Coop on Sisco's demotion:
More Coop:
Merkin has an article on the Sox drafting philosophy. He explains "the make-up of said player becomes as important of an intangible as the talent this player possesses. ... The player needs to exhibit a hard-nosed sort of attitude with the ability to handle the pressure brought about by playing in Chicago." Here's assistant GM Rick Hahn:
"Being a large market team, should we not be able to take some flyers on some players who are thought to be hard to sign and may cost more money then there draft spot is supposed to cost?"
I think the Sox will still take conservative picks because they're safe - and they turn out to be serviceable players. Serviceable players make for good trade bait later on. Good trade bait gives Kenny room to maneuver. That's when this team has been its best - not sure it's the right strategy, but it's what they've done. Also, keep in mind, they rarely pick high enough to get the chance to draft one of those five-tool guys.