WestEddy

I choose to not listen to those who declare we must wait for some period they just made up before we get to be happy over a rookie coming up and having a productive series. Hooray!!

the whole season. He started and ended in the bullpen and started for 3 months in between.

I don't think he's got a tired arm. He threw 94 innings last year, he's probably good for 120 this year. Yeah, the league probably pays closer attention to his scouting report, now, and has a plan for him. Every pitcher gets found out and needs to readjust. He doesn't have the experience to slide over to something he knows will get this guy out, or whatnot. He's got one more start before the All-Star game, then a week off. He's at 80 innings. 120 innings would be 8 more 5 inning starts. That takes him into September, then they can flip him and Vasil, with Vasil starting and Smith throwing an inning or two every 5 days.

If Houser actually "helps" the Cubs and becomes a factor, he's hitting the free agent market in November to cash in. This will not be a Sammy Sosa situation.

I'd rather see Lee at 1B than Noda or Rojas at 3B, at this point.

Then maybe a little earlier. There was a time, 85-87, where guys like Hibbard, Calderon, Gallagher, Walker, Ozzie - it felt like we were looking at some stability, and only Guillen really stuck. I feel that way about these guys. One or two may be on the next winning team, and the rest fall off after their one 3 WAR season, or whatever.

Well, right now, Colmon is the heir apparent. He was a top, what, 20 prospect? I don't think it's a reach to assume he's going to get every opportunity to start and stay at SS for the duration of this season, and it's not unreasonable to imagine him in the spot going forward.

Gray seems like a logical replacement for Rojas.

That's probably the best 1-8 in the organization right now, so, Hooray!!

This team feels like the Fisk/Walker/Calderon/Hibbard/Melido Perez teams that ushered in the 93 playoff team. Then again, a few of them could pop and be perennial all-stars.

Keep it rolling.

Sure, they're not designed well, and don't have the amenities of modern stadiums. In 1999, I had time on my hands, and decided to go see the White Sox A-ball affiliate, the Burlington Bees, at every Midwest League stadium. Kane County was new and nice, but when I traveled to John O'Donnell Stadium in Quad Cities (now Modern Woodman Park), or Veterans' Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, I felt like I was in an old French church. I understand the wonder over Wrigley and Fenway. The Rate's still a better baseball experience.

I almost don't want to type this, but only 1 HR allowed in 18 IP, too.

I remember somebody saying the Rockies haven't won a home series all season. Do it against somebody else. ...Yup. 14 home series before this, lost them all. We're #15 for them.

And everything seems cowboy themed. I was only there 2 or 3 times, but it felt like if the City of Chicago put gangster insignia on every bridge and street corner.

I didn't have any questions. You don't have to troll everybody who doesn't fall in line with your negative BS.

Nobody disputes that Sosa is a developing bat. Not sure how a logical question equates to ejaculation.

Sorry to usurp. Somebody fell asleep.

Yes. The guys we're talking about were higher bonuses, but if they have a full scouting department working 4+ countries and Puerto Rico, they would be finding multiple guys for tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses that would advance.

Fedde had a longer track record that season and was probably pretty thoroughly scouted in Korea. Houser reworked his delivery in the off-season, and it took a month to start feeling natural. I think that Fedde and Houser are great comps. Neither is a lockdown strikeout thrower. I think that put a damper on their value. Looking at the Fedde trade, it feels like Fedde brought back Vargas, Kopech - Perez, and a combo of the 3 (with Pham) got Albertus thrown in. The trade was probably a prospect short. I don't know what level. Another Perez/Albertus? Adrian Houser has reason to believe his strong White Sox debut was a new beginning - Sox Machine Houser talked with James Fegan about going to a pitching lab in the off-season:

When did Colson Montgomery throw a ball into the dugout? Rojas bounced one into Vargas, who was looking straight into the sun at that point.

No. It's the cheapest talent available. Eduardo Herrerra had a rough 1st year last season, and this season, he's OPSing .975, and will most probably graduate to the ACL next year. Frank Mieses is a 17-year-old CF OPSing .869.

Javier Vazquez.

I think it's the same problem with Fedde. He doesn't have that dominant strikeout stuff. Fedde's affordable contract wasn't ringing the phones off the hook. Houser's expected numbers are higher than his actual. I think he's a solid pitcher right now, on a good and lucky run, and like Fedde, he'll get interest, but not the kind of interest a knockout/strikeout guy would have gotten. My own opinion is that the Sox should be targeting somebody out of the top 100, then develop him into the rankings.