tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post7819067809771380355..comments2023-10-17T10:45:07.796-04:00Comments on FJB: "I Never Want the First Pick Again."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-64828418231823025132009-08-26T14:20:50.206-04:002009-08-26T14:20:50.206-04:00@Grover--I agree with a lot of what you're say...@Grover--I agree with a lot of what you're saying here, and my position is that the current system is probably worth keeping just the way it is because it's a big part of what's helped create the parity we have in the game today. I don't really think the draft is as broken as people think.<br /><br />Here's the thing that bugs me though: the game is better because these young guys kind of get screwed. Why can't we just appreciate the young players? Why do fans and the media slam these players, who are getting less than they are worth?<br /><br />We're making the game better on the backs of amateurs AND calling them greedy jerks. If everyone would just cut it out with the greedy jerks thing, I'd be fine.Stevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14109288910583404941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-89442550153673326052009-08-26T14:09:42.285-04:002009-08-26T14:09:42.285-04:00@Grover -- Fair and well-argued point. But there&...@Grover -- Fair and well-argued point. But there's really no parity under this system, since the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Mets and Cubs can buy up free agents and teams like Pittsburgh are basically farm teams, who get to keep a good player for his first 4 or 5 years and that's it. If you're really concerned about parity, a revenue sharing system is what's needed, not unfairly holding down salaries. In other words, restrict the profits of the billionaires, not the players. <br /><br />In the recent Strasburg signing case, those Nats fans who insisted that the Nats should walk away if Strasburg wouldn't sign for 15 or 20 million weren't siding with themselves at all. Clearly the team is better off now that Strasburg has signed with us. And one can hardly argue that the fans are better off because he settled for $15 miiion instead of $20 million. But many fans, egged on by management apologists like Dibble, acted like the Lerners' money was their own, and they were offended by Strasburg's and Boras's efforts to get as much as he could. That's what I don't get.Section 222https://www.blogger.com/profile/12519535045989977381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-22578979768901926452009-08-26T13:47:17.393-04:002009-08-26T13:47:17.393-04:00Section 222:
In some sense you are right that the...Section 222:<br /><br />In some sense you are right that the system is ridiculously biased in favor of billionaires against talented, hardworking kids. However, there is another side to the argument that people forget about. <br /><br />MLB, like every other business, is focused first and foremost, on putting a quality product out there for the consumer to enjoy. part of having a quality product is parity. The Yankees aren't gonna double or triple their ratings and ticket sales simply by making the playoffs again, but the Royals, Nationals, and the other bottomdwellers might. So it is baseball's best interest to creat parity one way or another.<br /><br />Every other major professional sports league in this country has salary limitations in place in order to create parity and protect the product. The NBA has a salary cap AND slotted salaries for draftees. MLB does not have the former, so the latter, in some way shape or form, is the only means by which to create parity.<br /><br />The system needs fixing, I agree. But to cast the debate as owners vs. players and say the public is siding with the billionaires isn't quite accurate. The public is siding with <i>itself</i>, in the sense that it wants the best possible product, and that means that EVERYONE has a reason to hope. Get rid of salary limitations in the Rule 4 draft, and the bottom ten franchises in terms of market size might as well fold up shop tomorrow.Groverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04584530987186715656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-75603007777318913952009-08-26T12:40:46.160-04:002009-08-26T12:40:46.160-04:00You've done a valuable service in trying to ed...You've done a valuable service in trying to educate Nats fans about the current draft system. Too many people still don't get how unfair it is to amateur players getting ready to turn pro for the first time, and as you point out here, it's about to get worse. It's amazing to me how middle class and working class people take the side of the billionaire over a young kid trying to get a little bit rich off of his own skills and hard work, but that's America I guess. Keep doing what you're doing to try to counter the corporate spin spouted by the team ownership and their hired guns on MASN.Section 222https://www.blogger.com/profile/12519535045989977381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-33378542977345338322009-08-26T11:03:34.821-04:002009-08-26T11:03:34.821-04:00Given his "advisement" of Bryce Harper, ...Given his "advisement" of Bryce Harper, I thought it was interesting during the Strasburg press conference that Boras corrected a questioner who said that #1 overall picks miss all the time, with Boras saying that the success rate of high school kids was hit or miss but that college kids almost always turned out.<br /><br />I hope Rizzo was taking notes.John O'Connorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08014476389355562158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-65924674822975188732009-08-26T10:16:02.859-04:002009-08-26T10:16:02.859-04:00You make a good point regarding Harper and the Nat...You make a good point regarding Harper and the Nats. However, it may be moot because the Nats are unlikely to finish below the Royals. Their once 11 game lead just a short time ago in the Harper sweepstakes has shrunk to 3.5. The Royals have thrown in the towel and the Nats are playing better.phil dunnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-43833423370265269352009-08-26T09:56:43.879-04:002009-08-26T09:56:43.879-04:00Anon- Dustin Ackley would not have been a bad &quo...Anon- Dustin Ackley would not have been a bad "consolation prize." I personally did not enjoy every mistake the Nats made being put under the microscope as further evidence of the incompetence of the franchise. I understand this was deserved by the real incompetence of the FO, but I see it clearly enough without Keith Law and Jon Heyman taking cheap shots at every opportunity. Of course, this is perception is exacerbated by anything positive being completely ignored- like the strong showing of Jordan Zimmermann (pre-injury) and John Lannan and even the emergence of Josh Willingham was not as widely recognized as it would have been on another club. Since those things are not evidence of the incompetence of the FO, they cannot be commented on by Heyman et al.<br /><br />I'm with StanK (though maybe for different reasons). I never want the first pick again because I never want to go through seasons like these again. Strasburg is great, Harper would be great, but after that...no thanks.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06585304213621604104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074246508221440257.post-78572435529041269202009-08-26T09:43:03.816-04:002009-08-26T09:43:03.816-04:00Considering that this pick may be an easier sign t...Considering that this pick may be an easier sign than first anticipated, and that Harper is supposed to be the next baseball savior, would you favor tanking for rest of the season to try to "win" the first pick? Giving Livan a lot of innings seems like a good way to do that.<br /><br />As a fan, I have mixed emotions. I hated watching last year's team rack up more than 100 losses, but can any of us honestly say that we would have preferred losing 99 games and not had the #1 pick this year?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com