Buster Olney of
ESPN said that his sources in major league baseball have told him that they
would to be willing to give up significant concessions to union to make
international draft. He was also told that, in return for that international
draft, the union could get increased minimum salary, less service time required
for arbitration, and more.
We’re just coming to the end of the World
Baseball Classic and many fans are just now starting to realize just how many
stars of the MLB came from other countries than the United States. None
dominate this sport like the Dominican Republic who now supply baseball with
approximately 20% of the entire rosters of the minor league teams. This is an
amazing figure when you think that the country is, population wise around the
size of the state of Connecticut.
Still, history is not on the side of a uniform
international draft. Take Puerto Rico, which was once independent and as
baseball crazy as the D.R. Players like Roberto
Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Pudge Rodriguez, Roberto Alomar, Bernie Williams,
Jorge Posada, Ruben Sierra, Carlos Baerga, Juan Gonzalez, Carlos Delgado
and Benito Santiago could be signed as independent
international free agents, some as young as the current crop of 16-year olds
being signed in the Dominical and Venezuela.
Now, things have changed. Players have to wait
until they either graduate from high school or turn 18 to enter the draft. They
have lost the ability to be taken out of school (like kids are in the D.R.) at
an average of 14-years old and placed in baseball camps until they can be
signed when they turn 16.
The rules changes so the talent pool turned to
different sports. There were 53 active Puerto Rican major leaguers in 2001.
Last year, there were 17. As I always say, you do the math.
Would countries like Venezuela, Curacao (the
Kingdom of The Netherlands), Columbia, and the Dominican Republic all dry up
like Puerto Rico did and would every kid turn to soccer for their ticket out of
an impoverished nation?
Time will tell.
5 comments:
So, P.R wants out of the rule 4 draft and they want to be able to be signed by the highest bidder? If I'm MLB, I say tough shit. Considering the new rules, teams just don't have the flexibility they used to. I'd want to keep as much talent in the draft as possible.
It really doesn't matter what Puerto Rico wants now. This whoole issue is going in the other direction now.
I think that baseball is making a mistake and trying to control too much. This along with the spending limit per draft could drive away athletes from baseball and push them towards other sports.
and now the same owners that are going to receive a $50mil check from the networks are voting to take away the benefit of the office workers
That whole pension debate makes me sick. To actually screw over their workers despite 8 billion a year in revenue is completely heinous.
Jerry Riensdorf, owners of the white sox, already have his fellow owners a tongue lashing over this once before. However, someone has gotten this ball rolling again.
Why do I get the feeling that the Wilpons would love this vote to pass?
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