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Damn we DFA’d our 5 hitter?!

I've been a White Sox fan for many years, and many times I've heard the phrase "don't worry, it's early." It's early now, but it's not too early to worry about this team. Grandal is bad, and Vaughn should be in the minors. LaRussa is the wrong man for the job. This is not good.

Madrigal now hitting .297. This triggers soxtalk.

I haven't missed a single freaking inning of 2021 white Sox baseball until I missed the whole game tonight. To be fair, I missed it because I was celebrating, *ahem*, passing my Ph.D. defense today!!! Apologies if this comes off as bragging, I'm just super excited and pissed and not a little bit drunk. Don't worry though, I'm watching the whole game from the start now 😅

My God, do we really need this thread every other day?

lol, right ditch Eloy for the guy that was last seen putting up a 740 OPS in high A and who looks like he can't catch up to 92 mph heat. I like Vaughn, he was clearly rushed.

If Madrigal did that, this thread would be 25 pages.

You don't even need advanced metrics. His season ERA in said five seasons were 3.76 , 3.51, 3.32, 3.36, and 3.20! If that's a backend starter ("at best!?"), then you must be talking about an all-time great rotation. Those numbers are a solid #2 or even a #1 on some teams.

Thoughts and prayers, @CaliSoxFanViaSWside.

He also said "we are gunna get him more at bats". And then sat him like 4 straight games. I hope he plays him.

LOL hey you best be careful Ptatc . You're going to be in the same boat with me because I suggested Williams needed a few ABs against RHP's to see if we could catch lightning in a bottle and give Vaughn a chance to take some pressure off of him. Now all the people who think that was stupid are celebrating and laughing at everything I say because Williams was DFA'd. To me it's pretty petty because he got his chances and he blew it. Being DFA'd was just the result and the process of those AB's. That's the life of a scrub, produce in small sample sizes or be gone. I wouldn't be so petty or vindictive if Vaughn gets sent to the minors eventually. I want every Sox player to do well including every guy from the bench who get's a chance to play. But then again you're not suggesting a prize rookie get a few games off even though it's been happening all season. The prevailing opinion was if Vaughn is here give him everyday AB's or just send him down. Everyone is pissed at the Sox and LaRussa for doing neither and I'm a dope for agreeing with the Sox and LaRussa so I'm the board fall guy just for stating my opinion . If Vaughn sucks hitting or makes crucial errors in the OF I won't be happy about or feel better that I was right because I do really want him to be great just as all my detractors do so I put myself in a lose lose situation. There would be no reason to gloat over Vaughns failure when others gloat over Williams failure . I don't feel bad because Williams failed I knew it was a long shot he produces in games .I feel bad because other "fans" choose to gloat over any Sox player's failures. I thought we all wanted to win games not be right about differences of opinion. : Edit: See what I mean, another haha emoji when I take the time to say what I feel. Pretty sad that has to happen. I'm not sad myself ,sad for the quality of the board driving guys like SS2K5 away again . I don't agree with everything he ever said but he is a quality poster who I respected. Not enough respect here lately. Pretty much the worst I've seen it in over 15 years here.

He did earn it based on Spring training over the other Sox LH outfielders like Luis Gonzalez and Rutherford. Then the injuries. Edit : How is that funny to anyone? He came up over those other Ofers. That's just a fact. So petty when I am doing my best to be gracious.

Williams was just DFA.

Lynn with a complete game shutout last time. Then I heard that he sort of called out his fellow starters to go deeper in games. Lucas and Carlos heard him. Keep this Cleveland offense down and win the series, Lance. And welcome back Tim.

I say Williams will go. Leury will then be an outfielder.

Nick Williams didn't earn playing time. He got playing time because THREE outfielders got injured. And, yeah, if Lamb is still on the roster tonight that is ridiculous.

I wonder who will be the sacrificial Lamb to make room on the roster for Tim?

He could do that and will do that. But the best time to play others is early in the season when you have a lot of injuries and no one team is running away with the division, so when your good players do come back you can have a well informed opinion on who stays and who goes. There's also the chance that one of the scrubs steps up and makes your job easier on who to keep. Remember Yermin wasn't exactly a household name at the beginning of the season , yet with that example right in front of our eyes, most of Sox fandom goes apeshit because LaRussa plays a couple of scrubs against one of the best pitchers in baseball. Could the Sox have won that game with Mercedes, Collins, Madrigal and Vaughn in the lineup ? We will never know but I was thrilled with Giolito's pitching which gets lost in the mob mentality of calling LaRussa a senile old drunk. It's pretty shameful behavior over 1 thrilling game in a long season when decisions have to be made soon on who to keep on your bench. Every managerial decision on who to play has more than 1 game implications. People here talk like the last 2 or 3 men on the bench should never play. Stop throwing tantrums and think beyond the moment once in a while. Show some maturity and realize before you turn 55 that experience matters and you realize how impetuous and reactionary you were when you were young. Edit : And now another scrub, who most didn't want ,is stepping up to be a very good pitcher so far and has contributed to 2 wins and today was a NO Hitter. Where would this team be now without the scrubs Mercedes and Rodon stepping up ?

Dude step away you haven’t learned anything in all your years. Honestly I’d just stop watching.

Right, which he probably won't be. But if he is, and Yermin is for real, Eloy is the odd man out as far as I'm concerned.

They just suck, bro.

The hyperbole around any Madrigal discussion is annoying as hell. For me, perhaps for others but I'll speak for myself as someone who's been critical of Nick: Nick Madrigal has been assumed to be a low ceiling, high floor player, he has not shown the floor to this point. In his limited big league experience Nick has proven to possess 1 real skill (beyond his 1 assumed ability: plate coverage/K avoidance) and that's hitting singles, he's clearly very good at it, he has not proven, through his play on the field, much else. This does not mean he can't or won't be a plus defender or baserunner or hit for any power at all, it just means he has not done it yet in the big leagues and has in fact shown the opposite of those abilities. He very well may be very good. I badly hope he becomes a very good baseball player, that would kick ass for the team and Nick seems like a good guy, I'm just not going to assume he'll get there. That's all, I do not have enough faith in Nick Madrigal's abilities to presume it'll all come together in the end. It's really hard to overlook a sub .100 ISO (around .030 for his career right now) when he's not doing the other things well. He has not played near enough to make a true determination on his future IMO, it's just, his draft pedigree and the hollow .340 batting average he put up in 29 games and 103 AB's is doing a lot of heavy lifting in discussions around here.

Eloy might have actually died on that Vaughn play

MLB and definitely Benetti needs to give the covid protocol thing a rest. There are people lined up butts to nuts for hot dogs in the stadium. The benches can clear.

Since 2018. Jake Lamb hits a HR on 1.84% of his at bats. Danny Mendick hits a HR on 2.92% of his at bats (almost double). Lamb isn't that power guy anymore. Give me the defensive versatility over a left handed body who can't play anywhere but 3rd.

We also DFA two clean up hitters recently in Yonder and Nicky D.

You're so silly.

Keeping Hamilton over Mendick means that Garcia is the only backup available for all of 3B, SS and 2B. Any time any of those guys needs a day off, those at bats to go Garcia instead of Mendick, and I think that difference matters more than whatever value a pinch runner gives you. Also, Garcia, Mendick and Engel when not starting can all pinch run capably.

OF: Engel, Robert, Eaton, Vaughn, Garcia IF: Moncada, Anderson, Madrigal, Abreu, Mendick C : Grandal, Collins, Mercedes That's what it has to be. I can't see any justification for keeping Lamb or Hamilton over any of those guys.

Thank god. It's amazing how uninteresting this team is when he's not in the lineup.

I'm happy they were all here and didn't form the lynch mob. I took a lot of abuse and so did LaRussa. Me for suggesting Williams gets starts over Vaughn against RHP and LaRussa for actually doing it and then of course the Sox get shut out with a few scrubs in the lineup and everyone goes bonkers. So early in the season is exactly the time you have to play some of your guys at the end of the bench. You have to find out once in a while if you can catch lightning in a bottle. They have to play sometime. After Anderson and Engel get back the Sox have some roster moves to make . You'd like to at least let Lamb and Williams be able to say they were given a small opportunity to contribute before they get sent down or DFA'd. There's also the fact that early in the season a bunch of teams are all bunched together in the standings. It worked with Mercedes, Mendick came up and played well right away. Collins had early season success and he just caught the no hitter. One short season and now too many think every game is life and death and have no perspective at all. There was a lot of good happening on the team before the no hitter, just have to be willing to see past the short sighted rage and preconceived notions about how they are smarter than a Hall of Fame manager.

Credit La Russa. He has had the guys ready to play after tough losses so far this year. Now, if he could just get them to play more consistently...wonder how he could do that...oh right, play the best players more.

Jose risking his health to slide in there and protect the Perfect is what team sports is all about. You know that guy has done nothing but shut me the fuck up about his performance since he signed the extension and he is the soul of this club. He makes you proud to be a Sox fan.

Zack Collins work behind the plate can not go unnoticed. The guy called a remarkable game for Rodon. Couldn't be happier for him.

Eat it HATERS!

Benetti and Stone trying to figure out how to do the Nationwide jingle

Imagine a Luis Robert body with a Nick Madrigal head.

You know that scene in “Being John Malkovich” where he goes inside his own head and the only thing anyone can say is “Malkovich!”? The thread title with Madrigal written as. Complete sentence made me think of that. Whole team having conversations saying nothing but “Madrigal. Madrigal Madrigal? Madrigal Madrigal Madrigal. Madrigal!”

And neither have as many as Madrigal. And madrigal has a higher OPS than both. (lights fuse and runs away)

This is literally the dumbest discussion ever. He’s been playing great defense and has more hits than abreu and grandal combined.

Tony really has them focused, my god. Can’t keep giving away winnable games.

Yermin needs a hit tin his next 2 ABs to get his average back up to .500. I’m not used to him slumping like this.

It better be Lamb for Engel. Today, Mendick has a career line of .306/.350/.454/.804 against RHP, team chem, and can play 3 positions. His minimal power isn't missed in this order. At least it shouldn't be when the others turn it it up. 1B is covered by Vaughn, Collins, & Grandal. And with Collins's LH bat, Lamb is repeatedly redundant.

Thank you and I don't care if Williams got DFA'd he might not have if he had got a couple of hits in his chances but hey he got chances he just didn't do anything with them. Playing him was part of the process to get rid of him or keep him. If Vaughn is sent down to the minors in May I'll send you thoughts and prayers too. How he plays is also part of the process on where he ends up . I wonder if Luis Gonzalez is coming up or they just go with Leury as 4th OF and Mendick as spare INF. Engel and Hamilton both back by next home stand on the 23rd ? They extended Engel's time to the 23rd when he was due off the IL by the 10th or 11th . Hamilton due off the IL by the 18th or 19th.

It would be funny to be constantly harping on players having to "earn" their spot on the roster only to send down the guy with the 1.005 OPS in order to keep Jake fucking Lamb around. There may not be a place for Mendick with Anderson back but Jake Lamb sure as hell doesn't seem to have any real role on this club, his lack of versatility makes him pretty worthless. If Nick Williams is earning playing time based on his Spring stats then Lamb's awful March numbers should cost him. I do not care that he's left handed.

You get *thrilled* about watching Nick Williams hit 5th in the lineup & play more than the #3 overall pick? 😅😅

Officially Aerospace Engineering , but really applied math, specifically Artificial intelligence and machine learning. So yeah, I'm definitely one of those Stat nerd baseball fans.

Strikeout 5.5% (Madrigal's career rate) of the time and you're going to have a lot of streaks where you regularly bat above .300.