witesoxfan Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 The Rangers also have the pitching depth to make a move like that. The White Sox don't and are also facing two expiring contracts in the rotation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Mar 11, 2011 -> 05:14 PM) The Rays certainly didn't do that with Price. Though to be fair he had only spent a little over a month in the 'pen in '08. Either way, I don't expect Sale to be a starter. this is true, however not all players are created equal. Maybe the Rays were more confident in Price's secondary stuff and ability to stay healthy. All I'm saying is that there are many reasons that teams think that some pitchers are better suited for the bullpen. I'm not saying it necessarily applies to these two but I always give the benefit of the doubt to the people who know them and work with them on a daily basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I want Matt in the closers role until there's some sort of proof that it shouldn't be that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggliopipe Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Mar 11, 2011 -> 05:03 PM) Not happening. You see how chicken s*** the Rangers are. They're so scared that Feliz will be scarred for life if they remove him from the closer role they'll cheat themselves, Feliz and their fans. Once Sale establishes himself, and I believe he will, in whatever relief role he's put in, he'll be there to stay. But don't fear. Jacob Petricka, Jimmy Gallagher, and Dylan Axelrod are here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I read Feliz wants to stay in the closer role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitetrain8601 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Didn't the same happen with Boston and Papelbon? Wasn't he originally supposed to be a starter, but they turned him into a closer. They tried to make him a starter one year, he struggled out of the gate and bam, it was closing from there on in? I fear the same might happen with Sale. For this year alone, I would love for Sale to be the closer and Thornton to be long relief. I think the exact opposite will happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Mar 11, 2011 -> 05:15 PM) The Rangers also have the pitching depth to make a move like that. The White Sox don't and are also facing two expiring contracts in the rotation. Dead on right here. If we had a Martin Perez and Tanner Scheppers waiting in the wings, I'd feel just fine with Sale as our future closer. QUOTE (maggliopipe @ Mar 11, 2011 -> 05:32 PM) Correct me if I'm wrong, but I read Feliz wants to stay in the closer role. I honestly don't know. Could be. All I read was that they didn't want to take him out of his comfort zone. Something like that. Maybe that says something about Feliz that he'd rather pitch 70 innings than 200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I'm going with the if its not broke, don't fix it, and keep Thornton in the 8th and make Sale the closer for 1 year. As long as he's healthy, the White Sox will make Sale a starter eventually for anyone who really thinks they will not. John Hart was comparing him to Randy Johnson. That's a little crazy IMO, but the White Sox think he'll be a star. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2nd_city_saint787 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Peavy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigHurt Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I just don't think we've seen quite enough of Sale to make that distinction yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman delivers Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Mar 11, 2011 -> 12:00 PM) Sale. Thornton has been the best in the league at what he does, let him remain in that role. This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt4life Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I want Sale as the closer for two reasons. 1. Thornton is great as a setup man, I'm not sure he has the mental makeup to be the closer. On the flip side I think that Sale showed he's got brass balls being brought up to the big team after a handful of minor league innings and being very successful in a pennant race. 2. Thornton has gotten by his entire career with just one pitch, the heater. He doesn't really have a GOOD secondary offering. I want our closer to have at least a second or third good pitch to turn to when the heater isn't working, Sale has these secondary pitches with his slider and changeup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hi8is Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 To me - it isn't a question of merit... ( ie: Thorton 'earned it' ) but rather a question of the situation itself. Sale is the clear choice to me because he features more effective pitches. It shouldn't be a hard choice in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hi8is Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 QUOTE (bighurt4life @ Mar 12, 2011 -> 07:02 AM) I want Sale as the closer for two reasons. 1. Thornton is great as a setup man, I'm not sure he has the mental makeup to be the closer. On the flip side I think that Sale showed he's got brass balls being brought up to the big team after a handful of minor league innings and being very successful in a pennant race. 2. Thornton has gotten by his entire career with just one pitch, the heater. He doesn't really have a GOOD secondary offering. I want our closer to have at least a second or third good pitch to turn to when the heater isn't working, Sale has these secondary pitches with his slider and changeup. This. End of story. If Sale falters - give it to Thornton but Sale is the better choice by leaps and bounds IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeynach Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Just think how good the White Sox pen would be if they actually added an all star closer to this pen. If they actually got Rafael Soriano or traded for a Health Bell. Wow that would have made the best bullpen I have ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 QUOTE (joeynach @ Mar 12, 2011 -> 02:03 AM) Just think how good the White Sox pen would be if they actually added an all star closer to this pen. If they actually got Rafael Soriano or traded for a Health Bell. Wow that would have made the best bullpen I have ever seen. Then they would be down several resources that they either don't have or will need. And had that happened, Sale wouldn't be in the bullpen (which wouldn't have been bad, but is beside the point), so the bullpen would be about the same going into the season anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Lucy's Avocado Farm Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Sergio Santos. Why? Because he has f***ing sweet sleeve tattoos. That means he has a high pain tolerance and is prime fit for the ninth inning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soxrwhite Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I want Chris Sale to succeed, but a couple of months of success does not make him anything but a promising rook at this point. He could end up in the minors by june. I guess that leaves Thornton who I hate to move out of his established role. How about Crain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmmmmbeeer Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Sale. Matty is good at what he does, leave him there. And I agree with the dude who mentioned Sale having much stronger secondary and tertiary pitches...Thornton is pretty much a "here it is, hit it if you can" kind of guy with very little deception. I don't like that trait in a closer, personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 QUOTE (Charlie Haeger's Knuckles @ Mar 12, 2011 -> 03:33 AM) Sergio Santos. Why? Because he has f***ing sweet sleeve tattoos. That means he has a high pain tolerance and is prime fit for the ninth inning. All jokes aside, it would be awesome if he could steal the job, because it would allow us some awesome flexibility in matching up with the lefties in the division. He has closers stuff, it is just a matter of if he can grow into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Mar 11, 2011 -> 06:12 PM) Dead on right here. If we had a Martin Perez and Tanner Scheppers waiting in the wings, I'd feel just fine with Sale as our future closer. I honestly don't know. Could be. All I read was that they didn't want to take him out of his comfort zone. Something like that. Maybe that says something about Feliz that he'd rather pitch 70 innings than 200. or maybe he would rather pitch in 65 games than 34. this way he could have an effect on a greater number of games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeynach Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Mar 12, 2011 -> 02:23 AM) Then they would be down several resources that they either don't have or will need. And had that happened, Sale wouldn't be in the bullpen (which wouldn't have been bad, but is beside the point), so the bullpen would be about the same going into the season anyways. I know, I dont live in a vacuum. I was saying more like fantasy baseball, or assuming the white sox had more money to spend, and they were linked to Soriano with some rumors. I was just gesturing like wow "what if we could", I wasn't actually implying that we should have signed Soriano for $12M+ and let AJ/PK walk or anything like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justBLAZE Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 Closer choice down to two: Thornton, Sale March, 13, 2011 By Doug Padilla GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In what may have been a preview of the regular season, Matt Thornton came on in the ninth inning to finish off Sunday’s 6-1 victory. It wasn’t a save situation, but everything else about Thornton’s surroundings against the Dodgers seemed to fit. Afterward, manager Ozzie Guillen didn’t say that Thornton would be the guy, but he did reiterate that the lefty continues to be his first choice. [+] EnlargeMatt Thorton AP Photo/Morry GashMatt Thornton closed out the White Sox's win over the Dodgers on Sunday. “Thornton is a personal opinion,” Guillen said. “As a setup man, there’s not one better than him. There’s one thing in my mind, give him a new job [as closer] or keep him what he was and put [Chris] Sale [as closer]. But I got to listen to my pitching coach, I got to listen to what [GM] Kenny [Williams] wants, the coaching staff has an opinion. “I can go with either one. I don’t worry about any of those guys. No matter what I pick, I’m going to pick a good one. And that’s why I don’t worry about who is going to be out there.” Thornton or Sale, whoever doesn’t get the closer’s job, will set up games along with Sergio Santos and Jesse Crain, providing the White Sox with an impressive foursome when the club is leading in the final innings. “I hope we can set that up right away to [tell the guys,] ‘You’re going to do this, you’re going to do that,'" Guillen said. "Besides the third base situation, everyone should have [their] role. We have a meeting next week to get everyone together and see how the ballclub is going to be, and let those guys know what their situation is and what job they have.” Thornton, who signed a two-year contract extension earlier this spring, has a 3.60 ERA in Cactus League games, but his last two outings have been scoreless with three strikeouts over those two innings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisoxfan09 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I like Thorton because of the experience but Sale can also do some damage. Go choice to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiddleCoastBias Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Mark Gonzales MDGonzales 5 minutes ago Sale scheduled to make first start Thurs. vs. Colorado at Talking Stick. E. Jackson will start other game Thurs. vs. Milwaukee at Maryvale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 "With three runs allowed in the fifth inning of Monday's 7-6 loss to the Padres at Camelback Ranch, Chris Sale's Cactus League ERA rose to 7.36 over just 7 1/3 innings. And manager Ozzie Guillen wants him to work on his location during his next side session." Sounds like closer material to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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