The Rays’ swag in June picks could be a player-development bonanza.
There may not be many clear stars in the system, but it’s better than it looks.
While some teams have been stocking up on pen help, two playoff teams have let their own veteran relievers slip away.
Yes folks, Jason is back, but we take it easy on him by going guest free. Nonetheless, we yammer on for nearly two hours with plenty of emails, breakdowns of the four most recent Top 11 lists, and a quick yarn about StarCraft in Korea.
Trades and multiple high picks have helped the Jays transform a barren system into a blooming one.
The best collection of young talent in the NL West ensures the Rockies can remain competitive in the long term.
Baseball’s talent pool extends far beyond the usual suspects for talent hotbeds.
A day late, a dollar short, and still no professor. We delayed the show by one day to see if Jason could get healthy, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Luckily, we have Steven Goldman, who does an outstanding job filling in as we talk about our favorite announcers, how Bud Selig could learn from the past and who to value closers. Special guest number one is Alex Hinshaw of the San Francisco Giants, who is refreshingly frank about his career, getting to the big leagues, and trying to get back. Following that, independent filmmaker (and BP subscriber) Lucas McNelly comes on to talk about his latest project, A Year without rent. Then it’s time for the goofy stuff and Steven’s tales of working on the big book every year.
A thin crust of blue chips don’t hide the mass of mediocrity below.
The Dodgers have set up a fund to honor one of the victims of Saturday’s tragic events in Arizona.
The big names aren’t the only players in the system with high ceilings to reach.
While Mike Trout gets all the attention (and understandably so), the Angels have a deep, talented system with power arms and plenty of position prospects.
Without much going in the world of baseball, we celebrate our listeners with a longer than normal email segment, including some tips on how we learn from scouts. Following that we go in-depth on the Dodgers and Angels systems, including some disagreement over Dee Gordon and a long talk about what kind of player Mike Trout can be in the end. The only big move of the week was the signing of Adrian Beltre, and Jason breaks down what that means for the Rangers, and how the signing meant more bad news for Angels fans. With it being Hall of Fame week, our special guest is our own Jay Jaffe, and there’s no better expert in the business on who should (and shouldn’t) be in when measuring performance. It’s a long, highly entertaining, and informative discussion about numerous recent candidates, with a quick bit of trivia thrown in as well. Then, to make sure the show is really long again, we have a second special guest with Mike Ferrin of MLB Network Radio to discuss the channel, his career and his side gig as the occasional voice of the Double-A Bowie BaySox. And of course, we finish with the goofy stuff, including an inside look at one of Jason’s many psychoneuroses. As always, we hope you enjoy.
Despite some prospects falling short in 2010, a surprise draft signing helps give the system a boost.
Looking at some propsects who face make-or-break seasons in 2011.