with 837th pick of the 2014 MLB draft, the san diego padres select Johnny Manizel SS Texas AM

[CR91]

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/06/07/the-san-diego-padres-just-drafted-johnny-manziel/

[Andy]

Could someone tell me what the hell is the point of having 800+ draft picks?

 

That entire sport doesn't make sense.

[jvan1973]

Could someone tell me what the hell is the point of having 800+ draft picks?

That entire sport doesn't make sense.

they have a very large farm system to fill

[Andy]

they have a very large farm system to fill

 

See now hockey has 2 farm teams under the NHL team (AHL and ECHL), and they only have a 7 round draft.

 

I don't watch or follow baseball, but I believe there are 7 farm teams under the MLB. Do they really need 1500 picks, or 50 picks per team? That seems excessive. 

 

Either way, with the "payroll" system, the ridiculous contracts, and all the steroids, it's fair to say that MLB is just a bit behind the other major sports.

[jvan1973]

See now hockey has 2 farm teams under the NHL team (AHL and ECHL), and they only have a 7 round draft.

I don't watch or follow baseball, but I believe there are 7 farm teams under the MLB. Do they really need 1500 picks, or 50 picks per team? That seems excessive.

Either way, with the "payroll" system, the ridiculous contracts, and all the steroids, it's fair to say that MLB is just a bit behind the other major sports.

there are about 250 minor league teams in baseball.

[Andy]

there are about 250 minor league teams in baseball.

 

Maybe in total, but there aren't 250 leagues. I know the big ones, Triple A, Double A, A Advanced... all that. 

 

In each system, there's about 7 teams right?

[Nobody]

Maybe in total, but there aren't 250 leagues. I know the big ones, Triple A, Double A, A Advanced... all that.

In each system, there's about 7 teams right?

that would mean there's like 40 leagues

There are that many picks for a reason, baseball players take forever to develop for whatever reason.

[CR91]

that would mean there's like 40 leagues

There are that many picks for a reason, baseball players take forever to develop for whatever reason.

 

the steroids need time 

[PrincetonTiger]

See now hockey has 2 farm teams under the NHL team (AHL and ECHL), and they only have a 7 round draft.

 

I don't watch or follow baseball, but I believe there are 7 farm teams under the MLB. Do they really need 1500 picks, or 50 picks per team? That seems excessive. 

 

Either way, with the "payroll" system, the ridiculous contracts, and all the steroids, it's fair to say that MLB is just a bit behind the other major sports.

The difference

Each of the 30 teams have a pool of money to sign the players (about 40 per team) and the draft is open to HS and draft eligible Soph. And Juniors who have the option to go or return to college

[PrincetonTiger]

that would mean there's like 40 leagues

There are that many picks for a reason, baseball players take forever to develop for whatever reason.

and a lot of the draftees each year do not sign

[jvan1973]

Maybe in total, but there aren't 250 leagues. I know the big ones, Triple A, Double A, A Advanced... all that.

In each system, there's about 7 teams right?

There are 250 minor league teams affiliated with MLB teams in various leagues

[PrincetonTiger]

There are 250 minor league teams affiliated with MLB teams in various leagues

Plus a ton of teams that are not affiliated with guys trying to catch on

[Andy]

Perfect, thanks for the clarification.

[PrincetonTiger]

Perfect, thanks for the clarification.

There is a lot of times a guy will getting 2 or 3 times before signing

Every year someone like Manziel just in case football or Hockey etc doesn't work

[bestQBever]

I don't like it. First vegas, then the party thing, then this distraction. So many signs pointing to failure. But hey, not everyone can have a manning like work ethic. Maybe this kid can be the exception.

[Qwiz]

I don't like it. First vegas, then the party thing, then this distraction. So many signs pointing to failure. But hey, not everyone can have a manning like work ethic. Maybe this kid can be the exception.

Eh, this isn't the first time a player has been drafted in two sports. Bo Jackson, Deion, even Russell Wilson now. It isn't really a distraction.

[Dustin]

I don't like it. First vegas, then the party thing, then this distraction. So many signs pointing to failure. But hey, not everyone can have a manning like work ethic. Maybe this kid can be the exception.

LOL how is this a distraction? This literally happens all the time.

[NewColtsFan]

Could someone tell me what the hell is the point of having 800+ draft picks?

 

That entire sport doesn't make sense.

 

Are you kidding me?

 

There are 50 rounds of the MLB draft, and that's way down from what it used to be.

 

50 rounds at 30 teams a round is 1500 players.

 

Each team has at least 6 minor franchises it has to fill up with players....    that's means at least 150 players are needed...

 

150 players times 30 teams is 4500 players.    Now add in a bunch of extra squads in Latin America and you can see the number of players needed.

 

It takes a lot of players to find the best 25 players to fill out a major league roster.

 

I'm not sure what's so hard to understand about this?

[NewColtsFan]

I don't like it. First vegas, then the party thing, then this distraction. So many signs pointing to failure. But hey, not everyone can have a manning like work ethic. Maybe this kid can be the exception.

 

It wasn't a distraction for Russell Wilson.

 

I don't think it will be one for Johnny Cleveland.     At least, there's no reason that it should be.......

[PrincetonTiger]

Eh, this isn't the first time a player has been drafted in two sports. Bo Jackson, Deion, even Russell Wilson now. It isn't really a distraction.

Dave Winfield was drafted in 3

[supremecoltsfan300]

Just another reason the Padres will continue to be a joke in baseball. Successful teams draft guys that are actually going to play baseball on some level.

[Andy]

Are you kidding me?

 

There are 50 rounds of the MLB draft, and that's way down from what it used to be.

 

50 rounds at 30 teams a round is 1500 players.

 

Each team has at least 6 minor franchises it has to fill up with players....    that's means at least 150 players are needed...

 

150 players times 30 teams is 4500 players.    Now add in a bunch of extra squads in Latin America and you can see the number of players needed.

 

It takes a lot of players to find the best 25 players to fill out a major league roster.

 

I'm not sure what's so hard to understand about this?

 

I had a few people clear that up before.

 

My "entire sport doesn't make sense" comment is because of the reasons I stated above. Read the whole thing first.

 

To reiterate too, I don't watch baseball; frankly, it's a very boring sport.

[NewColtsFan]

I had a few people clear that up before.

 

My "entire sport doesn't make sense" comment is because of the reasons I stated above. Read the whole thing first.

 

To reiterate too, I don't watch baseball; frankly, it's a very boring sport.

 

So sorry......

 

I didn't see that you had already been responded to by about a half-dozen other guys.....

 

As for baseball being a boring sport,  I understand that....

 

I still love it though.....  if for no other reason than I enjoy playing fantasy baseball the most.     

 

(and I know that puts me in the extreme minority around here...!)

[MAC]

 frankly, it's a very boring sport.

Frankly, no it's not. ;)

 

Now BASKETBALL is a very boring sport.

[MAC]

Perfect, thanks for the clarification.

In addition to what others have replied to you, I will add that development in baseball is VASTLY more important than in ANY other sport. Sure hockey has minor leagues, but just like in football, the odds are that the stars are coming from near the top. "You can't teach speed" as I often find myself saying.

 

In baseball, the guys at the top routinely fail to get anywhere, and stars can come from out of the blue. Hitting and pitching in particular are as much art form as athletic endeavor, and it's expected that kids when drafted will be significantly lacking. Projecting who will become what is virtually impossible, and it takes YEARS of training and practice to make it to the big leagues. Competing against competition that is too advanced is destructive to skills - the large number of minor leagues reflects the large number of steps in a players development. That volume combined with the "crapshoot" nature demands a large draft. Plus the minor leagues are popular in their own right and have a longtime and comfortable place in American culture.

 

Well not just in American culture. ;) I saw the Trois-Rivieres Aigles play two games while on a family vacation in the early 70s.

[oldunclemark]

,,,the better question is..why would anyone draft a guy (you only have draft rights for one year) who was a No.1 draft choice in another sport and could not try to play for you even if he could, and wanted to

[Synthetic]

I

Don't

Care

Pass

The

Bottle

I

Need

Tequila

 

Sports

Media

Is

Boring

And

Ridiculous

[shakedownstreet]

I

Don't

Care

Pass

The

Bottle

I

Need

Tequila

 

Sports

Media

Is

Boring

And

Ridiculous

 

pass

me 

the 

tequila

next

 

i

am 

thirsty

and 

i

have

trouble

hitting

enter

after

each

word

instead

of

the

space

bar

[Valpo2004]

Frankly, no it's not. ;)

 

Now BASKETBALL is a very boring sport.

 

You have hereby been banned from the state of Indiana for life for that comment.  :-P

[Valpo2004]

Can anyone explain to me why baseball has or needs such a huge farm system?

 

I guess if minor league teams make money then why not.  But it just seems strange to me.  But I'm not a baseball fan.  

 

Quite frankly I wish we did sports the way that soccer clubs in Europe do them.  Or at least I wish we did soccer that way so we could actually compete.

 

The best players in this country spend far too much time playing scrub players who arn't anything close to their level and doing so under amateur coaches who shouldn't be given the responsibility of coaching gifted players.  

[dgambill]

Can anyone explain to me why baseball has or needs such a huge farm system?

 

I guess if minor league teams make money then why not.  But it just seems strange to me.  But I'm not a baseball fan.  

 

Quite frankly I wish we did sports the way that soccer clubs in Europe do them.  Or at least I wish we did soccer that way so we could actually compete.

 

The best players in this country spend far too much time playing scrub players who arn't anything close to their level and doing so under amateur coaches who shouldn't be given the responsibility of coaching gifted players.  

It's been said many times on here that baseball is more an art/science than any other sport. To me its the most difficult sport of any. You have to hit a ball traveling at 90 mph (moving up down, left right) and even then you have to hit it pretty much dead center to have a realistic chance of getting on base. Any sport where you fail 7 times out of 10 and you are considered one of the best tells you how difficult it is. Baseball is also about confidence too...there are many players at varying levels of ability and to mold them and teach and continue their rise you don't want to move them on too fast. The jump from minors to majors is like jumping from college Algebra to like a PHD Calculus class. I agree the amount of quality coaching is hard to find...thus the good farm systems typically remain the same teams because of their ability to coach up these kids. Its a hard life busing around everywhere and little pay...a very hard job. Most of these kids are drafted out of high school so the projections are hard to predict. Imagine trying to project NFL players out of high school...its about as difficult. 

 

As for kids in sports like europe...AAU basketball is somewhat similar to soccer...these kids play year round traveling the country on these teams so there are some similarities. I fully believe with some great coaching and the elite athletes playing soccer we could easily compete with other nations. In most countries their best athletes are funneled into soccer and at early ages. Here we funnel them into basketball, football, baseball or individual sports like tennis etc. I believe soccer will continue to catch on as it has grown a lot in the past 30 yrs. In another 30 years I fully expect us to be competitive with the better teams in the world. More and more year after year we see soccer getting more popular at earlier ages and these leagues popping up. With the concerns in football we will likely see schools that can't afford the insuarance etc to push soccer and it will continue to grow. What they need to do is get to the inner city more. Most of it is the fluent suburbs that do it now...but you get more african american kids from the city thinking they could have a future in this...we could see an explosion of talent. Leverage the speed and athleticism with great coaching and teaching skills...we have the athletic base to do it. We just need to push the teaching more and more. One thing going against it is that Americans are typically very egotistical and most seek out individual fame in athletics...soccer is very much TEAM...more so I think than any sport because everyone has to work extremely hard to get a result...and those that score depend heavily on the whole team and especially the defense getting the ball and then getting it to the midfielder who has to make a great pass to put them in position to score. Low scores and long long days of running with little to show for it (individual accolades) doesn't translate well to americans in general. That said...we have a long way to go to be respected on the national level...but I think we will see it in my lifetime.

[dgambill]

You have hereby been banned from the state of Indiana for life for that comment.  :-P

He watched too many Pacer games....can't blame him....between that and the state of college basketball...it is pretty ugly. Watch the Spurs if you want to see some excitement and beauty to the game....or go back and watch basketball in the early 90s and the BIG TEN and BIG EAST. Some really great ball was being played. Its all 1 on 1 nowdays...the ball sticks...it doesn't move and the flow of the game is just not what it used to be.....someday maybe we will get back to basketballs glory days lol.

[Valpo2004]

It's been said many times on here that baseball is more an art/science than any other sport. To me its the most difficult sport of any. You have to hit a ball traveling at 90 mph (moving up down, left right) and even then you have to hit it pretty much dead center to have a realistic chance of getting on base. Any sport where you fail 7 times out of 10 and you are considered one of the best tells you how difficult it is. Baseball is also about confidence too...there are many players at varying levels of ability and to mold them and teach and continue their rise you don't want to move them on too fast. The jump from minors to majors is like jumping from college Algebra to like a PHD Calculus class. I agree the amount of quality coaching is hard to find...thus the good farm systems typically remain the same teams because of their ability to coach up these kids. Its a hard life busing around everywhere and little pay...a very hard job. Most of these kids are drafted out of high school so the projections are hard to predict. Imagine trying to project NFL players out of high school...its about as difficult. 

 

As for kids in sports like europe...AAU basketball is somewhat similar to soccer...these kids play year round traveling the country on these teams so there are some similarities. I fully believe with some great coaching and the elite athletes playing soccer we could easily compete with other nations. In most countries their best athletes are funneled into soccer and at early ages. Here we funnel them into basketball, football, baseball or individual sports like tennis etc. I believe soccer will continue to catch on as it has grown a lot in the past 30 yrs. In another 30 years I fully expect us to be competitive with the better teams in the world. More and more year after year we see soccer getting more popular at earlier ages and these leagues popping up. With the concerns in football we will likely see schools that can't afford the insuarance etc to push soccer and it will continue to grow. What they need to do is get to the inner city more. Most of it is the fluent suburbs that do it now...but you get more african american kids from the city thinking they could have a future in this...we could see an explosion of talent. Leverage the speed and athleticism with great coaching and teaching skills...we have the athletic base to do it. We just need to push the teaching more and more. One thing going against it is that Americans are typically very egotistical and most seek out individual fame in athletics...soccer is very much TEAM...more so I think than any sport because everyone has to work extremely hard to get a result...and those that score depend heavily on the whole team and especially the defense getting the ball and then getting it to the midfielder who has to make a great pass to put them in position to score. Low scores and long long days of running with little to show for it (individual accolades) doesn't translate well to americans in general. That said...we have a long way to go to be respected on the national level...but I think we will see it in my lifetime.

 

My concern with soccer is much more the better design in Europe of the developmental system then in the US.  Even if our athletes often pursue other sports we have a higher population then any country that's good at soccer.  Plenty of athletes to go around really.

 

The problem is that in the US we attach our sports to schooling.  So players play in middle school and high school and then in college before going pro.

 

In Europe their top pro teams all have youth components to them and their scouts identify the top players early on when they are in middle school.  Then they take these top players put them in their youth system and expose them to professional coaching (something you don't get until college) and force them to play against the top competition at their age.

 

Here instead of spending the time between when they are 14 and 18 playing with professional coaches against top competition, our top players waste their time playing in high school against players the vast majority of whom won't even play in college, much less professionally.  How much better can a top level player get playing under an amateur coach against players who won't play the sport past the high school level?  

 

Then while a few might sign pro contracts when they graduate from high school most will play in college.  While they will play better competition and the coaches will be professional coaches now eventually they will again be playing against guys most of whom will not play beyond the college level.  So finally when they are 22 they will play against equal competition in the pro ranks.

 

Meanwhile the same player in Europe has spent the last 8 years playing against other top competitors many of whom will be professional players and has been for that entire time coached by professional coaches.   

[jvan1973]

He watched too many Pacer games....can't blame him....between that and the state of college basketball...it is pretty ugly. Watch the Spurs if you want to see some excitement and beauty to the game....or go back and watch basketball in the early 90s and the BIG TEN and BIG EAST. Some really great ball was being played. Its all 1 on 1 nowdays...the ball sticks...it doesn't move and the flow of the game is just not what it used to be.....someday maybe we will get back to basketballs glory days lol.

Bring back the motion offense.

[dgambill]

My concern with soccer is much more the better design in Europe of the developmental system then in the US.  Even if our athletes often pursue other sports we have a higher population then any country that's good at soccer.  Plenty of athletes to go around really.

 

The problem is that in the US we attach our sports to schooling.  So players play in middle school and high school and then in college before going pro.

 

In Europe their top pro teams all have youth components to them and their scouts identify the top players early on when they are in middle school.  Then they take these top players put them in their youth system and expose them to professional coaching (something you don't get until college) and force them to play against the top competition at their age.

 

Here instead of spending the time between when they are 14 and 18 playing with professional coaches against top competition, our top players waste their time playing in high school against players the vast majority of whom won't even play in college, much less professionally.  How much better can a top level player get playing under an amateur coach against players who won't play the sport past the high school level?  

 

Then while a few might sign pro contracts when they graduate from high school most will play in college.  While they will play better competition and the coaches will be professional coaches now eventually they will again be playing against guys most of whom will not play beyond the college level.  So finally when they are 22 they will play against equal competition in the pro ranks.

 

Meanwhile the same player in Europe has spent the last 8 years playing against other top competitors many of whom will be professional players and has been for that entire time coached by professional coaches.   

It is slowly developing but we are seeing more and more traveling soccer teams etc...much like AAU basketball. The coaching is getting better...we are seeing more and more foreign coaches that once played for foreign teams come into schools teaching Spanish or other subjects and coaching our teams...plus many with these traveling teams....yes..its not the same but its coming....and as more and more schools stop playing football we will see this sport grow and grow. I believe soccer is a ways off but in my lifetime we will see a US team compete at the highest level....and start seeing our guys play regularly and well in the best leagues...just my opinion. Its coming....and with the shift in population from mexico to us...we will see that culture also make its way into our country. I agree the difference in quality of coaching and training is vast right now...but we will get there....plus our vast size will give us enough talent to pool a good team. We may never have that culture of soccer here like other countries...but I don't believe any country on earth takes their sports as serious as we do....and puts the money and time into it (across the board) so when we do get behind it...it will prosper.

[dgambill]

Bring back the motion offense.

Indeed lol....the father of the modern day motion offense...Bobby Knight...but his personality just isn't a fit with today's youth...perhaps a protege of his will do this....he has a long list of players that have been successful in coaching.