farmteam

Alright, here's the proof. From the September 29th Ask BA with Jim Callis. So, there you have it.

Yeah, we 'know' now. I was pretty positive, but False alarm was sure. If you want proof, give me a minute, I'll get it.

In the event of a tie, whoever had the worst record last year gets the higher spot. So, I think we had a better record than the Marlins, didn't we? Then we would get 15th.

Nice. 14 game hitting streak, too.

Cheat, in the Hunter collision, Burke didn't have a chance to drop the ball. Hunter nailed him before the ball even got there.

Well that was just cruel and uncalled for. And I don't think qwerty was saying Everett wasn't going to produce offensively (Although, I wouldn't trust him to do so). I think he was saying that, and this is the truth, Everett has no business being in an outfield. He's a liability out there. And you make it sound like Borchard was KW's 5 million dollar draft pick. He wasn't, he was Schueler's.

Congrats, Mark! You make the #56 cool!

3, I think. 2 of them were fairly important/extra special too...the one where they beat Baltimore 15-0, and the one that started the tailspin, where Jamie Burke got nailed.

At least you were close. BMAC, Anderson, Sweeney there (all in top 7), but no Rogowski. Also, Fields and Tracy made it.

Yeah, Adam Miller is supposed to be a beast.

Yeah, Moneyball is the only thing I've read that, all I know is that we could of taken Blanton, but took Ring. Why, I'm not sure.

Well, I'd rather keep Lee, but if Lee were to bring way more talent in in a package, I wouldn't exactly be averse to it. But we'd need to sign a FA outfielder.

Hmm. I'd rather have guys that can throw strikes than someone who can throw 98...though getting the best of both worlds would be nice. Also, doesn't Nachreiner throw pretty hard?

I'm really hoping we land at least one, really good, brand name player, someone we can build around. I don't care if it's a pitcher or a hitter, doesn't matter. I think the one I'd be most excited about is Beltran.

Sure, no love for me, aren't I the one who posted the player profiles? I thought I did. Hmm. Maybe Randar posted different profiles. Oh well, no big deal. And I think Brice is good, but not good good. But good enough to climb the ladder, maybe get a shot with the club.

Twins get a lot from Australia too.

Arlight, here's the reports I got (subscriber content): FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ, c, Bristol White Sox Age: 18 Ht: 5-9 Wt: 160 B-T: B-R Drafted/Signed: White Sox FA '02 (Dominican Republic) AB: 181 R: 32 H: 59 2B: 13 3B: 1 HR: 5 RBI: 30 BB: 13 SO: 32 SB: 0 CS: 0 AVG: .326 OBP: .372 SLG: .492 Few catchers put forth better defensive showings than Hernandez, who displayed a knack for handling pitchers and calling games that belied his 18 years of age. He also receives and blocks balls well. Hernandez needs to work on his transfer and release, but his arm is strong enough to control the running game despite those inefficiencies. He ranked second among Appy regulars by erasing 33 percent of basestealers. Hernandez' abilities at the plate make his ability to play behind it even more appealing. He began the year batting eighth in Bristol's lineup and finished in the No. 3 hole—and also second in the league batting race at .326. He crushes pitches thrown in the strike zone and sometimes will chase after bad offerings, but often makes adjustments in his next at-bat. "He has a very good swing from both sides," Kendall said. "He's very aggressive, but he has very good barrel accuracy." GIO GONZALEZ, lhp, Bristol White Sox Age: 19 Ht: 5-11 Wt: 180 B-T: R-L Drafted/Signed: White Sox '04 (1) W: 1 L: 2 ERA: 2.25 G: 7 SV: 0 IP: 24.0 H: 17 HR: 0 BB: 8 SO: 36 AVG: .198 Gonzalez stopped briefly in the Appy League before moving up to the low Class A South Atlantic League, where he continued to succeed despite being 18. No opposing manager was sad to see him go, not when he showed a fastball that reached 92-93 mph with good movement and a sharp, slurvy breaking ball to complement it. Gonzalez' feel for pitching was as important to his success as his repertoire. He sometimes fell victim to trying to be too fine early in the count, but often was able to work out of bad counts because of his two plus pitches. "He's ahead of his years pitching-wise," Bogar said. "He's got a good idea of what he's doing out there. He can locate well and has the kind of stuff to back it up." JAVIER CASTILLO, ss, Bristol White Sox Age: 21 Ht: 6-2 Wt: 185 B-T: R-R Drafted/Signed: White Sox FA '02 (Pananma) AB: 207 R: 40 H: 56 2B: 8 3B: 1 HR: 6 RBI: 35 BB: 30 SO: 58 SB: 3 CS: 2 AVG: .271 OBP: .372 SLG: .406 Castillo has a big, strong build at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds but plays a smooth shortstop despite his size. There's a chance he could outgrow the position, but the White Sox won't move him to third base until it's necessary. "You can see a lot of potential in him," Hairston said. "He's big, strong and has some pop. He's got good range for a big guy and shows a good arm for a shortstop." Castillo reminded some managers of fellow Panamanian Carlos Lee for his strength and power potential at the plate. Like Lee, controlling the strike zone will be the key to Castillo's progression. He's a little shaky against breaking balls, but shows the ability to at least foul them off until he gets a pitch he can handle better. And here's questions from the Chat with Will Kimmey that relate to the White Sox: Does Francisco Hernandez project as a strting catcher in the majors? If so do you think he will be an offensive force as well as good defensively? Certainly. He's a guy whose biggest shortcomings now should evaporate as he becomes more experienced. He's a fine hitter for his age and shows some pop for his small stature. He's not going to get a ton bigger, but he should still be a solid offensive player, especially at catcher. Maybe Padres C Ramon Hernandez is a decent comparison here. Who would be a good major league comparison for White Sox lefty Gio Gonzalez? Comparisons are often hard and unfair because of expectations and the fact that few players are exactly alike. With that caution, I sort of think Astros-era Mike Hampton here. A sub-6-footer with good command, the ability to work off his fastball and throw his breaking ball for strikes. Will, does Bristol's Javier Castillo make this list on defense alone? He was tentative at the plate and while he takes a good share of walks, he seems to have no grasp of the inner half of the plate. As your capsule also indicated, he has a tough time with breaking pitches. Is his ranking based on his slick-fielding despite just average numbers at the plate at age 21, or his bat more projectible in the eyes of Appy managers andor scouts than I'm giving him credit for? (That’s Randar’s Question) His defense was key, but there's projetion given his size and strength for enough power to possibly handle a move to third base. His plate discipline and potential to display power and make adjustments lead to him having a chance to be an average hitter with solid power. Really on this list, the big cut off happened near the 15 or 16 mark. The last four slots can be really interchangable, but you can't have a 10-way tie for the last several spots.

In that Florida deal that was mentioned, it would really depend who the prospect is, for me. If it's one of our top guys, like Anderson, BMAC, Sweeney, or Fields, then no. But if it's more of a mid-level prospect, then maybe-probably.

If he's not gone next year...not good. I like Uribe, but one thing I don't like is he is wayyy to streaky. But overall he's put up a pretty good season. Also, for whoever listed those players...I was fine with all those guys. I like Willie at 2B, I think Cotts has potential (If he learns to throw what's working, Mr. I-just-threw-2-fastballs-by-the-batter-but-let's-throw-my-offspeed-stuff-instead-and-get-rocked), like someone said, Timo is great off the bench (though not an everyday player), and Davis has impressed me this year (Jamie Burke has too, though I see Davis more as an everyday player than Burke, but a platoon is fine).

That I've seen play? Dunno, MAYBE Robin Ventura. Ever? Probably Luke Appling. That's if you mean underrated on a national level. If you mean just within Sox circles, then bah, I have no clue.

Yeah, start him in Kanny to get those walk numbers down, and if he does well, move him up to W-S. He has plenty of time, he'll only be 19 next season.

I think were as talented, if not more talented, than the Twins. They just play as a better TEAM, and baseball is aobut playing the games, not whose better on paper.

Bham for Fields. I think our next 'were to' polls whould be for Chris Young and Gio Gonzalez.

Portland is San Diego's afilliate.

Yeah, I posted this yesterday in the Loewen thread (Interesting place for it, eh? ) Nice move by him, let's see if it holds up.