Who am I?
My name is Matt Minton. I’ve been an avid follower of all things baseball for as long as I can remember, which is some time in the early 1990’s. I grew up 30 minutes north of Boston, went to college at UNH, and currently reside in the city of Boston directly. I’m an avid follower of all things Red Sox, though I do my best not to let that fact bias my thoughts about any part of baseball, including the minor leagues. I can’t say I’ve been through a terrible amount of Red Sox hardship (I wasn’t around in ‘75, I didn’t care in ‘86), but I almost feel thankful that I suffered through ‘03 so that I could understand what the rest of Red Sox nation was going through before they won it all in ‘04.
With that said, what has piqued my interest in the minor leagues is the way that Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein, and the rest of the suddenly budget conscious Red Sox ownership, has approached the development and nurturing of a productive farm system, even if I’m of the opinion that they value the actual prospects themselves a bit too much. The change made me realize that, big market and small market alike, it is important and necessary to focus on the development of that strong, deep farm system to build a consistent winner.
I particularly find the way teams develop farm systems to be interesting, and the way they evaluate their prospects, as well. These two key points will drive everything I post on this website. I strive to move away from the perennial groupthink that operates in prospect circles, though I readily admit I rely on what other people are saying to generate opinions, as my opportunities to see prospects in person are heavily limited. Still, the advent of technology has afforded me ample avenues with which I can gather information to formulate educated opinions on prospects.
So why not the majors, too? For one, I think the examination of the majors has been pretty exhausted. Either you support the sabermetric evaluation of players at great length, which I do, or you judge what you see with your eyes. There’s really no way around the fact that there is very little projection involved with major leaguers who are already established, and there’s not much “value” to be had, other than to interpret how overpaid a particular player is. Prospects have projection, and projection allows the opportunity to have a unique opinion and to dwell on unique details. For two, examining the major leagues is a lot like being an English major: all you’re trying to do is critique what someone else said. There’s little room for new thought.
…and no, I don’t regret my English degree. I just wish they’d focus on whatever the minor leagues of English are a little bit more.
You can reach me at matthew dot minton at gmail dot com.