Do White Sox Grow Players Better Than the Cubs Do?
The New York Times’ Dan McGrath wrote in Times’ Sunday paper that the White Sox develop players better than the Cubs do. It is hard to argue one way or the other, considering it was 2008 when catcher Geovany Soto won Rookie of the Year and in 2009 White Sox infielder Gordon Beckham had a breakout year. The Cubs will only have two position players in their Opening Day lineup that are homegrown while the White Sox will have just one (excluding Kosuke Fukudome and Alexei Ramirez). Both teams have a slew of pitchers that are homegrown, the notables – Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Marmol, and Randy Wells – and for the Sox – Mark Buehrle and Bobby Jenks – make up key parts of their respective teams pitching staffs. McGrath argues that the White Sox not only draft better, but develop their talent better than their rival Northsiders. Since the Cubs added amateur scout Tom Wilken, they have actually done very well in the draft. The farm system is restocked and several players are nearing the major le
