Homegrown Obsessions

2009-12-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

I have never fully understood the obsession NYers have with homegrown players. I understand why a team loves them, as they end up being less expensive for longer period of time. Winning with a team heavy in homegrown players also shows that your scouting is team is doing a good job. As a fan though, I think the loyalty to a guy just because he started within the organization can be a bit much.

As a Mets fan I hear from other Mets fans how Jose Reyes, David Wright, even Mike Pelfrey and Fernando Martinez should never be traded because they are our homegrown players. Yankee fans love to point out that Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettite, and Jorge Posada have all been key players in their recent run of championships. But is the fact that your team developed a player from the start of his career really all that important?

In 1986 the Mets won their second world championship in their existence. In those days every team had more homegrown players than today and the Mets were no exception. Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry were the pride of NY, Lenny Dykstra and Mookie Wilson were the homegrown lead-off platoon and who didn’t love Roger McDowell? But what about the additions of non-homegrown players like Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, Ray Knight, and Ron Darling? Would any Mets fan change history just to have Barry Lyons, Dave Magadan, Kelvin Chapman, and Wes Gardner replace those guys in history, even if it meant keeping the championship? Rather than “El Sid” Fernandez, who was acquired from the Dodgers, would you prefer “El Tom” Edens, a real life homegrown Met, if he performed just as well?

Yankee people, whether its fans, the media, or the team itself, like to point to Jeter and his above named teammates as some sort of proof that the Yankees don’t use money to win. In case anyone is actually buying it, let me point out that the earth is not flat either. The Yankees did a great job of scouting and developing Jeter, Rivera, etc… But the Yankees did a better job of paying them the exorbitant contracts they received once they became free agents or even arbitration eligible. Had Jeter, Rivera, Pettite and Posada come up with almost any other organization, their stints there would have ended a long time ago. Just ask Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, or Johnny Damon. Do Yankee fans remember Paul O’Neill? I do. I remember him killing the Mets for years before he ever wore pinstripes.

A successful team filled with homegrown players simply means you had good scouting. If fans want to throw their team pride behind scouts then I suppose that’s their right. If that is the case though, they should go watch rookie league and A-ball teams and see a slew of homegrown players. Any successful team is going to have a combination of free agents, players acquired via trade, and homegrown players. But if you sit back to watch a game on a July night and realize your team’s starting lineup consists entirely of players who were drafted and developed by a different team is it really going to matter? Is a win by Johan Santana not as satisfying as one by Mike Pelfrey? Would the Yankees ALCS win over Boston in 2003 had been better if Robinson Cano hit the series ending HR and not Aaron Boone? If you are lucky enough to root for a team who can afford to acquire the right players to help them win, don’t worry about their immigration policy.

Crimsor's Corner

Homegrown Obsessions