There has been nobody in this thread that has said Jocketty is head and shoulders above Hendry. The question was brought up as how can Cards fans "trust Jocketty to find something" and me along with I believe some others are just saying they can trust their GM to find something because he has done it in the past with players nobody else wanted. You can say Larussa is the difference maker to a point, but Jocketty is the person that obviously seen something in players such as Eckstein, Rodriguez, Nunez to bring them in when nobody else wanted them. Yes it helps to have a manager that might put these players in a position to succeed, but Jocketty is the one evaluating the talent. I find that a completely self-serving analysis based on the history of those players. In other words, nothing they had done previously indicated that they would play as well as they did. Sometimes luck is involved, and Jocketty and co. have been lucky with some of those players. By contrast, IMO, Hendry has taken fliers on similar types and it hasn't gone well. That, at least in part, is Dusty's resposnibility as well. First off, I dont see what is so self-serving about my post but oh well I guess. Secondly, while luck definatly is involved, why couldnt it have also just been that Jocketty seen something in these players that would fit in well with his team. Where as maybe Hendry tried getting similar players and it hasnt gone as well, maybe, just maybe that could be Hendry seen something in these players but was wrong about them. Which would go right back to talent evaluation mainly among position players. Isnt it a possibility that the reason we havent been able to develop any position players, and the "fliers" that Hendry has taken a chance on that havent worked out as well as the Cards, comes down to the fact that maybe Hendry just isnt a good postion player talent evaluater? I am not saying Hendry is a terrible GM in no means, but some of the types of players he keeps signing or re-signins really has to make you wonder about his position player talent evaluation ability.