Orioles farm system ranked in top-10
I'm headed to the ballpark but wanted to pass something along:
The sharp folks at Fangraphs.com have been ranking baseball's minor-league systems the past three days and this afternoon they unveiled their top 10. The Orioles came in at No. 7, pretty impressive when you consider what this farm system was not too long ago. The ranking is higher than what Baseball America (No. 9) bestowed on the Orioles and the same as Baseball Prospectus'.
No surprise: Oakland, Texas, Florida and Tampa Bay were among the top farms by all three publications.
There's no real Orioles' analysis that accompanied the piece, but it again speaks to the steady ground-up approach the organization has taken. While I'm sure fans appreciate the direction in which the franchise appears to be headed, a part of me sees lists like this and can't help but wonder: What in the world took so long?
Comments
What is the point in looking back and analyzing the past again? It can't be changed. It is pretty evident that before MacPhail was in charge, that there were problems throughout the organization. How about we just focus on the present and the future and stop trying to dissect the past?
Posted by: Greg | April 8, 2009 3:42 PM
What took so long is lousy scouting, and both rebuilding and trying to win at the same time.
For the first time, I'm actually interested in who the Orioles pick up in the upcoming MLB draft. Will it be another pitcher with their first round pick?
Posted by: J | April 8, 2009 3:56 PM
Couple of factors
1. Joe Jordan is by far the best guy we've had running the draft.
2. For a long time we passed on guys that wanted big money.
3. Maybe most importantly, people inside the game swear that we drafted well but were horrible at nurturing and developing players. Credit to Stockstill for changing that.
Posted by: eric | April 8, 2009 5:49 PM