It's a question asked in all sports: Once your team has no shot at the post-season, is it better long-term for the team to lose games at the end of the season, thus improving their draft status? Now, nobody is saying teams should tank games. However, from a fans perspective, is it better for the long-term success of the franchise to lose games down the stretch and improve your draft position, or to win meaningless (as far as this season goes) games and perhaps help build confidence for next year in the clubhouse?
The immediate reaction by many fans about baseball is that "the draft is such a crapshoot, it doesn't even matter." Well, that's partially true. The MLB draft is largely a crapshoot. It takes players longer to reach the big leagues and has a higher attrition rate than the NBA or NFL. However, it is far from meaningless. While it is always easy to look back 3 or 4 years and see players your team could have selected, as they say, hindsight is 20-20. There have been a few cases, though, where winning games at the end of a season cost the Orioles the exact player they were targeting in the draft.
2000. The Orioles enter the final weekend of the regular season well out of the race, and playing the Yankees who are already booked for the playoffs. The Orioles sweep this meaningless series for both teams, bringing about a little fan pride, even though, let's face it, the Yankees could have cared less, as they were well on their way to their thrid straight World Series title. So, with that sweep, the Orioles moved ahead of Texas and Montreal in the overall MLB standings, which determine draft position. So, before the series, the Orioles would have drafted 5th, and after the sweep, they sat at 7th. It was widely known going into the 2001 draft who the Orioles coveted. It was one of two players, both from the Baltimore area. One was right-hander Gavin Floyd, a high school pitcher from Baltimore. The other, was Georgia Tech 3B Mark Teixeira.
Floyd went 4th to the Phillies. Texas had the 5th pick and gobbled up Teixeira. The Orioles drafted Chris Smith (Who? Exactly.) IT was widely known the Orioles wanted one of those two guys. Had they not swept the Yankees in that meaningless series, they could be talking about an extension with Teixeira now instead of trying to lure him here via the free agent market.
2004. The Orioles ride Miguel Tejada's club record 150 RBI's to a sparkling September, leaping them over Cincinnati in the MLB standings. The Orioles had the 13th spot in the draft, the Reds 12th. It was widely reported who the Orioles wanted at 13, but weren't sure if he would fall to them. He was a highly regarded outfielder from a high school in Texas, and the O's thought there was an outside shot to get him at 13. Had they not had such a good September, and they were drafting at 10 or 11, it would appear to be a lock they could get there man. As the draft progressed, the name didn't come off the board. Finally, Cincinnati came to pick at number 12, the Orioles one pick away from getting the exact guy they wanted. However, Cincinnati spoiled the party and took the high school outfielder. Who was he? Jay Bruce. The Orioles took Brandon Snyder, and I have by no means given up on him. However, Bruce has already turned into a stud at the major league level, while Snyder just finished his second year at High-A.
Those are two of the most glaring examples in recent Orioles history. I for one, will never, ever root for the Orioles to lose. However, sometimes in September, a loss can be a big blessing in disguise. (And we've certainly gotten used to meaningless Septembers.)
Keywords: Baltimore Orioles
