FoxForce2

Anyone been watching the HBO series Succession?

Yes but the Astros went full tank mode from 2010-2014 as they rebuilt and restructured their organization both top-down and bottom-up. They wiped the slate clean at all levels and started over. At the Big League level the Cubs followed this trend to a significant degree. Not so much in their minors. The Sox indeed tanked, but the core philosophy hasn't drastically changed to the extent that Houston's did. This might indicate that tanking is, in large part, an all-or-nothing proposition. If a team is going to re-invent the wheel they are likely better served by doing a complete job it of rather than by doing it in partials and increments.

You've shown little more than creative accounting re: flipping numbers to support a flawed POV. Can you spell r-a-t-i-o-n-a-l-i-z-a-t-i-o-n? How about s-t-r-a-w-m-a-n? Simply put, I haven't been making much of a comparison at all between the Sox and the Braves. Different teams, different leagues, different situations. And yes - I do think the Braves made better mid-season personnel moves than the Sox did. The result of an organization having a winning tradition and culture vs a team just getting its feet wet in this whole Playoff Pool thing. When it comes to a winning track record - The White Sox are green. SOS has, maybe, even more meaning in baseball than other sports when looking at splits isolated out of an entire season and represents dynamical analysis more appropriately than you give credit for. Are you acquainted with the term statistics independent dynamical analysis? In any case, there is often a true bottom line in matters such as this and in my case, this line is represented by an additional 4 figures appearing in my betting account when I bet on the favorite Astros over my 'home team' Sox (I haven't lived in Chicago since 1968.) I'm an infrequent bettor but do listen to the rumblings around Vegas on various sports topics. There was very little kool aid being dispensed regarding the Sox' chances and I didn't drink any. The Sox were at least somewhat over-rated coming into the Playoffs and it would have taken a Pulp Fiction miracle to have gotten them past the Stros. That would be the kind of miracle that the Braves got in their Playoff run this year. A Braves team I wouldn't have dreamed of betting on (Series appearance) even in mid September - or now for that matter. I'm happy now. Think I'll pop a top on a cold Goose Island.

Respectively the Phillies and Braves were ranked 8/9 in MLB end of year SOS. That, considering that they had the Marlins and Mets in their division. And yes, both the Braves and Phils made something like late season surges that the Spiders errr Guardians couldn't and didn't make. The Indians were without their top three starters for most of the season and for all practical purposes tanked the year with an eye on the future. Had the Sox played even upper half level of SOS, I have my doubts whether or not they (we) would have even broken 90 wins. Especially, considering the state of our starters in the second half. Iron sharpens iron. Even if it is just the Braves vs Phillies. Kudos to the Braves for making the smart in-season personnel moves and surging when it counts - Last Man Standing. Were the Sox in the AL East this year - the idea of making a WC would be a dicey proposition.

Yes - in the Sox fan world (or any fan nation for that matter), many think in terms of "All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds!" I wonder if Nick Saban has ever bought into this way of thinking? He seems more like a Constant Improvement Process/Performance Management (CIPM) Six Sigma and Total Quality Management (TQM) kind of guy to me. Rah Rah Siss Boom Baaaaaa! Oh wait - that's football. Go Sox!

This pretty much reveals the weakness of the Sox Scouting and vetting processes. Something that has been a problem for quite some time. Something I would think would be clearly recognizable as an area to seriously address in terms of method and process. But what do I know? I was surprised that Hernandez didn't work out at second base. Even without the anomalous high dinger rate, he looked like a sold get. i.e a guy that would lock down the position in the field and be at least a bottom order contributor at the plate. In the field, he wasn't much more than meh - and at the plate well... Yolmer S. field play alone might have provided the Sox more WAR than what Cesar's all around play did. I kid, but Hernandez' performance as a Sox is just one more example of failed personnel moves.

This nails it. Develop a professional analytics/scouting team and integrate them into game planning/in-situ play --- and we might really have something. Kinda like the big kids do.

I find your logic rather bizarre. White Sox SOS in 2021 -28th in MLB- and you're arguing that this is irrelevant regarding the Sox 93 wins and dominance of the AL Central? Good luck with that.

I never said the Sox were 'so awful'. Where did you see that? I just don't see the point of pumping sunshine when there are organizational corrections to be made. As of Sep 13: Sox record against teams above .500 - 23-28. 2021 White Sox SOS - 28th in MLB. "We're in the business of deception - not self-deception." Martin Sheen character in the film The Departed

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

LOL - it certainly should be. Too bad it isn't.

The Phillies at least gave the Braves a run. No one in the AL Central gave the Sox a run. The Braves are not the Braves of the Cox years - but they are still head and shoulders above the Sox WRT organizational competence. This WS appearance is at least something like a proof of that.

And a reasonably fit, two-kneeed Lynn. A fielding scheme that actually plays against the tendencies of the opponent or at least a defense that plays well as a unit wouldn't hurt.

Any realistic look at the 2021 season has to take into account the collapse of the rest of the Division. Put the Sox into the East or even the West and you have a very different picture. I didn't say the window was closed. I just don't see that we've gotten it open all the way. Old windows can be hard to get sliding up and down when used infrequently. They get stuck.

Playoff appearances - long term: The Braves and Boston. Shorter term: The A's and TB. If you make the playoffs, you have a shot. And to beat the dead horse further - you have to make the playoffs to have any shot at all. The dysfunctional Sox organization just doesn't get it and seemingly hasn't really wanted to - get it. By the time the Sox get in the habit and practice of making the playoffs - we might very well be out of this so-called 'window'. What happens then?

Did Turner even play against the Braves? Muncy was out of the entire post-season. A healthy post-peak Kershaw had at least a shot of making a contribution had he been on the roster. Roberts didn't exactly handle Urias and Scherzer very well in this series. Injuries. And MORE injuries. Even a team as deep as the Dahjahs couldn't suffer the short fused losses of two of the foundational pieces of their lineup. I don't know that Houston would do any better were they to lose any two (pick 'em) of the heart of their lineup on short notice. I don't know if the playoffs are a crapshoot - but there sure are a basket full of variables for any team to contend with.

SIAP https://www.mlb.com/news/white-sox-arizona-fall-league-overview-2021

Agreed but getting a quality #2 catcher (not necessarily a 'backup') would appear to be a priority this offseason.

Kimbrel was the best *closer* in the NL prior to the Sox acquiring him. There is a distinct difference between a closer and a reliever. Miller was a reliever (a Fireman), - not a closer.

Abreu wasn't especially 'awful' in years past, he was simply a below average fielding first baseman. In 2021 he improved his game to the point that he was an above average 1B. GG? errrr no - but still - he was a sold plus in the field this year. What concerns me about Abreu is the drop in BA and most glaringly the GIDP. In a New Age lineup batting him in the 3-slot probably makes sense, even though 5 or 6 might be just as productive. Of course, considering his status in the organization, the question would be - is he willing to change lineup positions? p.s. The notion of trading or even non-tendering Abreu is not at all practical. The Konerko parallel aside, the Sox are fully committed to the Cuban Connection and the Cuban players on board and coming up through the system have a high regard for Pito. Simply ditching him would not go over well with these guys. Even in his twilight years, Abreu will be a significant value-added element in the Sox culture and not just as a figurehead.

You can 'hide' a fair fielder in left. You can't do that in a RF. The position is more challenging than LF in every respect.

You're underestimating the depth of checkers.

I don't know about 'scared', but the Sox frequently looked either intimidated or resigned to an imagined negative inevitable throughout the series. Almost as if the batters didn't think they belonged there.

Or drunk managing an MLB contender either.

The Sox organization seems to take a perverse pride in shooting themselves in the foot regarding anything resembling modern baseball play. Spray charts? Who needs 'em? Analysis of pitchers vs hitters? Bwahhhaaa! These funny numbers teams play in the game these days don't matter worth a damn. The outfits that are going with these new fangled ways are just fooling themselves. Nevermind that they're advancing in the playoffs and we're not. Hey! In making the playoffs at all - we're proving that we're ---- (wait for it), ------- better than most.