Revisiting the Draft

I started graduate school last week--in addition to working full-time--so my Orioles postings are going to be relatively few and far between. Plus, it's hard to watch this team right now. I'm ready to chalk this season up as a success and move on to 2009.

In a Q-and-A with DraftInfo, ESPN.com's Keith Law answers lots of questions about prospects and the draft. When asked how he would fix the draft, his thoughts mirror mine:

Depends on the goal. Let’s not mince words: The draft is an anticompetitive,
anti-player mechanism designed to screw 18- and 21-year-old kids out of millions
of dollars on behalf of the billionaires who own MLB teams. It is simply
disgusting, and I am nauseated whenever I read an article that states or implies
that these kids should be willing to play for peanuts.

We've had this discussion before so I won't get too far into it, but I'm always amazed by the fans who complain about Peter Angelos on the one hand and then about the players seeking large bonuses on the other. The players have earned their bonus money with their talent; pay them their worth.