Two part Melewski interview with AM about international operations.

[TGO]

In 2010, the Rays spent $1.73 mm internationally, the Sox spent $1.64 mm, the Orioles spent $1.18 mm. The Yankees ($5.27 mm) and Jays ($4.18 mm) were much higher. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/international-affairs/2011/2611345.html We spent more in the Rule 4 draft than the Rays (by $2 mm) and the Yankees (by $2.5 mm). http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2010/08/bonus-expenditures-2008-10/

The Orioles have the lowest number of international prospects in their organizational top 30 of any team in the majors (3 of their top 30). http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/03/evaluating-international-signings-points-to-farm-system-health/

Nice details, thanks for looking that up.

Personally I would be happy with us moving up and being #3 in the division in international spend but I want us #1 in Rule 4.

[El Gordo]

He's not spending anywhere near $4mm down there.

No but he's talking about why he is not spending 4M on one player down there. He is spending an average amount of money there, just not putting it on one kid. He's saying if I'm going to spend that kind of money on one prospect Im going to spend it on rule 4 prospects. What are you saying?

[MrOrange82]

No but he's talking about why he is not spending 4M on one player down there. He is spending an average amount of money there, just not putting it on one kid. He's saying if I'm going to spend that kind of money on one prospect Im going to spend it on rule 4 prospects. What are you saying?

Unfortunately, he's also saying that he's dedicating less in the way of scouting resources and "cross checking" to that part of the world, so whatever amount of money being spent stands a fair chance of being spent less intelligently than other teams that apply closer scrutiny to the players available and the players they're bringing in.

I'm with the chorus...AM just needs to go.

[TGO]

No but he's talking about why he is not spending 4M on one player down there. He is spending an average amount of money there, just not putting it on one kid. He's saying if I'm going to spend that kind of money on one prospect Im going to spend it on rule 4 prospects. What are you saying?

I can't speak for Frobby but I'm saying he has to spend more total on int'l and Rule 4 combined. Being 3rd in the division in Rule 4 and 5th in int'l is absolutely unacceptable.

[tilgaham]

We signed Schoop.

[RandyM]

The one thing that i still cant get is why people give AM and the O's front office the benefit of the doubt? It has been 14 freakin years! Yes, you can't put that all on AM, but whatever his plan it isn't working. Yes, you can blame it on injuries, but every team has them.

Have we impeoved our talent base? Yes, but how are we doing against our competitors. We are getting lapped by them.

If you are being "smart" by avoiding t

Internationally, you better be hitting grand slams other places or you will get this critizism and right fully so.

[allstar1579]

In 2010, the Rays spent $1.73 mm internationally, the Sox spent $1.64 mm, the Orioles spent $1.18 mm. The Yankees ($5.27 mm) and Jays ($4.18 mm) were much higher. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/international-affairs/2011/2611345.html We spent more in the Rule 4 draft than the Rays (by $2 mm) and the Yankees (by $2.5 mm). http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2010/08/bonus-expenditures-2008-10/

The Orioles have the lowest number of international prospects in their organizational top 30 of any team in the majors (3 of their top 30). http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/03/evaluating-international-signings-points-to-farm-system-health/

And we spent more money this year for one year for a guy to pitch 45 IP who is gone next season than all of those teams. My problem is it's a much better allocation of that money to take a gamble on signing 10-15 guys to 300-500k contracts than to pay an aging RP who isn't going to make us a contender, and will be lucky to help us win 2 more games than having say, Steve Johnson in the pen.

Not directing any of this at you, just at the topic in general, you just had the points I liked when I wanted to chime in.

[RandyM]

I can't speak for Frobby but I'm saying he has to spend more total on int'l and Rule 4 combined. Being 3rd in the division in Rule 4 and 5th in int'l is absolutely unacceptable.

How cna the supporters contradict this fact.

We are sure not getting better talent through FA.

We sure dont have the best player dvelopment in the minors and major league.

How the heck are we suppose to win

[allstar1579]

The one thing that i still cant get is why people give AM and the O's front office the benefit of the doubt? It has been 14 freakin years! Yes, you can't put that all on AM, but whatever his plan it isn't working. Yes, you can blame it on injuries, but every team has them.

Have we impeoved our talent base? Yes, but how are we doing against our competitors. We are getting lapped by them.

If you are being "smart" by avoiding t

Internationally, you better be hitting grand slams other places or you will get this critizism and right fully so.

I'm over the benefit of the doubt. When he said he has no intention to spend money on someone they can't see play in a game, he's living like this is 1980 and it's never going to work long term. Give me a young guy who understands how to develop a farm system and how to make this broken system of ours work. Plenty of other teams are doing it and are better than us for it.

[Can_of_corn]

We signed Schoop.

Yep and wouldn't it be nice to have an outfielder version of Schoop and a starting pitcher version of Schoop?

No one is saying they are doing nothing, they are saying they are not doing enough.

[Flosman]

I think most on here are not characterizing what he said correctly. AM SAID HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN SANO 1ST ROUND MONEY!!!. That means he was offering seven figures but not Weiters or Manny money. That means the valued him highly and were in fact willing to pay. Being has though he is already playing part of his time at 3rd maybe AM was right. As of last year there was one all star produced by the top 31 signings from this system and a couple of guys that might become regulars. But let's be honest there where more guys that became other older people than productive MLers in that group. AM is making his bets down there and really we will not have any idea how he is doing for 2 or three more years at the earliest.

As for the Prospect league it is made up of the type of guys that AM signs. The top guys can put on a show in workouts and the handlers are not going to allow flaws to be found through competition. The O's stink at producing ML talent but I am not sure that not giving the top couple of bonuses down there is the cause.

[SrMeowMeow]

The one thing that i still cant get is why people give AM and the O's front office the benefit of the doubt? It has been 14 freakin years! Yes, you can't put that all on AM, but whatever his plan it isn't working. Yes, you can blame it on injuries, but every team has them.

Have we impeoved our talent base? Yes, but how are we doing against our competitors. We are getting lapped by them.

If you are being "smart" by avoiding t

Internationally, you better be hitting grand slams other places or you will get this critizism and right fully so.

Blame MacPhail for his tenure and nothing more. It's really stupid to drag in the whole sad story of X losing seasons, whatever. It clearly has no bearing on MacPhail. You can't be harsher on him than you would normally just because you're disappointed by the team in general.

That said, MacPhail has done, not done, said, and not said enough for me to firmly want him replaced.

[The Maestro]

No but he's talking about why he is not spending 4M on one player down there. He is spending an average amount of money there, just not putting it on one kid. He's saying if I'm going to spend that kind of money on one prospect Im going to spend it on rule 4 prospects. What are you saying?

I guess we'll have to wait and see if AM puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to Delmonico.

[Stotle]

In 2010, the Rays spent $1.73 mm internationally, the Sox spent $1.64 mm, the Orioles spent $1.18 mm. The Yankees ($5.27 mm) and Jays ($4.18 mm) were much higher. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/international-affairs/2011/2611345.html We spent more in the Rule 4 draft than the Rays (by $2 mm) and the Yankees (by $2.5 mm). http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2010/08/bonus-expenditures-2008-10/

The Orioles have the lowest number of international prospects in their organizational top 30 of any team in the majors (3 of their top 30). http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/03/evaluating-international-signings-points-to-farm-system-health/

Good research. Those numbers also get a good bit larger for the Jays and Sox, who also signed Cuba defectors in 2010.

My guess is that combining IFA and Rule 4 spending BAL only outspent Tampa last year, and that they were HEAVILY outspent by TOR and BOS, and a comfortably outspent by NYA. In fact, I think I looked all these numbers up already and posted them. I'll check...

[Stotle]

You've got 4 M to spend; you can have Sano or spend on a fIrst round college kid. Now taking that 4 M and spreadiing it around the DR at 2 or 300,000K a clip is another matter. Isn't MacPhail saying he's doing the latter? If he's going to drop 4M on one player, why prefer the 16 YO DR kid, to the rule 4 college kid?

False premise. I can spend on a college kid AND on an international kid (if I think he is a safer bet than the general LA bonus baby) and still sprinkle money around in the low-six figure range on IFAs.