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?
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6 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.
Perhaps the team is finally collapsing and will hit rock bottom, which is what needs to happen.
It's all just symptomatic of the lack of competent, highly professional people in this organization. Just too many idiots running around, making stupid decisions, all directed by the head imbecile Brian Cashman, who takes his orders from HAL's accounting department. Any wonder why the ball club is a joke?
BTW, saw on the highlights that former JET QB SAM DARNOLD is headed to the Superbowl!
When the Jets selected him, I thought that was a great choice. He certainly had a great arm. Well, the Jets are a lot like the Yankees now. They draft poorly and never develop players. Even when they do draft the right player, they still can't develop him if their lives depended on it. Look how bad Darnold played for the Jets. If he played longer for the Jets, his career would've been destroyed, with their lack of offensive line. Look at him now. (Hope he wins the game.)
Same sort of thing will happen with Jasson Dominguez. If they ever trade him, his ceiling elsewhere will be a .330 hitter/35 HR/120 RBI. Now, Cashman is great at holding on to guys until they're 29 yrs old, so they might destroy him, rather than ever trade him. But if they did trade him, I hope Dominguez pulls off something like Sam Darnold and makes good.
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