After years of neglect, the New York Mets farm system should see improvement under new GM Sandy Alderson, a man known for building a strong personnel system when he was GM of the Oakland A’s.
Alderson was introduced Friday as the new GM of the Mets, replacing Omar Minaya as the face of the franchise. Those who have worked for Alderson over the years — and given the length of his time working in baseball, there are certainly a lot of them — describe him as a no-nonsense leader, perhaps a little dry but someone who succeeds because of organization.
And that organization extends to the farm system, which suffered under Minaya. Relationships with affiiates were nonexistent — more than one reported to us over the years that they never had any direct communication with Minaya over the years, no visits, no nothing — and Minaya was focused more on free-agent signings that developing talent in the farm systems. Since 2006 only the Astros have spent less on draft picks, and Ike Davis and Mike Pelfrey have been the only players of note drafted by Minaya and Rudy Terrasas. The Mets roster is dominated by free-agent signings, some big (Jason Bay), but mostly journeymen (R.A. Dickey, Elmer Dessens, Oliver Perez). You can plug roster spots with free agents, but when you have a minimal commitment to a farm system, you can’t consistently build a winner. Just ask the (gasp!) Yankees.
So we expect Alderson to put a lot of effort into rebuilding the farm system. If you’re a fan of the Binghamton Mets (Class AA; Eastern League), Savannah Sand Gnats (Low Class A; Sally League) or St. Lucie Mets (High Class A; Florida State League), Alderson’s hiring should mean you could see some better talent in the home whites in coming seasons.
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