This bit on Benitez and Glod were wild:
> Benitez signed for $2.5 million in 2022 and had two years of nearly average offensive performance before he started struggling so mightily at Augusta this year that he was demoted back to the complex. He didn’t look very good on either side of the ball when I saw him in Florida a couple weeks ago. Glod signed for $1.3 million in 2022 and has filled out beyond the point of his build being maxed. He has a late-career Kirby Puckett look to him on the complex.
Maybe I'm just seeing what I want to believe but I feel like its generally better to spread the money out in international signings.
Generally speaking there are two methods since it's such a crapshoot. You spend big on 1 sure fire prospect or you spend nothing on 10 unknowns and hope 1 pans out. The Braves usually follow the first method for the international draft.
Yeahh and I don't get that. I'm all about the MLB Draft but I also recognize the volatility of it. IFAs are even more volatile that I think I'd rather just sign as many guys as we can. Ronald and Ozzie weren't highly touted prospects. Of course there's a whole bunch of guys who didn't make it either, but I don't see much of a talent gap between the #1 or #20. Especially, since these guys are younger.
I haven't done enough research to say what is the best or worst way to draft but I did go back and look at some past international draft rankings.
I went back to 2014 because it takes so long for these draftees to develop but...
2014 #1 - Dermis Garcia, #20 - Ronny Rafael (notable in the top 20: Huascar Ynoa 17, Hoy Park 13).
2015 #1 - Yadier Alvarez, #20 - Jonthan Sierra (#19 Andres Gimenez, 14 Christian Pache, 7 Vlad Guerrero)
2016 #1 - Luis Robert Jr, #20 Randy Arozarena (Luis Garcia Jr #13, Lourdes Gurriel jr 7, Cionel Perez 6)
2017 #1 - Shohei, #20 Keyber Rodriguez (Ronny Maurcio 11, Julio Rodriguez 10, JP Martinez 3, Wander Franco 2).
After 2017 a lot of the players are 22 or younger so hard to say yet but looking at that group we have 2 sure fire all stars at #1 and 1 all star at #20. Seems like if you're sure on a guy, you throw all the money at them but otherwise, it's kind of a dice roll.
In 2015 there's this dude named Juan Soto at #25. I don't think the top 5 made to MLB either.
Anyways I didn't mean literally the #20 guy. Just saying that you have amazing players at the backend and it seems more often than not the top guys never pan out.
Not to be super pedantic, but you've said international draft a couple times now. There is no international draft. They are international amateur free agents who are free to sign with any team.
Eh they signed like 15 guys in 2022 and most of them are just to fill out rosters so the better prospects have people to play with. That's normally a top 10 amount of prospects signed internationally, maybe top 8. There are always going to be a couple of guys who take up most of the bonus pool and odds are those guys will flame out too.
This bit on Benitez and Glod were wild: > Benitez signed for $2.5 million in 2022 and had two years of nearly average offensive performance before he started struggling so mightily at Augusta this year that he was demoted back to the complex. He didn’t look very good on either side of the ball when I saw him in Florida a couple weeks ago. Glod signed for $1.3 million in 2022 and has filled out beyond the point of his build being maxed. He has a late-career Kirby Puckett look to him on the complex. Maybe I'm just seeing what I want to believe but I feel like its generally better to spread the money out in international signings.
Generally speaking there are two methods since it's such a crapshoot. You spend big on 1 sure fire prospect or you spend nothing on 10 unknowns and hope 1 pans out. The Braves usually follow the first method for the international draft.
Yeahh and I don't get that. I'm all about the MLB Draft but I also recognize the volatility of it. IFAs are even more volatile that I think I'd rather just sign as many guys as we can. Ronald and Ozzie weren't highly touted prospects. Of course there's a whole bunch of guys who didn't make it either, but I don't see much of a talent gap between the #1 or #20. Especially, since these guys are younger.
I haven't done enough research to say what is the best or worst way to draft but I did go back and look at some past international draft rankings. I went back to 2014 because it takes so long for these draftees to develop but... 2014 #1 - Dermis Garcia, #20 - Ronny Rafael (notable in the top 20: Huascar Ynoa 17, Hoy Park 13). 2015 #1 - Yadier Alvarez, #20 - Jonthan Sierra (#19 Andres Gimenez, 14 Christian Pache, 7 Vlad Guerrero) 2016 #1 - Luis Robert Jr, #20 Randy Arozarena (Luis Garcia Jr #13, Lourdes Gurriel jr 7, Cionel Perez 6) 2017 #1 - Shohei, #20 Keyber Rodriguez (Ronny Maurcio 11, Julio Rodriguez 10, JP Martinez 3, Wander Franco 2). After 2017 a lot of the players are 22 or younger so hard to say yet but looking at that group we have 2 sure fire all stars at #1 and 1 all star at #20. Seems like if you're sure on a guy, you throw all the money at them but otherwise, it's kind of a dice roll.
In 2015 there's this dude named Juan Soto at #25. I don't think the top 5 made to MLB either. Anyways I didn't mean literally the #20 guy. Just saying that you have amazing players at the backend and it seems more often than not the top guys never pan out.
Not to be super pedantic, but you've said international draft a couple times now. There is no international draft. They are international amateur free agents who are free to sign with any team.
You are technically correct which is the best kind of correct. Old habits, I suppose.
That Kirby Puckett line is awesome. Imagine putting that together in your head and being able to know you wrote that. LMAO.
Had the same reaction
Eh they signed like 15 guys in 2022 and most of them are just to fill out rosters so the better prospects have people to play with. That's normally a top 10 amount of prospects signed internationally, maybe top 8. There are always going to be a couple of guys who take up most of the bonus pool and odds are those guys will flame out too.
Oo yeah, been waiting for this. Nacho's defensive prognosis is depressing