Ask Baseball America By James Bailey
Download 1 Mb.
|
February 11, 2000Amazingly, after a winter in which we received a hundred e-mail questions about Ken Griffey, not a single one in the inbox this morning. I guess the question was finally answered for you. And, no, I don’t think it was a great deal for the Mariners. But, yes, I think Pat Gillick did good considering his hand. As David Rawnsley says in his analysis of the deal, Reds GM Jim Bowden held all the cards. When your team’s owner puts a gun to your head and tells you to trade a player it doesn’t tend to drive the guy’s trade value up. Especially when there is only one suitor out there. But I’m sure the Mariners are glad to have the distraction behind them. Their scouting people can finally focus on other things instead of the Reds and the entire organization can start living life after Griffey. And all the rest of us can stop wondering when he’ll be traded. How do you think the Korean baseball labor situation will play itself out? Very few Korean players had signed professional contracts in the states prior to the lockout and they mostly play with a handful of organizations (the Red Sox, Padres and Dodgers come to mind). I'm curious to see whether savvy organizations will try to give some of the players a shot in the minors or side with the Korean owners' hard line anti-labor stance. Naturally, visa limitations and questions about their actual prospect value will keep the majority of players from finding minor league jobs but I hope that some conscientious GMs will give a few players a look and give the Korean players union a modicum of leverage. Thanks, Oliver Bassett For those who might not have read the news story we ran about the Korea Baseball Organization squashing a fledgling union, here’s what happened: Seventy-five players signed a letter saying they were forming a union and the league kicked them all out. That’s the basic plot, anyway. Read the story for all the details. I wouldn’t guess that there will be many of these players signed by major league organizations. For one thing, the KBO did leave the door open for their return by saying anyone who renounced the union would be reinstated. I’d guess most of them will renounce the union and get their jobs back. Of the ones who decide to stick to their guns, I’d guess they’d be more likely to move to Japan than come here to the U.S. I don’t ever remember hearing anyone speculate that any players from Korea would be ready to step into a big league lineup. I have to think we’d have heard about them if there were anyone ready for the major leagues. And any of the players already active in the KBO are probably not likely to earn big-time signing bonuses with major league teams, assuming there were even interest in signing them. Major league teams are hot after some of the young talent in Korea, but don’t seem to have the same level of interest in the pro players there. So if I were a Korean player who had just been kicked out of the KBO and I were facing a choice of taking a major league deal in Japan or a minor league deal without much of a bonus in the U.S., I think I might go with Japan. As to the broader question of the players forming a union there, I feel bad for those 75 brave souls who signed the letter. They really needed to get a bigger percentage of the league’s players to back the effort before they made their presentation to the league. I’d guess if 80 percent of the league’s players had been banded together, the league wouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss them. I’m not familiar enough with Korean culture to know if unions are as widely accepted there as here, but I’d have to guess it’s a very different playing field. While we’re on the subject of Asian baseball, here’s a question about their Little League dominance. This is something I would like to know. In the Little League World Series over the past 30 years Far East teams have dominated the Little League tournament. But I would like to know why they haven't in all those years produced one major league ball player, because American teams have produced such players as Gary Sheffield, Derek Bell, and Sean Burroughs. Can you please tell why you think they have not been able to do so. Plus have any made it that I do not know of. Thank you for your help. Andre Brooklyn, NY When you look at the percentage of U.S. major leaguers to have played in the Little League World Series, I’m guessing it’s a pretty small number. And there are four U.S. teams in the tournament every year, compared with only one Far East team. And then when you factor in that there are less than a dozen big league ballplayers from the Far East right now, I’d say it’s tough to really call that much of a sample size and make a comparison. I guess what I’m saying is, I wouldn’t draw the conclusion that the Far East teams have been unable to produce a major leaguer, just because they haven’t actually done so yet. It’s only very recently that major league organizations have begun signing many players from the Far East, and most of the young ones are still working their way through the minor leagues. One Asian alum of the Little League World Series who could reach the big leagues is Taiwan’s Chin-Feng Chen, who is the Dodgers No. 1 prospect. I’m not really sure how many other Asian players who have been signed during the past couple of years–if any–played in the Series. If someone out there has a list, maybe we can start the countdown to see who makes it first. I was wondering if you had considered Mark Johnson for the Detroit Top 10 Prospect List. Johnson was the Tigers pick in the Rule 5 draft this winter. As former first-round pick who pitched well at Double-A last year, I would assume Johnson would have made the list if he hadn't been a Rule 5 pick, and since he is a Rule 5, it would seem to increase his chance of sticking in the majors (he has to be offered back to the Yankees if he doesn't). For that matter, I didn't see any of the Rule 5 picks on Top 10 lists, is this a BA policy, or do none of these players qualify based on talent? Thanks for the great work! Bill Tarr We don’t have a policy against Rule 5 picks making the Top 10s, and, in fact, there’s one on the Minnesota Twins list, that we just posted yesterday. Lefthander Johan Santana, who was taken by the Marlins from the Astros in the Rule 5 draft and traded to the Twins, ranks No. 8 on that list. So Johnson was definitely eligible for consideration for the Tigers list. I think there is some hesitation to include a Rule 5 pick when it’s doubtful as to whether he’ll stick, and in the case of Johnson, that’s probably what cost him. Talent-wise, he definitely would fit into the top 15 somewhere, but if he doesn’t stick in the big leagues, he won’t even be in the organization in April and there are many that think he needs a season at Triple-A. The Tigers seem to be gearing up to make a run with the new park and Juan Gonzalez, etc., so it’s not likely they’ll carry a pitcher who isn’t ready to make a contribution. The Twins, on the other hand, are in a better position to try to keep Santana, so it’s a little easier to include him on their list. Still, there are no guarantees he’ll be there in April, either. I see Juan Melo was rated as the No. 9 prospect in the Padres organization for 1999, yet the Yankees were able to sign him to a minor league contract. If I remember correctly, '99 was an injury-riddled season for Melo. Why did San Diego give up on a 23-year-old infield prospect? He was considered a top-notch fielder with some offensive potential. What do you expect from Melo in the future, specifically at what position? Do you think he makes the Yankees roster in replacement of the injured D'Angelo Jimenez? Lastly, why couldn't or didn't San Diego trade him? C.J. Mulk Actually, San Diego did trade Juan Melo. They dealt him to the Blue Jays last July 8 for righthander Isabel Giron. The Blue Jays traded him to the Reds on Sept. 3 for a player to be named (second baseman Jaime Goudie). And the Reds released him Dec. 10. Melo missed time early in the 1999 season with a broken finger, and finished the year hitting .234-3-13 in 141 at-bats at Triple-A Syracuse after a .201-2-13 showing in 169 at-bats at Triple-A Las Vegas before the trade. I don’t think Melo will make the Yankees as a utility player. I think that role will go to Rafael Bournigal, unless the Yankees can find another veteran in spring training to do a better job. Directory: mlb mlb -> By Ken Gurnick mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> 2010 – What’s the name of the umpire whose errant call cost the Tigers’ Armando Galarraga a perfect game in 2010? (Jim Joyce) gabp mlb -> Wednesday, September 23, 2015 headlines: Verrett stumbles in the fifth as Mets lose to Braves 6-2 mlb -> All-Star History In what city was the first All-Game played? (Chicago, 1933) Baseball & Pop Culture mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> The Impact of Television Revenue on Major League Baseball mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips Download 1 Mb. Share with your friends:
|