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While they are so close I think pitch face puts Hansen over Cease for me...

Zack Collins is an interesting dilemma of sorts. When we did our lists at FutureSox, I still had Collins at #5. I'd still have him in the top 10 if we re-did our rankings today. Collins looks very much out of sorts in the early going. He's trying to figure out his new swing while also keeping a similar approach at the plate. He was drafted to be a power/OBP guy so looking at his batting average is probably a futile way of analyzing him. We can all agree that his first 51 plate appearances in Birmingham haven't been good. He has 1 homer and he's striking out too much. His line is: .054/.294/.135. He has a BABIP of .056. For anyone that watches him play, you know that he just doesn't swing that often. He's almost too patient at times. I'm still a believer in the profile and I also think it's insane to call a guy a non-prospect after 51 PA's in any league let alone AA. I will rail against those that say he's never been successful though and focus on how bad he was last season. The facts are that he wasn't bad last year. He may not have lived up to the expectations and he definitely won't be a favorite of anyone still using batting average to determine how good a player is. In 2016, after being drafted, Collins posted a wOBA of .409 and a wRC+ of 151 in High A In 2017, he reported back to Winston-Salem and "struggled". His supposed struggles consisted of 426 plate appearances with a .367 wOBA and 130 wRC+ with 17 homers. He also went to AA Birmingham for a small 45 plate appearance sample last year. He posted a .414 wOBA and 166 wRC+. Not too shabby. Collins has been an enigma and constant target of criticism for quite some time now. Development is not linear as we've seen. He was also drafted as a college player so he has less margin for error. I still think the most important factor in Collins being a productive big leaguer though is staying behind the dish. The power/OBP profile as a catcher will work out just fine. If he has to play 1B or DH though, then yes he moves closer to being not much of a prospect. It's way too early to determine any of this though.

Some lefthander for Boston named Chris (didn't he have a jersey problem at one point?) Paul Goldschmidt Madison Bumgarner Nolan Arenado Anthony Rendon Cole Hamels Sonny Gray Dellin Betances Justin Smoak Xander Bogerts Jake Odorizzi Jose Abreu At least as of now, looks particularly good year for starting pitching availability.

Just let us know what we can do to make your SoxTalk experience more enjoyable for you Joe. Would hate for you to have to skip two or three posts in this giant 20 post thread. And obviously pointing out significant flaws with Collins’ game that several of us have witnessed by actually watching him play this year must constitute as b****ing. Don’t worry Joe, no one will share feedback like this anymore to avoid any further HoT fIrE rips from yourself.

Hi from the UK. I've been a quite few years on this earth and a month ago I couldn't have told you a single rule about baseball, I'm a footie fan (soccer) , hate cricket and rugby . My new TV contract gives me access to a MLB game most nights and through a friend who is a Yankee's fan I decided to have a go at watching these ball games , the bug bit almost straight away , I love it , I've watched every night even got a phone app for latest scores. I'm a White Sox fan , why : In the 80's Channel 4 over here ran NFL games which I watched and supported the Bears , Chicago has always signified USA for me , I looked at the baseball teams and it had to be the Sox although I've been unable to follow them over the years. So here I am learning the game everyday and so are the team by the looks of their start to the season ? . It can only get better Baz

This team wasn’t meant to have a winning record.

Cuz he couldn't hit.

Everybody told you his season wasn't that great last year and that he wouldn't have a good season this year. You insulted and slandered those "statniks" constantly. You owe the entire forum an apology for how rotten you treated everybody over Matt Davidson.

Fixed

Sox never bunt in the few situations you should actually bunt. That was probably one of them down a run late with a really overmatched hitter at the plate.

Wasted leadoff double

This is a lot different. Experts saw a struggling Moncada and still recognized he was going to be great. Just a much better specimen who does a number of things better.

They're not really comparable players aside from the shared position

We’re going to have to bump that Moncada thread a few months from now. I have a feeling a few won’t like what they see in there.

Omar Vizquel is hall of very good, in my opinion. Same with Baines.

He basically said “shut up and let me finish”

With a BB/9 of 8.55?

Why do our outfielders always dive when the ball is like 20 feet away from them.

Nice see that smile on Yoan's face. Jose is really good for him.

Not sure there is even a decision to be made here. You decline the option. Zero reason to do otherwise.

I believe that was Kiley in one of his chats.

This is my concern as well. If he's not hitting 20+ HR a year and he's not catching, he's not really a useful player. One of those two things has to happen.

Grade 80 pitch face, good call!

And possibly K at a high rate . I was just giving u a hard time. Sort of meant to put some kind of emoji to indicate that but I kind of forgot.?

Tickets 21 rows behind the plate are $6.00.

Two thoughts on your post: First: I think we have to stop and remind ourselves why we like "good and cheap." The answer is because the more "good and cheap" pieces we have, the more resources that are available to purchase additional talent. THis means we eventually have to USE those resources for the math to work out. These cheap pieces are critical for the foundation of a successful team, but if we fail to shift our sights at some point, then we fail to capitalize on the advantage that it afforded us in the first place. We could have very efficient production all around the field, but if those guys are all 1-3 win players, we still aren't going to win any games. Second: I think all of the scenarios you mentioned are realistic and possible, but I don't think any of them are MORE likely than the standard scenario: useful-but-mediocre players remain so, and Machado remains a star level player. Further, even if you do get a logjam, I don't think you've really got much of a problem at all. Because again, "good and cheap" players are valuable trade chips. It's also worth considering how much more valuable depth is in the current game than it used to be. For example, if it turns out that Anderson is a 4 win player, Machado is a 5 win player, and Sanchez is a 3 win player, you still may get a TON more value out of using Sanchez as a utility guy who can rest either player without a substantial loss in production, and who can step in a starter should either hit the disabled list. My point is, I don't think you ever really have to worry about having too many good players, because desired assets tend to be fungible. The only thing you have to worry about is if too many of those players end up BAD. In that scenario, with so many holes to plug, can you afford to put so many resources into filling just one? Now, if Anderson becomes a star in the next four months and Machado INSISTS on playing SS only, that changes the calculus. But we'll know about that before we get a chance to sign him.

http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/free-agents/2020/ Here ya go. Big names are Arenado, Sale, Goldschmidt, MadBum

Really? Reading this message board over the last year + seems be more positive than negative on our chances overall. The general consensus here has been Machado is our 3B next year.

That's funny, I see it the other way around. I think people believe we have virtually no chance, when I think we will at least be up there in terms of money offered

Superstar position players that are young enough to be expected to stay stars throughout your entire contention window don't show up very often. Normally, I'm a fan of signing free agents at the time that you need them, so as to minimize the risk of regression and injury -- but sometimes market forces incentivize teams to consider different types of risks. I'm in favor of signing Machado (or Harper) because this is when he's available. You can't get him when you'd rather have him. Yeah, it's too soon for this team to sign short term assets, but it's never too soon to add long-term assets. Also, RE: Harper vs. Machado -- our minor league system depth chart should literally no bearing on which one we choose. Unless the guy being signed blocks a currently contributing MLB player, thus reducing the effectiveness of the addition, you can't worry about it. Most of these guys will bust, and even if they don't, and you DO create a logjam, you can trade the prospect for something you need more.

Welcome aboard! You've chosen a great board to be a member of, lots of knowledgeable posters here.

It's scary to think that if he cut his K rate to 20%, he might actually have legitimate 10 WAR potential. It's also staring me in the face based on his current numbers.

Yea I mistyped Hansen for Dunning. As far as Shields, yea you're probably right.

That was some throw back. When I first saw your name, I felt a serious sense of nostalgia.

What was the color? I'm almost certain I am going "midnight silver metallic", but as someone who loves white cares, whenever I see a white Tesla, my mind wanders a bit. Midnight Metallic Silver w/ Chrome Delete https://gallery.bayareadetails.com/Tesla/Tesla-Model-3/Tesla-Model-3-Midnight-Silver-Metallic-Stealth-PPF/

Whoa! Good morning Chicago , can't believe my eyes 10-4 !!!

He was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain, and will be re-evaluated Tuesday. https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/news/avisail-garcia-suffers-right-leg-injury/c-273549228

Agreed...site looks great on mobile. Great work guys!

I don't like the use of the term "social issues" or "economic issues" because they're intertwined. They should be socioeconomic issues. You can change all of the social attitudes in the world but if it doesn't help the person become more economically empowered, it really doesn't do much to help the community you're assisting. Privilege is a thing, whether you want to admit it or not. Also, you don't have to be a racial minority or a woman in order to be oppressed and marginalized. There are plenty of white, male disabled people out there. (I'm one of them) If you're going to help out a community, you have to a) change attitudes about the negative stereotypes about the community you are attempting to assist and b) Step #1 is helping them get a job that pays a living wage. These things are intertwined, and you can't uplift a minority community properly without both helping others to understand why that group is marginalized AND economically empowering them. A lot of people who claim to "help" an economically marginalized community are actually exploiting their labor for peanuts. IT DOESN'T HELP IF THE PEOPLE IN QUESTION CAN'T BE INDEPENDENT. (or as independent as possible for disabled people) Whether that means being on government assistance or being supported by family members. Government assistance isn't a handout to lazy people who don't want to work. It is a subsidy to the economic elites that choose to exploit laborers. Instead of complaining about high taxes to the "lazy moochers" instead complain to the CEO of your company. We're paying taxes to subsidize profits. Government assistance is also used unscrupulously by the economic elites to marginalize groups of people. If you don't know how government assistance works, you get the same amount of money whether you work part time or not. So really it makes no sense to work, unless you can make enough to afford to pay your own way for everything. The economic elites set it up this way so they can point the finger at those on assistance while continuing to rake in the cash. Most people who are on assistance are on it because they are "undesirables" who nobody wants to give a job to for one lame reason or another. I believe that everyone has the right to work. What I mean by that is that they have the right to have a job that pays a living wage.......I just don't buy into the idea that there are human beings that are worthless to society.(other than murderers and sex offenders) That is one of the most dangerous tenets of Nazi ideology. Everyone can positively contribute to society in a major way. Unfortunately, American society has subscribed to the Gordon Gecko philosophy that greed is good, and most people really don't give a crap about anyone other than themselves. On to the social aspect now: Without an understanding of the disadvantages marginalized groups have to deal with, you can't help a person succeed economically. A person has to be willing to open their mind to different ideas. Until that happens, nothing will change on either front. I have a lot of personal experience with being both socially and economically marginalized. There has been a lot of progress on the social front in my personal experiences, but nada on the economic front. In my book all of the progress made on the social front means nothing without being afforded the opportunity to earn a living, hence the blending of the term to "socioeconomic". It is time to realize FDR's dream of an economic bill of rights. For reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bill_of_Rights .

...which is on the heels of a stretch of five absolutely brutal seasons from 2013-2016, which is on the heels of the team making just one trip to the playoffs (and a very brief one at that) since the team walked off the field in Houston as WS champs back in ‘05. Plenty for our beleaguered fan base to be frustrated about at this point in time.

Jacob May may very well be doing better than Tilson at this current time, but I don't think we are judging players by 20 games. 99 of 100 people would take Tilson over May. That's assuming 100 people even know either of these two players. What I am saying is Tilson has a better shot than Cordell, Engel, May, Thompson and Garcia to make it as a 4OF on a contending team in a few years.

As a sixers fan I fully understand the process and even supported it. Unfortunately baseball doesn’t work the same way. It will be a never ending process if the Sox are building through the draft only. They need to continue to add as much talent as possible, whenever possible. Speeding up the process isn’t a bad thing lol. Basketball works because you can draft a franchise changing player that makes an immediate impact, that’s more than likely not going to happen in baseball. I’m 100% behind a rebuild, but it’s already year 2 and there isn’t an end in thought, let alone in sight. If the front office sits around and let’s all prospects develop and draft picks come up it’s going to be a decade long process. Minimum

Nobody's trying to pull the plug because we have no power to pull the plug. I realize we are rebuilding. I'm OK with it. I just am not going to sit back and trust our front office when these same peeps thought LaRoche could play and some other stiffs I won't mention. I see no reason to not be an asshole fan. Look, they are giving us the worst possible product last year, this year, more years to come and they are not reducing prices for the not even minor league product. That to me is despicable. Truly despicable. So I'll call them on it. You want to rebuild. Fine. You put this crap on the field, cut prices for tickets 1/2 to 2/3s and lower parking to 5 bucks and beer to 6 bucks. When your little rebuild is complete raise prices again. Thank u. p.s. If the White Sox want to pay for my mlb.com this year and retroactively last year and again next year I will be more forgiving in my comments.

Failing to hustle and cutting up your teams uniforms in protest prior to performing your job are completely incomparable... Also, RR has instituted a strict policy regarding hustling and has defined the consequences for a while now. He’s already sat Avi once for this same thing. In the end, it looks like he wasn’t even pulled consequentially... would you like to tell us again who it is that’s overreacting? ? GreggyPoo

Sounds like RR asked him why he didn't run hard, he said his hammy was tight, so he sat him.