Re: New Rule Proposal - Minor League Draft Changes
Reply #16 –
I understand what you are getting at here, but I disagree with that main premise. With 20 teams having 25 man minor league rosters (500 players altogether), every team will have a mix of both FYPD, J2 and slightly more experienced minor leaguers in their annual minor league draft. This rule change might make it that I'm more willing to draft a FYPD player first over a player that has some experience earlier in the draft, but in the end, that player with some experience is going to be picked (just later on). At the margins, it might change some decisions at the end of the draft (I might not have taken Franklin Labour with my last pick, but taken some college arm that was just drafted), but I don't see how this changes the main part of the draft. I don't see this being earth shattering in terms of how teams will draft, but it only penalizes teams that take those players that have some experience.
You say that this wasn't meant to penalize teams that draft a player like Graterol, but I'm not sure how this proposed rule change isn't a penalty on exactly that. Part of it is that you can't refine it more without making it hugely complex, but this is clearly a penalty, given the current rules of the league. Now, if instead this was that players taken from the FYPD or J2 signings have their initial contract at $250K, instead of $500K, I would see that differently, as not a penalty, but as a reward of striking gold with that pick.
Why?!?!? Because he's a Baltimore Oriole and needless to say, the Orioles track record back then with developing pitchers is not exactly stellar. I agree that it was strange to see him go completely undrafted, but as a partial season ticket plan holder to the O's, I've seen how they've screwed up Bundy and Gausman and pretty much every pitcher they've touched recently. His great start in 2019 and the change in management in the O's have given people better hope that Rodriguez might turn into something good. So, while we all overlooked Rodriguez back when he was drafted, it isn't like him getting selected this year gave the drafting team a player that was on the doorstep to the majors. He still has all of the caveats that minor league pitcher in low A ball would have.
That's just my 2 cents (actually, I think I've written at least 27 cents worth here) on it.