vilehoopster

Can we quit with the trade/flip Abreu stuff? We had one all-star last year: Abreu. In the preseason, MLB.com listed the 100 best players in the Majors; Abreu was the only White Sox player on the list. Can we stop with dumping, arguably, our best player for some prospect we won't see for three years or so. Hopefully, the window to winning starts next year or 2021. Really, we're gonna roll the dice on Collins and dump Abreu?

I knew somebody would bring up the World Series win last year. But OmarComing beat me to my counter-reply. I was going to make the exact same claim: The Red Sox would have won the division and playoffs to World Series without Sale. He didn't do much of anything in the post season.

Do people remember last year, when people, especially Red Sox people, were saying that the White Sox really got taken in that trade. I know many Red Sox fans were smirking about that trade. Well, with the Moncada we have this year, and the Sale that Boston suddenly seems to have, this trade looks pretty good to me right now. Also, remember we got Kopech, Basabe, and Diaz also in that trade. So even if Sale were completely healthy for a long time onward, I never felt that the White Sox were taken by any stretch. Of couse, Moncada was the important one in that trade, and (I know it's early, but) he's looking awfully good right now. I guess that old saying that you have to wait a few years before you can ever judge a trade is being proved true. But the scales are tipping in favor of the White Sox with that trade now.

Did you see the clip of Ozuna of the Cardinals trying to take away a home run last night? He literally climbs the fence/ wall and stays up there by holding on to the top of the wall with his right arm holding onto the wall and on the other side of the wall. https://www.mlb.com/news/marcell-ozuna-climbs-wall I know he didn't catch the ball and fell back onto the field, but . . . I think that this is should be illegal and if a guy catches a ball in this manner, climbing a wall like that, the batter should be awarded the home run. I'm okay with fielders jumping up and reaching over the wall. I'm also okay with fielders putting a foot on the wall/fence and pushing off to get higher and over the wall. But when a fielder literally climbs the wall, and holds on standing on a section of the wall or fence. That should be illegal and the batter awarded a home run whether the fielder catches or even touches the ball. When I saw him in the video up there waiting for the ball, it reminded me of the Bugs Bunny video where Bugs goes up the flag pole and throws his glove to catch a home run. An outfielder should have to stay in the field of play, and when a fielder climbs a wall and hangs on to the top of the wall (I know the wall is in the field of play) but is the top of the wall in the field of play, and either way, holding on up there breaks the spirit of the idea of a player staying in the field of play. Do you agree or disagree; what do you think?

Has anyone see this? www.mlb.com/news/d-backs-announcers-call-manny-machado-bush-league The Arizona announcers aren't very nice to Machado. But really, I somewhat agree with them. What do you think? I think he did exactly what the announcers are saying he did; I agree with them. But it's tough. I am far from confident. But that type of act (dropping the bat there) is pure Manny Machado. I was never in love with the Sox signing him. But now that we missed, I glad. I don't want to cheer for an A-hole.

I agree 100%. God do people overreact to one or two games. His bat will come around. Are our memories so short that we have forgotten all his clutch home runs last year? His defense will get better. With what he did with his bat last year, he deserves a chance to play. It's Yonder Alonso who shouldn't be on the team and should be Palka DHing. But we're stuck with Yonder and Avi is gone, so we have to be patient. That you guys want to dump Palka or send him down is so short sighted and just an emotional reaction.

I was looking at the Sox Top-30 prospect on MLB.com and Medeiros is nowhere on the list. He was (I think) 16th or 17th last year. And what I saw of his stats in spring training, he looked solid, at least. Does anyone have a reason why he would fall off the list. Also, where was he assigned? AA or AAA? Thanks.

I'm gonna embarrass myself here and admit that I don't know what you mean. Does "out of options" and the "pass through waivers" thing mean that he can't be sent to the minors without being put on waivers and therefore claimed by another team? Is that what you mean? Also, are you therefore also saying that the Sox will keep him on the roster as a long guy or 5th starter and not chance his being taken by someone else on waivers? Thanks in advance for making this clear to me.

After seeing the lineup the Dodgers put out there today, does the pitching performances from from Banuelos and Covey mean anything. I'm not asking to devalue what they did today; I really don't know. I've mentioned before that I'm new to paying attention to spring ball. So, did Banuelos and Covey have good stuff and is it a good sign for both of them as the spring winds down or was that Dodger's lineup so weak and forgiving on mistakes anybody could have looked good against them. Also, what's your opinion? Is the 5th starter going to be Banuelos or Santana. My guess it that it will be Santana with Banuelos down in AAA putting pressure on Giolito to show something soon.

I was a huge Giolito fan last year. The strong Sept. in 2017, a great spring in 2018. And even with his struggles early in last year, I believed in him. Then he had the really good late July and August. But wow, he has fallen off a cliff. September was TERRIBLE. This spring he is TERRIBLE. Remind me if I'm wrong, but he has not gotten through his first two inning of any pitching appearance of this spring without giving up, at least, three runs. Isn't that correct?? I know it's spring ball, but really, zero appearnces where he hasn't given up at least three runs in his first two innings pitched? Wow, that is bad! If Banuelos is looking solid in AAA, we cannot waste a year on Giolito in 2019. If he is close to as bad as last year by July, we need to make room for Banuelos. Now, if no one is looking good enough to bring up by then, I guess we keep putting Giolito out there, and hope for improvement. But I am really starting to believe that you can't fix head case.

Didn't Don Baylor in his playing days have a court system for his fellow players in the locker room where he would assess fines for stupid plays and lack of hustle, things like that. The fines were known before hand and Baylor would sit at the court and assess the fines, and the players accepted this as being led and being part of a team. Does anybody remember this? Is it even possible today with players spoiled and pampered like they are? I wish Abreu would set up something like this. One he should fine for is if a reliever comes in and immediatel walks the 1st batter he faces (Like just happened for the guy who came in for Rodon). Other things I would like to see fined is if Moncada takes two called third strikes in a game. Maybe one for Anderson getting picked off 2nd base.

Plus, he got to face White Sox pitching a lot last year.

The Sox have a few players last year who would have had as many RBIs as Alonso, if they would have had as many men on base in front of them as Alonzo had and had batting behind them the type of players Alonzo had batting behind him. In other words, it was a lot easier to get RBIs on that Cleveland team than last year's White Sox team.

I agree 1000%.

I am a Giolito fan and supporter, but damn it!! Could he please, one time, get through a 1st inning without giving up a run or two. I am starting to lose faith.

1. As a new guy to paying a lot of attention to spring training results, is it pretty well assumed that early in spring training, that the batters will be ahead of the pitchers? That seems to me to be true as I look at the various box scores. 2. If the goal is to give players as many at bats and fielding opportunities as possible, and to give the pitchers plenty of innings and looks, it seems to me that the teams ought to be playing split squad game pretty much every day. Why don't teams have split squad games 4 or 5 times a week? It just makes sense to me to play tons of split squad game up until the last couple weeks of spring ball. Please explain the logic in not doing this.

Calisoxfan --- Pollyanna 2.0 -- I'll be okay soon, but right now I don't want logic; I wanna complain. So, I will continue to do so, and I'm doing to you what your profile picture is doing.

"I'm going to choose to find enjoyment in the growth of individual players. Wins and losses haven't mattered to me since they traded Sale et al. If enough individual players improve, the wins will come as well. " I understand you point and I get it that it is only spring ball and the future will be better, but really, your Pollyanna speeches sound empty and silly. I understand that we need to be patient; but when I go to the park, I want to see the White Sox win. When I turn on the game, I want to see the Sox win. And your disregarding that for "enjoyment in the growth of individual players" is bullshit. You don't even believe that. You're just saying that to further you point about remaining patient. But come on?? This has been a tough, tough spring. And being down 9 to zero to the Cubs after two innings has to be the low point of a very unfulling spring so far. I (and most of us) understand your point. But can't you just close your eyes behind your rose-colored glasses and let us b**** some. Nine to nothing to the Cubs after two innings . . . .

I really hope that they're not going to just give it to Santana. Really, why give to Santana over Banuelos or even Covey? What's the logic behind that?

Why such a late debut? Was he hurt or something else?

I want to add my voice to all who want them gone. They aren't worth a damn, and all they are is a reminder of how cheap-ass and pathetic the FO was when it refused to pony up the needed money to get Machado.

I have a million more times faith in Banuelos, Medeiros, and especially Rodon than I do in Covey and Fulmer. Both those two have stunk for years. God Damn, Covey is 5 and 21 for a career, and Fulmer was terrible in both the majors and AAA last year. Set those two free and look someplace else. Anyplace else, including Banuelos and Medeiros.

I am happy with the two bull-pen guys. And really, Nova, at worst, has to be less bad than Shields or Covey. Any money spent so I don't have to watch Covey start a game is money well spent as far as I'm concerned. But as for the Machado buddies, it was embarrassing to get them in the first place (embarrassing bordering on pathetic). So I say, get rid of those two as quickly, quickly as possible. They piss me off that they're here; just the mention of their names angers me. Plus, rationally, they have no point to being on the team. All they do is take bats away from younger players. If I were in charge of the White Sox, I would tell those two to not even show up at spring training any longer. We'll try to move you as soon and cheaply as we can.

Boy, I really think that the Sale coming back here ship has sailed. I don't think the parting was too friendly. But even (by some really outside chance) that we did resign Sale, do you really think Lopez is not gonna be part of the rotation next year, Lopez??? He looked great down the stretch. You have more confidence in three huge unknowns: Cease, Kopech, and Dunning, than you do in Lopez. I also think Giolito will be part of the rotation next year too. Now for Giolito, I can see why others doubt him, but I still think his upside will show this year. But I am no where near as confident in Giolito as I am in Lopez. Your listing Cease, Kopech, and Dunning as starters next year just proves that old adage. The unknown backup quarterback is everyone's favorite player.

Have an ERA of under 4.75, which doesn't sound great, but a huge improvement. It would give him another year in the rotation. Cut way, way, way, way, way down on walks. Not absolutely suck up the first inning of half of the games you start, so the team feels like you're giving them a chance to win.