Is there any benefit to not having any players in the top 100 prospects?

[beatlesrule]

Look, I'd have no problem if the Angels were a small market team.  The fact that Moreno doesn't want to spend despite the fact his plaything is generating a lot of money means you then have to look to the farm.  Since the farm is barely even considered one, we look to cheap has beens or busts.  In the middle of Timbuktu, this might fly. In "LA" it's just pathetic.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

On 8/9/2016 at 2:23 PM, beatlesrule said:

So?  Both the Astros and Cubs have a good farm system and their owners will definitely pay for at least some of those impending FA or arb cases.  Even if they decide to left a few go, they will get a draft pick or trade them and then insert the guy from the farm that will take over.  Must be nice...

How many years of being irrelevant did it take the Cubs and Astros to get to this point. KC missed the playoffs for 3 decades before they had a contender and won a WS. Now only a year after winning the WS are 10.5 games back in forth place in the ALC.

[Stradling]

Why is Heyward a bust?  Because he's had a down year in the first year of his contract?  We've heard if the Angels win a World Series then Albert's contract isn't a bust.  So I'm assuming if the Cubs win one, then Heyward was worth it.  

[Stradling]

31 minutes ago, CALZONE said:

But Heyward is a bust and that's who you wanted. Arte would've had to pay the tax for another failed season. He sure made the right decision this time.

Calling Heywards contract a bust 4 months in would be like calling Arods a great contract because the first year of it he was pretty great.  

[Ohtaniland]

48 minutes ago, Ace_Shoemaker said:

How many years of being irrelevant did it take the Cubs and Astros to get to this point. KC missed the playoffs for 3 decades before they had a contender and won a WS. Now only a year after winning the WS are 10.5 games back in forth place in the ALC.

The 2003 Angels say hi.

[Lou]

58 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Calling Heywards contract a bust 4 months in would be like calling Arods a great contract because the first year of it he was pretty great.  

He may not be a bust just yet, but would you want his contract now?

[Stradling]

I'd take the risk of him being worth his contract over running the likes of Choi out in LF.  

[Ohtaniland]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

Calling Heywards contract a bust 4 months in would be like calling Arods a great contract because the first year of it he was pretty great.  

Well both Gordon and Upton are having crappy seasons. Cespedes is doing good but not worth $28M per or his off field public relations. 

I know that you lobbied for these guys but none of them would've made a difference for this team. 

[m0nkey]

I never understand.  Sometimes the draft is a crapshoot but threads like these people say teams have good farm systems because they tank and have good draft picks.  

 

So which is it??? Or does it depend on the argument you're trying to make?

[Stradling]

The good farm system is only true if those players are used to obtain good major leaguers or if those good prospects become good major leaguers. 

[Lou]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

Calling Heywards contract a bust 4 months in would be like calling Arods a great contract because the first year of it he was pretty great.  

He may not be a bust just yet, but would you want his contract now? If we had signed him he would be called a colossal bust - "Way to go, Arte. Why did you make Eppy sign him, you control freak ?!!"

You see, Arte doesn't have the luxury of just saying," oops, I should have signed ______ instead" and go on with his day.  People here were begging for Heyward, Upton, Gordon... the year before it was Pablo, Shields... 

[Lou]

8 minutes ago, m0nkey said:

I never understand.  Sometimes the draft is a crapshoot but threads like these people say teams have good farm systems because they tank and have good draft picks.  

 

So which is it??? Or does it depend on the argument you're trying to make?

The first half of round 1 isn't really that much of a crapshoot.

And, yes. 

[Stradling]

No one wanted Pablo and I'm guessing the Shields fan club was Scotty and Scotty alone.  

I'll make it simple for you, I want talent, that's it.  I'd like that if the team has a need, fill the need with a real major league player.  Don't hide behind a luxury tax when your farm system isn't ready to help the big club and you have one of the largest TV contracts and 3 million fans a season.  

Now obviously because of all the injuries, which no one could predict, filling those needs can't realistically happen in one off season, but if you can start to fill those holes, fill them.  

[Ohtaniland]

2 minutes ago, Stradling said:

The good farm system is only true if those players are used to obtain good major leaguers or if those good prospects become good major leaguers. 

Yeah but you can't build a good farm if you keep signing the Hamilton's and the Heywards every offseason. Good draft picks are an important component in building a solid organization. 

[Stradling]

Just now, CALZONE said:

Yeah but you can't build a good farm if you keep signing the Hamilton's and the Heywards every offseason. Good draft picks are an important component in building a solid organization. 

Yes, you can.  How do the Red Sox do it?  They sign big name free agents all the time.  

[beatlesrule]

Can we come to a compromise and say that, so far, Heyward has been a bust?

[Stradling]

Sure you can say that.  

[tdawg87]

Hayward has a higher WAR than 90% of the Angels' roster.

[Ohtaniland]

10 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Yes, you can.  How do the Red Sox do it?  They sign big name free agents all the time.  

That theory has already failed. Signing Pujols and Hamilton was the equivalent of the Lakers signing Payton and Malone. Disaster!

[Stradling]

But one had little to do with the other.  If it did then the opposite should be true, 2010 proved that not to be the case.  

[Stradling]

If you make bad decisions when drafting then you might as well sign free agents.  We had 5 of the first 40 picks.  Bedrosian is the best of those 40.  

[Ohtaniland]

10 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

Hayward has a higher WAR than 90% of the Angels' roster.

Yet we blame the loss of our pitching for the reason we can't win. 

[Stradling]

No we blame our pitching, bullpen and injuries to pitching.  Our offense is better than league average. 

[Stradling]

And lack of depth, lack of an everyday left fielder, and we could use a 2nd baseman. 

[beatlesrule]

I really wanted Petit to be given the job and Gia traded.  Platoons in LF, DH, 2nd and 1st is not an ideal situation. I do agree that the offense has actually been pretty good and if the staff was actually heathly, we'd be right in the thick of things.