| Show I System of Drafting Players I j. j in Organized Baseball 10 i. s. s Each E h Club Is Allowed to Put in a Draft With 2500 for forS S 1 One Man From Each Class AA Afi Club lub and the th Issue Is Then Decided by Lot By HORACE S. S FOGEL Former President of the Phillies PHILADELPHIA Oct 9 Spending Spending money recklessly in in baseball does d ea not get you anything as more than one magnate has found out after trying It Comiskey this year for Instance Some club owners and managers depend almost entirely upon the surplus funds In their treasuries to purchase star Players from other clubs needing the cash to put winning teams teams' together That has been the policy of McGraw and arid the New York club for years yeara and then it only succeeded during the he several years when Brush Bruah was wu boss of the le league gue and the umpires knowing on which side their bread was buttered proved a handicap too strong for other teams in the race concededly superior to overcome As a result New Yorks York's policy has been a failure since with the change in th the presidency there has been a change in the policy of the league teague and Comiskey is also perhaps convinced after his experience this year yeatS that the best way to build up a team is from from- the bottom first laying the foundation on good raw material and then developing and drilli drilling g it into a winner winner Baseball ball history proves that in the thelon thelong I lon long run ruti it pays best to take players I from front the minor league or semi-pro semi ranks and d develop v lop them that is how t those ose great baseball machines machin of ot the thet past the Past the e QI old lC Chicago White Sox Soi under un un- un- un t tier der Anson the St St. Louis Loula Browns Brownd unI under un un- d der r the Baltimore e Orioles I under Hanlon the Chicago Cubs under un un- i del der Cr Chance nce and the Athletics under Mack Mack were were built up Of course you he hee e to p pay y for players taken laken from the me minor leagues whether by purchase pur pur- chase hase or draft but th that t is is not not spendIng spending spending spend spend- ing money thoney recklessly IY unless you in invest In- In in 1 I vest in counterfeit material for or which which- q the e blame blam attaches to your own poor judgment or that Of f Incompetent nt I scouts in your employ ot or unless you rou I Iare are guilty of s such ch recklessness as i was for Instance nce in inthe the Marty O Toole transaction I Clubs Must Invest Some money money must be spent an annually an an- an I in recruiting from the minor leagues or else else a 3 team will grow grows s state stale al But it If you jou ou know your you ur business business business busi busi- ness you will wilt scent the future stars in the small leagues before they get getup lip tO up 10 the Class AA or Class A A. so society so- so clety and you ou can get them in the thedra dra draft t for gr from to 1200 And when you get them at those figures you o are not throwing your cubs cub's money oney around re recklessly Then If you you- get one but out of every six t to m make ke good you have made mad a paying Jn- Jn n yes vestment ment Furthermore if you are area a a. good business m man n you will be beable able to dispose of your surplus material ma ma- tonal In the baseball market so th that t tat at th the end of of the then year year- when your books books' are balan balanced the the material l added t to your team h has s not cost you much 0 The Ie good god scout t sleuth h a around und I the Class I t d and B leagues the semipro camps and hd the colleges to dig up material for fol his his' club If It he does hell he'll build up winner for hIs hs employer in quicker er time than the scout who o sp spends all the he time Um in the Class AA PtA cirCUits cults I 1 got Just one young player D by draft from a Class AA league in iii three years years ears Seaton The r rest st barring Killefer and Bur Burps Burns who were secUred b by br option n Of or purchase pur pur- ch chase chas s on n working agreements and and- trad trades s all c came cam me from the smaller leagues Thus in 1910 11 and 12 it cost ost the Philadelphia clUb less each year for tor the mat material rial secured after th the amounts rec received from sales sales' had been deducted even even with the scouting scout ing lug expenses added th than n the salary alone of McGraws McGraw's chief scout who was getting etting so it was claimed 15 As cAs an illustration the entire expense for scouting wh which ch included include commissions railroad and hotel bills of the Philadelphia club in 1910 was waa 1500 In the matter of or draft and purchase moneys there was a balanc balance bal bat anc ance in the clubs club's favor that fall In fall in other words the surplus players players- sold netted the club more than the new nevi material secured cost And there ther was was was' some giltedge dge material added to the clubs club's assets that year for 1911 1911 Alexander Chalmers L Lobert Lo- Lo bert and others for foi instance In 1911 and 12 pr practically the same kind ot of a a. a showing was made by sticking sUcking to the the same kind of policy and he the re result ul speaks for itself System of Drafting r I have have- been requested to e explain the workings of organized baseball machinery with reference to draftIng draftIng drafting draft draft- ing sO to that the public may lOay better comprehend how the major leagues secure that talent the minor kindergartens as aa to many man it is not Clear lear by what right the Ph Philadelphia l National league club for instance takes a player away front from the he Harrisburg Harrisburg Har liar International league club To begin with each club in the two major leagues sen sends sentis s to the he secre ary of its league a a a. list of or the players on its roster it desires to retain and that list is promulgated which means that other clUbs cannot engage any of ot those tRose reserved d players The minor leagues also reserve their thell players Th These se lists must be In n fl by Oc October ober 1 1 After Atter this date clubs dubs may trade trad and sell th their players a ad Meantime a club may also dispose of a no player to a club of ot a league Ina in inh h tt lower class on what is known as asan asan an optional agreement This is a a. blank blank- form contract filled out and filed flIed with the national commission where a rec record rd is kept of it Thus the Phillies sent to Providence Providence Provi Provi- o on suc such an dence R R. I T. T this year optional agreement and had to give notice by or PD before August 20 O that they exercised their option to recall him If It they had failed to do so would have become the property of ot the Providence club cl which could then uen have sold him to another nother not her chib or Jet let him go into the draft and secured 2500 for him if it ho he had ho-had had been drafted and If not re reserved reserved re- re served d him for Its own team in 1916 This in plain baseball T parlance is UI a. a arming a club farms tt out a R. player not quite ripe ripe to ripe to to get get more more experience and to have tO-have have him developed developed devel devet- also frequently to to to- keep within the player limit rule or to cut down the pay roll 1011 Drafting Prices r Between September 15 and 20 o D. the major league clubs made a draft on the minors minors' for tor such ot of the latter's players they may want The draft meeting is held on September 20 at at national commission headquarters Each major league club has hag filed with the secretary of the commission the names of all the minor minot league players it wants to draft A check for tor each I player must accompany the list I Players in Class AA now cost c st 2500 SOO in Class A 1500 in Class B B. 1200 in Class C and In Class D D. D Prior to July 20 1912 there was n ng class higher than Class A and the draft dratt prices prices- ranged from 1500 down downto to for tor Class D players Th The i majors are re allowed to draft only one player layer from front each Class AA A club and andon I on drafting day that IS ia decided d dby by lot Jot first which player shall go In th the I draft and next again by lot which I club shall have hav him I From Class A down there is no I restriction n in the number of ot drafts draft 1 Two wo days ay after the draft by the majors ma jors jora the Class AA leagues have a a draft meeting Those three leagues leagues' then make drat drafts on the classes below be low Jow them Then the two Class ClassA A leagues leagueS' make drafts on B C an andE D LD cl classes ses and so on Ott down the lIn line hIne ii After Arter the drafts are all made each fall the clubs make up It their re reserve er e lists list again for tor the following year and the th otil only way way a player Once signed signed to a n. contract in organized baseball can cnn be 1113 free again is when a club owning him falls fails to reserve him hint He II may be freed by an unconditional release but the club on on- whose rostel roste he is even evert fr free e him that wa way the theother- theother other clubs of the the- same sam same class class- league eague have waived on him hint which means they waive wat their right to him and assent to his release The player must go to the club that drafts draUs him drafts him sells sens him or or- tr trades des him him or get s-et out of at organized ball batt which means quit playing unless there is isan isan isan an an independent league e in exist existence nce like the Federal at the present time Draft Money Saves Save Minors It It t is ls a a. rather ather complicated ma machinery chinery for the outsider to gra grasp p but this In substance is how it works work The major league C cannot lose Jose th their ir play players rs s so long as they reserve them and the Class AA tl clUbs bs can an only lose one ne player each per pCr r season The others from Class A down down- downare are glad to have their players drafted so gO as as- asto to get the cash ash which they always need nt Most of or the minors subsist on this draft dratt motley money Or from cash r received ed in selling pl players If If a minor develops de a goo good prospect the major l league ague managers will try and purchase him before the draft and not not take chances on losing him in that lottery AntI And of course this minor J league ague manager will wilt sell at as high a a. figure as he can get so long as as- that figure is Is' higher I than the draft haft price puce But these sales must be an allowed owed b by br the commission This rule is to prevent pre pro ven vent cO covering up and such frauds between a minor league club friendly friend friend- ly with a maJor malor league magnate or owned by bv him No No- doubt this sounds like a a. close corporation Or r tight trust to the he average a outsider and that is the way it appeared to Congressman Con Can gressman Gallagher of Illinois when two years ago h he introduced a a. resolution resolution reso reso- lution in congress denouncing or organized organized organized or- or baseball as an arrogant trust and asking for a congressional al at investigation But that has all blown over now the Gallagher resolution reso rest lution having died in committee It should be added that that- on a account count of the activity of ot the Federal Jea league nc the draft meeting this year yeat was held b behind hind locked incIted doors and the drafts kept kept kept-a a secret so we wont won't know un until tin un- Ill til th they Y report for for- forthe the Southern training trip next spring what youngsters rs clubs pulled out of the minor ninor leagues on September 1 1 |
