Timing of Trout and Organization Development

[Jeff Fletcher]

I will only add that four years is a really long time in baseball. 

The Cubs won the World Series 3 years and 5 months after drafting Kris Bryant.

[Docwaukee]

Heaney 9th

Addison Russell 11h

Cory Seager 18th

Wacha 19th

Lindor 8th

Jose Fernandez 14th

Springer 11th

Grandal 12th

Sale 13th

Pollock 17th

Trout

Bumgarner 10th

Heyward 14th

Kershaw 7th

Lincecum 10th

Scherzer 11th 

McCutchen 11th

Tulo 7th

Weave 12th

Hamels 17th

Utley 15th

Zito 9th

Sabathia 20th

Berkman 16th

 

Lot's of stars from picks 7th-20th over the years.  Lots of missteps too.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Jeff Fletcher]

The Giants drafted Lincecum 10th in 06, Bumgarner 10th in 07 and Posey 4th in 08. They then won the WS in 10, 12, 14.

The only key members of their future WS teams who were in the organization prior to drafting Lincecum were Cain, Wilson and Sandoval.

They went from being terrible, with a terrible farm system, in 07 to winning the first of 3 WS in 5 years in 2010.

The 07 Giants were in worse shape than the current Angels.

I covered the Giants then. The franchise was just a vehicle for Bonds with no foundation around him.

This was a team that once gave away a draft pick because they didn't want to spend the money on the draft. (Long story.  Google Michael Tucker.)

As for the Angels improving enough to keep Trout, it's not like they have to win the WS by 2020 to keep him. If they just make the playoffs a couple times and are showing promise by the end of 2019, they would have a good shot at keeping him if winning is his primary goal. If he really just wants to be close to home (and I have no indication that matters to him that much) then it doesn't matter.

EDIT: I don't mean for this to be some rosey optimistic look at the Angels situation. Only to illustrate that four years is a lot of time to change things.

[Blarg]

The Angels are moving into their 2nd year of change so if the Angels are going the right direction with Eppler's plan then the goal is closer than some think.

[Docwaukee]

3 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

The Giants drafted Lincecum 10th in 06, Bumgarner 10th in 07 and Posey 4th in 08. They then won the WS in 10, 12, 14.

The only key members of their future WS teams who were in the organization prior to drafting Lincecum were Cain, Wilson and Sandoval.

They went from being terrible, with a terrible farm system, in 07 to winning the first of 3 WS in 5 years in 2010.

The 07 Giants were in worse shape than the current Angels.

I covered the Giants then. The franchise was just a vehicle for Bonds with no foundation around him.

This was a team that once gave away a draft pick because they didn't want to spend the money on the draft. (Long story.  Google Michael Tucker.)

As for the Angels improving enough to keep Trout, it's not like they have to win the WS by 2020 to keep him. If they just make the playoffs a couple times and are showing promise by the end of 2019, they would have a good shot at keeping him if winning is his primary goal. If he really just wants to be close to home (and I have no indication that matters to him that much) then it doesn't matter.

EDIT: I don't mean for this to be some rosey optimistic look at the Angels situation. Only to illustrate that four years is a lot of time to change things.

It's fun to look back on certain teams and how they got it done.  The got 5+ WAR seasons from Aubrey Huff and Andres Torres at ages 33 and 34.  An .972 ops from Pat Burrell.  A 3.07 era and almost 200ip from Jonathan Sanchez.  Then in 2012 the got a 3.37 era from Ryan Vogelsong in 189.2ip.  A .906 ops from a roid induced season from Melky (4.7 WAR). Sometimes it helps to have a horseshoe up ones rear end.  

But the point holds true.  You win 90+ games and make the playoffs, anything can happen.  

We're better than teams who have made the playoffs.  Better than teams who were 1, 2 or 3 years from making the playoffs.  

Eppler's method may not lead us to the promise land this year or even the next, but it doesn't feel like we're losing ground anymore.  

[tdawg87]

That is, until we're 3 games out at the deadline and trade Jones, Thaiss, and our 1st round pick for Greinke.