thomsonmi

Great news on an otherwise s***ty day. I think this group of draftees is going to be a memorable one.

You can't take Frank out during a tie game. He's been the best hitter on the team in recent weeks. That would be a MORONIC decision. If we were winning it would make sense. Otherwise, you need to keep him in there. I think Ozzie stays with his starters too long too but the front four have been as good as any front four starters in baseball so far this year so its hard to argue with results. His pitchers are much more confident than they were under Manuel. It's all about results. We obviously need a fifth starter and we obviously need help in the pen. I don't think you can blame that on Ozzie.

I'll look forward to your reports from the road.

:puke

I agree Beck and I remember that Sutcliffe went 16-1 that year for the Cubs. He was Cy Young-like. And, still, if I were a Cub fan I feel like we got burned in that trade.

My thoughts exactly, Dick.

Supersteve, I'm almost there with you on Sheets. I think Sheets may be special. The concern I would have again though is our ability to sign him to a contract. Which brings me back to the philosophy issue. We need to remember that $10 million dollar players are just not reasonable unless we dramatically change our budget expectations. We can't pay one player 1/6 of our budget and not have it cost us in terms of losing other players via FA. The Marlins and A's have proved that you can win championships with smaller budgets if you build from within. I'm afraid that's what we are stuck with under JR.

I don't have any problem with what you are saying. I just wouldn't make the trade. If trading a player for another player guaranteed us being in the World Series I'd do it in a heartbeat. Obviously, these trades come with no guarantees (see last year). I supported what KW did last year to get Everett and Alomar because we didn't have to give up too much.

Let me be more clear than. I don't want us trading Reed, Borchard, Sweeney, or Anderson. It's not just about Reed. The market value for a player like Garcia will not require us to trade a top-tier minor leaguer. The Mariners will hold out for one of those guys but not forever. This isn't about Jeremy Reed. It's about a philosophy for building a championship team. We obviously disagree about that philosophy. And, frankly, I'm fairly certain that KW sees things your way so I anticipate that KW will eventually satisfy your craving for a trade.

I couldn't agree more with this sentiment.

And, the main reason for my feelings here is that it has become clear to me that we are operating with a medium market philosophy when it comes to our budget which to me means we are only going to be successful in the long run if we consistently develop the best talent in baseball. We won't be a championship team by being impatient. We won't have a $100 million budget anytime soon.

These are tough calls for KW. Maybe the toughest of his tenure. The Sox have a number of good outfield prospects in the minors (Reed, Borchard, Anderson, Sweeney, and Brice) and obviously not all of them will become successful major league ballplayers. I'm more of a chicken when it comes to this. I'd be waiting to pull the string. I'd like to see how we progress over the next month. How many games will we actually need a 5th starter for over that time anyway? Even though I'm as desperate as the next guy to win now, I don't want to trade away Rafael Palmeiro and Joe Carter like the Cubs did back in '86.

What part of this statement reminds you of Rowand though? From the earlier posted article about Reed... "He can hit any pitch within the strike zone, and he simply refuses to swing at pitches off the plate. His approach is impeccable, and he is one of those guys who are just impossible to pitch to any one specific area. " I don't know. To me this sounds like the kind of hitter we need.

That makes alot of sense actually. The timing certainly was good for us as far as restocking -- since we had so many early round picks this year.

Now, I understand that we are going to have to trade somebody if we're going to get a 5th starter for the season but the market in recent years has not put the cost of a rent-a-player this high. We can get a better deal than trading our #1 hitting prospect.

Come on guys! We're comparing Reed to Willie Harris?!?!? I guess they are both left-handed, but other than that these are completely different players. I saw Reed down in Spring Training this year and first of all he's a fairly big player, in the 6'0", 195 pound range. And, though he's not a power hitter in the technical sense of the word he's certainly not a slap hitter. He's more of a gap hitter. Often these types of hitters have turned into pretty good power hitters as they mature physically, ala Rafael Palmeiro. The Cubs traded Palmeiro because he didn't have any power. Another good comparison as hitters go would be another Cub -- Mark Grace. Read this scouting report from last year on Reed... Prospecting Jeremy Reed by David Cameron Printer- friendly David Cameron kicks off his weekly look at the minor leagues with a player profile of White Sox prospect Jeremy Reed. Odds are, if you are reading Baseball Prospectus, you have probably heard of Kevin Youkilis. The portly Boston Red Sox minor league third baseman has made a name for himself with a remarkable penchant for drawing the base on balls. His gift of patience even drew him the nickname "Euclis; The Greek God of Walks," popularized in Michael Lewis' Moneyball. Over the past year, Youkilis has become the poster boy prospect for performance analysts who are unconcerned with athletic abilities or traditional "tools scouting." He has continued his walking ways this year, drawing the free pass 55 times in 210 at-bats while only striking out on 31 occasions. However, if someone mentioned the name Jeremy Reed, the list of people lining up to extol his virtues would likely be much shorter. While Reed is not quite prolific enough to be enshrined into mythology, his walk-to-strikeout ratio this year isn't far from epic. In 222 at-bats for Winston-Salem (Carolina League, advanced A-ball), Reed drew 41 walks and struck out just 17 times. That, along with his .343 batting average, earned him a promotion to Double-A Birmingham last week. In 25 at-bats since moving up, he is hitting .360/.407/.600 with a pair of walks and strikeouts. So who is this guy, and why aren't people writing about him in books? Reed made his name by being the star of Team USA in the summer of 2001, hitting .366 with wood and earning praise for his pure left-handed swing. He returned to Long Beach State for his junior season with projections of being a first-round pick in the summer of 2002. However, a relatively tough year with aluminum (he hit just .339) pushed his stock down as scouts began to question his ability to hit for power against quality pitching. Reed ended up as the White Sox second-round pick in 2002, 59th overall and the sixth outfielder selected. Oakland's Nick Swisher was the only college outfielder selected ahead of him. He signed for $650,000, or just a bit less than one-third of the amount Swisher got for going 40 picks earlier. When Reed was signed, scouting director Doug Laumann pointed to his value as a quality center fielder and potential leadoff hitter. Reed signed quickly enough to make his pro debut in low-A Kannapolis of the South Atlantic League. Hitting .319/.377/.448, his performance was not overwhelming, but considering a majority of college players head to a short-season league for their first year, he more than held his own. Interestingly enough, Reed drew just 11 walks in his 210 at-bats, but inflated his on-base percentage by getting hit another 11 times. He actually showed more power than expected, collecting 19 extra base hits (28 percent of his total hits). Armed with his Long Beach State profile listing him at 6'0" and 160 pounds, his college statistics (strong in batting average and stolen bases), and the White Sox praise for his defense and leadoff abilities, I developed a mental image of Reed that resembled Eric Owens or Aaron Rowand. I was surprised when I first saw Reed last year in Kannapolis, as he was not physically similar to either player, appearing taller, and closer to his new listed weight (193 pounds). Reed focused on hitting the ball the other way, and did not pull a pitch in four trips to the plate. He possesses just average range in center field, and he was not nearly as fast as I had imagined. He clocked 4.3-4.4 home-first from the left side, which is about average for a major league player. Overall, my first impression of Jeremy Reed was a pretty underwhelming experience. I got a chance to see him several times this spring after he was assigned to Winston-Salem and was pleasantly surprised with the changes he made to his game. He now stands more upright, resembling Paul O'Neill or John Olerud minus a few inches of height. He was pulling the inside pitch with authority, and his plate coverage is as good as either of the two aforementioned major leaguers. He can hit any pitch within the strike zone, and he simply refuses to swing at pitches off the plate. His approach is impeccable, and he is one of those guys who are just impossible to pitch to any one specific area. Reed's power is developing (34 percent of his hits this year have been extra-base knocks), but he still projects as more of a gap-to-gap hitter than a pure slugger. The historical precedent gives players with his ability to drive the ball consistently a chance to turn his doubles into home runs though Watching him, I would not expect him to become a middle-of-the-order hitter, but the numbers suggest that it's possible. On the basepaths, Reed uses intelligence rather than pure speed to rack up his stolen bases. He appears quicker than he was last season (timed at 4.1 home-first earlier this spring), but his instincts and ability to read the pitcher are what give him the edge. He's a very sound baserunner and he is wisely aggressive. You will not see him running into outs, but he is able to turn most singles into a two-base advancement. His average speed is evident in the outfield, where he shows sub-par range for a center fielder. The White Sox have recognized this and moved him to right field, which is likely where he'll end up in the major leagues. He plays center field once a week in case the need arises. The Chicago official I spoke to compared him to Mark Kotsay defensively, insinuating that he could play center field in a pinch, but will play right field on a team that cares about defense. His arm will work in right field, but it won't be an asset. Overall, the physical package is pretty average. He does not do anything poorly, but neither is there an outstanding ability that makes you say "wow." On the traditional 20-80 scouting scale (with 50 being average), he grades out as a 55. While that makes him just an average tools player, he's made the whole greater than the sum of his parts. The same Sox official raved about his "plus-plus makeup," which is scouting lingo for a really smart guy. Reed has a great work ethic and maximized every opportunity he has been given. Despite his positive traits, Reed has managed to be ignored by both the scouting and statistical community to date. Meanwhile, players like Youkilis and Jeremy Brown are getting attention for the organizations they are affiliated with and the people who write about them. Reed may not have the credentials that come with conquering Double-A yet, but he just turned 22 this month. Compared to the usual performance prospects, Reed is just a pup. The Sox have no plans to push him beyond Double-A this year, but the team could give him a shot at a spot with the big league club next season. from... http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=2039

Now, the more fascinating question might be where were you when Julio Cruz scored the winning run clinching the division title in 1983? I was at Northern Illinois University visiting my girlfriend drinking beers and running around giving high fives to people throughout one of the dorms there. I was a senior in high school during September-October 1983.

In fact, right around the same time I saw Ozzie at the Horizon. And, the opening act for that show was a bunch of guys dressed in black leather who had their faces painted with makeup ala Kiss style. The opening act -- Motley Crew.

"round and round" "what comes around goes around" Musical geniuses those guys... I saw Ratt at what used to be called the Horizon sometime in '83 to '85 time period. The opening act was a little old band by the name of Bon Jovi.

Packers suck! Now, with regard to '83, I was at the last two games. It was heart wrenching. Especially the final one. Britt Burns pitched fantastic but we just couldn't score any runs in that damn series (kind of like 2000). I will never forgive Jerry Dybzinski for over running second base and getting picked late in the game. He was the winning run. Then, that bastard Tito Landrum who probably only had one big hit in his entire career hit the game-winner. Great memories. I was at these games with my Dad. I was 17 which apparently makes me an old man on this board.

We're doing a great job signing guys this year. If those two are signed we're at atleast 25 which is already more than 2003 and 2002 drafts for us.

And, the signing of Fields is great news. At last check, the Sox had already signed 23 of this year's draft picks.

I couldn't agree more with you. I started reading the futuresox board during the recent draft and now I'm an addict. There's alot of good info on White Sox minor leaguers there.

Ozzie has clearly decided to give his four top starters a lot of leeway. Frankly, I thought Manuel yanked guys way too soon, especially Garland. I think Ozzie's trust in Garland has paid off so far. Garland, other than today, has been a much more consistent pitcher this year. I believe, our starters before the last two games were leading major league baseball in ERA. And, that's including the disaster that has been our 5th starter.

Sum b****!