the one that is most commonly ignored when discussing stars and scrubs is that a LARGE portion of the scrub pool do not generate replacement level stats
Right-O amig-O.
This applies also when we add up a team's run differential in February. We forget to add in the players who will cost us runs. :- )
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Agreed also that you've got to be prepared to run a Billy Beane-style carousel; that's part of Stars & Scrubs.
Where that carousel costs you 20 draws at the deck, you're going to burn some -RLP debt doing it. You bet.
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If the Mariners are forever doomed to flip through OF's of Saunders, Peguero, Halman, Wilson caliber, then they're forever doomed to pencil in low WAR returns from their Scrubs.
The hope is that the Mariners pulled 80% of those draws in 0H 2012, and that in 1H 2012 they are well-organized to make those Scrub draws work well.
For example, the 2012 Mike Carp has a better chance of offering 3.0 WAR for $450,000 than do a random collection of AAA left fielders.
One thing to be riffling through Beavan, Vasquez and Co. A different thing, we hope, to be riffling through James Paxton, Danny Hultzen and Co. :- )