I’ve tried to make it a point not to plug my photoblog here, because I’m not a fan of self-promotion, but I’ve finally taken a shot I like so much that I want as many people to see it as possible. I’ll refrain from this in the future, but forgive my indulgance this once.
Back to your regularly scheduled baseball talk.
As promised, the new Future Forty is online. There are some fairly significant changes from the pre-season version, including the invasion of the Initials Gang. T.J. Bohn, A.J. Zapp, and T.A. Fulmer all make their debut, displacing less competant, fully named prospects. Chris Snelling plunges to #7 after yet another wasted season, and Ismael Castro joins him in the what-might-have-been ranks, as he too will miss the rest of 2004.
Really, though, what is striking about this list is just how, well, not good, the M’s farm system has gotten. There isn’t anyone in the system that doesn’t come with a giant question mark. Nageotte and Hernandez have a ton of potential, but both are in the super high risk category. I’ve never been a huge Jose Lopez fan, and he’s basically this high by default. Blackley, Choo, Madritsch, these just aren’t the names of perennial all-stars. Toss in the fact that depth, the supposed strength of the organization, is now a memory, and the minor leagues aren’t in very good shape. Scraping together 40 guys that could be labeled prospects was a real challenge, and I have next to no hope for everyone past #25 on the list.
Realistcally, its time to pray for the health of Felix Hernandez, because the rest of this crop just doesn’t look so hot. Right now, the M’s farm system is in the bottom third of major league franchises. Considering the age and performance of the major league club, it is a more severe problem than for most of the other teams in a similar circumstance. The M’s didn’t have one good draft under Frank Mattox, and it is imperative that Bob Fontaine can restock the system this June. Considering the M’s once again threw away their high draft picks, he’s going to have to work some miracles. Good luck, Bob.
“Woohoo. Finally.”
— David Cameron, upon seeing that the M’s beat the Tigers 12-2 yesterday.
I didn’t watch much-ok, any-baseball this weekend, so I have very few comments, other than its nice to finally earn a win. Even 2-1 and 10-9 wins where the team plays like crap are tough to enjoy, so it’s nice to see the M’s go out and just beat the tar out of the opponent.
Soriano is expected to join the team tomorrow, with J.J. Putz taking the shuttle back to Tacoma. I think Putz probably deserves a shot somewhere, but this isn’t holding back Edgar Martinez. I have no real problem with Putz being in Triple-A. However, George Sherill is making his case for Mike Myers’ roster spot in a big way. In 15 innings, he’s allowed 11 hits, 4 walks (1 intentional), struck out 25, and has posted a 1.80 ERA. Contrast that with Myers, who has retired 18 batters in 13 games and is still a punching bag against right-handers. Lefty specialists are fine, but when they’re batting practice pitchers against right-handed hitters, they’re not worth the roster spot.
Coming later today; updated Future Forty.