So Brian Anderson's hitting...

[Heads22]

What puzzles me is why so many are so quick to say Owens sucks, Anderson sucks or Quentin is the guy. It would be great for all 3 to become bonafide major leaguers so it becomes extremely difficult for management to make a decision on who starts. Owens , in my rose colored eyes, seems to be capable of becoming a .300+ hitter , .340+ OBP and with the extra 10 lbs. maybe 30-35 doubles and 50+ steals. Quentin had great minors numbers but seems to be a guy who crowds the plate and gets hurt because of it. Certainly he has the most potential , already being a superior defender, but doesnt seem to be at 100% physically. Anderson is deserving of another chance and seems to be getting it. It'll all play out on the field and its fun watching the competition.

 

I would say Anderson is the superior defender over Quentin, but I have yet to see him play at all.

[witesoxfan]

What puzzles me is why so many are so quick to say Owens sucks, Anderson sucks or Quentin is the guy. It would be great for all 3 to become bonafide major leaguers so it becomes extremely difficult for management to make a decision on who starts. Owens , in my rose colored eyes, seems to be capable of becoming a .300+ hitter , .340+ OBP and with the extra 10 lbs. maybe 30-35 doubles and 50+ steals. Quentin had great minors numbers but seems to be a guy who crowds the plate and gets hurt because of it. Certainly he has the most potential , already being a superior defender, but doesnt seem to be at 100% physically. Anderson is deserving of another chance and seems to be getting it. It'll all play out on the field and its fun watching the competition.

 

How do you hurt your shoulder so badly that it needs surgery by crowding the plate?

[ScottyDo]

Eckstein is pst his prime. As I recall he won a world series with Anaheim then the Cardinals acquired him and he won a world series there also. Sounds like he was wanted to me.

 

That true with pitchers. Who cares if they win or lose. All that matters if they pitch well. That's the problem with many pitchers today. Who the hell cares if the team wins or loses all that matters is that my stats look good. I need my "quality start" If I pitch 6 innings and give up 3 or fewer runs I did my job. That is the attitude that drove me crazy with Garland, he said this many times. Wins and loses doesn't necessarily tell you how well he pitched but it does tell you if the team won or lost when he pitches. A team doesn't go to the playoffs with a pitcxher with a low ERA or high stirkeout to walk ratio. They go if the team wins regarless of individual stats.

See, this is a problem with following sports stats in general. The entire idea of a pitcher's record determining how good he is is a correlation. When Pitcher A pitches, the team wins a certain percent of their games. However, correlations do not imply causality. The pitcher did not necessarily get the win BECAUSE they pitched well. They may have just fallen into a positive correlation. Every year there's a pitcher who sucks royally according to every statistical metric except wins. Just as every year there's a pitcher with a near 1.50 WHIP and a sub-4 ERA.

 

Point is, a pitcher's apparent success by any measurement (whether it be wins, ERA, or K/9) can certainly mean absolutely nothing, depending on what else is going on around them. Wins are just an easy stat to pick on because there are SO many factors instrumental in their creation.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

How do you hurt your shoulder so badly that it needs surgery by crowding the plate?

 

I never said he hurt his shoulder crowding the plate, did I ? He often gets hit by pitches. Can't say I'm a CQ expert but he's had his share of injuries and probably one or more has come via HBP. I'm sure an award winner like yourself will correct me if I'm wrong as is your propensity to do. Besides the gist of my post was to sit back relax and enjoy the competition, but some people just want to make everything about being right .

Edited March 6, 2008 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[santo=dorf]

I never said he hurt his shoulder crowding the plate, did I?

Quentin had great minors numbers but seems to be a guy who crowds the plate and gets hurt because of it

Who said that?

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Who said that?

 

Maybe you need glasses but do you see the word shoulder in there anywhere dorf ? You also must've missed my post about his HBP's . Call an optometrist, I'm worried you're going blind.

Edited March 6, 2008 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[ChiSox_Sonix]

BA had a HR and 2 RBI yesterday by the way

[Balta1701]

Surprised no one seems to have posted this Ozzie blurb in here yet. From the Trib:

Then there's Anderson, who had nearly fallen off the Sox's radar with two failed seasons and an attitude that has rubbed management the wrong way. But he is hitting .370 this spring with three doubles, a triple and a homer.

 

"If he keeps playing the way he has been playing, obviously, he's going to earn a spot," Guillen said. "The only thing about Brian, hopefully he takes this game [seriously] the way we thought he can."

[iamshack]

Surprised no one seems to have posted this Ozzie blurb in here yet. From the Trib:

 

Good catch, Balta.....too bad we all know Ozzie spews bs like this all the time...

 

 

[witesoxfan]

I never said he hurt his shoulder crowding the plate, did I ? He often gets hit by pitches. Can't say I'm a CQ expert but he's had his share of injuries and probably one or more has come via HBP. I'm sure an award winner like yourself will correct me if I'm wrong as is your propensity to do. Besides the gist of my post was to sit back relax and enjoy the competition, but some people just want to make everything about being right .

 

Quentin's had like one major injury in his career, and it was his shoulder. That's really all I was trying to say. I don't think he's been injured on a hit by pitch, but I may be wrong.

 

 

[Kalapse]

Quentin's had like one major injury in his career, and it was his shoulder. That's really all I was trying to say. I don't think he's been injured on a hit by pitch, but I may be wrong.

He tweaked his hamstring rounding first base last season. Perhaps that was brought on by a HBP.

[southsider2k5]

Good catch, Balta.....too bad we all know Ozzie spews bs like this all the time...

 

Not about Anderson he doesn't...

[santo=dorf]

Maybe you need glasses but do you see the word shoulder in there anywhere dorf ? You also must've missed my post about his HBP's . Call an optometrist, I'm worried you're going blind.

I'm sorry you're a bitter old man and your life sucks. I can't help you with that.

Quentin's had like one major injury in his career, and it was his shoulder. That's really all I was trying to say. I don't think he's been injured on a hit by pitch, but I may be wrong.

He tweaked his hamstring rounding first base last season. Perhaps that was brought on by a HBP.

You guys are wasting your time. He said he wasn't an expert and said he got hurt by crowding the plate. Since only Carlos Quentin experts like us know those were his major injuries, we have to lower our expectations for people who can't do their own research and have to type their posts out literally word for word. God forbid if you try to link some facts to a person's random, weak, thought.

Edited March 6, 2008 by santo=dorf

[RockRaines]

Surprised no one seems to have posted this Ozzie blurb in here yet. From the Trib:

but but but, that hurts all the arguments.....

[NorthSideSox72]

I'm sorry you're a bitter old man and your life sucks. I can't help you with that.

You AND Cali need to take it down a notch. No more snark in here. Take it to PM's or the bike rack or wherever - just keep it out of here.

 

 

 

[lostfan]

I'm not sure why some of you guys are so unequivocally hostile to Jerry Owens, it's true he has shown no power and he's an average defender with a weak arm but it's not like he is a horrible waste of a roster spot like Darin Erstad or Andy Gonzalez. He's got a professional attitude and he's shown that he's willing to do what it takes to become a bona-fide major leaguer. Whether he can do that is another story but t the very least he has shown enough improvement in the majors (after always hitting for a decent average in the minors) to deserve the opportunity to try to prove he can keep getting better. It doesn't have to be as the starting CF, even the 4th OF. I might get raked over the coals for making this suggestion but if Brian Anderson in '06 had the work ethic Jerry Owens had since coming to the majors... this whole conversation would be moot.

Edited March 7, 2008 by lostfan

[lostfan]

You answer your own question in this post.

 

It's also really not about fans being hostile to Owens himself, but more the fact that he is seemingly being handed the LF spot, along with leading off, when he hasn't show he is a capable of doing either, and to top it off, their are better alternatives on the roster....

If you're talking about the first sentence, I did that on purpose.

 

I realize there are (apparently) better alternatives on the roster, but the hostility has gone on since 3/4 of the way through the season even while he was improving, and it went beyond "I really wish we had a better CF" which in and of itself is a valid complaint. It's not like he's going to play the way he did in his rookie season forever, hell I wouldn't be surprised if, in a hypothetical season of full ABs, he hit in the high .280s with a respectable OBP of about .350. He still is never going to have an arm though.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Quentin's had like one major injury in his career, and it was his shoulder. That's really all I was trying to say. I don't think he's been injured on a hit by pitch, but I may be wrong.

 

He also had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2003. His left labrum and rotator cuff was hurt in spring training 2007 on an awkward swing. He tried to play through it before having surgery in October. In his first few seasons in the minors he was hit with 103 pitches though I can find nothing that says he was injured by any of the HBP.

[ptatc]

Like which teams?

Look at all of the past world series winning teams and 9 out of 10 will have this type of batting order for the top four hitters.

 

1. Fast or pesky hitter

2. good bat handler

3. Good ave and power

4. best power guy.

 

I shouldn't have started this again. Every spring I go on this rant because every body has their own ideas on how to build a team. People keep commenting on how Ozzie wants to bring the "Marlins" here but it's the same philosophy most teams use. Being around the game so long you see many things come and go but the typical lineup has remained constant for the most part.

[Dick Allen]

Look at all of the past world series winning teams and 9 out of 10 will have this type of batting order for the top four hitters.

 

1. Fast or pesky hitter

2. good bat handler

3. Good ave and power

4. best power guy.

 

I shouldn't have started this again. Every spring I go on this rant because every body has their own ideas on how to build a team. People keep commenting on how Ozzie wants to bring the "Marlins" here but it's the same philosophy most teams use. Being around the game so long you see many things come and go but the typical lineup has remained constant for the most part.

I think pesky is more important that fast in the leadoff spot. I know the White Sox are talking up Jerry Owens but lets face it, they were willing to go way over budget to replace him with Torii Hunter and gave up a lot to get Swisher to apparently play CF. KW went with the dramatics to say they specifically targeted Quentin, so he must be who they see eventually most of the time in LF. I really doubt another GM would try to get the fans of his team excited by saying they specifically targeted Jerry Owens, unless its mental care professionals seeing potential new business. I hope if the roster stays as is, that Swisher leads off.

[lostfan]

I think pesky is more important that fast in the leadoff spot. I know the White Sox are talking up Jerry Owens but lets face it, they were willing to go way over budget to replace him with Torii Hunter and gave up a lot to get Swisher to apparently play CF. KW went with the dramatics to say they specifically targeted Quentin, so he must be who they see eventually most of the time in LF. I really doubt another GM would try to get the fans of his team excited by saying they specifically targeted Jerry Owens, unless its mental care professionals seeing potential new business. I hope if the roster stays as is, that Swisher leads off.

I figured Quentin was eventually going to replace Dye in RF. /shrug

[Dick Allen]

I figured Quentin was eventually going to replace Dye in RF. /shrug

If Quentin develops like they think, he will eventually. I don't think it will be this year though. Maybe they move Dye to LF next year.

[lostfan]

If Quentin develops like they think, he will eventually. I don't think it will be this year though. Maybe they move Dye to LF next year.

I think as long as Dye is on the team and producing he'd be playing RF, if he's healthy his defense is not that bad and he still has the arm. He's just getting a little long in the tooth so who knows how much longer he'll be around. But considering Quentin's tools I think he could play RF no problem, it was just an assumption I made when he came to the Sox.

[SkokieSox]

I think as long as Dye is on the team and producing he'd be playing RF, if he's healthy his defense is not that bad and he still has the arm. He's just getting a little long in the tooth so who knows how much longer he'll be around. But considering Quentin's tools I think he could play RF no problem, it was just an assumption I made when he came to the Sox.

 

I totally believe that's where he ends up after next year. If he's ready for it, I don't see the Sox picking up Dye's option, but rather riding out this year and next.

[Greg The Bull Luzinski]

Almost time to change the name of this topic to say "Brian Anderson was hitting". He sees runners on base and retreats into a slump.