In December, the Yankees suddenly fired their longtime international scouting director, a guy named Danny Rowland, and his top assistant. These are the guys who signed 16-year-old Latino prospects such as Jasson Dominguez, Roderick Arias, Brando Mayea, Hans Montero and half the male population of Venezuela. Depending on how you view the Martian - (nobody bothers to ponder the others) - you could argue that the firings were long overdue and should have included goose down and hot tar.
Over the years, the Yankees have spent a shit-wad on 8th grade, walking fountains of testosterone, and if you watched Dominguez last year defile LF, you'd wonder why? But lately, fallout from the dismissals is raising questions about WTF is going on?
In December, shortly after Rowland was canned, a top-rated SS named Wandy Asigen - #4 on scouting lists - jumped from his $3.9 million deal with the Yankees to sign with the Mets. The stated reason: Rowland's firing. A few weeks later, another highly ranked SS, Yeison Horton, leaped to the Angels. And now we hear that yet another top SS - Marion de la Rosa - is scuttling his $4.3 million deal - for the class of 2027 - to sign with Seattle.
It's hard to figure these moves from the comfort of a snowdrift in upstate New York. But either way, as Ricky would say to Lucy, the Yankees have some 'splaining to do. Whatever is happening in their international scouting program, it's starting to give off an aroma. (And why hasn't Rowland been interviewed by the Gammonites? Could there be a looming court case or two?)
Is this how Hal Steinbrenner plans to build his bullpen? By cutting bonuses for the farm system? Are the Yankees systematically inept, or is it something worse?
From a distance, MLB's international scouting system, where teams and scouts traffic in 16-year-old boys - (actually, it starts at earlier ages) - has always looked a cabana boy version of Epstein Island. In this age, no industry should be allowed to peddle the futures of boys barely halfway through adolescence. It just smells. If Hal tomorrow announced that the Yankees would never sign another 16-year old, at least he'd show a spine of morality. But he won't, because the Yankees are still out there, measuring the pool boys and signing them up.
But something happened in the Yankees' international scouting program.
The Yankees owe it to their fans to talk about it. And let's go, you professional Gammonites, if there are any of you left. Give us some answers! Do I have to call Danny Rowland myself?
Posts
3 comments:
I just saw a headline that the Yankees signed a 13-year-old.
Maybe Cashman should run for president.
Looks like by the hiatus, we shouldn't sign shortstops...
A new avenue for grooming? Hockey has been rife with that in youth hockey for decades. A well-known NY area GM was a victim of that as a teenager and repressed that experience until it was unearthed during therapy.
Post a Comment