Perchance, to Draft

Clare called me last night to ask, “Why should I care about a draft if they’re not going to play baseball?”  The answer, my dear, is that they will play baseball.  It might be a spite-filled 50 games, but it will be baseball nonetheless.

 

Sad to say, I actually watched the draft—hey, we’re as exciting as the NFL or NBA (no, you’re not)—long enough to see the White Sox pick lefthander Garrett Crochet out of Tennessee and hear the comparisons to Chris Sale—lanky, great fastball and slider, hard-to-pick-up delivery.  We’ll see.  Personally, I’d be a little worried that he pitched all of 3.1 innings this spring because of shoulder soreness.  So, fingers crossed.

As for Mt. Carmel shortstop Ed Howard, the other Chicago team thought enough of Howard to make him their first-round pick.  Cool, though not-cool if you wanted him on the Sox, though OK once you realize the Sox have Tim Anderson at short.  It’s just nice that, for once, local baseball talent got scouted and drafted by a local team.

Of course, the question now is, what will the draft picks do after they sign?  They won’t be assigned to a rookie-league team or the low minors as in years past.  And the Sox #1 pick won’t get interviewed by Ed Farmer up in the radio booth.  I actually remember Farmer talking to Sale—and Carlos Rodon and Zach Burdi, a fellow South Sider.  The not-yet rookie talking with the long-ago player.  It was baseball as I love it.  But Farmer’s gone, and the game is lessened by his absence.