vilehoopster

Completely disagree with 1st sentence. Three amazing bats (when Eloy’s healthy). Keep them on the roster and keep them in the lineup. Find a way to get and keep those bats in lineup. If that means Vaughn and Eloy at corner outfield spots, so be it. Sox are not at .500 because of outfield defense, it’s because they can’t score runs consistently. You solve that by have a ton of strong bats in the lineup, and these three with Tim and a healthy Robert are the best the Sox have. Eloy won the Silver Slugger in LF; he certainly can do it again (if healthy). Sorry, I believe Vaughn is more than adequate in LF to justify playing him there for his bat, whatever DRS says or even is. DRS, another eye-test, made-up stat. How many people on here have said that Vaughn looks better in the outfield than Eloy? Tons of them, yet this DRS says Eloy is average but Vaughn is terrible, not buying it. You win games by out scoring the other team, you do that having your best bats in the lineup. I’ll say it again, Sox aren’t struggling to stay at .500 because of their outfield defense, it’s lack of run production. And if you put forth the argument that the Sox need more lefty bats in the lineup, it would have to be a pretty elite lefty to hit righty pitching better than one of those three. Get a real lefty bat at catcher or 2B or 3B, but keep those three bats in the lineup.

In ways that would take me longer than I want to write here, I question that Leary is as harmful as this stat you’ve discovered makes him look. Plus you seem to be cherry picking games. A strong argument could be made that Leary’s homer won the game yesterday. Does that make up for the game where your stats say he cost the Sox 1.9 runs (which seems every bit as subjective as saying his homer won the game yesterday). With that said, I agree completely with you main point, Leary needs to play a lot less, a lot less. I’ve said it here on this forum a few times before: of all the crazy shit TLR does, his obsession with keeping Leary in the lineup seems the most crazy to me; I don’t begin to understand it. You don’t need the stats you quoted above, just look at his pathetic OPS and OPS+. Serious question, do you think that other coaches and Hahn have talked to TLR about playing Leary way too much, expressing the same questions and stats that we discuss here. I have to believe they have, all of them including Hahn have brought up the Leary situation. I also believe that TLR just politely listens and then follows whatever twisted logic he uses and keep putting him in the lineup.

This is so funny. When I saw this thread, I thought it was being sarcastic, making fun of the trade for Soto thread. You know, mentioning another silly trade idea. I was going to start a thread like, “Let’s trade Leary and Grandal for Judge and Stanton” to keep the idea going. Then I started reading the thread and was it was legit, that some people were discussing this like it could happen. Wow, so funny.

“And an actual OF at that. No more DHs playing OF.” Pollock is an actual outfielder and when Vaughn plays RF; he too is actually an outfielder. I said this before: offer every team in baseball, you have a choice of Vaughn or Conforto in right field, but Vaughn can only play RF, who would you rather have? Because of his bat, every team would take Vaughn. Why. Because his bat truly is elite.

“Lol, yea, why would the Sox need an elite hitter against RHP? “ He’s batting 0.00 this season and he hit .232 last season. Your idea of “elite” and mine differ somewhat. If you go back further than that, you’re talking about back when Keuchel was good too. How relevant is that now. You go back and look at stats back then, Pollack’s stats for that good run Conforto had, Pollack’s OPS was better.

I can’t believe people still trying/ hoping White Sox will get this stiff. All you guys calling for the Sox to go after this guy, just admit you were wrong. But no, you want to be proven correct. He’s of no value to the Sox at all. The same guys who complained about the Sox signing vets like VV or Harrison, want Sox to sign this guy in hopes he’ll be good NEXT year so they can say they were right all along for wanting the Sox to sign him before the season started, you know, back when Conforto was hiding his injury.

This is 100% correct. Like talking about getting Machado and Harper, they were never, Soto is never going to happen.

I would debate that Vaughn, with what he is already doing with so few at bats and so little experience is more likely, I would say much more likely, to be a top 3 to 5 hitter of all time. Again, over the NEXT ten years, not last few years for my comparison.

Soto is younger but has 1925 major league ABs. But Vaughn has only 690 major league ABs and basically nil for minor league experience, but for this year, their stats are comparable. Vaughn in 40 less ABs has more RBIs and much higher BA but Soto has more homers and a higher OPS. Give Vaughn the experience of 1900 ABs and we’ll see what his OPS is then.

Starting next year, I would bet that if you look and compare stats over the next ten years (again starting with the 2023 season on thru 2032) I would bet big bucks that Vaughn has a higher OPS, more RBIs, and a clearly better BA. I am confident that Vaughn is going to be that good.

How is Anderson so bone headed on the bases, just amazing. Remember last week or so he was picked off 1st base twice on back to back nights. One was like just now where he wasn’t paying attention and stumbled off the base. I don’t get it.

Agree with the Play Harrison part of this %1000. Of all the stupid, senseless things TLR does, his obsession with playing Leary so much is the most baffling to me. Doesn’t he see Leary’s stats? Wasn’t he at the game last to see how well Harrison played and how his bat is coming around? Harrison is a better defender at 2nd? Has any one of the other coaches asked Tony what is his deal with continually playing Leary. It makes no sense. So frustrating.

Can we stop this ridiculous statement that a bad outfielder is a danger to the other defenders on the field. It’s stupid and it’s stated on here continually as if it were a fact. A slow defender or one who takes bad reads on balls is no less or more likely to call for a ball, nor is he less likely to hear a player calling him off, like the Eloy and Robert bobble head last week. Again, repeated on here continually and it’s silly and a silly argument.

Righty or lefty pitching, I don’t care. Play Burger and sit Moncada’s ass down. I’ve said it here over and over: Moncada doesn’t care. There is no more clear evidence it this than Monacada running the Sox into that killer triple play. He had NO idea of the situation at all, not mentally into the game at all. Don’t come on here and complain about Burger’s defense. Like Vaughn’s D in the outfield, detractors greatly exaggerate Burger’s bad D. I can think of three games this year Burger has directly won with his bat. I can’t think of a game that Moncada won with his glove. If you talk about Burger losing games with his glove, we’ll compare that to the game Moncada lost two nights ago with his clueless (I don’t give a shit) base running. Plus Sox need home runs, that’s Burger light years over Moncada. Play Burger, and equally important, sit Moncada.

What is the rule here? If Engel would have stayed at 2nd and tagged, it’s pretty obvious Moncada would have passed him or, at least, ran into him. It looked like Engel wanted to tag but saw Moncada coming. If Engel had stayed at 2nd and Moncada passed or made contact, wouldn’t they both have been out? Didn’t Engel have to run or both out? Again what is the rule if a baseruuner passes or bumps into the runner a base ahead of him?

Anyone sane. Anyone would be better. When he was hired I though it would either be great or a disaster, but I never saw this level of a disaster. LaRussa has totally lost it. His moves are day after day indefensible. Sitting Sosa two games and then batting him lead off???? Sitting Anderson today??? And EVERY GAME is like this: crazy ass lineups and in game decisions. For all the Sox injuries and other problems, I absolutely believe if the Sox had started the season with anyone else in baseball other then LaRussa managing, anyone in the majors or minors, they would have 5 to 10 more wins. I’m telling you, many, possibly a majority of this Sox team is at the “why give a shit?” level and just earning pay checks now and it’s because a crazy fuck is captain of the ship and they know it, and they know they can’t do a damn thing about it. They have quit on him and the team and are just going thru the motions.

I think this 1000% true. I think the majority of the team is at the point of why even bother with this insane idiot in control. I think a large percentage of the team has become so disheartened and dissatisfied by his bizarre moves and lineups that they are just going through the motions. The Sox team had to show up this morning knowing they needed to play well and win today. And to show up for a must-win game and see Anderson sitting, how do you think you would feel if you were a professional player filled with pride. You know a ton of them had to be thinking, “WTF, what else can this crazy old Fuck do to stick it up our asses?” And this sort of shit happens game after game after game. If it pisses us off, how do you think it makes them feel? I think many of them have just given up, are now playing to get paid and hope LaRussa is gone next year.

Making moves or not making moves: none of that will matter as long as LaRussa is manager. I think a large percentage of the team has become so disheartened and dissatisfied by his bizarre moves and lineups that they are just going through the motions. The Sox team had to show up this morning knowing they needed to play well and win today. And to show up for a must-win game and see Anderson sitting. You know a ton of them had to be thinking, “WTF, what else can this crazy old Fuck do to stick it up our ass?” So staying the same or making a move will not matter as long as LaRussa stays manager.

I can’t believe you’re still on the Conforto bandwagon, after the hidden injury thing? I don’t get that at all Also, can we quit with the Vaughn is a danger to hurt himself playing outfield because he was a 1st baseman in college. He doesn’t dive after anymore balls than Engel or Robert. That he is a danger himself and other defenders is brought up here all the time and accepted as if it’s true, but it’s completely stupid. He’s no more or less likely to hurt himself and others because he’s slower than other RF. Because he’s slower, is he less likely to call off other outfielders or not hear other outfielder call him off. It’s silly. Let ask you a question: Let’s go to all major league teams and offer them Vaughn or Conforto in RF next year but the player can only play RF. How many do you think would pick Vaughn? ALL OF THEM because righter/ lefty whatever, being slow of foot, they all would want that bat. So can we stop this silly idea that Vaughn is a danger in RF and that his defense is so bad that it isn’t more than adequately made up by his bat.

Isn’t Stoney, if you read between the lines, saying unload Eloy. That’s what I get from, “The key is knowing who’s who.”

Wow, that follow up comment by Stoney sure seems to imply a lot about Eloy and his work ethic, and none of it complementary.

I don’t get batting Moncada 5th. Abreu hit 2 out yesterday. With Moncada hitting behind him, will he see a strike tonight that is not a mistake? Shit like this I don’t get. It just seems so basic to understanding lineups.

I agree with others, this is not LaRussa’s fault.

That was some loud boos for Leary as he walked to the dugout, Keuchel loud. Were the boos for Leary or the manager who has him batting lead off?

10 hits in 74 at bats is not a slump. More telling is that he only has two walks, again, two walks! He’s not looking at pitches; he’s not battling through at bats, he’s not trying to make pitchers work, he’s just hacking away. That’s not a slump; that’s “I don’t give a shit.”