2012 Minor League Catch-All

[DirtySox]

Originally Posted by KMcMahon817

So the additions of Molina and Castro have done nothing to improve the farm? Not even better than the likes of the Marlins and Astros...

I am not shocked, but I guess a little surprised that those two (now number 2 and 3, respectively in SOX farm) didn't boost the farm even a tad. I guess it just shows how absolutely terrible it was going into this offseason.

He has the Indians at 29. Trading off White, Pomeranz, and graduating Kipnis and Chisenhall lopped off the top of that system.

The Astros system is slowly but surely getting better. Singleton, Cosart, Springer, Villar, and Clemens aren't an awful top portion.

As for the Marlins, going by Sickels, you have Yelich, Ozuna, Fernandez, Realmuto, Dominguez, Rasmussen, James, and Conley as "B" prospects. (By comparison, the White Sox have 2 "B" prospects, though both B+ as ranked by John.)

As for the Sox, the Molina addition was really the only "solid" prospect addition this offseason. Castro's stock is down, and it should be after a bad season last year. Hopefully he figures things out.

[KMcMahon817]

Originally Posted by DirtySox

As for the Sox, the Molina addition was really the only "solid" prospect addition this offseason. Castro's stock is down, and it should be after a bad season last year. Hopefully he figures things out.

Right, but Castro was a top-100 prospect in all of baseball prior to 2011. Hell, he was even the starting pitcher in the Futures Game. It just goes to show how fickle these ratings are to begin with.

[DirtySox]

Originally Posted by KMcMahon817

Right, but Castro was a top-100 prospect in all of baseball prior to 2011. Hell, he was even the starting pitcher in the Futures Game. It just goes to show how fickle these ratings are to begin with.

Was is the keyword. He had a down season and scouts didn't like what they saw. Hence his stock has fallen. Happens all the time. He certainly could rebound. He could completely bust too. And yes, prospect lists and rankings should always be taken with a grain of salt. Though it's hard to make an argument that the Sox system is anything but bad at this point.

[Mingo]

With the renewed push for Latin and Cuban talent - the Sox can sell opportunity for fast track major league consideration. I think the minors can be fixed to a reputable condition pretty fast.

[SoxSpeed22]

Originally Posted by Mingo

With the renewed push for Latin and Cuban talent - the Sox can sell opportunity for fast track major league consideration. I think the minors can be fixed to a reputable condition pretty fast.

I think with the new rules, it might be tricky to figure out how international spending is going to go. There might be more emphasis on the draft.

[DirtySox]

KG's Top 101 Prospects list is up. Reed is number 81.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ar...rticleid=16020

[DirtySox]

Addison Reed is on BA's Top 100 at number 66. Only White Sox prospect to make it.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...2/2612998.html

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by SoxSpeed22

I think with the new rules, it might be tricky to figure out how international spending is going to go. There might be more emphasis on the draft.

It will probably take awhile for all the teams to get used to the new rules and regulations regarding foreign players. Regardless, the playing field is more level than it has ever been with regards to foreign players and the draft. This is both a blessing and a curse to the front office. On one hand they will have the opportunity to sign players that they would have never had a chance with before. On the other hand, the pool of excuses they have used in the past has shrunk significantly. Like someone else said, if they make a genuine effort, the minor league could be restocked quickly.

[Lip Man 1]

Gonzo writes tonight that the Sox will have a bonus pool allotment of $5.9151 million for their picks in the first 10 rounds of the 2012 draft, according to Baseball America.

Don't know how that compares to other teams.

Lip

[Daver]

Originally Posted by rdivaldi

It will probably take awhile for all the teams to get used to the new rules and regulations regarding foreign players. Regardless, the playing field is more level than it has ever been with regards to foreign players and the draft. This is both a blessing and a curse to the front office. On one hand they will have the opportunity to sign players that they would have never had a chance with before. On the other hand, the pool of excuses they have used in the past has shrunk significantly. Like someone else said, if they make a genuine effort, the minor league could be restocked quickly.

If they don't change their philosophy on how players advance through the system none of this will make much of a difference.

[DirtySox]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

Gonzo writes tonight that the Sox will have a bonus pool allotment of $5.9151 million for their picks in the first 10 rounds of the 2012 draft, according to Baseball America.

Don't know how that compares to other teams.

Lip

Yep. Posted it in the draft thread. There is a link in the post showing each team's allotment, which obviously varies by where each team picks in the 1st round and how many picks they have.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by Daver

If they don't change their philosophy on how players advance through the system none of this will make much of a difference.

Daver, you and I will just never see eye-to-eye on this will we?

[SoxSpeed22]

I'm curious to know how much of that ~$6 million they will actually spend. There is a cap, but is there a floor for draft spending?

[Lip Man 1]

Daver has a valid point as Gonzo wrote in his "state of the Sox" article. These kids don't have the slightest idea what they are getting into when they are rushed up to the big club and it shows.

For some reason the Sox seem to have this 'instant gratification' syndrome regarding their minor league players almost like they are desperate to tell the critics of the way they operate the minors, 'what do you mean? We've got kids who can play. Just look at (insert name...)'

It doesn't work that way. Kids need to learn their trade. I understand it's not like back in the days where Gary Peters spent five or six years in the minors but my God, a kid can go through four different levels in a season...that's nuts.

Lip

[Daver]

Originally Posted by rdivaldi

Daver, you and I will just never see eye-to-eye on this will we?

After watching fifteen years worth of top picks fail entirely or graduate to the majors and strive for mediocrity, I will continue to think the White Sox have a very flawed philosophy on player development.