Awesome revisionist history. Yes, McLane, who oversaw the founding of the first overseas baseball academy in Venezuela and saw Hunsicker, et. al. build his organization into the top-rated player development organization in the Major Leagues at the turn of the century evidently has never had a clue that player development is important. I mean, let's not white-wash the gross mistakes over the mid-'00s to be sure. But don't pretend the Astros never got it right before, either. Typical Chronicle tripe.
Interesting story developing with Barret Loux out of A&M who was drafted by the DBacks but didn't sign because he failed his pyshical due to some arm issues. He will be a FAgent on Septmeber 1st and the Stros showed interest in him before. He could be something to keep an eye for and that could be two top 8 picks for the Stros. Noted above by hsf09... :grin:
That would be real cool if they sign him. I would like to see some of the money they saved by trading Oswalt and Berkman and reinvest it on the farm system. It has made strides the last few years but still one of the worst in baseball.
damn, that would be awesome. i don't get the theory that teams who don't sign their pick opt to take a safer pick signability-wise the following season with their compensation pick. how often do top 10 picks fail to sign? seems rare. wouldn't it be more sensible to just take who you want, and make sure that you sign him? it isn't like the player has a ton of leverage over you just because you picked him unprotected. by playing (extreme) hardball, he'd have to miss out on a year of pro ball, then get drafted the following year in a lower (possibly much lower) slot. from everything i've read about teams not signing their first rounder, they make it out to sound like you are forced to take like a 3rd round caliber player with your top 10 pick the next year. does anybody have any examples of this?
i would say them paying the minor-league players they received from the phils/yanks counts as investing it in the farm system.
The most recent case I think was Drew Storen, who was picked 10th or so? He actually made the majors faster than Strasburg, but as a reliever. Not sure where he was projected to go, but he was definitely a pretty quick sign.
Actually in this case, its a bit more complex then just signability. Loux needs surgery on his arm/elbow and thus failed his Physical with Arizona. Since the DBacks never made even an offer because of the health concerns that made him a FAgent, I believe its never happened before. Arizona was prepared to sign him but with the injury risk they preferred to just re-do the pick next season during a much richer 2011 draft. The same might have happened with Covey and Milwaukee this season but sense they made an offer he can't be a FAgent but just goes back to school I think. He has Diabetes type A I believe and that was a reason why the offer was pretty low-ball and thus rejected.
was referring to zach levine saying this: "Arizona's compensation for an unsigned No. 6 pick will be the No. 7 pick in the 2011 draft, which could push the Astros down a slot depending on where they finish in the standings. That pick will be unprotected, meaning there will be no compensation if unsigned, which generally prompts teams to take a safer route with the pick."
You certainly would take the safer route because you have less leverage. You either make a reach, overpay, or grab a college senior(who lacks back to school leverage). The big thing is to grab a guy who you know wants to play pro ball rather than go to school.
Oh I see, sorry about that, yea Zona will probably go the safe route just to make sure they get someone. Astros are in a good spot, if they sign Loux and let him rehab/get healthy for a year, they could have a major league or close to ready starting pitcher in late 2011 or 2012. You do make a GREAT point on the next year's draft, it pushes the Stros down a spot which means less money to spend and because Zona will likely take a safe pick, they will probably get a high cieling guy that may have falling a bit without breaking the bank.
seems a bit overstated is all i'm saying. it's rare that high (or any) first rounders don't sign in the first place, but i can't imagine that a team would then take a huge reach in fear that the following year's unprotected pick wouldn't sign. take who you want, and a player who has first round value, and worst case scenario, overpay.
I saw this link on TCB: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-louxdiamondbacks080310 That is only the D'backs' stance. The Rangers apparently didn't find the same issues or have the same concerns.
I'd sign the fool, even if he is hurt. You gamble about 2 million on the guy that he can recover or the DBacks were being overly cautious with him. I'd go as high as 3.5 million then start to weigh my options but if the Rangers get involved and lure him away....YIKES.
It may be worth it. I don't know much about Loux. I wonder if the Astros will do a medical and if they'll reveal the results. Beyond that, as you've pointed out yourself, we've spent a lot of money in the draft and on other signings. There has to be a limit at some point. I wonder how close we are to it.
If Loux was on the Astros' radar prior to the draft, then they would be wise to look into the elbow and shoulder issues he has had in the past. If Loux checks out fine, then sign him and get him into the farm system, and it gives the Astros another arm that could make it to the majors in two years or less. I don't believe money will be a huge factor in signing Loux, I've read that he really wants to play pro ball and was willing to sign a below-slot contract with Arizona when he failed the physical. There are a lot of rumors that the prior GM who drafted Loux and was fired afterward pushed for him and the successor was not as keen on Loux and they may have "looked for something wrong", as it was reported that in two independent physicals that Loux was healthy. I'm not sure what to make of any of that, but I'm all for adding talent to the farm system, especially a player that was considered a first-rounder, is a local guy and wants to play pro ball.
Yep, just read when he was drafted they had already agreed on a 2 million dollar payout just needed to pass the physical. Stros should be fine paying 2 million for the kid and if he is hurt but fixable, the guy is college pitcher that can be relevant pretty soon after recovering.
Lots of pitchers have come back from Tommy John, so it would definitely be worth it if this was the type of surgery/injury he has. One of the best pitchers in the game today, Josh Johnson, makes a pretty good case for rebounding from TJ.
