Confidence in The Angels Talent Pipeline

It took me a few years but I finally got into the minor league prospect hunt earlier this year. For years it made no sense to follow a litany of kids who would never pan out. And when I assessed it, there were hilarities like the overlooking of John Lackey as a Top Ten Angels prospect prior to the 2002 season and of course, the implosions of Dallas McPherson and Brandon Wood did little to give me faith in what might or might not be brewing in the lower levels of the Angels farm system.

But it took a small shift in perspective to understand what was really going on there. I had to stop looking at the farm system as the savior of our club and look at it more as the brick factory. Your team's minor leaguers are the foundation of the future. They are the bricks. What goes on those bricks is a superstar or two. They might be free agents. They might be acquired in trades. They might never arrive. But whatever the situation your team finds itself in, lightning could strike, and if it does, a solid foundation with good bricks at every position will be there to hold up the magic.

Once I realized that I might be asking too much of the minor leagues that they deliver me a Babe Ruth every three or four seasons, the confidence in the possibilities of what might turn up soon blossomed. Imagine three players as distinct as Mark Trumbo and Alexi Amarista and Peter Bourjos. Ole Honus Wagner is not rolling over in his grave worried that his mortal records are in jeopardy form any of these guys. And he can keep his rankings in the dusty old history books for all I care, I bought season tickets and for my money got three players from the same farm system that do different things, play the game their own specific way and play to excel.

While we can dream of superstars, when the foundation of what this team is to become is so fun to watch and solid with the glove and with the bat, fate can bide its time until the superstars arrive. Confidence in the talent pipeline should be the secret asset of every Angels fan. We break the mold on talent.