PostSportsPlus: The lessons for baseball’s present from revisiting prospect lists and free-agent megadeals
I annually look at who the top 100 players were 10 years earlier. I do this because no matter how many times history shows how incredibly hard it is to translate even elite prospect skills into consistent major league excellence, organizations and their fan bases too often see these rankings as biblical rather than fallible.
I always find interesting tidbits by looking back. For example, the Yankees had three players in MLB.com’s top 100 before the 2013 season: Gary Sanchez , Mason Williams and Tyler Austin . I wonder what they could have gotten in a trade for all three at that point. But a large group of other players on the list eventually would be Yankees: Gerrit Cole , Jameson Taillon , James Paxton , Didi Gregorius , Andrew Heaney , Adeiny Hechavarria , A.J. Cole and Aaron Hicks .
• It was the first full offseason of new Guggenheim ownership by the Dodgers after the penurious reign of Frank McCourt. It was just this kind of aggressive spending to try to contend immediately while creating cover to build a strong farm system that Mets owner Steve CohenZack Greinke pitched well after signing a $147 million deal with Magic Johnson and the Dodgers, recording a 2.30 ERA in three seasons before opting out of his deal.
Shane Victorino hit 15 homers and stole 21 bases to help the Red Sox win the 2013 World Series in his first year after signing as a free agent.Pagan was never as good again as he was in helping the Giants win it all in 2012 and helping earn himself the four-year contract. But he was far from the disaster of many others in this top 10.
Swisher and Bourn arrived together in Cleveland and exited together in a swap of bad salaries with Atlanta. In their 2 ½ seasons together in Cleveland, that duo combined to hit .244 with a .672 OPS and be worth 2.1 Wins Above Replacement . The pain of trying to be financially bold has lingered.
As things stand now, the Rangers likely will choose between Josh Smith and Bubba Thompson in left field, but they have been interested in Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates have the first pick in July. How attractive would it be for a rebuilding club to have the first overall pick plus the Rangers’ No. 4 overall pick and the pool dollars that go along with that plus a prospect or two?
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Crews working to restore power to residents in Spring BranchAs of 6 p.m. Wednesday, about 350 Pedernales Electric Cooperative customers are battling the cold without electricity.
Read more »
Mariners ready for spring training with eyes set on division fightThe Seattle Mariners are set to head to spring training in Arizona carrying significant expectations of success for the season ahead after snapping a 21-year postseason drought. FOX13
Read more »
Even a groundhog’s shadow wouldn’t hide early signs of spring in much of U.S.A plump groundhog named Phil will make his annual appearance in front of hundreds of fans to announce when spring will arrive. The South typically experiences spring earlier than other regions, but even there, the season is 20 to 25 days early this year.
Read more »
Eight Ohio State football players to be unavailable for spring practiceOhio State's early list of unavailable players for spring practice includes several starters at running back, wide receiver and linebacker.
Read more »
Phillies 2023 Spring Training TV Schedule: How to Watch, Times, MoreNBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports Philadelphia will televise 13 Phillies spring training games, beginning Saturday, Feb. 25 against the New York Yankees.
Read more »
Groundhog Day WATCH LIVE 2023: Punxsutawney Phil reveals whether 2023 will see early springPunxsutawney Phil will emerge at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, around 6:30 a.m. Thursday to predict whether or not spring will come early this year.
Read more »