How does Elias maintain a Top 10 farm system without high draft choices

[Frobby]

4 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Only because MLB can't market to save their lives.

It could be a golden opportunity to get eyes on the draft.

Granted, they do a poor job, but people just don’t follow college baseball the way they do football or basketball, so nobody knows who these guys are who they’re drafting.    

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, Frobby said:

Granted, they do a poor job, but people just don’t follow college baseball the way they do football or basketball, so nobody knows who these guys are who they’re drafting.    

If MLB channel starts making an effort to hype up the top baseball prospects and asks the media to follow suit I'm betting they could create buzz, particularly in a year when a large market team is picking first.

I don't think following college baseball is needed.

[Lucky_13]

21 hours ago, SteveA said:

Duquette may have been under instructions to keep the "window" propped open as long as possible at the expense of the future.   So when the farm system didn't have guys ready, he hung on to the vets to squeeze every last ounce out of them keeping that window open.   Remember Angelos' quote about how he didn't believe in rebuilding because the fans who bought tickets deserved to see a team trying to win.

And he kept it open until the end of August 2017, when we were only a few games out of a playoff spot.   And one bad September wasn't enough to convince them there wasn't hope in 2018.

Not only did management want that, but if Duquette could have reached the playoffs four out of 6 years with a team that had 14 consecutive losing seasons, he might have felt that would look good on his resume.  Instead the 2018 collapse to the worst record of any team in most of our lifetimes laid bare the consequences of his strategy.

I agree he was under win now instructions but that doesn't completely let him off the hook imo. It's the GMs job to sell a plan to ownership and a better plan would have been to sell those guys to extend the window then to go all in. But who knows what the conversations between Duquette and Angelos were like and I think Buck got to pick the guys he wanted to stay no questions asked. 

At any rate,  I think Elias should look at what Cleveland is doing, they are competing and trading ML players for ML players to win now and prospects for the future. If teams want to avoid the tank/compete window cycle thats what they have to do imo. 

 

[Camden_yardbird]

To answer OP, don't get attached to any players.

The dodgers do it with massive money in their scouting and player development with full expenditure of Intl pool.

Small market teams get to trade their best players at year 5 or after a short extension.  See TB.

[Just Regular]

40 minutes ago, Camden_yardbird said:

Small market teams get to trade their best players at year 5 or after a short extension.  See TB.

The extensions aren't even that short if say you want to....show the team you've figured out what you need to work on, and make the Opening Day roster in 2019.   Think we could get Mountcastle to take this after almost precisely 129 at-bats?  DJ Stewart and Anthony Santander could be a formidable Opening Day LF/RF ya know.

Brandon Lowe 2b-of
6 years/$24M (2019-24), plus 2025-26 options

• 6 years/$24M (2019-24), plus 2025-26 club options
  • signed extension with Tampa Bay 3/20/19
  • 19:$1M, 20:$1.5M, 21:$2.5M, 22:$4M, 23:$5.25M, 24:$8.75M, 25:$10.5M club option ($1M buyout), 26:$11.5M club option ($500,000 buyout)
  • 2025-26 options increase $1M each for each top five finish in MVP vote in any earlier season, up to a maximum of $2M for each option
  • replaced 1-year deal signed with Tampa Bay 3/19
• 1 year (2018)
  • contract selected by Tampa Bay 8/4/18
• drafted by Tampa Bay 2015 (3-87) (Maryland)
• $697,500 signing bonus ($676,900 slot)
• ML service: 1.058

 

[Camden_yardbird]

13 minutes ago, OrioleDog said:

The extensions aren't even that short if say you want to....show the team you've figured out what you need to work on, and make the Opening Day roster in 2019.   Think we could get Mountcastle to take this after almost precisely 129 at-bats?  DJ Stewart and Anthony Santander could be a formidable Opening Day LF/RF ya know.

Brandon Lowe 2b-of
6 years/$24M (2019-24), plus 2025-26 options

• 6 years/$24M (2019-24), plus 2025-26 club options
  • signed extension with Tampa Bay 3/20/19
  • 19:$1M, 20:$1.5M, 21:$2.5M, 22:$4M, 23:$5.25M, 24:$8.75M, 25:$10.5M club option ($1M buyout), 26:$11.5M club option ($500,000 buyout)
  • 2025-26 options increase $1M each for each top five finish in MVP vote in any earlier season, up to a maximum of $2M for each option
  • replaced 1-year deal signed with Tampa Bay 3/19
• 1 year (2018)
  • contract selected by Tampa Bay 8/4/18
• drafted by Tampa Bay 2015 (3-87) (Maryland)
• $697,500 signing bonus ($676,900 slot)
• ML service: 1.058

 

So this deal bought out 1 year of free agency.  Great deal, and something the orioles need to be better at signing pre-arb long term pieces, but again they won't have Lowe around for a long time.  And, in the off chance they crumble in the next 2-3 years this contract if Lowe keeps it up becomes an amazing trade piece ala Zobrist or Archer.

This is absolutely what the Orioles need to do, but the TB fans still can't get too attached.  In talking to some people down there its one of the reasons they struggle to maintain fans because even the most diehard like the ones I have talked ro admit they can't get too attached.

[BohKnowsBmore]

2 hours ago, Camden_yardbird said:

So this deal bought out 1 year of free agency.  Great deal, and something the orioles need to be better at signing pre-arb long term pieces, but again they won't have Lowe around for a long time.  And, in the off chance they crumble in the next 2-3 years this contract if Lowe keeps it up becomes an amazing trade piece ala Zobrist or Archer.

This is absolutely what the Orioles need to do, but the TB fans still can't get too attached.  In talking to some people down there its one of the reasons they struggle to maintain fans because even the most diehard like the ones I have talked ro admit they can't get too attached.

Bought out a year of FA, but also gives cost certainty on the arb years.

[BohKnowsBmore]

While it doesn't truly matter... if Kremer keeps this up (or anything close to it) for the remainder of the season, does he start next season as a highly ranked O's prospect (let's call it one of their top 5)?

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, BohKnowsBmore said:

While it doesn't truly matter... if Kremer keeps this up (or anything close to it) for the remainder of the season, does he start next season as a highly ranked O's prospect (let's call it one of their top 5)?

Is Mountcastle still eligible in this scenario?

AR

Rodriguez

Hall

Kjerstad

???

[Frobby]

18 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Is Mountcastle still eligible in this scenario?

Probably.    After today he has 68 at bats, with 15 games remaining.   Would need to average over 4 at bats (not PA) per game to lose eligibility.    

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Probably.    After today he has 68 at bats, with 15 games remaining.   Would need to average over 4 at bats (not PA) per game to lose eligibility.    

Assuming Mountcastle and Kremer continue to play at this approximate level I don't see Kremer making the top 5.

[BohKnowsBmore]

52 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Is Mountcastle still eligible in this scenario?

AR

Rodriguez

Hall

Kjerstad

???

Was assuming Mountcastle graduates by year-end (may be a false assumption)

[BohKnowsBmore]

33 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Probably.    After today he has 68 at bats, with 15 games remaining.   Would need to average over 4 at bats (not PA) per game to lose eligibility.    

Ironically him having developed a stronger OBP skill could possibly maintain his rookie status

[BohKnowsBmore]

29 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Assuming Mountcastle and Kremer continue to play at this approximate level I don't see Kremer making the top 5.

Mountcastle's play would likely be enough to hold him off (assuming he remains eligible). Counterpoint would be positional value of a SP vs. positionless bat. Counter-counterpoint would be seemingly improved wheels and competent play in LF. If both are eligible could they both sneak into the top-100?

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, BohKnowsBmore said:

Mountcastle's play would likely be enough to hold him off (assuming he remains eligible). Counterpoint would be positional value of a SP vs. positionless bat. Counter-counterpoint would be seemingly improved wheels and competent play in LF. If both are eligible could they both sneak into the top-100?

Sneak onto?  Mountcastle is already on one list.