picking off of a ba top list isn't so much scouting as having a large budget- I'm sure the padres would love to have the flexibility to give a third rounder 4.15 million.
As far as development- you're correct, we have guys come up through the system and play- I fail to see how that differentiates us from the rest of baseball.
LoL I guess this is just the typical negative stance people take around here. Nothing will please some people.
Certainly, every team drafts players and gets them to the bigs. But guess what - Very few come from the bottom to the top in 2 or 3 years. Just a couple years ago, our system was totally bare and ranked among the worst in the game. It is now one of the best, along with some of thosep layers drafted in that short span already in the big leagues helping the big club. While every club has some, not every team adds a Strasburg, Harper, Zimmermann, Espinosa, and Storen in such short order.
btw, the Padres have spent a lot of money on the draft, and it hasn't worked out very well for them. They took Donavan Tate just a couple years ago and paid him MAJOR money. That hasnt worked out well. They just spent $3mill on a second round pick. So its not like they have spent on people and are operating on pennies.
Also, it doesn't take much to see the talent in players ranked on a Baseball America list. But it does take work and ability to get those kids signed and developed. Are we suppose to ignore the fact that we added Robbie Ray and AJ Cole last year, because they were highly ranked prospects? They fell because people thought they were going to school. But the Nationals are the ones that gambled and went after them in the draft and selected them. They felt they could get them signed and did. But because they were highly ranked kids, we dont get credit for putting in the work to get them signed? That just makes no sense whatsoever. Taking the gamble on a kid with talent is one thing. But it definitely takes work in scouting to get a feel on if you do have a chance to sign the kid. Pulling the trigger on the selection is only a part of it. Getting them to sign is another. Developing them is another.
There are teams that operate with less budgets on the draft than the Nationals. That doesn't mean its a given that the Nationals will produce talent. There are big money guys and big name guys that flop all the time.
Fact is, the Nationals have been aggressive accumulating talent. They've gotten lucky and had rare talent guys at their picks(Strasburg and Harper). But, you still have to develop kids. And in just a couple years, we've taken a lot of guys that are ready to impact the bigs, and in just the last year or two, we've taken guys that have made big splashes in the minors right away. Our system is developing players as well. The entire scouting department, from scouting the kids, signing the guys, and developing the guys deserves praise for turning this system around. They don't deserve to have their success written off as every team should be that way.
