LDF

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 1, 2015 -> 02:30 PM) Phil Bickford, RHP, Southern Nevada (JUCO) Bickford continues to put up silly numbers for the Coyotes as he struck out 13 over five shutout innings against Southern Idaho on February 19. He was hitting the mid-90s with his fastball and continues to show his plus command of his stuff. He now has 40 K/6 BB over 20.1 innings, allowing four runs on 11 hits. The 6’-3” right-hander is a likely first-round pick, and the continued development of his secondary stuff, as well as consistently maintaining the velocity, will determine just how high he will go. Ian Happ, OF, Cincinnati Happ’s calling card is his ability to hit a baseball. So far this season, he has done that pretty, pretty good. He went 10-for-14 over the weekend against Santa Clara and is now 17-for-30 (.567) on the season with four doubles, two home runs and three walks through seven games. The 6’-0”, 205 pound right-hander might be the best college hitter in the 2015 MLB draft and could benefit from a lack of premium bats this year. from an aritcle of the top 10 college players week 2 3rd week match up college players. as much as i really like Happ and Bickford being at the #8 slot for the sox to pick, that is if all the major prospects are selected. another name that is starting to pop up is Kyle Cody, RHP, Kentucky. so far as the mock draft are selecting, he is in the high teens. but if he continues to pitch as he has, he should move higher really fast. 6'7 fast ball that easily sit at 95+ mph and a slider. i wonder if he has a 3rd pitch. i am really liking his makeup. i know what the baseball experts thinks of this yr draft, but i am wondering if that will change come april or may.

QUOTE (sammy esposito @ Mar 3, 2015 -> 03:57 PM) I hope this expands I could watch baseball year round. well said, but i would like to make a minor correction to you post, i would add, i could watch SOX baseball yr round. sox and sox prospects.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 4, 2015 -> 05:21 AM) I am totally fine with chitownsportsfan's argument and the fact that he is bearish (relative to the SoxTalk crowd) on Micah Johnson. Would the same amount of dissenters have came at him if he was bullish to the same extent? If not, then there's probably a little bit of protecting going on there. He's a good poster and whether everyone agrees with his argument he can make a decent one. Micah is the fan and organization favorite. The beat writers have been hyping him for the job since last September. Let's not act like a bunch of people didn't have him as the starting 2B yesterday. Caufield was the only one using ST stats to justify an argument. So you're now forming your big argument around a generalization you made on White Sox fans based off of one thing that caulfield said. This is why I included the caveat of him getting on base at a 33% clip. My worries were the Sox would be too rigid with lineup slots and choose not to feature other options in the 2 hole. I'd set .305 as the over/under but in the case he outperforms, he needs to be at the top of the lineup with Melky bringing more power in the middle of the lineup. I don't know why anyone would be that excited with Garcia-Gilaspie/Beckham-Alexei-Flowers-Sanchez/Micah 5-9. Where is the doubt? I know exactly what Rick Hahn envisioned and what Robin is going to do and that is Melky Cabrera in the #2 hole. My point, based off of the last two years, is that RV would be unwilling or hesitant to move Cabrera down in the lineup if a situation arose where the team would be better served with him at #5. If Avisail Garcia is going .240/.290/.340 in June and we have other options at the #2 spot then Melky should be batting #5. this was a nice discussion, i was catching up on. the only problem i have is, this is the first week of spring training. i would really like to see how the players are separating themselves from the others, in about a month. but as the bolded, i like the idea of having options. this team didn't have that many viable options last yr, this yr, with some of the prospect nipping on the heels of the starters, i like the future. i love this, all this talk, chi baseball talk. music to my ears.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Mar 4, 2015 -> 06:39 AM) Not sure any game is not going to be ugly for awhile with this team. We are missing 3 of our main 6 guys and imo, this speaks volume on the coach. able to do this. i guess i am hedging is this should finalize the idea of who is more valuable, Thibs or Gar.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Mar 3, 2015 -> 09:21 PM) Best free antivirus? avast

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 2, 2015 -> 11:22 PM) De Oca was looking for 7 figures. Zero chance they could do that unless Rodon signed well under slot, which was never going to happen. thanks for the update and i am now corrected in my thinking. that other player you mention, i don't anything about him. did he sign with anyone??

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 2, 2015 -> 06:38 PM) De Oca was the emergency backup plan if Rodon didn't sign. They knew he wouldn't sign for the amount they'd have left after Rodon, but without Rodon, they may have been able to scrape together enough to get De Oca as a consolation prize. They also drafted a guy lower down named Adam Choplick. He wasn't nearly at that De Oca level, but the idea was that if they managed to get Rodon signed for something like slot, they'd have a little more money to play with to grab him. It's a complex game. i will put a disclaimer here. i am looking at this from a draft nik point a view. so pls take this with a grain of salt. now, what kind of pissed me off, if Rodon and agent would have sign for the allotted money for the pick, the sox would have that money to spend on De Oca. the assign slot was + / - 5,700.00 and Rodon signed at 6,500,00. i think that was around that. so the question is what would it have taken for De Oca to sign??

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Mar 2, 2015 -> 06:49 PM) It's probably silly on my part to make the leap, but I'll say that Fry is intriguing, somewhat, because of Coop's/org's history with lefties with middling stuff and pitchability. He'll get the benefit of the doubt from me until he shows he's not of MLB caliber. yeah Fry was small and all. but he was being look at 2 nd round. then he got hurt. i was really surprise the sox took him in the 3 rd. i really thought he will go 4 or 5 round. but heck, what in hades do i know. i like fry as i like adams. i see adams, and i know what others have said, but a weak #1 or a solid 2. pretty much like Q. i see Fry as a weak 3. he does have room to grow with his pitching arsenal. the thing is, with the great knowledge that some of these posters have. i like to get some input from them. for me, i would trust them before i trust my own opinion. i have a tendency to be too strict. for dang it, if bryce would have sign. that draft, the the face of the minors would have look really good.

was there any updates since the swelling went down??

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Mar 2, 2015 -> 02:39 PM) The 2014 Draft has the chance to be really special for the White Sox. If they had been able to (somehow magically) sign Montes de Oca and drafted Jakson Reetz over Fry, we'd be looking at possibly one of the highest upside drafts for a team in recent memory. fry, reetz..... wow. for me that is too close to pick. i like fry. i like what he has to bring. if i remember correctly he was injuried and i think he would have gone higher. what hurts the most is loosing de oca. i wanted him to sign so bad. oh well.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 2, 2015 -> 04:11 PM) The Bulls playoff bandwagon. funny and creative.... i love it.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Mar 1, 2015 -> 02:33 PM) 90 years old that is sad..... RIP.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 1, 2015 -> 03:20 PM) Scott Darling, a cheap veteran backup, plus a solid defenseman you sign with the cap savings. that is one what to think about it. but the hawks needed crawford in goal on the 2 wins of the stanly cup. if i remembered correctly. he was the difference maker.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 28, 2015 -> 02:17 PM) Kevin Duchene made his first start for Illinois yesterday against Ball State following a suspension 7IP 5H 0ER 0BB 9Ks everytime i see that name, i keep on thinking i am reading something from hockey.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Mar 1, 2015 -> 01:59 PM) After reading more information, I think the writers are confusing tendons with ligaments. The 3 week timeline makes more sense with a ligament avulsion. If this is the case, there will be no long term problems. whew ..... i hope you are right. many thanks for clearing that up. maybe now i can step back from the cliff edge.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Mar 1, 2015 -> 04:50 AM) Like the deal as well. Windows close very quickly, need to strike while the opportunity is there. Goes without saying it all comes down to when Kane can come back healthy. It's a race against the clock. Additionally, they should be able to stockpile some draft picks back this summer with trades of guys like Shark, Bickell and possibly Crawford. it is a steep price to pay, esp for a expiring contract. if this deal works out and a Stanley Cup comes from it, then it is a good payment. i wouldn't count on Bickell being easily moved not with his contract and performance. i wouldn't be surprise at Shark being moved now.... as for Crawford, who will replace him???

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 28, 2015 -> 02:17 PM) Kevin Duchene made his first start for Illinois yesterday against Ball State following a suspension 7IP 5H 0ER 0BB 9Ks anything from Phil Bickford or Haap??

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 28, 2015 -> 11:23 PM) It does bring Rodon's name more to the forefront. in a way, not really. it all depends on the sox brass and how they want to develop and the agreement with his camp. with sale being hurt, the team still has 4 sp's and a 5 not needed till late april early may. the sox still has Beck and possible a re-emergence of EJ, let alone any other surprises that may come from spring training. this sucks.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Feb 28, 2015 -> 08:34 PM) I think we're all just hoping for the best man. i am too. but a injury to a foot can screw up the mechanics of weight transfer. i would rather have him fully heal before expecting him back too quickly. i am also looking at the first 2 - 3 weeks when the team don't need a full rotation. the sox needs him healthy. i never heard of this kind of injury, but i am looking at the best idea of when he can be back and take a full load.

my question, after his recovery, how will this affect his pitching. meaning, his full pitching motion. will his follow thru, his mechanics be affected in a sense of trying to rush into training and getting ready for the start of the season.

QUOTE (asindc @ Feb 28, 2015 -> 04:16 AM) Yes, because I'm focused on the less than 40% chance of success even with the heart of the batting order coming up. hey thanks for your answer.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Feb 28, 2015 -> 04:39 AM) I'm just saying it's hard to believe so many people thought Anderson had the ability to hit the ball on the big league level. He looked awful at the plate. and you saw this and came to this conclusion when he was a rookie???

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 10:22 PM) If John does that then suddenly they'd have very little reason to actually move him. He'd genuinely be earning his contract. and i hate to say this, but i wouldn't be surprise if he make a real good case for being the #4 pitcher. this is my faith in him.

QUOTE (asindc @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 05:54 PM) I think so. As a fan of the Sox, I would love to see the Sox adopt a more proactive approach to baserunning. The general approach to baserunning around baseball has become more passive in the last 20 years or so, especially more emphasis on advanced stats that seem skewed towards power hitting. An example of something that really needs to be improved upon IMO is sending a running home with 2 outs. Obviously, no one is sending Paulie unless the ball is on the warning track, but most guys can go for it. Otherwise, if the runner is held up on 3rd with 2 outs there is less than a 40% chance he will score. I would like to see some statistic analysis that addresses my hunch, which is that I think the average runner has a better than 40% chance of scoring if sent. therein lies the problem i am having. you are advocating send a runner home with 2 outs, from 3rd. but would you do it when the heart of the batting order was coming up??? remember there is right or wrong answer i just trying to figure this out with the great hitters the sox may have in the lineup. old school vs new school.

QUOTE (asindc @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 04:59 PM) I think the emphasis on power numbers has caused a de-emphasis on the speed aspects of the game, and I'm not just referring to base stealing here. Even taking extra bases is sometimes discouraged with the idea that the team is better off with a slugger's chance of driving in the run(s). I can't speculate on how well current players would hold up trying more than 100 steal attempts in a season because no one currently even tries it. let me ask this. i can see how a runner may not want to the runner to take that extra base, when you may have hitter like Jose A, melky, adam coming up. that is the whole point of my question, should there be a review of strategy going into this season?