Q and A: Mack and Company… with Jeff Sandgren… on Omar

I've been reading your site much more and find your incite on young players very informative, especially seeing that it appears that the Mets seemed focused on building a team using players who currently are in the lower levels of the system.

I especially like you notion that you should ignore (or at least not look too deeply at) stats players put up in the very low minors of the system. I've gotten the pleasure of seeing the Buffalo team several times the past couple of years and what you see on the field is not always what you see in the stat sheets.

I have one (not so simple) question for you.  It seems like most Met fans impression of the Omar administration is  that he destroyed the farm system and sacrificed draft picks for bad free agents and traded away any prospect we had.

There is also the thought that Omar played favorites and forced some players though the system to fast while ignoring, or not have a proper development process. Now people are already giving Alderson for "restocking" the system after only one year and one draft.  I'm a firm believer that it takes a good three years to really see a GM's effect on the farm system and at least that long to really see the effects at the major league level.

Now my impressions are; while the system is pretty weak in some areas, and there are several players that are either good hitters or good fielders (not many that are both).  It also seems that we have plenty of potential depth at one or two positions, but not much at others.  I believe that we are weak at the catcher and SS positions but strong in the Corner IF and OF positions.

I do believe that Omar's system was better than he'll ever get credit for and he left it in much better shape than how it was when he got it.  I believe that Omar's processors had nothing left in the system to work with. Many of the key members on the Mets right now and players that Omar drafted or signed and other than Heath Bell, Omar didn't give up anything important in trades. I'm still not sold on Humber.

I believe that there is some validity do the thought that Omar didn't develop players properly.  I see it more in the several players in the high end of the system or on the Mets who never really learned how to field. Not are your impressions on the stat of the system now, compared to when Omar was in charge and from the pre Omar days? Have you seen a difference on how the players are being taught?  Do you believe that Sandy Alderson can build a Playoff team in the near future with what talent he has to work with?

Thank you for your time, I look forward to your response.

Mack: First, it amazes me how much Mets fans now know about the system.

IMO, the current Mets farm system has the most talent in over 10 years. Most were signed by Omar.

Currently, most of the people teaching the minor league players were here when Omar was.

I love what Sandy has done, but I thank Omar for the foundation.

Phlavio:  The State of the System Now vs. Omar's Era: - This isn't a fair question.  I've NEVER seen the Mets with FOUR pitchers as good as the Mets have right now.  I've seen maybe one player of that caliber.  The fact that we're not all gushing about Gorski (who had a GREAT season) should tell you that the farm is looking pretty good right now.  In fairness to Omar, things have broken pretty well for the Mets prospects.

Have I Seen a Difference in the Way Players are Taught: - I'm going to alter the question because I can't sit in the club-house or see the team practice.  I have seen a difference in the way players are handled.  If this were the Omar era we would have had Valdespin starting at SS after Reyes' first injury, we would have promoted Harvey to AA after a month and Familia might have been forced into MLB innings before he was ready.

Do I Believe Alderson Can Build a Playoff Team: - Yes, but we'll see a lot more clearly if he'll be able to do it by the end of this off season


Charlie T.: -  If the Mets were to compete for a championship any time in the next three years, chances are anyone from the minor league system that would help in that process would come from players drafted or signed internationally from the Minaya regime.  Alderson simply wouldn't be given enough time in just three years to make a impact on the MLB roster through drafts or international signings.  That being said, Alderson's plan to consistently feed the mlb roster from the minor league system is so much better for this team in the short term (3-5 yrs) because of the financial issues the Wilpons are facing.  Either way, Omar's, reign as GM certainly, in my view, was average at best when in concerned the minors because it never produced even one home grown star, or managed to feed the Mets in a significant way.

Michael Scannell  -  Omar will never get the credit that he deserves for finding talent because the system has not produced star players (w/ apologies to Ike Davis as he has more the grow and prove) and the product in NYC has been disappointing.  However, his scouting and player development led to the drafting and signing of Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, Reese Havens, Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia, Jordanny Valdespin, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Juan Lagares and others.  Sandy Alderson did not come into a great situation, however the base of talent left here by the Omar regime gives him a lot to work with.

I'm not sad that Omar is no longer with the team, as he was in way over his head as a GM.  His lack of foresight in planning for the future of the team led to sacrificed draft picks and silly win-now draftees (Kunz and Vineyard).  The Mets missed a lot of opportunities to really stock the farm and keep the momentum of 2006 going.  However, the players he did bring in have talent and will either help the new regime in building a solid group of role players (and maybe a few stars if things work out for Davis, Havens, and Harvey) or provide interesting trade pieces. 

Alderson definitely has the resources to build a winning team and overall organization.  I think of 4 moves that help my confidence and show the Mets are moving in the right direction - 1&2) Cutting dead weight in Perez and Castillo, 3) Drafting higher-ceiling talent than would have been seen in years past and 4) Trading for Wheeler.  I have confidence that Sandy will use what is here and add to it to build a very solid foundation going forward.

Michael Freire - I think Omar's tenure should be looked at positively, overall.   He did take over a team in the mid-2000's and do what was asked of him, which was to build a winner.   Granted, the Mets didn't win the World Series, but they did have a short period of sustained success, "collapses" notwithstanding.    The issue most folks have with Omar isn't his eye for talent, or his draft record (which wasn't too shabby in hindsight).  It was the constant free agent shopping that handcuffed the major league roster with huge contracts and eliminated early round draft picks, lost to compensation for the signings.    That type of pattern can be successful in the short term, but it is not conducive for long term growth and success.    Sort of like living on credit cards.   You will have a good time for awhile, but the bill eventually comes due.

Sandy's track record is extremely short, with the Mets.   He has some of Omar's "debt" to endure, before he can put his stamp on the team.    His method will be to focus on the farm system, allow that to grow to the point where it is regularly stocking the major league roster and then dip into free agency for the last piece or two that a contender needs.    This system is more like saving part of your paycheck over time, until you have a healthy account balance.  Once you are in good shape, you can splurge on some items without any real long term consequences.   Living within your means, which is a good lesson for all of us, including our own government.  Unfortunately, it is going to take some time before we see any sort of success, but it will be worth it down the road.