Worst Seat In The House: Building a winner

It’s been a couple of weeks since the NBA draft. It just so happened that I turned the TV on that night and there was Rui Hachimura on the screen as he had just been selected by the Washington Wizards. The big smile was on display and something I will miss next year when the Gonzaga Bulldogs take the court for the 2019-20 season.

Brandon Clarke’s name was called a bit later at No. 21 and our one-year love affair with the phenomenal shot blocker will also come to an end. I know the money is something that can’t be passed up but it won’t be the same for Bulldog fans. Sure we want each of the local players to have success, but they will be scattered across the country next year.

Zach Norvell Jr. went undrafted but signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and will join former Zag Johnathan Williams. Norvell will be spending time with the Developmental League and as needed with the Lakers. He has a lot of work to do but if you’re making money while improving your game, that is probably something a little easier to deal with.

It seems that the NFL and NBA drafts have a much bigger impact on the future of professional teams as long as they make good choices. That is a little bit different than the draft for Major League Baseball. First of all, the football and basketball drafts occur after the champions have been crowned. The baseball draft takes place right around midseason. The baseball draft happens before the NCAA College World Series is played.

What also is different is that the baseball players that get drafted, sign contracts and continue playing professionally most at the Class A level. It is a training ground for them and the big clubs need to see how a player fits and if the talent they displayed at the college or high school level is going good enough to work up the chain and eventually be a Major Leaguer.

Scouting reports are so important but one never knows how the change in competition will affect how a young kid plays. Professional coaches and scouts will also pick up weaknesses and if the youngster can’t adapt he may need a ticket home. Playing in the pros is playing for keeps.

There are not a lot of players like John Olerud who got drafted out of WSU after an exceptional season as both a pitcher and first baseman and immediately went to the big league club (Toronto) and never played a day in the minors. The one thing about Olerud is that he would have played in the minors and not complained. He would have excelled and still been the great team player that he was. Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez were special talents that were high school phenoms yet both played in the minors before making their way to Seattle.

Football and basketball drafts can help build good teams if done right whereas baseball drafts rarely have huge impacts for a couple of reasons. Trading for proven talent can get good players to change the course of many teams quicker.

The trades can also help talent for the farm club for scouts to watch those guys develop until it’s time to play with the big boys. There are some good recipes for winning teams that’s for sure and it seems that most of those ideas have brought championships one way or another.

For the Seattle club it has been a long time since they have been to the playoffs. Since that last time the Mariners have tried a lot of different things like high draft picks that haven’t worked out (Dustin Ackley) and several good pitchers that for some reason became part of a trade package.

Building a winner is not easy but I know one thing there have been a few head scratchers out there when really good young talent went elsewhere in a trade for a left handed pitcher that forgot how to pitch once they arrived in the northwest.

We can only hope that it won’t take another 18 years before there is the kind of success we can enjoy.