With just a month to go until spring training kicks off, the free agent market is still pretty stagnant. Carmelo Anthony Jersey . Part of the reason, of course, is the reluctance that teams have in parting with first-round draft picks as compensation for signing certain players, who come with that price tag attached. That made me wonder how valuable first-round picks really actually are. I took a look at three teams, one top dog, the New York Yankees, one middle-of-the-road club in the Toronto Blue Jays and one team generally at the back of the pack, the Chicago Cubs. Since the amateur draft began in 1965, the Yankees have chosen 51 players in the first-round, including supplemental picks. Twenty-seven of those spent some time in the Bigs and 24 didnt make it. The success rate is 52 per cent and this is a team that usually picks in the back end of the first round. The Yankees best first-rounder, without question, is Derek Jeter, taken at number six overall in 1992. The Yankees have done alright with compensation picks for losing free agents, as well. In 1996, they got a quality lefty in Eric Milton for losing infielder Randy Velarde. In 2004, they chose right-hander Phil Hughes when Andy Petitte jumped ship to the Astros before ultimately returning to the Yankees where he finished his career. In 2006, they chose righties Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain upon losing curveball specialist Tom "Flash" Gordon. You might think the Cubs would have far great success with firsts than the Yanks because they miss the playoffs so often. However, the gap is only five per cent on the success scale. The Cubs have drafted 61 players in the first round since 1965 with 35 making it to the Majors. In other words, a percentage of 57 versus the Yankees 52 per cent. The Cubs top picks over the years have included Joe Carter in 1981, Rafael Palmeiro in 1985 and the flame-throwing Kerry Wood in 1995. In 2007, the Cubs used a supplemental first-round pick to take Josh Donaldson, who has since blossomed into a very good player with the Oakland Athletics. The only other supplemental pick of note made by the Cubs was Palmeiro, whom they were able to select for losing reliever Tim Stoddard to free agency. The Cubs made, without a doubt, the worst decision in the history of free agency when they allowed Hall of Famer Greg Maddux to walk away to the Atlanta Braves after the 1992 season. The Cubbies got two draft picks in return, which they used the following June to take pitcher Jon Ratliff and infielder Kevin Orie. In the following three seasons, Maddux won three Cy Young Awards and helped the Braves to a World Series title in 1995. Ratliff and Orie quickly faded into obscurity. Where do the Blue Jays fit in? Well, since they came in the American League in 1977, they have made 64 first-round picks and 36 have seen time in the Majors, good for a 56 per cent success rate. The Blue Jays have had pretty good success with first-rounders over the years, including Lloyd Moseby (1978,) Ed Sprague (1988,) Shawn Green (1991,) Shannon Stewart (1992,) Chris Carpenter (1993,) Roy Halladay (1995,) Billy Koch (1996,) Ricky Romero (2005,) Brett Cecil (2007) and J.P Arencibia in 2007...oh, well on that one. Righty Dustin McGowan (2000,) whos battled through a myriad of injuries, is still around as well. The Blue Jays have greatly utilized their supplemental picks and, well, you really couldnt do much better than they have. When lefty Bud Black, now the manager of the San Diego Padres, signed with the San Francisco Giants, the Jays used the pick they received to take Green. When knuckleballer Tom Candiotti left for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Jays wound up with Stewart and when the "Terminator" Tom Henke returned to the Texas Rangers after the 92 World Series triumph, the Blue Jays used their pick to select future Cy Young winner, Carpenter. Of course, there a few in the not-so-good category, too. When Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar left for the Baltimore Orioles, the payback was Joe Lawrence. I guess the bottom line is that there are no sure things, but if you have a top-notch scouting staff and good development staff, you can risk losing those good, but not great free agents. But the ones you target as stars, you can never let walk away. - ESPN came out with its annual top 100 list of All-time Major League greats. Roy Halladay and Dave Winfield fell within the top 125 and received honorable mentions. Five players, though, who wore the Blue Jays uniform (albeit, briefly in some cases) cracked the top 100. Knuckleballer Phil Niekro was number 100, Paul Molitor came in at 78, Roberto Alomar at 74, "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas at 70 and Rickey Henderson at number 14. Of the seven in total, Halladay was the only one drafted and developed by the Jays. Does that make him the greatest Blue Jay of all-time? Its a great argument, but my vote is still with Alomar, even though he only spent five seasons in Toronto, and my top Blue Jays pitcher, though just by a hair, is Dave Stieb. - Its great to see former Blue Jays fan favourite John McDonald signing a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels with an invitation to spring training, but sad to see Vernon Wells get released by the Yankees after being designated for assignment. Alex English Jersey .S. Olympic hockey management team have been making what he called "ghost rosters" since August. Gary Harris Jersey . Still, Milan remained five points behind city rival Inter Milan in the race for fifth place and the final Europa League berth, after Inter beat 10-man Parma 2-0. Meanwhile, Paul Pogba led the way as Juventus stayed on course for a third consecutive title with a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Bologna. http://www.authenticnuggetsproshop.com/Will-Barton-Jersey/ . -- In the stadium program sold at the Miami Dolphins game on Halloween, Richie Incognito was asked whos the easiest teammate to scare.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Barring a change of heart from the league offices, Sacramento centre DeMarcus Cousins has played his last game of the season. He definitely went out with a bang. Cousins recorded his eighth straight double-double with 35 points and 15 rebounds but picked up his 16th technical foul of the season late in the fourth quarter of the Kings 106-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. By NBA rules, Cousins must sit out Sacramentos final regular season game at home against Phoenix on Wednesday. "Im not going to talk about it," said Cousins, who had sat for several minutes in front of his locker with his head hung low. Kings coach Mike Malone was willing to discuss it and said the team might contact the NBA to get the technical removed, citing Cousins most recent behaviour. The technical was his first since Feb. 25 and ended the longest stretch of his career without one. "I feel for him," Malone said. "He has made a concerted effort to handle his emotions and not get that last tech. Well try to do whatever we can to get that rescinded but its disappointing because I know it meant a lot to him." The Kings trailed by 11 in the third quarter and were down 82-81 before going on an 11-2 run to go in front for good. Cousins started the surge with a thunderous dunk and McCallum followed with consecutive 3-pointers, one from the left corner and the other from the right. The Timberwolves pulled to 100-98 with 1:13 left to play on three free throws by Kevin Love after Cousins was charged with the technical foul. Cousins then drove the baseline and dunked with 24.2 seconds remaining, helping Sacramento end a five-game losing streak while evening the season series with Minnesota. "Were still a team trying to grow and find ourselves," said Cousins, breaking his silence. "I think we took steps forward today. Weve been in those situations a couple times this season. Sometimes it went well, sometimes it didnt. We did a pretty good job tonight of handling the siituation and overcoming adversity. Jameer Nelson Jersey. " J.J. Barea missed a 3-pointer and Love was off on a 16-foot jumper in the final 20 seconds for the Wolves. Love had 43 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota after sitting out Fridays 112-110 win over Houston because of a hyperextended right elbow. "Our defence just wasnt good enough in the second half," Love said. "Offensively we were fine, but they kind of went on a run and never looked back." The Timberwolves lost after leading 62-51 with eight minutes left in the third in what might have been former Kings coach Rick Adelmans final appearance at Sleep Train Arena. The 67-year-old Minnesota coach remains a beloved figure in the states capital, having guided the Kings from 1998-2006. Sacramento made the playoffs in each of his eight seasons and havent been back since. Adelman clearly has fond memories of those glory days in Sacramento and hes been back numerous times as a visiting coach as well. This game, however, might hold special significance since it might be Adelmans last. He has taken time away from coaching each of the past two years to take care of his wife, Mary Kay, who has had health problems. Speculation around the NBA now is that Adelman will step away for good at the end of the season. "Ive always said that the eight years here were a tremendous experience," Adelman said. "We had a lot of fun, we had really good team and the fans during that run were terrific." Minnesota trailed by 11 early before going on a 12-0 run in the second quarter capped by Dante Cunninghams three-point play that put the Wolves up 40-32. Love finished the half with 13 points, including two free throws to give Minnesota a 52-47 halftime lead. The Timberwolves extended their lead to 62-51 with 8:03 left in the third, then Sacramento went on its big run. NOTES: Kings F Rudy Gay (lower back strain) sat out for the third time in four games. ... Cousins moved past Vlade Divac for eighth on Sacramentos career scoring list. Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys 2018 Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '