Can you imagine a team that can draft and develop like the Royals or the Rays but have a top 5 payroll?

So the Yankees have 27 World Championships because they’re really really really lucky then?

It seems that the one’s that most like using that word to describe Alderson are not the one’s that use it as a positive but quite the opposite the one’s that like to use it as a negative. Almost as if they are threatened by it so they use it to mock him instead.

I would bet that if you made it a point to see who uses that word most on this blog alone you will find that it is used more to mock Alderson than by those using it to somehow praise him.

Not that uncommon. Happens to many teams.

We had 6 losing seasons following our 2 out of 5 years in the post season with no budget slashing just bonehead slashing.

We then followed that up with 82, 75, 66 and 71 wins after making the postseason for the only consecutive years in our history while increasing payroll.

I don’t think it had anything to do with it.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1MHO_3PJY2U/SeqdJ5Pg_zI/AAAAAAAACh4/0DGe2_zHshw/s1600-h/Randy+Rides+Alone2.jpg

When the payroll got slashed in 1995, He had to trade away major parts of the team but in 14 years he did go the playoffs 4 times while playing a balanced AL schedule and lost 90+ games only twice. Once at the end of his 4 out of 5 years in the post season and once after slashing his payroll the last year. He also won 4 division titles, winning 103, 104, 99 and 96 games.

We’ve lost 90+ games six times in 20 years with the largest payroll and been to the post season only 7 times with 5 Division titles in 49 years.

Four post seasons in 14 years is quite a bit better than 7 in 49.

The danger though is those additional 1200-1800 AB’s ARE a big deal. Bringing guys up before they’ve learned to think along with professional pitchers at different levels along the way up puts them in a tough position when they get up here. That’s what leads to prolonged slumps and long periods of adjustments that better prepared prospects don’t have to overcome.

It’s also dangerous to count on just one guy for every position. Reece wouldn’t have been ready until this year at best without injuries. Davis came up out of need a year early and struggled with his adjustments but made it through. Fern never did. Thole was worked in carefully but was also able to play winter ball to accelerate his learning curve. Tejada despite not looking overmatched clearly needed more AB’s to get his talent to translate. Murphy looked lost for a couple of months, Gomez and Milledge would have been far better served to have 1,000 more AB’s. Even Reyes could have benefited from another year to develop his pitch recognition skills. Another guy who didn’t get enough time was Keppinger who got rushed up when Reyes got hurt. Sometimes when guys don’t get enough AB’s they never are all they could have been.

I can’t wait to see Havens up here but I want him ready to stay when he arrives.

A move that was overdue that signified an end of an era.

I don’t know how many are going overboard but I know just like there are those going overboard in praising Alderson there are also those that go overboard to do the opposite and not give Alderson any recognition whatsoever.

You see it all the time. Sometimes they use words like cult,genius, all knowing, or God to name a few to make fun of the man or those that may appreciate him.

So yes while people should not go overboard in praising Alderson for this or any of the moves he has made the opposite holds just as true as well.