That's a departure from the KW of the last 6 months or so. For some reason it makes me feel like we're going to end up with one of those guys.

 

I truly hope you are right..

That's a departure from the KW of the last 6 months or so. For some reason it makes me feel like we're going to end up with one of those guys.

I want the Sox to get all three.

 

I want the Sox to get all three.

 

as crazy as that would be, kenny would be the person to pull something like that off

 

 

as crazy as that would be, kenny would be the person to pull something like that off

You're probably right, after all he was the guy who was able to pull off Peavy, Rios and Dunn.

It's about time the Sox spend more money on the minor leagues. Signing these three would be a good start, especially considering the cap on international players coming up in July.

You're probably right, after all he was the guy who was able to pull off Peavy, Rios and Dunn.

 

Or more like Viciedo and Ramirez.

The Sox are NOT gonna sign all three. C'mon guys.

Cespedes alone could possibly sign for $40M +

Paddy has been instrumental in the scouting and pursuit of several Cuban players who were recently cleared by Major League Baseball to become free agents. The price for marquee outfielder Yoenis Cespedes might be too pricey for the Sox, who are in the hunt for outfielder Jorge Soler and left-hander Gerardo Concepcion.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,1733235.story

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,1733235.story

 

Further evidence of changes in the approach to amateur talent acquisition recently within the organization. THANK YOU.

I'll speculate that less than 2% of the top American born athletes are concentrating on baseball.

 

I'd really concentrate my scouting/development/drafting efforts abroad.

 

 

While I will applaud any effort to make the organization and scouting in particular better in any way, I'm not going to get too excited about the Sox stronger presence in the DR. It can help, but it probably will take a while, and the entire cast of characters from JR to KW to Ventura will probably be gone before it really pays off. I read last year the typical DR prospect takes 8 years to develop.

While I will applaud any effort to make the organization and scouting in particular better in any way, I'm not going to get too excited about the Sox stronger presence in the DR. It can help, but it probably will take a while, and the entire cast of characters from JR to KW to Ventura will probably be gone before it really pays off. I read last year the typical DR prospect takes 8 years to develop.

This is because they can sign at 16 and they make it to the majors on average 23-24.

While I will applaud any effort to make the organization and scouting in particular better in any way, I'm not going to get too excited about the Sox stronger presence in the DR. It can help, but it probably will take a while, and the entire cast of characters from JR to KW to Ventura will probably be gone before it really pays off. I read last year the typical DR prospect takes 8 years to develop.

How long it takes is irrelevant. We had a major flaw within our organization that is finally being addressed. We should all be ecstatic about that, because we've basically been trying to compete with practically no contributions from Latin America signings (outside of Cuba) since Ordonez & Lee. It's a miracle we've been as competive as we've these past few years all things considered and clearly it's been catching up to us as of late.

I read last year the typical DR prospect takes 8 years to develop.

We're what, just about 4-5 years since the Wilder fiasco broke? So that means the guys who we might have signed at that time would have been single to double A level now? Thus, our system is getting judged poorly based on comparison with the Wilder class right now.

The Sox are NOT gonna sign all three. C'mon guys.

Cespedes alone could possibly sign for $40M +

Worth thinking about...usually when KW is crying poor the loudest he's just about to make some splash.

Worth thinking about...usually when KW is crying poor the loudest he's just about to make some splash.

 

All you have to do is read the transcript of him talking about the Cuban players at Soxfest to know he is up to something there.

All you have to do is read the transcript of him talking about the Cuban players at Soxfest to know he is up to something there.

No doubt The Sox have a significant offer in place for Cespedes, have pursued others aggresively and they have a great reputation within the Cuban community. I'd still rather them try and sign Soler as a first priority. He won't be signing as soon

as Cespedes or Concepcion. He's a classic tools-heavy MLB RF that would instantly top most teams position player prospect list.

No doubt The Sox have a significant offer in place for Cespedes, have pursued others aggresively and they have a great reputation within the Cuban community. I'd still rather them try and sign Soler as a first priority. He won't be signing as soon

as Cespedes or Concepcion. He's a classic tools-heavy MLB RF that would instantly top most teams position player prospect list.

I'd assume that Soler will do everything humanly possible to be signed to a contract before the salary cap kicks in.

No doubt The Sox have a significant offer in place for Cespedes, have pursued others aggresively and they have a great reputation within the Cuban community. I'd still rather them try and sign Soler as a first priority. He won't be signing as soon

as Cespedes or Concepcion. He's a classic tools-heavy MLB RF that would instantly top most teams position player prospect list.

 

I really hope Cespedes gets blown away by another team's offer and the Sox reallocate some of that money towards Soler. I like Cespedes, but he really seems to be the best fit for a team that's going to compete immediately. The Cubs make little sense too. The Marlins are probably the best fit. Or the Tigers if they are still on the periphery.

I'd assume that Soler will do everything humanly possible to be signed to a contract before the salary cap kicks in.

 

After he becomes a citizen of the DR, it won't take long. That's the big hang up now.

I'd assume that Soler will do everything humanly possible to be signed to a contract before the salary cap kicks in.

 

Agreed. It's not a signability issue. I just mean he's not technically a FA right now.

How long it takes is irrelevant. We had a major flaw within our organization that is finally being addressed. We should all be ecstatic about that, because we've basically been trying to compete with practically no contributions from Latin America signings (outside of Cuba) since Ordonez & Lee. It's a miracle we've been as competive as we've these past few years all things considered and clearly it's been catching up to us as of late.

 

Where the Sox get talent from is irrelevant to me. Dick Allen is right when he says this will take years to develop and will take at least that long to say if the Sox effort was successful.

 

It's like the argument that the Sox don't spend on the draft. Maybe it's because they feel that they aren't very good at scouting amatuers. I think all the prospect gurus are trying to make the MLB draft as important to building a team as the NFL or NBA drafts. Truth is, it's not.

Where the Sox get talent from is irrelevant to me. Dick Allen is right when he says this will take years to develop and will take at least that long to say if the Sox effort was successful.

 

It's like the argument that the Sox don't spend on the draft. Maybe it's because they feel that they aren't very good at scouting amatuers. I think all the prospect gurus are trying to make the MLB draft as important to building a team as the NFL or NBA drafts. Truth is, it's not.

Are you serious? Are you really suggesting that completely ignoring one of the largest providers of talent isn't a big deal? How exactly would you build a consistent winner without strong contributions from the draft and amatuer international signings?

Are you serious? Are you really suggesting that completely ignoring one of the largest providers of talent isn't a big deal? How exactly would you build a consistent winner without strong contributions from the draft and amatuer international signings?

 

 

 

We should be going for a 3-peat this year but the players failed KW.

 

So I like that he's restocking the farm and hopefully they turn into major leaguers either by themselves or through trade. I have a feeling that KW is going to have plenty of bullets to fire after this season. Our minor league system is quietly underrated, rising fast as hell.

 

He fired all the bullets going for it the last few years but the players failed him. He's almost ready to start shooting again. Can't wait. I love KW because you ALWAYS know he's gonna go for it.

Is that supposed to be in green?