Look at Ray Ray Run

We'll agree to disagree. You owe that person nothing and have no contractual obligation to them. Advisors pop up everywhere when you're a prospect. If the kid has a good support system, his advisors are his family and coaches and etc. This isn't AAU basketball with pariahs everywhere taking advantage of kids. It is just not how baseball has worked. Maybe things have dramatically changed since 2005 and I'm out of the loop - I don't believe that to be the case though. Edit: in Latin countries, this is a massive problem. Kids sign on young, and illegally, to agents who circumvent the rules to acquire the services of their client before they are technically eligible. In the states, they monitor this pretty closely and you can lose your license for doing the exact thing people are claiming happens with frequency in this thread. Big agents, who most top prospects end up signing on with, do not advise in any formal matter before a contract is signed. They arent risking their licenses for unknown high school juniors.

So they don't have an agent, as I said. Misinformation flys online. You cannot have an agent before you are drafted, period. People approach you and give you advice from all avenues - some may do so in hope of earning your trust for future relationships but they are not your agent by any means.

Yes, the rule changed stating they can now use an agent to negotiate for them - they cannot have an agent before their senior year of high school starts. Implying otherwise is incorrect.

He has an agent? Before his high school career is over? Nah.

He's averaging 11.5 k/s per 9 and has a FIP and ERA of 3.2 in 2019 MLB baseball. After today Giolito should/will be top 5 (6) in pitcher WAR. I'm not sure what is needed to be an ace if that's not one. This isn't even peak giolito either. He's in his first season of MLB success. Edit: and he will have done it in less innings than everyone above him not named Scherzer. Parkman, you should be gloating but now you're ridiculing the guy when he's top 5 in WAR. Weird.

What defensive value did he need to add to his profile that was 1st ballot hof'er. That's as valuable as a player can get really.

What does frank thomas defense have to do with him leaving? He was a first ballot HOF'er. Are you implying he would have left if he was left handed and wore a helmet in the field?

Anderson has an 850 ops as a SS who steals 30 bags a season. If he wasnt playing so poorly with the glove hed be on a 5 WAR pace for the season.

Top 5 payrolls pretty consistently when they were good and competing.

Nah.

None of those players pushed the Astros anywhere near the luxury tax. The cubs didnt go over the tax for those players. I'm not sure you understand my point.

Best hand and wrists I've ever seen. I say it all the time, but my goodness is it a pleasure to watch.

From a production standpoint, it would be impossible to be critical of abreu if the guy goes 35/120. RBI's dont matter for projection so they have little value on the future, but you can't take away what he accomplished this year regarding run production.

Ok. You cite a 20 million number that is tied to making the playoffs. Diamond Dollars explains the dynamic and value of winning: the conclusion was basically that getting to the postseason is where the value comes from - the world series is simply a bonus but no team that has a playoff roster should be spending heavily or going over the luxury to acquire one more piece. It's exactly why teams like the Yankees and Dodgers are so dedicated to not staying over the luxury tax threshold. The cost of that extra 1% isnt worth the price.

If the Sox make the playoffs 2 years in a row the impact on season tickets would be as substantial as winning a world series and missing the playoffs. The sox sold playoff tickets tied to season ticket packages. The world series was just an element of that. That 20 million escalation was for making the playoffs not winning the World series.

There is very little difference between (monetarily) winning the world series and making the playoffs. One player doesn't impact the game enough to warrant paying 50% luxury tax to acquire a player to increase your odds of winning it all by 5%. That is why the Yankees and Dodgers arent willfully throwing endless amounts of cash at players near the cap.

I don't have the hatred for don cooper that many here have. Coaches are only as good as their players. There are still examples of players progressing just as their are examples of players not progressing. The only reason I do not like Cooper is because I have heard from people within that he doesn't work hard anymore, which, if true, is unacceptable. I don't blindly trust peoples word but if that is the perception one player had from within, I worry that player was not alone in that thought. I don't think Coopers principles or beliefs are that archaic. Baseball philosophy goes in waves. 30 years ago the high pitch was in and successful, as players came up they focused on hitting that pitch and evolved. Then the low sinker was in 20-10 years ago, as players had adjusted to get the high fastball. When Mike trout came into the league he was one of a very few bats who destroyed the low pitch. Then swing paths changed and the low fastball was getting killed and the high fastball is back in. It's not revolutionary by any means, it's just another cycle. I, by no means, believe cooper is saying fuck the data and keep the ball down. I also don't disagree with teaching pitchers not to max effort every game and inning - changing speeds on your fastball is valuable and not throwing your best fastballs every at bat could elongate ones career.

Because a part of Hahns background is in analytics and he has very clearly pushed to integrate analytics more and more throughout the organization. As I said, the hiring of Renteria had nothing to do with maximizing wins - that wasn't the goal. The goal was for him to help build up the young players and keep the team together. I think the players like him and the clubhouse chemistry has improved. Renteria was hired after a period in the organization in which a lot of clubhouse turmoil and fighting was happening. I like to think that was Ricky's job to stop and prevent. When the gear changes to winning itll be very telling what decision and direction the team goes in. I still think most fans greatly overvalue the impact of a manager.

Can you blame them? They literally make their living off access and teams/players league wide have frozen out writers for very little criticism in the past.

I'm not giving them too much credit, I'm just saying knowing Hahn's background he has to think that commentary was absurd. He may not have said it out loud but it's impossible for him to think any other way; unless Jerry is a brainwashing gypsy.

The Sox arent going to throw ricky under the bus. I do think Hahn had enough with the Anderson 7th garbage and did interject which might have heightened Renterias response to this. Ricky's logic is circular. He says how can you use data if you dont give a player a chance to create new data. That's so uneducated and archaic idk what to say. If the player shows improvement and changes his data expected outcomes, then you make the change. You dont make decisions with a player who had never statistically supported the decision under the basis that he might support it one day. That's outlandish. Renteria is an over bunting block head.

Managers mean so little I don't really care, but Hahn is far too intelligent of a human being to actually allow this block head to run the team when it matters. Ricky was good with young players and keeping people together - that has value to a young team who is losing A LOT. I understand the value of that when winning isn't the priority but if they don't shift gears when goal is to win, I'll be baffled. You can't have the background Hahn has and think that commentary isn't ludicrous.

One idiot said that about Drake and he was beaten up in the clubhouse by his own teammate over it.

Theres no way a business man is anti analytics.

If you're comparing this to your business, it doesn't work. By your business sense, the White Sox are likely outstanding. Regardless of what they say, they worry about the bottom line. They're not trying to win the game of value if the value costs more than their break even point. Teams that go into the luxury tax very clearly aren't worried about maximizing profits and the bottom line when constructing their team. They take it into consideration, but there's a value to winning to them. No one can say one player pushing you over the luxury tax warrants the penalty because he gives you a better chance to win the World Series. Winning a World Series really isn't all that much more profitable than losing a 1st round wildcard game.