North Dakota Preps

1st round draft picks don't always work out. The Yankees just wait to make sure players will be great then they buy whoever they want.

OH and IN MY opinion CAPITALIZING a LOT of random WORDS gets very ANNOYING.

MARKWALD23 wrote:1) The Yankees have EARNED that money through years of success, and the yankee owner, UNLIKE many owners who DONT CARE if their team wins or loses, likes to SPEND that EARNED money.

2) Due to the Yankees WINNING constantly, they always end up with bad draft picks. The Yankees should be praised in comparison to teams such as THE RAYS, who simply LOSE FOR A LONG TIME, and get JACKED UP with 1st ROUND DRAFT PICKS. Yankees SPEND money because they DO NOT HAVE the same top picks as the RAYS. The RAYS have a low payroll, but they have more 1st round draft picks than any other team.

3) A decent amount of their "high payroll" comes from their core players from years past, who ask for a lot of money because they know the yankees have the money to pay them.

You're a Yankees fan. Great! But you have no idea what you're talking about.

MARKWALD23 wrote:2) Due to the Yankees WINNING constantly, they always end up with bad draft picks. The Yankees should be praised in comparison to teams such as THE RAYS, who simply LOSE FOR A LONG TIME, and get JACKED UP with 1st ROUND DRAFT PICKS. Yankees SPEND money because they DO NOT HAVE the same top picks as the RAYS. The RAYS have a low payroll, but they have more 1st round draft picks than any other team.

What is the number of 1st round picks the Rays have had compared to the Yankees? I'm sure its pretty much the same, if not identical numbers, since each team is given a pick in every round unless they trade that pick. Which isnt very common in baseball. I'm pretty sure the Yankees have had just as many 1st round picks as all the other teams in the league...

If your going to use the draft, I'd be willing to bet the Yankees have more first round picks in their starting line-up then any other team in the majors. the only difference is they let someone else pick them, then they just bought them. Good try tho...

Hinsa...who would be your closer? Figured you would have put Nathan on your list

baseball wrote:What is the number of 1st round picks the Rays have had compared to the Yankees? I'm sure its pretty much the same, if not identical numbers, since each team is given a pick in every round unless they trade that pick. Which isnt very common in baseball.

You can't trade draft picks in MLB.

Flip wrote:

baseball wrote:What is the number of 1st round picks the Rays have had compared to the Yankees? I'm sure its pretty much the same, if not identical numbers, since each team is given a pick in every round unless they trade that pick. Which isnt very common in baseball.

You can't trade draft picks in MLB.

which is why it isnt very common....

theman wrote:

cubsfan wrote:The word talent and Nick Punto do not belong in the same sentence. And only in America can someone like Punto make 4 million.

Nick Punto is a more complete player than 99% of the Cubs' players. (Notice i said COMPLETE). Did you even watch the playoff race? Did you see how many quality at-bats Punto had to go along with heads-up, lights-out defense? Sure he made one baserunning mistake, but he's human.

He is a more complete player than 99% of the Cubs? Lou Piniella isn't emotionally invested into Punto like Gardenhire is, which is the only reason he is getting 4 million dollars a year. A complete baseball player can hit for more than .228. His defense might be good but his arm is very weak. He might be the worst second baseman in major league baseball. That is my opinion and will admit that I dislike Punto very much and is a little biased statement.

cubsfan wrote:

theman wrote:

cubsfan wrote:The word talent and Nick Punto do not belong in the same sentence. And only in America can someone like Punto make 4 million.

Nick Punto is a more complete player than 99% of the Cubs' players. (Notice i said COMPLETE). Did you even watch the playoff race? Did you see how many quality at-bats Punto had to go along with heads-up, lights-out defense? Sure he made one baserunning mistake, but he's human.

He is a more complete player than 99% of the Cubs? Lou Piniella isn't emotionally invested into Punto like Gardenhire is, which is the only reason he is getting 4 million dollars a year. A complete baseball player can hit for more than .228. His defense might be good but his arm is very weak. He might be the worst second baseman in major league baseball. That is my opinion and will admit that I dislike Punto very much and is a little biased statement.

Tell me why a second baseman can't get away with having a below-average throwing arm. He is one of the best second baseman in the MLB. He should be winning Gold Gloves, but he doesn't for some weird reason.
AND, before Castilla came along, Punto was actually the utility player that Gardy could put anywhere anytime and he'd still play well. Sure he doesn't have the greatest batting average, but he has A LOT of quality at-bats, walks alot, and then has good speed on the bases.

I disagree with cubsfan that Punto is the worst second baseman in MLB, guy has a legit glove. His arm may not be hte best in the league but it's far from weak.

theman - he also wont win a gold glove because he doesnt play enough.

baseball wrote:I disagree with cubsfan that Punto is the worst second baseman in MLB, guy has a legit glove. His arm may not be hte best in the league but it's far from weak.

theman - he also wont win a gold glove because he doesnt play enough.

Well, he doesn't play enough at one position becasuse he switches around so much. If he became an every day second baseman, he would win a gold glove.

baseball wrote:Hinsa...who would be your closer? Figured you would have put Nathan on your list

Yes, Nathan. Oversight on my part - good catch!

I realize this is a Yankees topic but the Punto can of worms is open, so...

Punto will never win a gold glove. You have to have excellent offensive numbers to go with your good fielding. Gold gloves always go to the best fielder that is also a great offensive threat.

As for quality at bats, I have seen Punto pop up way too many times with an uppercut swing to buy the idea that he has quality at bats. And the guy cannot get a bunt down when the pressure is on to save his soul.

I might buy the idea that he has good baseball instincts. He does make some good fielding plays sometimes. But when he has to think, he does some really stupid stuff in the field, at the plate, and running the bases.

And the Yankees still stink. Of money.

Hinsa wrote:Punto will never win a gold glove. You have to have excellent offensive numbers to go with your good fielding. Gold gloves always go to the best fielder that is also a great offensive threat.

This isn't true. You need to be semi decent hitter, not great, to win a GG or have a charisma about you, like Ozzie Smith. Doug Mientkiewicz won a GG hitting 15 HRs and 74 RBIs. For a first baseman that is pretty marginal.

Who did they Yankees "buy" other than CC, AJ, Mark and Alex. Pretty much every other Yankee has played in the Yankee minors system either by draft or trades with other minor league teams.

add pettite, cano, cabrera, other are true yankees. So we went out and got 6 players. To everybody ask yourself this does any other team have a farm system like the yankees do. Most of their players are homegrown.

MARKWALD23 wrote:add pettite, cano, cabrera, other are true yankees. So we went out and got 6 players. To everybody ask yourself this does any other team have a farm system like the yankees do. Most of their players are homegrown.

First off, low market teams like the D-Rays and the Twins have way better farm systems than the Yankees. How do you account for Liriano and Santana and Span?
Secondly, low market teams essentially BECOME the farm system for the Yankees.

MARKWALD23 wrote:add pettite, cano, cabrera, other are true yankees. So we went out and got 6 players. To everybody ask yourself this does any other team have a farm system like the yankees do. Most of their players are homegrown.

I'll give you Cano and Cabrera, but not Pettite. He left for 3 seasons and then came back for $16m/year. Out of all the teams that get a Jeter how many can afford to pay him $20m+?

scc wrote:

MARKWALD23 wrote:add pettite, cano, cabrera, other are true yankees. So we went out and got 6 players. To everybody ask yourself this does any other team have a farm system like the yankees do. Most of their players are homegrown.

There are other players the Yankees bought, but they are lesser names like Swisher. The players that matter are mostly bought. Their 2009 title means about as much as Arizona's in 2001. That team overspent and got bailed out by the rest of baseball. At least the Yankees aren't in major debt.

The Yankees got Swisher in a trade. They Yankees "buy" players like everyone else. The thing is the Yankees tend to overpay their players. Guys like Jeter, MO, Posada, Pettite and Alex know they have the money so they as more and being the Yankees don't want to lose them pay them.

It's better to have owners spend money to better their team than owners stuffing their pockets with the revenue sharing and keeping it themselves. Then complain because they arent competitve enough to win.

you forgot nathan in the bullpen

MARKWALD23 wrote:It's better to have owners spend money to better their team than owners stuffing their pockets with the revenue sharing and keeping it themselves. Then complain because they arent competitve enough to win.

you compared the "worth" of the Twins owner with the Yanks owner...now do a comparison of the ratio of player salaries vs. total revenue. I'd bet Steinbrenner pockets just as much money as anyone in the league. The revenue the Yankees bring in is ridiculous..

MARKWALD23 wrote:It's better to have owners spend money to better their team than owners stuffing their pockets with the revenue sharing and keeping it themselves. Then complain because they arent competitve enough to win.

Look at the net operations report of the Twins over the last 10 years. Most years they show a loss, some years they show a small profit. So the Pohlads have not been "stuffing their pockets" over the last 10 years.

That being said I've cried as loud as anyone over the low budget the Pohlads give the Twins to work with. I wish they would open up their piggy bank. But it's easy to wish when it is someone else's money.

I like Baseball's post about ratios of salaries to revenues and I think he is right on when he says the Steinbrenners are pocketing more money than anyone.

Markwald - you still haven't addressed my main issue of competitive balance. Do you think baseball will continue to be a viable major sports league if a small handful of teams continue to outspend everyone else and win championships?

i actually think a salary cap would make the yankees much more dominant. In the first 5 years or so it would balance it out, but after that the yankees and other big market teams would have that much more talent coming through their farm systems. Why? Because major league baseball wouldn't have a Minor League cap, so the yankees would spend millions on all of the young talent out their, bring them up through their system and so on and so forth. Just my opinion

The Schwab wrote:i actually think a salary cap would make the yankees much more dominant. In the first 5 years or so it would balance it out, but after that the yankees and other big market teams would have that much more talent coming through their farm systems. Why? Because major league baseball wouldn't have a Minor League cap, so the yankees would spend millions on all of the young talent out their, bring them up through their system and so on and so forth. Just my opinion

I agree. Besides if MLB ever tries to have a salary cap, the players union will have none of it and strike for atleast a year if not longer.

The Schwab wrote:i actually think a salary cap would make the yankees much more dominant. In the first 5 years or so it would balance it out, but after that the yankees and other big market teams would have that much more talent coming through their farm systems. Why? Because major league baseball wouldn't have a Minor League cap, so the yankees would spend millions on all of the young talent out their, bring them up through their system and so on and so forth. Just my opinion

This is a reasonable hypothesis, and I agree with it, and such maybe somebody could put together an arguement to just get rid of the yankees all-together?