tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post6215979730111328753..comments2024-03-16T08:21:16.037-04:00Comments on The DiaTribe: Talent Acquisition on a Lazy SundayPaul Cousineauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490622970961409253noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-76677308366509466892012-08-23T17:37:15.677-04:002012-08-23T17:37:15.677-04:00Yeah, I've seen him a lot actually. More of an...Yeah, I've seen him a lot actually. More of an org guy. Solid but not spectacular hitter, won't quite do enough to play at a corner position. You see guys like Jared Goedert, Russ Canzler etc tear up the minors as a 1B or 3B, and they never get a shot. I think that Abraham is a solid player who works hard and maximizes his talents, but he's a cut below even those guys, and they've never made it. Like him a lot as a person, don't love him as a prospect.Al Ciammaichellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17537082892978020756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-10174789942551885142012-08-23T09:54:03.675-04:002012-08-23T09:54:03.675-04:00Al, have you seen much of Adam Abraham? I realize...Al, have you seen much of Adam Abraham? I realize he's not much of a prospect but he absolutely kills lefties, and so I thought I'd ask your impressions of him. I noticed that half of his hits this season against LH pitching (small sample size, sadly enough) have been for extra bases. MTFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14410882434875111748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-84553499027939599092012-08-22T11:32:37.017-04:002012-08-22T11:32:37.017-04:00I don't think so Matt. HS players are usually ...I don't think so Matt. HS players are usually more expensive because they have the option to go to college. College seniors, even the really good ones, have no real recourse other than to sign with whoever drafts them, so they typically command less $$ than the kids. Draft budget didn't really seem to be an issue the past few years. Al Ciammaichellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17537082892978020756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-35308845203754730732012-08-21T18:42:03.983-04:002012-08-21T18:42:03.983-04:00It’s far too early to judge the 2012 draft that to...<i>It’s far too early to judge the 2012 draft that took place just about two months ago...</i><br /><br />Too early to judge, yes. But not too early to worry that Tyler Naquin is not really impressing at all. A college first round pick ought to be dominating in the NYP League, but he's putting up Michael Brantley numbers--and when Brantley was the age Naquin is now (which is when the Indians traded for him), he was hitting .300 in AA.<br /><br />I'll give him an allowance for the adjustment to pro ball, but this is looking familiar. Hydehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03984348525069741897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-24865019410805138642012-08-21T15:51:31.397-04:002012-08-21T15:51:31.397-04:00And, by the way, I don't know enough about the...And, by the way, I don't know enough about the inside processes in the front office to say that Shapiro is responsible, or Antonnetti or the scouting or whatever. But something needs to improve: we put way too much salary into lousy players these last couple of winters, and that is an important reason why we failed to produce this year.<br /><br />I noticed Carlos Villanueva is a free agent this winter. Any Tribe interest does anyone think?MTFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14410882434875111748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-78768709998337635412012-08-20T14:42:29.650-04:002012-08-20T14:42:29.650-04:00Al, just curious if you think there was any notice...Al, just curious if you think there was any noticeable shift financially with Grant taking over the draft, mostly as it relates to signing bonuses (in the old CBA, of course). Another way to put it, were they taking players because they were cheaper to sign, as opposed to having a higher potential.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18084829095253908924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-12068957473876789432012-08-20T12:47:08.543-04:002012-08-20T12:47:08.543-04:00Agree with Adam. It's not a shift in "win...Agree with Adam. It's not a shift in "window timeframe" as much as it is a shift from high floor, low ceiling guys to more boom or bust type guys. LeVon Washington is a perfect example; the talent and tools trump the actual production in college, but the Indians rolled the dice anyway. Same with Dillon Howard; big arm, but HS righties can have lots of bad things happen to them between HS and the show.<br /><br />And yes MTF, Amateur Talent Aquisition would have been a better title. If you could just combine Grant's drafting with some of the more shrewd Shapiro trades (Colon, Benuardo etc), then we'd really have something. Al Ciammaichellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17537082892978020756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-17411832346174020762012-08-20T12:39:03.046-04:002012-08-20T12:39:03.046-04:00I don't think amateur talent has any connectio...I don't think amateur talent has any connection to the current window. Most amateur talent takes 6+ years to reach the majors, so anyone acquired now, outside of the exceptional international free agent, is quite a few years removed from Cleveland. <br /><br />I think the movement towards younger guys is about a shift towards higher-ceiling players.Adam Van Arsdalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16816579324628671350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-5550660151606964122012-08-20T11:25:37.008-04:002012-08-20T11:25:37.008-04:00To follow up on Adam's comment about the tribe...To follow up on Adam's comment about the tribe's "movement towards [acquiring] younger players," could that just signal a shift in their perception of their "contention window." The current contention window seems set to close after 2013. As a result, drafting college players close to MLB doesn't make sense to the Tribe right now. <br /><br />Right now the Tribe seems to be stockpiling 17-20 year old prospects, not just in international FA but also in rounds 1-10 of the past two drafts. When that collection of players begins to sort itself out and the most promising players begin to get closer to MLB, I suspect the tribe will go back to drafting more college players again. That way the team will have a large collection of players under club control all ready to be called up at roughly the same time, which is basically what you need to contend as a small market team.<br /><br />And let's face it, the Tribe is probably going to suck after next season, putting them in solid position to draft some nearly-ready-for-MLB college players (like Pomz and Kipnis) in 2015 and 2016.Ryan Weplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07066019718655198410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-84914832688316673192012-08-20T10:19:52.983-04:002012-08-20T10:19:52.983-04:00"Talent acquisition" is a far broader su..."Talent acquisition" is a far broader subject than drafting. All kudos to Grant- he's done a fine job.<br /><br />Winter talent acquisition and poor salary investments generally should be reviewed this winter. Heads need to roll.MTFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14410882434875111748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-41246688511209132172012-08-20T10:02:51.503-04:002012-08-20T10:02:51.503-04:00You inspired me to finish a bit of research on the...You inspired me to finish a bit of research on the draft that I started back in March. Here's my piece:<br /><br />http://www.letsgotribe.com/2012/8/20/3253495/the-drafts-2005-2010-how-bad-was-itAdam Van Arsdalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16816579324628671350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-3255135880762126682012-08-19T18:11:04.800-04:002012-08-19T18:11:04.800-04:00Thanks Tim, glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully both of...Thanks Tim, glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully both of those things happen sometime in the near future! The good news for the Indians is that the toughest positions on the field to fill (SS, C, 2B, CF) have young, talented players entrenched already so in theory it should be easier (and cheaper) to find players in LF, 1B, and DH. Of course, they've been unable to fill that LF/1B slot for a while now, so we'll see how that goes. Al Ciammaichellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17537082892978020756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-36443340823643435222012-08-19T16:33:28.209-04:002012-08-19T16:33:28.209-04:00Thanks for the article, AI. In a moment of depress...Thanks for the article, AI. In a moment of depression over the Indians' bleak future, I told someone I thought the Browns would win the Super Bowl before the Indians made the playoffs. Thanks for encouraging me with some lower A ball talent to look forward to. Part of me thinks though that they will be used to fill the wholes in our current window, but we'll see.Tim Wardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11711718554317230349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-48493052959300890052012-08-19T11:28:13.519-04:002012-08-19T11:28:13.519-04:00Brian, I do agree that Paul is greatly missed on t...Brian, I do agree that Paul is greatly missed on the days he doesn't write. Sorry I didn't use the sarcasm font for that sentence, but that wasn't an editing mistake on my part. <br /><br />Agreed Adam. This year's draft will be an outstanding litmus test a few years from now on just how smart this front office really is. They had several months to look at the new CBA and come up with a draft strategy, so we'll see if they were able to get ahead of other teams around baseball when everyone was basically starting over with the new rules. <br />Al Ciammaichellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17537082892978020756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-78425844986206406792012-08-19T11:07:09.361-04:002012-08-19T11:07:09.361-04:00Sorry, but to add an additional point. I think par...Sorry, but to add an additional point. I think part of the gap the Indians currently have in talent between the major league team and the lower part of the system (Carolina and below) reflects the movement towards younger players. Between 2009 and 2011 we made a big shift towards acquiring younger players, guys with longer developmental trajectories. Instead of having guys start their pro careers in Lake County, we acquired a bunch of guys starting a year or two behind that in Goodyear and Mahoning Valley. As such, we created a bit of a structural gap in what is now the upper part of the system.Adam Van Arsdalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16816579324628671350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-58287537655965161262012-08-19T10:56:37.830-04:002012-08-19T10:56:37.830-04:00Nice work, Al, and I agree with your take complete...Nice work, Al, and I agree with your take completely. One of the things that has struck me with the Indians drafting strategy is the movement towards acquiring younger players. I feel you can see this trend developing even before Grant took over with the selection of Beau Mills, but it has continued since. The changes in the CBA seem to have intensified this change, as 25 of Cleveland's 40 picks this year were high-schoolers or JuCo athletes.Adam Van Arsdalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16816579324628671350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-584601741860436232012-08-19T10:19:12.537-04:002012-08-19T10:19:12.537-04:00Nice article Al. I have always felt that the team ...Nice article Al. I have always felt that the team that can consistently hit on the first round pick (that is NOT the first overall, I'm looking at you Washington Nationals) has done a lot to strengthen their farm system. This is what keeps small market teams in the World Series frame.Dine O Mite!https://www.blogger.com/profile/05434970557920019380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-9384214092862225302012-08-19T10:04:15.945-04:002012-08-19T10:04:15.945-04:00Well, at least you gave him an out.
Looking forwa...Well, at least you gave him an out.<br /><br />Looking forward to your return PaulAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15467832620000154874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-58773002451806148282012-08-19T09:40:31.162-04:002012-08-19T09:40:31.162-04:00Um, I guess some people don't understand sarca...Um, I guess some people don't understand sarcastic humor when they read it. <br /><br />Al, thanks for the encouraging read. It is too easy and too depressing to focus on all that is wrong with this club. Few people (if any) take the time to see the glass as "half full."<br />smaynorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02599815698359370344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-64107193552555773102012-08-19T09:35:19.676-04:002012-08-19T09:35:19.676-04:00Paulie, you are missed in your weeks of absence......Paulie, you are missed in your weeks of absence...a whole bunch...<br /><br />"The Indians are not going to make the playoffs in 2012. Consider this my bold prediction on that front."<br /><br />WOW, THAT'S SOME BOLD PREDICTION!<br /><br />I know that will get changed after someone reads this, but c'mon. Cousineau poors his heart into this site. Can't YOU edit your own flippin' column, the few times you do it? ChripesAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15467832620000154874noreply@blogger.com