one more 'why did you pass on beau mills?' screed

by bleacherman on Jun 8, 2007 10:35 AM PDT Comment 14 comments

My latest Bleacher Report article:

Giants Pass on Beau Mills; Fanbase Sighs

Seriously, is there really any way to positively spin this? Only if Bumgarner becomes an All Star closer within 2 years. Likelihood?

This FanPost is reader-generated, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of McCovey Chronicles. If the author uses filler to achieve the minimum word requirement, a moderator may edit the FanPost for his or her own amusement.

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Re: one more 'why did you pass on beau mills?' scr

That or if Mills makes it to the majors after Bumgarner. Or Mills tanks it and never figures out the minors (or majors).

When it comes to the MLB draft, there are plenty of ways to put positive and negative spin on first round picks. The variance between a success and a failure is so great that it makes it so.

by sfgfan on Jun 8, 2007 10:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: one more 'why did you pass on beau mills?' scr

Couple of things.. For one, the Giants worked out Mills just a few days ago and apparently weren't all that impressed. Secondly, I read on another board (apply grain of salt) that regarding "off the field" issues, there was a little more to Mills than just grades.

by mxmob33 on Jun 8, 2007 10:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: one more 'why did you pass on beau mills?' scr

I've got to admit, as much as I would have preferred Mills, if the Giants gave him a personal workout and then passed on him, there had to have been something they didn't like or something that made them at least think he wasn't as good as MadBum or worth the #10 pick. Now, they could be wrong, and as others have said, I don't exactly trust them on the subject of hitters. But there must have been something about Mills they didn't like and something about Bumgarner that they did... in the end, I can't really blame them.

We'll know what the right decision was in five years or so.

Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.

by jponry on Jun 8, 2007 11:03 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: one more 'why did you pass on beau mills?

I am going to trust the Giants organization on this one. There must have been things about Beau Mills that they just did not like (both baseball wise and off the field issues). They scouted him extensively. They held private workouts with him,and if they still did not want him at #10, I am feeling a little more relief that there must have been something more to the picture.

I am forgetting about Mills and hoping Bumgarner becomes another strong starter for us.

Sabean stop giving away our first round draft picks!!

by z4 landshark on Jun 8, 2007 11:05 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

two cents

I don't pretend to know much about the draft, except that that Giants need hitting. But my feeling is this. I'd rather have Sabes and his staff operating the way they would in a bubble - i.e. operating as if their jobs weren't on the line - instead of making decisions to shore up public perception. And if they thought high school pitchers were the best use of their picks, so be it.

I'm not saying I love the guy. I'm just saying if he's the GM, then I'd rather him act like the GM and draft whoever he thinks is best. And if it's time for him to go, then I tip my cap and pray that whomever comes in does a better job. But it seems to me when GMs start running scared and doing things to save their jobs, then that's when things really get screwed up. Just look at the Mariners.

Who knows, maybe in a few years we'll have a surplus of young, cheap pitching. Most GMs - maybe even Sabes - can make something good out of that.

by SFfaninNYC on Jun 8, 2007 11:17 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: two cents

This is a good point, NYC. If the Giants don't turn it around this year or next, Sabean is almost certainly going to be gone well before any of these draft picks sniff the majors. With that in mind, I kind of appreciate that he approached the draft with a long term outlook. It was courageous in a way.

Of course, that doesn't make it smart. Time will tell.

"Robb Nen is going to get you" - Benito Santiago to Chipper Jones, 10/7/02

by Pants Man on Jun 8, 2007 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: one more 'why did you pass on beau mills?' scr

I plead guilty for wanting another Will Clark to be drafted. Someone to be up with the big club in a year, and an impact player in two. The desire for that might be were the infatuation with Mills came from, at least in some quarters. SFfaninNYC makes a great point about Giants management - don't make decisions to shore up public perception, etc...

by RUSirius on Jun 8, 2007 11:35 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Beau doesn't know San Francisco

I was thinking the same thing. Sabean wasn't drafting like a guy desperate to save his job, he was drafting like a guy who was trying to make this team as good as he possibly could for the long run. They're serious about building a team that will be successful in their ballpark, and once Barry goes, the only way to win there will be with superior pitching and defense.

Hate to be the Messenger of bad news, but strike three, you're out!!

by rxmeister on Jun 8, 2007 11:52 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

DH

I think Beau Mills will be a good DH but not a good first baseman and not a good third baseman. I did think the A's would draft him, though.

Keeping a close eye on the Giants AAA players

by Andy In Fresno on Jun 8, 2007 12:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: DH

His defense alone might have kept the Giants from drafting him. Sabean clearly has decided that position players need to play defense and he seems to really like it when guys have some defensive flexibility:
Klesko has played LF/1B
Duhran came in as 2B/OF
Winn can play all OF positions
Aurilia can play 3B/1B/SS
Frandsen, Feliz and Niekro have played multiple positions

He also likes defensive catchers, too.

The only guy in the organization I can think of who's not at least adequate on defense is EME and it seems as though they've had trouble figuring out what to do with him.

The answer: Ryan Klesko. The question: Doesn't matter. (.312/.395/.477 as of 6/7/07)

by Goofus on Jun 8, 2007 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: DH

This is perhaps a bad day to be touting Klesko's defensive ability in the outfield, but beyond that I agree with what you're saying, and I like that aspect of the big league team these days. Beyond that, you have to keep in mind that players tend to slide down the positional scale as their careers progress; if a guy is already a defensive question mark as an amatuer, that's definitely a concern.

Still, I would have been willing to put up with some rough defense if Mills became a true masher, and I still feel that way about EME.

"Robb Nen is going to get you" - Benito Santiago to Chipper Jones, 10/7/02

by Pants Man on Jun 8, 2007 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: DH

I wonder how long we'd remain patient tho. No one is pattin' Klesko on the back for almost losing that game for us last night - or Nomar's kicking a couple to give up a 4 run lead and lose in the 9th.

by allfrank on Jun 8, 2007 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: DH

In fairness to Ryno, he wasn't really ever a right fielder and it had been quite some time since played there.

His 1B has been more than adequate and, at times, brilliant. His LF play has been pretty solid.

Lately, his baserunning has been driving me nuts. He's not getting dessert for a week.

The answer: Ryan Klesko. The question: Doesn't matter. (.312/.395/.477 as of 6/7/07)

by Goofus on Jun 8, 2007 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

'why did you pass on beau mills?'

I agree with the theme here...how do we know (unles we are professional scouts and/or are part of the Giants scouting crew). Most of us here aren't experts, just diehard fans wanting some runs to be scored. And I think, of all the pro sports drafts, baseball's draft has so much of a crap shoot aspect to it...I mean, for the most part we are talking about players between 18 & 22, who have yet to see real good pitching. We will just have to see how it plays out. But...right now...I trust their experience...and I trust their experience with pitching...

by whataboutbob on Jun 8, 2007 1:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs