I remember back in the winter of 1978 (I believe it was The Globe in Peter Gammon's Diamond Notes)the Sox were considering a deal, involving, Ted Cox,Mike Paxton,and or Don Aase. (our cant miss kids)In return the Cleveland Indians would give up Dennis Eckersly.Paxton looked great,and Cox tore up the American League. When the deal was done I thought we(the yet to be born Red Sox Nation)would regret it for years to come. The 'Eck'won twenty that year ,as for the cant miss kids ,well they did not pan out the way Cleveland or myself thouhgt they would.
IDLE THOUGHTS;Jim Rice will make the Hall of Fame this year,I love ECK in the studio on NESN
Shouldn't Henson get some kind of recognition for flaming out with the Yankees AND Dallas Cowboys?
This rundown brings to mind something I've been wondering about for a while now: Current Sox management is compiling quite an impressive record at turning prospects into major-league players. Some were Duquette draftees, some were acquired in trade, and some were Theo and Company picks, but the development/finishing process has been all Theo et al.
There's a long list of players who have met or exceeded expectations in their transition to the majors: Youkilis, Pedroia, Papelbon, Ellsbury, Lester, Hanley Ramirez, Freddy Sanchez, Cla Meredith, Kason Gabbard. I'm sure I'm missing some. And I'm sure there have been some flameouts as well, but that's a whole lot of success in a relatively short time. Two conclusions:
-- I'd sure like to know what the Sox player development department is doing differently.
-- if I ran an aging team looking to dump veterans, I'd put Theo Epstein on speed-dial.
Cubs fans should have been alarmed when Hee Sop Choi, at 6-5, 235, collided with Kerry Wood on a pop-up, fell over and knocked himself out. But hey, then he was traded straight-up for Derrek Lee.
Just glancing at what you posted and extrapolating from the names, seems like scouting the Far East was pretty hit-or-miss.
^^ Not "hit-or-miss," I meant that Far East (do we still call it that?) prospects tended not to pan out. I wonder if that's what helped lead to the increase in bringing established Japanese players over, since it's a safer bet despite the higher cost.
"I'd sure like to know what the Sox player development department is doing differently"
I may be way off here but my guess is they have been drafting quality players.
Hey Chad your boy Kyle Snyder had a great season.
My boy? C'mon now. The one thing that really annoys me is people who take things out of context. What I've always said is that he's fine for what he was - a long reliever, the 11th or 12th man.
DW: Well, yes, of course they're drafting the right people. But the point of Chad's post is that nobody ever really knows who the "right people" are, because of the vast amount of growth and development that takes place between drafting and the major leagues. There are players on that "bust" list that any franchise would have happily taken with their top pick, if only they'd gotten the chance.
The Sox are doing something right in the middle stages: between the draft and Fenway Park. They seem to have a quite remarkable "batting average" at turning their prospects into players. That ain't just drafting.
I also believe that Henson should get some kind of recognition for flaming out with the Yankees AND Dallas Cowboys. Quite strange...
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