WestEddy

So then you proceed to bow at the gospel of listicles. #18 had us gasping!! Improving communication, processes, and information gathering is the wrong direction? Your argument is always "there is no reason to be positive". Can you help me understand why, then, you feel the need to mock the people who do feel positive? When you challenge people to explain themselves and they do, you break it down to getting data earlier, wearing belts and buying a camera? Dude, you're a troll, and not even an interesting one.

Vargas got dinged a bit switching back and forth between 1B and 3B. I believe his bat plays better at 3B, his mitt at 1B. He seems like a gamer, and coachable. If he picks his 3B defense up a bit and irons out the rough offensive patches, I don't see an issue jumping from 1.8 bWAR to an average-above-average producer.

Quero was worth 1.2 bWAR. Baseball Prospectus had Quero near the bottom in catching defense with an overall -9.1 runs saved. Teel ranked for favorably, with 1.2 runs saved. They like his framing. Quero gets dinged mostly for his framing.

But the only thing that seems to come from inside was that Thames felt threatened by Gellinger's presence. The fact that Venable had to step in and redirect the greater hitting focus after the All-Star break is indictment enough of Thames for me. Every manager's going to want to bring in their own guys, and the White Sox have picked their coaches independent from the manager's preference. Looks like Getz is changing that.

Thanks for the background, but this sounds like the grousing of somebody who just didn't like Katz. The only negative detail provided on Katz was that he had a nickname. Also, is "Former MLB executive" Rick Hahn?

I believe I just read the most ridiculous line written here in the last year. Somebody questioned the value of having data three days earlier back in July, and this tops that plenty.

It's ludicrous that you haven't even voted, yet, and are criticizing everybody else's choices. Voting is scary.

That ranking did come out in late July when Getz was, indeed, the director of development. Is there a lie in there I'm supposed to find?

Getz hasn't been in the Sox org for a decade. I always find it weird when you guys insist that Getz was running the White Sox front office, even while playing 2B for the Blue Jays, or while he was assistant to player development for the Royals.

He better hurry up, then. Bochy is out in Texas. Bruce Bochy Will Not Return As Rangers Manager In 2026 - MLB Trade Rumors

I guess that's why real GMs base their decisions on actual scouting and not listicle rankings. I suppose if Mayer or Campbell got into our system, Getz could have fixed them, too.

I thought I was being too exuberant in the bold predictions thread when I said 60 wins, so they exceeded my expectations. B. There seems to be a seriousness under Getz, and he lacks the Hahn-descension of the previous two GMs. I like how they handled Vargas and Colson, turning their seasons around. Crochet trade? Some here still complain we didn't get Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, and we'd be horrified with their output on this year's White Sox.

I have faith that Getz wouldn't run his own version of Gordon Beckham out there 5 years in a row.

I would say that outside of Brett Lawrie, they never actually tried since to fill the position. Moncada and Madrigal were intended but got injured/were moved to 3B. I would think they'll have a little better hit percentage with the way they're targeting SSs in the draft.

1) I don't think a "window" is a goal. A continuous flow of prospects is. Billy Carlson and 2026's 1st rounder probably don't hit the majors for good until 2029. 2) I don't see Sosa and Vargas as being part of a core unless they seriously step up their production (.850 OPS). Vargas is a nice place-holder, where if he stays at 3B and hits a little more consistently, he can be a 3 WAR player. If they can't replace Sosa's 101 OPS+ in the next 3 seasons, this team has bigger problems than a small window of contention.

Players don't need to defy age and play forever at the same level they are right now in order to have value to a team in a particular season. You seem to be arguing that because Konerko and Quentin are now old and can't play baseball at a competitive level anymore, they never had any value and never should have been traded for.

Yes, I did say that the assignment was to not set the loss record again. I also mentioned 7 other items I thought were positive moves forward. I would have liked for the team to avoid 100 losses, if only to kill the narrative. I don't find myself angry at where the team is today. This team did wind up in a uniquely bad spot that saw a convergence of bad draft picks, developmental failures, a complete collapse of the major league talent and historic neglect of talent acquisition. There's a lot to dig out from, and I believe Getz put a clear dent in the organization's issues. I fully encourage you to keep demanding better.

It seems that by your own definition, the White Sox did not embarrass themselves again, so they probably deserve an A for that. The 2024 Sox started out worse than an expansion team. An expansion team now gets to draft for a couple of years, then they have a draft where they pick players from other teams. The White Sox started out with a mostly depleted minor league system, and a veteran team that had completely collapsed. They really only had 3 tradeable assets, and two of those (Cease and Robert) turned out to have less value than we all expected. The fact that there's now a young core to build around is huge progress.

I'm not sure why you do this, Holden. Here, I'll clarify for you. If younger players get untracked by getting too in their own heads, or worrying about clubhouse politics, or whatnot, their skills won't matter. They need to remain focused on their responsibilities in order to perform and veterans around the clubhouse help set the example. Robert is a veteran, but I wouldn't call him a veteran leader. You only seem to be making my point for me. Robert needs veteran leadership (like Abreu provided) and his skills won't carry him if he's too in his own head.

It's a good thing nobody said that, then. GG said it's a positive because rookies came up and performed to the extent that they go into next spring training as the presumed starters. Coming out of 2025, we look to have most of an infield, 2 catchers, maybe 1 OF, 2 starting pitchers, and half a bullpen. I continue to say it's a rebuild, and I'm rooting for rebuild things. Get pieces in place. I fully support you in not seeing anything here as positive. Just quote us positive people accurately.

None of this has anything to do with what you're referencing.

I think veteran presence on a team is very important. Athletes across all sports talk about the importance of veteran leadership. I feel this would be like discounting stretching, or fundamentals, or wearing mitts on the field. Veteran leadership holds the clubhouse together, enforces good habits - all in a game that is 95% mental. If young guys get into the habit of stinkin' thinkin', it doesn't matter what their bat speed is.

I gave a B. The assignment was don't set the loss record, again, and they didn't. Traded Crochet for a good haul. Learned from the previous season's mistakes. Backed up Robert for the inevitable injuries. Didn't force trades on other teams' terms. I was told this pitching rotation would be worse than last years' and it was quite adequate. Filled RF, C, 2B, SS. I liked the glut of infielders so they could weather an injury or two without tapping into the Vinny Capras or Jacob Amayas of the organization after the All-Star break. .430 winning pct after the break. That's a 70 win clip. I would expect a bullpen cleanup, and maybe creating a glut of outfielders like they did with the IF could goose the win total into the upper 70s. Continued growth from the 2nd year players could push them up around .500.

Weird how Liptak doesn't have a list on that.

I'd love for someone to release audio of conversations between Getz and JR where JR is telling Getz to spend all of his money, and Getz is reassuring him that they can win with the lowest payroll in the league. *That* would make me bail on Getz.