RonCo wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2019 11:06 am
One note, too...teams that sustain winning will never be able to build off low draft picks, yes...but (1) these super deep drafts help us out a lot buy feeding our minor leagues systems pretty well anyway, and (2) big/rich teams have access to the IFA market, which serve as our top level draft picks, but which we can't indulge in more than every other season.
I think that sustained winning (and to keep this on target, developing farm systems) is a little about how you get there (via draft tanking, massing middling minors, trade or whatnot), but is more about how you stay there. The two are linked, of course. But the difference, to me, is mindset.
I agree it's how you stay there. But that's the reason I was quibbling over Aaron's team. He's not really "stayed there" yet. He can, but he hasn't done it. I wish the super deep drafts would go away. They just aren't fun to me, but we've been over that again and again.
I do think massing middling minors is a key factor to staying on top, no matter how you get there. I'd also point out that you don't need top picks to get on top. I picked 8th, 7th, and 9th, in my first three seasons. Only one of those players developed and I (stupidly) traded that player to Brooklyn after getting frustrated with age 20 or 21 results. My next three best picks were 14, 17, 19 and only one of THOSE playes generated any wins for my franchise and that was like 3 WAR. Top picks just aren't necessary.
And yeah, IFA can be key, but man is it expensive and the flame out rate is incredible. I think I've spend something like 200-250 million over 30ish players and gotten two good players to show for it. Both pitchers. Never had a batter make it. I also wonder with the super deep drafts increasing flameout rates, is IFA even less reliable now?