Bust-a Buster?

For the last several years, the Bay area has been a-buzz about Giant's catching prospect Buster Posey (born Gerald Demp Posey III). Now word has begun to circulate (via the San Francisco Gate) that the young stud may soon be making his official debut with the big boys.

While news of a minor league player being called up to the Show is exciting in and of itself, the real news here is that the Giants would be making this move despite the fact that it could end up costing them millions more than if they waited just a month or two longer.

Baseball is no stranger to complex rules and regulations. Among the more byzantine systems is the one that determines how much control a team has over their minor league players and how long that control should last. I could go on and on about Arbitration and Super-Two status, but I would only lose my audience and bore myself in the process.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports breaks it down as succinctly as possible: "If a team parks a player in the minor leagues for at least 20 days to begin the season, it can delay his free agency by one year. Teams looking to save money go a step further and keep players down for about two months, which prevents them from gaining the Super 2 status that gives the top 17 percent of any service class an extra year of salary arbitration."

Translation: A few months' wait saves the Giants millions of dollars over the long run.

Most teams are patient enough to keep their young stars down in the minors, babying them long enough and throwing around excuses like "he's working on his fundamentals" or "he's learning how to work the count" or "he's figuring out what it takes to manage a staff."

All of that is pure, grade-A bull.

The team knows they can save money - a lot of money - and what's more they should want to save money. The way the system is currently set up, teams are rewarded for keeping some of their best players from playing at the big league level. Does this help them win games? No. Is it fun for the fans? Nope. Is it good for the players? No, in fact it sucks most for them. The worst part is, it's bad for the game of baseball.

Right now, Stephen Strasburg (Best. Prospect. Ever.), is throwing 5-inning no-hitters for the AA Harrisburg Senators. Despite only a handful of starts since being drafted it's already clear that he's good enough for the Majors. What's more he would be the #2 or #3 starter on a lot of teams right now. He would certainly be the best pitcher the Washington Nationals have EVER had. So, why is he in the minors? According to the team it's so he can "learn to slow his delivery with men on base." That's hard to do when he's not allowing any baserunners.

For every Jason Heyward (who broke camp with the Atlanta Braves this season despite the escalating future costs) there are literally dozens of good players that languish on bus rides across the country paying their minor league dues long after the tab has been settled.

Should the Giants call up Buster Posey tomorrow? Hell yes! He'd immediately take over for an ice-cold Aubrey Huff at first base and could spell a super-hot Bengie Molina behind the plate. He could play every day and help San Francisco win more games. And if not for the millions of dollars it would end up costing the team, the team would have done it yesterday.

So, when the Giants end up missing the playoffs by a game, don't blame the management for not calling in the reinforcements sooner. Blame the system, man!

Or just blame Bud Selig. That's what I always do.