Tabata is just being humbled. It will aid him in the long run and keep him level headed at all times.

Joba is Joba.

Horne is missing the boat due to injury and control issues. Its a shame.

Kennedy is a headcase. He will dominate the minors for the remainder of the year and leave every perplexed as to why he looks like a bum at the Big League level.

Jackson confuses me a bit. His numbers are good enough to say he is doing well.
But they arent the numbers that make you stand up to attention.

if the talent comes off the board in the first or second round before you get a chance to pick, doesnt matter how much you can pay over slot, you dont have anything worthy enough to spend your money on.

and i dont even know what the yankees FO policy was re: paying over slot for draft picks early this decade. perhaps with Cashman’s push to revamp the system came the assurances from the FO that he’d have reallocated funds to do what he needed to do in the amateur draft to make it a success. we dont know.

besides, noone is saying that losing draft picks is the only reason why the Yankees would have such an unimpressive prospect crew, or so you’ve dubbed it, but one of a combination of factors relative to other teams rated as having top 5 or top 10 farm systems.

but this is all based on the notion that the yankees top 5 prospects overall have been ultimately a bust, which is a premise that most would not necessarily buy into.

Re: not having many picks in the 2000’s…When you have the ability to pay above slot…how important are those first rounders? Shouldn’t you then be able to use your money to grab guys who slide down in the draft because of signing concerns?

“Yanks had consistently lost their first-round draft picks in the early 2000s because they signed all those free agents. That can’t be ignored.”

thats a good point, too. didnt even think about that.

i was referring to the 10 year anniversary of when Cashman received full authority as GM of the organization. he got it during his last negotiation, and started organizing things from there… i think that was what, between 2004 and 2005, or 2005 and 2006?

in any case, point being we cant say these guys were ‘top 5 consensus’ coming in to 2008 and have been a disappointment, thus failures to BC’s prospect and farm system resume based on a couple months of the 2008 season.

Steve, Yanks had consistently lost their first-round draft picks in the early 2000s because they signed all those free agents. That can’t be ignored.

“He failed then – why should it be any different this time? Same guy. Same plan.”

But-but-but Damon Oppenheimer!!! Whatever happened to your mancrush on him? Or did you forget that Oppenheimer wasn’t running the Yankees drafts back then?

~~so for this type of argument, how about we take another look in 2015, and see where Austin Jackson, Jose Tabata, and Ian Kennedy are then, or what they helped bring to the organization.~~

2015? Seven years from now?
How about 2010 or 2011? Isn’t that more fair?

~~But what Cashman and Oppenheimer are trying to do takes time and patience.~~

I’ve already documented how Cashman said, back in 2000, that it was the Yankees plan to stockpile, and fill their system, with young arm prospects, etc.

He failed then – why should it be any different this time? Same guy. Same plan.

“Look at the Rays…they’re rolling… and it’s all because of the prospects that they’ve built up in their system – via the draft and trades. Good to great prospects and many have paid off for them.”

and its the first time we’ve seen them, as an organization, have success like this. and the reason isnt because they built their team from within… its because Steve Phillips is retarded and traded Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano, and Andrew Friedman took a chance on giving up some offense in Delmon Young for pitching, in Matt Garza. they brought in a veteran FA closer to help fill out the weakness in the bullpen, and the team, under Maddon, is finally living up to the potential theyve supposedly had now for the last 3 or 4 years.

theyve been in the league for what, i think 10 years now? its about time some of these prospects pay off for them

the yankees have been in the playoffs every year the Rays have been in existence, and really only put the emphasis on rebuilding the farm the past 2 or 3 years or so.

so for this type of argument, how about we take another look in 2015, and see where Austin Jackson, Jose Tabata, and Ian Kennedy are then, or what they helped bring to the organization.

Yes, look at the Rays, who are rolling now…after being absolutely terrible for a decade. It’s easy to have good-to-great prospects when you consistently have draft picks in the top 5 every year. Obviously, you also need smart FO to take advantage of those picks (cf: Pirates, Royals), but I’m pretty sure the Yankee farm system would be rolling too had they been in the same situation.