity than ever before with Brazil's political and economic problems, Olympics and World Cup, etc. and 2) India, although one of the most frustrating and difficult countries I've ever visited from a touristic side, has tremendous untapped potential.

 

Now there are other sports that could be similar, like jai alai or racquetball (Jeff Conine) and also throwing the javelin (pitchers), but it seems the closest synergy of all is right there between cricket and baseball.

[caulfield12]

*Sees Caulfield, does a "Control + F" search for 'Royals' and finds nothing*

I approve!

 

In all seriousness, great post. India is an interesting market. There was the movie, Million Dollar Arm, (which caulfield mentioned) about those two pitchers who went to the Pirates from India. That probably got some people thinking about the market. It would be great to see the Sox/baseball expand to there.

 

 

Haha...I was actually going to make an analogy with that and my idea of finding more Brazilian/Jamaican athletes but refrained. I'd also note that the ONLY way that would make sense was playing in OLD COMISKEY. As to the current dimensions, the defensive gap covering ability isn't quite so important as SF, Seattle, Minnesota, SD, etc. With our stadium, we need above-average hitters who are at least average defenders...compared to the opposite, like a Juan Lagares type.

 

These type of things of athletic transitions have been attempted many times throughout sports history, when you think about Michael Jordan or all of the NFL wide receivers who originally started out with world class track backgrounds. Usually with mixed success at best.

 

FWIW, Orlando started out as a soccer/futbol player and 4 X 100 meter sprinter/trackster.

Edited January 26, 2016 by caulfield12

[bmags]

The one thing I think holds baseball back where it has no previous foothold is the incredibly single-purpose and high maintenance fields. Much of Brazil/India/etc is built densely and a lot of the soccer fields are half size on dirt. These academies would be hard to set-up or be out of the way.

 

I like this idea Caulfield, but man, sox do get hurt reputation wise here for Wilder scandal. "Oh, you want to set up a bunch of academies in areas with little oversight? Sounds good".

 

One thing of baseball as well, this is a long play. This is not a sport of naturals. It's not like football where a former basketball player can bulk up and 2 years later is a star DE. The repitition is insane, so this would just be a long, long play but an important one.

[southsider2k5]

You are probably looking at a really long term investment before a potential payoff, I would guess somewhere between a decade and a generation by the time you actually see results. As long as that is understood, it is a great idea.

[Dick Allen]

I was going to post the same as above. If that would be the next Sox great hitter, God help us all.

[bmags]

You are probably looking at a really long term investment before a potential payoff, I would guess somewhere between a decade and a generation by the time you actually see results. As long as that is understood, it is a great idea.

 

Especially with any success Sox make, the copycats could basically use the fruits of white sox labor pretty rapidly without any of the longterm financial commitment sox made.

 

Another point, not really knowing how cba will change. It's possible white sox wouldn't even have full rights to to sign these players out of their academies.

[southsider2k5]

Especially with any success Sox make, the copycats could basically use the fruits of white sox labor pretty rapidly without any of the longterm financial commitment sox made.

 

Another point, not really knowing how cba will change. It's possible white sox wouldn't even have full rights to to sign these players out of their academies.

 

If we go to a world wide draft, or to an international draft, it renders all of this moot.

[Dick Allen]

It's too big of task to make non baseball players baseball players. It's not like other sports. Football, basketball, you can get a guy with a ton of talent to be decent in a few years. Baseball, no way. There aren't stories of guys who picked up baseball as 16 year olds and became big league stars.

[bmags]

It's too big of task to make non baseball players baseball players. It's not like other sports. Football, basketball, you can get a guy with a ton of talent to be decent in a few years. Baseball, no way. There aren't stories of guys who picked up baseball as 16 year olds and became big league stars.

 

Hopefully Tim Anderson

[southsider2k5]

It's too big of task to make non baseball players baseball players. It's not like other sports. Football, basketball, you can get a guy with a ton of talent to be decent in a few years. Baseball, no way. There aren't stories of guys who picked up baseball as 16 year olds and became big league stars.

 

That is exactly why I said it would take at least a decade to see a payoff.

[Dick Allen]

That is exactly why I said it would take at least a decade to see a payoff.

I'd say longer than that. A pitcher, fine, but a hitter? Not only do they have to figure out how to hit against competition that would be nowhere near what they would see when they signed, they would have to learn all the other nuances of the game. How many guys who played football therefore missed on some baseball time just look totally lost on a baseball diamond? I think the cost would be prohibitive as well. There is no doubt there are people in India who if baseball was what it was here over there could be stars in the major leagues, it is beyond a long shot, and something you would spent a lot of time and money trying to find out. You might as well pour that money into baseball playing countries.

[MHizzle85]

It's too big of task to make non baseball players baseball players. It's not like other sports. Football, basketball, you can get a guy with a ton of talent to be decent in a few years. Baseball, no way. There aren't stories of guys who picked up baseball as 16 year olds and became big league stars.

 

Dee Gordon didn't play until high school. Hell, Lorenzo Cain didn't play until his sophomore year.

 

Yes I know that it doesn't happen often, but if you're athletic enough, you'd have a chance.

[caulfield12]

Jeff Conine would be another example, growing up as a racquetball champion...pretty sure he went to UCLA if memory serves correctly.

[Dick Allen]

All the players that have been mentioned did play in HS and were exposed to the sport much earlier than that. What is going to motivate some cricket player from stopping cricket so he can attempt to somehow beat tremendous odds, move halfway across the world and play baseball? And that decision is going to have to be made probably when they are 12-14 years old at the very latest. The million dollar arm guys got a combined $8k bonus.

 

Are there any baseball leagues in India? I look at it this way, how many Americans play in the Premier soccer leagues in Europe? And there is a ton of soccer playing here. In the suburbs, you see far more soccer games than baseball games in the parks on a Saturday afternoon.

 

 

Being athletic helps, but being a baseball player is better. It's a huge untapped population, but even the bad players on a major league team are great. The amount of money and time it would take would be prohibitive. You are better off spending that money on scouting and signing these young international free agents.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Dick Allen

[caulfield12]

The whole premise is you need to get somewhat lucky and find one superstar.

 

Yao Ming singlehandedly put basketball on the map in China.

 

If you had an American version of Pele and the US Men won a World Cup, things would definitely start to change...look at the incoming talent (albeit non minority) drawn into the PGA the last decade because of Tiger Woods, for example.

 

Russian female tennis players or South Korean female golfers...just takes one.

[Dick Allen]

The whole premise is you need to get somewhat lucky and find one superstar.

 

Yao Ming singlehandedly put basketball on the map in China.

 

If you had an American version of Pele and the US Men won a World Cup, things would definitely start to change...look at the incoming talent (albeit non minority) drawn into the PGA the last decade because of Tiger Woods, for example.

 

Russian female tennis players or South Korean female golfers...just takes one.

 

Those sports don't require as much time to master as does hitting a baseball. If you aren't exposed to it, it isn't something you can just pick up because you're a great athlete. Jared Mitchell was a great athlete.

[caulfield12]

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_y...20high%20school

 

There aren't many Brett Gardners out there, but great illustration of persistence/perseverance...

 

 

At the very least, they need to be the first team with an academy in Cuba. Or Brazil...

[knightni]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/sports/b...eball.html?_r=0