We all love to tout our upcoming prospects, especially young ones with very high ceilings.
The Mets have as their # 7 prospect Alex Ramirez, signed for $2.05 million. Playing 2021 as an 18 year old, he did extremely well for his age in low A St Lucie, a remarkable level to play at for such a young debuting player.
76 games, .258/.326/.384 with 16 steals. Remarkable at 18.
He grades out as 50 - Hit; 50 - Power; 55 - Run; 50 - Arm; 50 - Field.
Wow. Excellent. I have no doubt that by the start of 2024, he will be the Mets' # 1 prospect - if he is not already a major leaguer. My guess is he could be a repeat All Star major leaguer in the future.
But the cross town Yankees have always had this nose for getting guys who become stars, whether through free agency or other signings.
Toronto spent like mad in the international market to get Vlad Guerrero - look at him now.
The Yanks? They lurked and pounced on Jasson Dominguez. Spent like mad, too, giving him a bonus exceeding $5 million.
A month younger than Alex Ramirez, who is not in baseball's top 100 yet (maybe he should be), Dominguez is already ranked # 17 overall.
He grades out as 55 - Hit; 60 - Power; 65 - Run; 60 - Arm; 55 - Field.
That's above a "wow". Phil Rizzuto would no doubt see this kid and say, "HOLY COW!"
His 2021 stats roughly matched those of Dominguez's.
But the Yankees went after a kid who ought to become a 5 tool superstar - and they got him. Maybe that is why he has two S's in his first name...Super Star.
But we got our guy, too. Ramirez, I am confident, will garner a lot of attention in 2022.
I hope we talk about these two in years to come like they used to talk about Mantle and Mays (or Snider). Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.
But those Dominguez skills grades? Holy Cow.
I am darned glad we have Ramirez. Don't get me wrong.
But Steve Cohen needs to try to get these kind of Guerrero/Dominguez type of super guys when they arise, which isn't necessarily every year. Be hyper-aggressive in doing it when such a super stud emerges on the radar.
My guess is winning that sort of Super Stud Sweepstakes is a terrific investment in the course of building a super team.
We often talk about taking the best player available when our slot comes up in the annual player drafts. For the annual international signings, which are not constricted by a pre-determined selection order, why not be hyper-aggressive and snatch away the player deemed to be the most elite for that signing period? Seems like a great way to invest in the future.
The franchise's future.
The Yanks spent $4 million this year on a stud # 1 overall talent. The Athletic wrote the following a few days ago:
"MLB's international signing period opened Saturday, and the NY Yankees boosted their farm system by agreeing to sign shortstop Roderick Arias ... Arias, a 17-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, is the top-ranked international prospect of 2022 by MLB Pipeline and agreed to a $4 million deal with New York, MLB.com reported."
Our biggest spend, Simon Juan, ranked # 15, signed for a lot - but a lot less. It will be interesting to see how our top new international guys track against their new guy in the years ahead.
Me? I have to be honest...I AM TIRED OF THE YANKEES signing the top guy and we sign someone of lesser caliber, even if our guy is very good. When do we turn the tables on the Pinstripers, exactly? Maybe they signed the next Wander Franco, while we signed the next .260, 20 HR outfielder. I want the next Wander Franco, don't you? Get him next year. No excuses.
On a related topic, old international dudes were once young studs. One old dude, Robinson Cano, is just 2 for 12 in this year's winter league championships. He surprisingly was a pretty young dude still when he last appeared in major league playoffs - in 2012. He went 3 for 40 that year.
The fact that he is not raking against less-than-major-league-caliber pitching concerns me. It shows how having an endless supply of superior YOUNG, UPCOMING TALENT like Roderick Arias and Jasson Dominguez is so critical to a team's long term success. Invest wisely. The Yankees do.
In Robbie's case, he signed for more than $100,000 with the Yankees, which back then was not small money but surely not the biggest jackpot. His father Jose Cano, I was unaware until now, signed with the Yankees a few decades prior, and pitched 6 major league games for the Astros. In 23 innings, he went 1-1. Robbie also lived in Newark for 3 years when he was in the 7th through 9th grades.
My guess is his father's connection to the Yankees and Robbie's proximity to Yankee Stadium while living in the states influenced the younger Cano to ink a deal with the Yanks. It turned out to be a really good investment. More than really good - better than any Mets' international signing ever, with (to the best of my recollection) Jose Reyes coming closest to the talent level of Cano.
We now have 39 year old Robbie Cano. We need to sign the next 17 year old Robbie Cano. Maybe we've finally gotten our equivalent in Francisco Alvarez. We need more than one of them every blue moon.
Analytics doesn't work in the back streets of the poor neighborhoods in the DR.
ReplyDeleteNo, these kids are hitting rocks instead of baseballs and using a makeshift glove from a plastic half gallon milk carton
The busteros seek out the best of the best there... usually playing SS... and put them in 24/7, almost concentration camp like baseball "schools" at ages as.low as 12.
High school diploma? Forget about it.
The Mets need to triple the amount of local scouts in these countries if they want to sign 3 top prospects each year.
Mack from your lips to Uncle Stevies ears. If he wants to play with the big boys than this is where he has to invest.
ReplyDeleteWhat ever happened to the Mets Dominican academy...I would think it should produce better results?? Is it even still operational?
It is still there and fully operational, but you have to sign top talent to HAVE top talent
DeletePardon my ignorance, but I still don't understand the numbers used in grading prospects.
ReplyDeleteI see in Tom's article that 50 is a very high grade, but why? What is the top grade, and why is 50 so good?
Can Tom, John, Mack, or anyone else here, please explain this system in terms that even I can relate to?
80 is the top grade
DeleteO is.
Well.
Bill, a 50 player in the big leagues is a good player. A Mike Trout when healthy is what, a 65 or 70? We need to go for 65s and not settle for 50s. The scale's definitions can be found on line.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a guy can have individual attributes that, if you took the score average, might be a 50, but when the player overall is considered, they grade him a 40. John writes about one such guy, I believe, today.
The Mets had great young stars in the mid 80s, supplemented by strong veterans. We have essentially only produced star pitchers in the past 15 years. The last star hitters we produced (other than Alonso) were Reyes, Wright, and perhaps Murphy. That, frankly, is ridiculous. Too few.
How do I find it on line? Do you have a link?
DeleteSnIder,Duke Snider…
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, thanks for your spel chek
ReplyDeleteWe do seem to have some top level talent in Baty, Vientos and Alvarez.
ReplyDeleteReese, I still think we can add Mauricio to that list. He is on a Rosario track - except he has considerably more power. I think Mauricio will open eyes in 2022.
ReplyDeleteI am starting to question Ronny.
DeleteWent down considerably on the Top 100 list
Wow, lots of emotion spent today. Fellas, what’s wrong with Alvarez, that only cost $2.1MM? Look at Yaon Moncada. The Red Sox broke the bank to sign him out of Cuba, and while he is a good player, not a star. They even traded him to Chicago in the Chris Sale trade. If Ramirez and Dominguez have the same stats, then cool.
ReplyDeleteWe all like nice things, but identifying a seed what’s going to grow into a nice plant is hard.
Very well put, Tom. The Mets have done so much better in the amateur draft in recent years. If they could put that same level into international signing and get some of the top guys it could really make a difference between having a good farm system with some talent and a great farm system with even more talent
ReplyDeleteFrom The Athletic today, a piece by Ken Rosenthal and Maria Torres on this topic:
ReplyDelete“The system, as Cabrera and others with knowledge describe it, works like this: An area scout from a major-league club ventures outside his assigned region to find talented players. The scout, after identifying a prospect he likes, influences the player’s trainer to sell a percentage of the youngster’s future bonus to another trainer from the scout’s own region. The player transfers to the trainer and commits to signing with the scout’s team, often for an inflated bonus. And the scout is compensated by the new trainer, sometimes in the form of cash, other times with housing arrangements, vehicles or other material goods.
“It’s a mafia,” said Chico Faña, a former Phillies minor league hitting coach and catching instructor with more than 20 years experience as an amateur trainer in his town of La Vega. Faña estimated that scouts from nine teams engage in the underhanded activity with a select group of trainers.”
It’s possible the Yankees spent that much to keep their connections.
ReplyDeleteWhatever is legal, we have to do in order to go Big Game Hunting. The fields have some real gems in them. Swoop in on them.
ReplyDeleteThe Yanks are so shrewd - the kid in their system now, Volpe, seems like a lethal bat. Jasson is likely a future big star - this new signing could be a third stud. If they nail 3 stars here, they go a long way towards a solidly winning (perhaps dominating) future. Me? I want the Mets to dominate - don't you?
ReplyDeleteTom, I have been saying that all along. It is a wise investment that will pay off big in most cases. Also, that is a way for the Mets to get cheaper down the line if they have a bunch of high prospects coming up and taking over for overpriced veterans.
ReplyDeleteIf the Mets can pick the highest available to them at the time in the international draft, that's a good thing. Then they can spread the money around but at least they know they have a potential future star from each draft.
Is it better to spread the money? maybe, but the Mets don't have the scouting that have proven much yet. Just look at our history. So take at least one high profile player and go from there.
Overall, the Mets are looking at potentially having six of the top 100 picks in the 2022 MLB Draft. Do us proud and bring our farm system to an elite level.
Viper, in the international market, it is akin to the MLB draft market. As in, would you prefer to get the first overall pick, or the 25th, 40th, and 60th instead? I'd go for the first single pick, not the 3 lower guys as a norm. Go for the best and hope it works.
ReplyDelete