True or False...if Tony Gwynn Jr. was named Tony Smith Jr, he would be stuck in Triple-A.
I ask this not as a criticism of Gwynn. He isn't a very good hitter, but his glove is outstanding and I think he deserves a roster spot. I ask it to bring up the issue of "major league bloodlines." Some teams put a heavy emphasis on this, which is understandable from both a genetic and sociological perspective. It is also simple human nature for a baseball person to pay closer attention to someone named "Gwynn" than "Smith."
So how much should "bloodlines" and baseball family background figure into a prospect's status? Is it something that should be considered outside of the regular "makeup" category as an extra positive?
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