MLB 2008 PT 2

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

It's a well known fact that most of the White Sox farm system sucks. Well, here's one reason why.

 

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune....r-dismisse.html

 

Details up to this point have been extremely vague, but an apparent White Sox scout spilled the beans on a message board where he is a frequent poster...

 

I can comment on it - because I am in no danger of losing my job over it because it is public knowledge that simply has not been published yet and I have no loyalties to Dave Wilder & his staff.

 

Here is the concept of what was going on (and no, this is not something that happens throughout the industry - and the Chicago White Sox did not "find this out and report it to MLB." It was found out by MLB & reported to the White Sox through arrests & warrants).

 

Dave Wilder and his staff were in control of California (most of the Western part of the USA), and all Latin American operations (including Cuba, etc.). Wilder signed many (MANY!) latin-americans to rather large contracts (+ $100,000) who had no representation in the latin-countries. Now - for anyone who knows and understands latin scouting - there are almost ZERO players without latin representation (meaning - players in these countries are in academies run by agents from these countries who then sell players off to MLB teams to put in their own academies). Now - when a player has no representation - there is generally a reason, i.e., they're terrible. Now - what happened was this:

 

Wilder would find these players and sign them for a large amount of money (as mentioned above) and then take their money as their "agent." Now - he had to get permission to pass these players off & what he was doing was supplying these players with fake birth cerficates taking as many as 5 years off their age & also supplying them with HGH & steroids (even as they were in MiLB). He was then taking this money and putting it into an off-shore account, taking the maximum amount possible at any given time and washing it through a business he opened up in Arizona that rehabs houses.

 

Now - taking the large amounts of money is one thing. Well - a MAJOR thing to Jerry Reinsdorf and to the Feds.

 

Now - here is where the Feds do not care & where we as a staff DO care:

At this point, Wilder and "farm director" Alan Reiger (also involved & under investigation from the FBI) had to "sell" their players to the organization. What does that mean? Well for the last few years - and a bit this year, players who did not have ANY BUSINESS in a professional baseball system were shoved up the system to "justify" the amount of money going on. Wilder & Reiger have a great friend who works for BaseballAmerica and thus why they "push" these players in publications & up into the system (again, to "justify" these large signing bonuses they were actually pocketing themselves). NUMEROUS players have been mentioned in these publications & pushed through the system (Wilder & Reiger were in charge of this since 2005 more or less & thus why such a degradated system is currently in place) & it is going to take a LONG time to fully recover.

 

Certain players (cough, a 16 year old "phenom SS" according to Wilder & Reiger in BaseballAmerica is actually 20.5 years old & not the player Wilder pushed him up as). The list goes on, and on, and on, and on.

 

The reason he got caught was because he (Wilder) actually controlled California and started signing players out of California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona & Texas (you can figure out who on your own from the draft) and taking some of their bonuses in an agreement to "over-draft" them and push them to Kenny Williams. Thus, many, many players from out West the last 2 drafts were HIGHLY over-drafted in an agreement to send some money to Wilder and his money washing business in Arizona.

 

Now - players have been pushed up through the system who don't even deserve to be playing baseball and they cost a LOT of money and are anywhere from 2-5 years old than originally believed when Wilder & Co. turned them in.

 

Its not hard to look at 2 things to figure out who: #1 - drafts the last 2 seasons and where players were drafted/and or signed (mostly from Dominican Republic while some from the West Coast), #2 - comparing the "good reports" in BaseballAmerica with these players when they actually had poor, poor, poor seasons relative to age/league, #3 - "overdrafts" who got relatively 'smaller' signing bonuses from the MLB draft, and #4 - "BaseballAmerica, etc. - hyped" players from the Dominican Republic/Venezuela/Brazil who were VERY expensive and have done little to nothing in MiLB & are now 2-5 years older and have records of using PEDs while in the Dominican/Venezuelan academies.

 

To the organization it has much, much, much more to do with the fact that he was in charge (with Reiger) to push Schaffer out of the system so that he could control who got pushed through the system on the "fast track" & used that advantage to push players who got a LOT of money to "justify why" these players received the amount of money they did. You can easily track players who were "pushed in publications" as prospects who are anything but prospects & see if they've been pushed through levels they shouldn't have been/given LONG opportunites when they should have had zero (cough, outfielders from Brazil, cough - amoung dozens of others over the last few years - but mostly Latin players & players from the West Coast who were very overdrafted).

 

The bad thing for Sox fans - all you know is what you can see in stats & what is pushed in publications. And Wilder & Reiger have/had control of what is said in the publications since they have connections & "freely volunteer their time to turn in reports" on certain players. Pushing players of BAD ABILITY in the long-term to justify why large amounts were spent on these players.

 

The Baseball America writer who has been over-touting White Sox prospects would be one Phil Rogers. Some farmhands mentioned include Juan Silverio and Paulo Orlando.

[Sir Stewart]

I think it was mentioned before, but did anyone catch the American Experience feature on Roberto Clemente a few weeks ago? It was really educational for me - I've always looked up to him, but in a vague "I've heard this guy was great, so..." sorta way. Now I can see him more holistically, and, wow - what a fascinating man.

[cryptique]

Jorge, that first post you provided is infuriating to read, and I'm not talking about its subject matter. How many damn times can someone write "Now - " to start a new sentence? And he doesn't understand the proper use of quotation marks. Wow.

 

As for the subject matter ... I hope this doesn't mean what I think it means about the quality of players currently in the White Sox farm system.

[MrRain422]

Wow, that's pretty bad.

[MattZ]

Oh boy.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8161872?MSNHPHMA

 

RANDOLPH RACES TO RETREAT

 

New York Mets manager Willie Randolph backtracked from his accusations of racism yesterday but didn't back down from his feud with the Mets' own TV network.

 

Under siege for his passive ways as the Mets struggled this season, Randolph suggested in an interview published Monday in the Bergen Record that racism might be fueling the animosity.

 

Randolph also criticized SNY in the interview, saying the network

[Sir Stewart]

To all Mets fans: My sympathies on this season. I pray it's over before you know it.

[MattZ]

To all Mets fans: My sympathies on this season. I pray it's over before you know it.

 

thanks buddy. we need it.

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

More dirt...he says that none of the three 16 year-old short stops that the White Sox signed were actually 16. The draft has a reason for sucking since 2005 (since Wilder undercut the influence of Duane Schaefer and had Kenny's ear). Also notable for MattZ, if he hasn't dumped Alexei Ramirez from his fantasy team already (though Alexei has done ok since he's been playing for an injured Juan Uribe in the last few days --353/421/588, but that includes some cheap hits)

 

You have to remember - there was actually zero competition to sign Silverio. The competition was believed by the organization because things happen very quickly. Your most trusted advisor (Wilder for Williams, in this case) calls and says, "I've got a player here. We need to act fast & I need the funds to get it done ASAP." This is how it goes down for everyteam. Later on - we learn that the story is not how it went down to BaseballAmerica as per Dave Wilder. No teams knew who Silverio was, basically. And those who did - were not about to offer him 600K. Turns out Silverio has just turned 20, and the other two SSs are 18 and 20.5, respectively. Now, I've seen Silverio play here in Tucson. While I can say he is an okay ballplayer - I can also say that I can find just as many players anywhere in the country who would play for $100. The other two SSs likely won't come out of the DSL as the reports on them are not very promising from my colleagues. Same went for Alexei Ramirez. Remember when BaseballAmerica touted him as Alfonso Soriano-esque? Well, that was Dave Wilder's description. If you remember - I came on this board and said he was much more like Pablo Ozuna. Now - here is the major, major fear in the organization right now. All of our draft reports - ALL OF THEM - for the upcoming draft were sent by mandate to Dave Wilder all year long. He was (is, whatever - see more below in response to Williams/Wilder) in charge of the draft. Our reports go to him & we have to just trust him to sift through the reports and make his decisions. This is how pretty much every organization works & you simply have to trust that your Director of Player Personnel/Farm Director/Scouting Director make the right call on what you've turned in. Wilder has basically been all 3 of them (Alan Reiger being his very good friend was appointed Farm Director by Williams per Wilder's request). Williams makes some decisions as well - but not toooo many as sees the big league club more than anything - but for the most part Williams relies on Wilder's opinions & thoughts. The real fear is that Wilder STILL has Willams' ear (they are basically BEST friends - and we're talking BEST friends). It is a real mess right now. We are stuck trying to weed out guys who were pushed through the system as 'prospects' with faulty reports on them & trying to root them out along with moving other guys up who have been buried in the system and also hoping that the draft does not get zoo'd this year - again. Duane Schaffer - regardless of what was said in public (remember, that came from Wilder mostly) is a very good baseball man. Responsible for some nice draft picks over the years. Not everyone is 100% on - but he was nice in terms of player development (he just had ZERO power since the 2004 draft as it was mostly Williams & then Wilder). We're working on it - but it is going to take a while. Not an easy task right now.

[bobbob1313]

 

And man, Jorge, that's some crazy stuff. Does not bode well for the future of that team.

[Lammycat]

^ cool cover. Have you read the issue and is it worth picking up?

[bobbob1313]

^ cool cover. Have you read the issue and is it worth picking up?

 

Have not read the issue, but I'm sure it is. They are always pretty good.

[Lammycat]

Have not read the issue, but I'm sure it is. They are always pretty good.

I should renew my subscription. It's been about 5 years or so but I do still enjoy the majority of pieces they run. Is Rick Reilly still on the back page? Always was my first stop.

[cryptique]

Is Rick Reilley still on the back page? Always was my first stop.

Nope. He's moving over to ESPN. The back page is now done by a rotating cast of columnists, though I suspect they're searching for someone to become a permanent fixture.

[Guest Jules]

I should renew my subscription. It's been about 5 years or so but I do still enjoy the majority of pieces they run. Is Rick Reilley still on the back page? Always was my first stop.

No, someone took over the back, but Dan Patrick has a regular piece now. It's him trying to be a comic. Meh.

 

Edit: and what Cryp. said.

[bobbob1313]

I thought it was DP on the back from now on. There was a big deal made because Reilly went to ESPN and Patrick went to SI.

[Guest Jules]

I thought it was DP on the back from now on. There was a big deal made because Reilly went to ESPN and Patrick went to SI.

Yeah, I thought he was going to the back too. He's stuck in the middle somewhere.

[bobbob1313]

Huh.

 

Well, is his column any good?

[MattZ]

Also notable for MattZ, if he hasn't dumped Alexei Ramirez from his fantasy team already (though Alexei has done ok since he's been playing for an injured Juan Uribe in the last few days --353/421/588, but that includes some cheap hits)

 

Thanks for thinking of me. To be honest, my opinion of Alexei was colored by the same Soriano-esque reports referred to in the article you posted. But he was also hitting the cover off the ball in the spring. And, scouting reports notwithstanding, he won a spot on the team. At least, so far as I could tell from the stuff I was reading (and having never actually seen him play)

 

As for whether he's on my team or not, the sad answer is yes. We cannot just drop scrubs in my league. You buy a scrub in the auction, and you are stuck with him. Until he gets hurt or sent to the minors, and then you can reserve him and pick up a replacement. So, to make a long story short, I think he got suspended for some bizarre reason recently? I used that as an excuse to reserve him and pick up the ONLY other starting SS that was still a free agent in my league. The immortal Tony Pena of the Royals. Now I need to make a decision this week about whether to stick with Pena or to drop him and activate Ramirez. To complicate things, Ramirez's salary is only $1 (since that's what I paid in the auction) and Pena's salary is $10 (since I picked him up as a free agent). Since we use rotisserie scoring, it is crucial that guys play because you need to compile stats. If Ramirez doesnt play he is just a rotting hole in my active roster.

 

Any advice from Sox fans here would be much appreciated.

[Guest Jules]

Huh.

 

Well, is his column any good?

It's not really a column, more of a "bit", or whatever you call it. It's an interview with a different athlete every week, which usually isn't bad, a top 5 list or something, some witty observations, etc. He tries really hard to be funny. Sometimes it works, and other times..well.

[bobbob1313]

Hmm. Seems like a waste of the biggest name they've got, doesn't it?

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

Matt,

 

Like I said, Alexei has been playing well, but he will probably go back on the bench once Uribe is healthy. They are not expecting Uribe to go on the DL, but he has been out for a few days. That means he should probably return within a week. However, Ozzie is inclined to stick with a lineup that wins and they have won 6 in a row. Should they keep winning, Alexei could keep the starting job. I do think he is capable of outplaying Tony Pena Jr., but I wouldn't guarantee it.

 

He was placed on the "restricted list" when the White Sox went to Toronto, because visa issues probably would've left him in Canada once he got accross. Heh.

[Reni]

my mother's day present arrived today.....

 

 

yeah, I am a dork.....and didn't wanna put stickers on our "new" car.

 

mmmmm swag.

[MattZ]

Should they keep winning, Alexei could keep the starting job. I do think he is capable of outplaying Tony Pena Jr., but I wouldn't guarantee it.

 

Thanks buddy. I have to say that some people hate it, but I find fantasy baseball so much more interesting when you are in a league that forces you to make decisions about Alexei Ramirez vs Tony Pena Jr. Can you squeeze out a few extra SBs or HRs out of either? I just don't enjoy the "my allstar team of players was better than your allstar team of players" way of playing.

[MrRain422]

my mother's day present arrived today.....

 

 

yeah, I am a dork.....and didn't wanna put stickers on our "new" car.

 

mmmmm swag.

 

Does that mean you got the old license plate off of it?

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

I think you'd figure Alexei has about as many XBHs in a fraction of the ABs. I dunno how many SBs he'll get--he's got one. I think he'd be the better choice IF he's playing.