The discussion the other day mentioning Tim Alderson got me thinking about the operating model the Pirates are using. They are doing an above average job of stockpiling young, talented prospects. And while they should rightfully be congratulated for no longer drafting the 2011 equivalent of Bryan Bullington; they cannot, as some fans would seem to suggest, merely flip the switch to autopilot, nudge these talented young players through the minor leagues a year at a time, and watch the pennants start rolling in around the year 2015 or so.
The truth is the Pirates have had talent in their system before. Yes, Dave Littlefield’s draft strategy can only be described as a ‘1980s New York Jets’/ ‘1990s Cincinnati Bengals’ level of horrendousness. That doesn’t mean however that over the past two decades the farm system has been nothing but a barren wasteland of filler has-beens with nary a legitimately talented major league prospect anywhere in sight.
(Pirate Farmland before Albert Einstein Neal Huntington’s Coronation)
It is not my belief that the Pirates had only a talent acquisition problem. I believe they have actually had a player development problem. To be sure, a few actual top-flight 1st round picks, and an infusion of talent from Latin America would have certainly be a welcome addition. Championship rosters are not solely assembled from near can’t miss 18 year olds however. To sustain any level of consistent success, you need to have an assembly line level production output of mid-range players and backups who can do their job, and do it well. How many of those type of guys have the Pirates brought along in recent memory? Burress suggested Nate McClouth, and that is about it. And I can tell you they have never found the occasional diamond in the rough type player who comes out of the late rounds of the draft and turns into a perennial All-Star. I know that situation is exceedingly rare, but the division rival Astros grabbed Roy Oswalt in the 23rd Round in 1996 and the Cardinals only had to spend a 13th Round pick in 1999 to acquire sure fire hall of famer Albert Pujols.
Both team’s scouts should be lauded for these unreal finds. But their stories did not end on the day the selection was made. Houston and St. Louis developed and groomed these guys into the players they are today. How much credit can be given to the club’s minor league and player development staff, and how much was an internal and immeasurable desire within those players to become the champions they are cannot be quantified. I am reminded here of the old coach’s saying however that “luck is the residue where talent meets hard work.” I question whether the Pirates management of the past, and by extension he current group of geniuses in charge, have been willing to put in the effort to really provide every opportunity to utilize the vast reserves of talent that has now been so heralded as a sign things are finally turning around for this beleaguered franchise. Here is hoping, but I remain cynical.
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