Brandon Morrow... happy or sad?
Miller or Morrow? The M's faced this decision and chose Morrow. There are plenty of people screaming right now because the front office passed on Miller, who many consider the top pick in the draft.
So did the M's make a good choice in Morrow over Miller?
Of course we won't know for quite some time who ends up the better baseball player, but we can certainly take a look at the risk/reward scenario the M's faced while drafting.
On one hand you have Miller, who has the body type, command, poise and stuff every scout looks for.
In Morrow, you have a pitcher with a great fastball, but still in search of a 3rd pitch. He also is a diabetic, and while his numbers are good, are hardly eye popping.
So why would the M's take him?
Risk and character.
We should know more in the next several days, when Bavasi and crew are interviewed over their decisions, but the fact Miller is going to be hard to sign is a risk in the FO's view.
Having a long hold out who might not even sign until next spring is part of the draft. Signability is important. If you have a player who might hold out, you have to factor that into the equation. History is ripe with examples of players who held out and it affected their play.
So what about character? Does it say something that Miller would announce he is looking for $8-10 million to sign? Of course it does.
For most players, they rely on their agent to tell them how much is "fair" on draft day based on where they are picked. However Miller is telling teams this is about money, and he appears to be asking for more money than any other player in the draft.
Of the thousands of high school and college players who are draft eligible, Miller wants more money than any of them. I haven't heard of anyone else making the kind of financial demands that Miller has this year- Have you?
So the M's passed on Miller. (If it was all about marketing, the team would have selected Lincecum.)
Remember Ryan Anderson? He fell to the M's because of signability issues. It happens every year in baseball. We should not freak out because some pitcher thinks they need $8 million to sign before they play baseball.
I'll take a guy who just wants to play, and apparently the M's feel the same way.
Miller or Morrow? The M's faced this decision and chose Morrow. There are plenty of people screaming right now because the front office passed on Miller, who many consider the top pick in the draft.
So did the M's make a good choice in Morrow over Miller?
Of course we won't know for quite some time who ends up the better baseball player, but we can certainly take a look at the risk/reward scenario the M's faced while drafting.
On one hand you have Miller, who has the body type, command, poise and stuff every scout looks for.
In Morrow, you have a pitcher with a great fastball, but still in search of a 3rd pitch. He also is a diabetic, and while his numbers are good, are hardly eye popping.
So why would the M's take him?
Risk and character.
We should know more in the next several days, when Bavasi and crew are interviewed over their decisions, but the fact Miller is going to be hard to sign is a risk in the FO's view.
Having a long hold out who might not even sign until next spring is part of the draft. Signability is important. If you have a player who might hold out, you have to factor that into the equation. History is ripe with examples of players who held out and it affected their play.
So what about character? Does it say something that Miller would announce he is looking for $8-10 million to sign? Of course it does.
For most players, they rely on their agent to tell them how much is "fair" on draft day based on where they are picked. However Miller is telling teams this is about money, and he appears to be asking for more money than any other player in the draft.
Of the thousands of high school and college players who are draft eligible, Miller wants more money than any of them. I haven't heard of anyone else making the kind of financial demands that Miller has this year- Have you?
So the M's passed on Miller. (If it was all about marketing, the team would have selected Lincecum.)
Remember Ryan Anderson? He fell to the M's because of signability issues. It happens every year in baseball. We should not freak out because some pitcher thinks they need $8 million to sign before they play baseball.
I'll take a guy who just wants to play, and apparently the M's feel the same way.
posted by Tom at
10:52 AM
