Q. Great time to be an M's fan :- / you mean like Smoak and Ackley?
A. Look, if you wanted to Start Your Franchise with any kind of player you could draw up on the chalkboard -- Longoria, or Lincecum, or Mauer, or Strasburg, if you became a GM and wanted a young franchise player, here is what you would pick:
..............
1. You would definitely pick a hitter over a pitcher. First-round hitters provide much, much more return than first-round pitchers. The M's are very fortunate that their savior is slated to be Dustin Ackley, as opposed to being Brandon Morrow or somebody.
..............
2. You would pick a college player over a high-school player. In part because the college player has passed many of the screenings that the HS player hasn't. (Exceptions apply for the Uptons and ARods of the world.)
...............
3. You would take a top-5 draft pick over a #24 overall. With Dustin Ackley, you are not talking about a #16 draft pick. You are talking about a #1 overall!, a guy who was taken #2 only because Stephen Strasburg happened to be in his draft.
Take Strasburg out of that draft and at least 20-25 MLB teams would have taken Ackley with the #1.
The same is essentially true of Justin Smoak, drafted #11 overall only because of signability concerns. In terms of value, he matched Ackley, but with power into the bargain.
The Mariners have not one, but two different young ML-ready hitters who were #1-overall level pedigrees.
................
4. You would take a hitter with a great EYE over one who struck out a lot. With Justin Smoak, you're talking about a premium EYE. With Dustin Ackley, you're talking about a Wade Boggs EYE.
Shandlerites, when betting on young players, begin and end with K/BB ratio. There is just no overstating what Ackley's and Smoak's EYE's do for their chances.
................
5. You would take a left hand hitter over a right hand hitter. Given your druthers. This isn't a huge factor, but it is a real one.
................
6. You would take a player who was a fit for your park. Which is why Capt Jack, probably wisely, passed on a superior hitter (Montero) and bet the pass line on a player whose fly balls are going to clear the fence in his home park.
.................
7. You would start your franchise with players who were good actors. Delmon Young types have value, but not as the leader of your franchise. Both Ackley and Smoak are down-to-earth guys who will lead in work ethic as well as on the scoreboard.
.
.
Printer-friendly version