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You really need to rub one out or something because you are way too nervous about everything bro.

that’s my shortstop

Some of you take all these statements way too much at face value. What kind of advantage does it serve both the White Sox or the Yoan camp to acknowledge that they are working on an extension?

Seriously? Putting aside that AAA numbers in a vacuum mean very little in predicting major league performance, let's go with your numbers example anyway. Both are players who are nominally catchers but probably more 1B/DH-types long term who can occasionally catch... Player A: Took 260 games over 2.5 years to reach AAA, where he put up a .951 OPS in 88 games at age 24 Player B: Took 564 games over 8.5 years to reach AAA, where he put up a 1.033 OPS in 53 games at age 26 Can you not understand the context here? I want Yermin to succeed, he's a fun player and I hope he kicks ass (and he might!). But literally anyone who follows prospects and minor leaguers, as scouts or journalists, will tell you that you cannot just look at someone who mashed in AAA for a half season and assume they will do the same in the majors. The correlation factor there is very small. Dan Black did the same thing in AAA, at the same age as Yermin (and got there a lot faster). They are even similarly built and both were itinerant catchers. Black never saw the majors. You can make a list with at least one player almost every year in Charlotte who does this, and the great majority either don't see the majors or get there but provide no value. Further proof? Here's a list of players, year, and age in AAA for the Knights the last 8 years or so, who played some combo of C and/or 1B, and posted strong (let's say mid-800's OPS or better) numbers at age 25+, playing at least a few weeks there (and I'll leave out the ones who had played a lot of MLB before their AAA time)... Matt Skole, 2019, 29, .880 OPS Danny Hayes, 2016, 25, .847 OPS Dan Black, 2015, 27, 1.025 OPS (closest approximation) Andy Wilkins, 2014, 25, .896 OPS Josh Phegley, 2014, 26, .861 OPS Josh Phegley, 2013, 25, .966 OPS Seth Loman, 2013, 27, .861 OPS What does that list tell you? Some never even made it to the majors. Of the ones who did, only one put up a positive WAR for their career (Phegley). And in Phegley's case he had only about 300 career MiLB games prior to that 2013 explosion. Not 564. Plus he is more legitimately a catcher. Be very wary of AAA numbers without context. That is why people are pushing back.

Shouldn’t be hard because that would be stupid

Jack, there is this thing called scaling wages. As the team sits now, this roster could/may/likely will cost about 160 million in 3 years with no additions. The Sox are not going to burn budgets just to sign a guy like Puig for no reason at all. The Sox are also reportedly negotiating extensions with their best young player after already locking up a majority of their other best young position players. The way your brain seems to work is every single negative report = the gospel. Every single positive report you ignore and focus solely on the one report you read that reaffirmed your preconceived beliefs and negative views.

Agreed. I don't see the Sox passing on it either. The contention window is open, a college arm will be in close proximity to the majors, and a college arm will probably be the BPA at 11 anyways. I'm hoping for a similar pick structure to 2019. College guy in the 1st, then plenty of prep picks after.

I think you meant back off of the ledge.

I don't think it's bizarre at all. They'll be much more prep focused under Shirley. I'd rather have the best HS pitcher or best HS SS than the 4th best college arm probably. The college hitters will rise and push talent down the board.

This is the best 9th inning team in the history of sports

I get your point, and he should STOP SLIDING HEAD FIRST PERIOD (this makes me crazy), but you're not going to take that competitiveness out of him right now. He's going to bust it right now as a young guy. He hit that and his brain just yelled triple. The sliding thing needs to stop though, for everyone. It won't happen though. Jammed wrists, thumbs... had my hands stomped on by a metal spike. Nothing good comes of it. And replay makes sliding feet first even harder when coming in at full speed because they'll call you out if you pop off for .01 seconds. Really dumb of baseball.

I like you Jack, but things like this are absolutely wild. Funny, but wild.

Hahaha no. Sitting at my computer at home 😂

Yeah, let's teach them to not play hard.

I'm all for hustle but do we really need our 3 WAR projected CF legging out a triple in the 2nd spring training game with a head first slide? No, we don't.

Moncada on pace to strike out 450 times this season.

Imagine wanting to see a guy play who puts up incredible numbers over guys who do not (Collins). I know we’re going SO overboard.

You tell them Not St*ve C*shek.

Professional Writer

There's a good chance 4-5 of these guys are better than last years top college arm Nick Lodolo. If I can get one of them at pick 11 there is no way I'm passing on that.

Yoan is not going to say oh yeah we’re in negotiations and this is where we are at and the dollar amount and years. That’s just not how it works.

Now that's a lineup to get excited about.

Moncada showed huge strides last season offensively and defensively. There's never really been an argument about his tools, and last season he seemed to figure a lot out. Even if he reverts a bit this season and ends up being a good-to-great third baseman that can hit .280ish while hitting 25 HRs and knocking in 80+ runs a season, he'd be worth every penny of the rumored extensions. There's not a lot of evidence that he's going to fall off a cliff. He didn't have a great couple months and a bad couple months that evened out to a nice season. He was really good all season. The risk of not extending him now is most likely losing him when he's 26-27 years old. Think about the contracts Harper and Machado got and figure that's where Moncada's offers start.

I have a feeling that Delmonico will soon be added to this discussion. The history Stone shared yesterday, about Nickey's painful injury and how he is now feeling 100%, coupled with his positive mechanical changes, working with Menechino, were all a revelation to me. At this early point in the season, I'd favor either Mercedes or Delmonico. Once Madrigal is added to the 26 man roster, I'd like to see the 4 bench players consist of Engel, Leury, McCann and one of those two.

I was responding specifically to how he has raked at Charlotte. Anyway, it is true he has generally hit well, but his numbers didn't truly get to these mashing-level values until the last year or two. I don't think you know what a straw man is. What I did was show you a list of examples of players whose numerical profiles at AAA for similar positions and ages are not encouraging. That is called comparison. And on the bolded, it was you who talked about him putting up big numbers. That is what I was responding to. Of course the opposite happens, in fact that makes the point more deeply. That numbers should only be a small part of the picture when evaluating likely future outcomes for prospects. Yermin is fine for what he is - the 5th catcher on the depth chart. Emergency depth in AAA with a small possibility of doing something meaningful in the majors value-wise. But the idea of him leaping over any of Grandal, McCann, Collins or Zavala, or any of the 1B/DH candidates either, is being way over-hyped here. It would be a mistake. Not because anyone has a 100% or 0% chance of being good, but because Mercedes' odds are far longer than those other players.

Herrera still walks the earth, so no he didn't get whacked. Shellacked, maybe....but definitely not whacked.

as noted, I'm all for playing hard. In games that count.

Yah, Sox should really think about pulling that extension offer.

Because the thought creeped into my head. I know it's stupid but my brain says it's an issue so far. Only 2 games though.

Then why even post the nonsense?

Collins struck out 27% of the time in the minors last year. Yermin struck out 17% of the time. Collin's contact issues worry me.

1. There is more to baseball than hitting the ball. 2. Zack Collins and Mercedes had virtually identical OPS last year in the minors, and throughout their careers. IMAGINE that! Stats, and stuff. 3. People that think Mercedes can outproduce or even replace Abreu and Encarnacion's production at the major league level are high.

Hawk would be going nuts.. Mike Yastrzemski is Yaz’ grandson.

"Too loyal" has been viewed as a negative by many here in the past. Maybe some will rethink the "too loyal" and start to appreciate it.

How can anyone not like Tim Anderson?

I think he's interesting. I think most of the intrigue goes away when he can't play passable defense anywhere. He's worth having on the 40 man and I hope he has another nice season, but he has like 400 plate appearances above A ball. I am not quite ready to state that he could effectively replace Abreu and Encarncaion's production at the MLB level like some here seem to think. I hope he gets a shot at some point. I don't understand why they didn't give him a shot last September if they were going to add him to the 40 man this winter. But it is what it is now. Nice guy to have around, but you won't find me lamenting the fact he isn't being handed the MLB DH job.

It's thinking like that that led them to pass on Jarred Kelenic.

I don't know that sox should try to have a profile player at 11. I like as a fan using the profile approach for top 5-6 picks because when you are that high you can get the kind of athletes with some baseball skills that are rare to find behind it. But at 11 you don't know how draft will shake out. With this draft the way it is, we just have to wait to see what's left of the college pitching crop after injuries and helium. Maybe a college hitter makes sense in that the elite college pitching crop pushes a normally top 5-6 hitter downward. Maybe the teams in the top ten don't want to go college pitcher due to state of rebuild and a guy we don't think is available falls. We need more athleticism and there are some 2nd round prep infielders that sound great. Not sure we need to address that with our top pick.

Mendick is our primary reserve IF and I really don’t see that changing. If anyone were to get bumped for Delmonico it would likely be Engel and that seems incredibly unlikely. And the only chance for Mercedes to make the team is with a five man bench IMO.

It's not against the rules, period. If the rules are poorly defined, the parameters for breaking them are flawed and cannot truly be broken. Period.

vaughn's swing is like a cyborg's. I'm fairly convinced that if vaughn was 6-4" he'd be a top 15 prospect. and in baseball height doesn't really matter despite perception.

Even odds that Yermin would outhit Edwin this season

TJ surgery is OK. Would have been better if we didn't waste a year delaying the inevitable. I realize no one owns a crystal ball about injuries though.

I guess I’ll just say that this isn’t particularly that interesting. If sox like him and think he could be closer, it has benefit of savings in years other salaries rise. If he falls, we are safely in the area where over paying isn’t much of an issue. id blame the bizarre arbitration affinity for relievers for causing this. It’s not going to be hugely impactful, no where near in scale to recent extensions.

Thank God it's Bummer, ESPN had Luery Garcia on a 5 year deal and that was a really concerning.

I predict, I am gonna say it like I mean it..... I predict, Jake Burger is done with baseball.