Black Sox Farm Report, Part One: An Overview
With the big league Black Sox safely out of playoff contention, what better time than to take stock of the future with a detailed look at each of the organization's minor league teams. This overview was spurred by one remarkable outcome: each of the five teams ended the 2050 season with a winning record, and at least 10 games over .500!
The corollary is sort of astounding. Every single team in the Black Sox organization ended the 2050 season with a winning record except the Black Sox themselves!
But -- does this mean anything? It is hard to tell from this vantage point. A winning record in the minor leagues means little if the team is stocked with older guys who are simply filling the roster and have already proven they can't cut it in the bigs, or guys who simply can't make that leap. In addition, the BBA News site currently ranks the Black Sox Farm system as 16th overall -- precisely the mid-point in the 32-team league.
History also tells us the value of a winning record in the minors. For example, let's look at the 2045 AAA Carolina Flight. That team won the 2045 Rupert Horn Memorial League championship, ironically titled "The Big One." It finished the regular season with strong 90-54 record, and a +151 run differential.
Yet just five years later, only one player from that squad, SP Bernie Stuart, is on the Black Sox big league roster. A few others are on the big league rosters of other organizations, picked up in trades, on waivers or as minor league free agents. But for most of that roster, that AAA championship proved to be the highlight of their professional careers.
Yes, other than Bernie, the AAA team that won a championship added little-to-no value to the Black Sox. The moral to this story story is that minor league team records don't mean squat. Only individual records. (If you don't agree, please let me know on our twitter feed @BlackSoxBlog).
So to truly gauge the talent (or lack thereof) in the Black Sox organization, we will take a closer look at each minor league club over the ensuing weeks.
NEXT: Our 2050 Farm Report will begin next time with a look at the only minor league squad in this system that doesn't have "Sox" in its name, the Carolina Flight.
