Re: If I owned the Devil Rays...

On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 19:55:02 -0800, Craig Richardson
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 20:04:23 -0600, James Withrow
><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>>I'd rather see my team groom young position players and try to find pitchers
>>on the market.  Pitchers are more likely to be pleasant surprises after
>>they're 30 y-o.
>
>Not to mention that, considering that there's no such thing as a
>pitching prospect, your drafted position players are relatively more
>likely to give you players and/or bargaining chips.  Admittedly, you
>don't want to swear off drafting pitchers entirely, but you can save
>your picks for the ones you think most likely to succeed - while
>paying competetive rates for pitchers that already have succeeded.

otoh, pitching prospects are valuable in trades.  If you have a AAA
first baseman you want to trade, the other team may or may not need
him.  But given the size of pitching staffs, teams always have a need
for young pitchers.