Chisoxfn

QUOTE (JDsDirtySox @ May 31, 2008 -> 08:54 AM) Brett Wallace is a stud baseball player. The guy doesn't get the credit he deserves because he has a big butt... but I tell you what, I don't think you can go wrong with him. He is a good athlete. I think he is a better athlete than Smoak. If Smoak is Mark Teixeira... then I'd say that Wallace is Lance Berkman Those could be solid comparisons, with one exception. Lance Berkman was a CFer at one point in his career and he could handle all 3 outfield positions to an extent. I think offensively the comparisons are similar in the sense that both Smoak/Wallace have the ability to develop into those type of hitters and honestly, if you are going pure offense, those guys, along with Alvarez, are three guys you really be hard pressed to go wrong with. I'd still grade them out (Solely Offense): Smoak, Alvarez, Wallace

QUOTE (fathom @ May 31, 2008 -> 08:17 AM) So the Giants are obsessed with Smoak, so he's probably not going to be there. The word going around the BA office is that KW has his sights set on Beckham of Uga. KW went to see Beckham at the SEC tournament, and he stunk. I didn't know that Wallace won the Pac10 triple crown two straight seasons. He had a couple games in the SEC Tournament. If teams judged guys based on there SEC tourney, Alvarez wouldn't go top 10 either (he was freaking terrible in the SEC Tourney). Its about the body of work and the skills you possess and flash throughout the season and there is no doubt that Beckham emerged as the #2 middle infield prospect in the draft and he's definately worthy of going #8. Giants have been high on Smoak for a while, but it doesn't necessarily mean he goes there (if Alvarez slides to him, they'll grab him instead).

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ May 30, 2008 -> 06:35 PM) Are we talking about Bureau here, as well? I don't know much more about it so I won't continue to act as if I do. Concerning the actual story on Soxtalk, even if it were unconfirmed and uncorroborated, what's the issue? We're not a legitimate news media and shouldn't have to be held to the same standards. This is baseball, afterall. People have created threads before of imminent signings and rumors claiming some sort of knowledge most aren't exposed to. We're not revealing the identiy of CIA agents, here. And neither should anyone care about our reputation if, say, everything Bureau posted and claimed to have inside connecitons proved to be wrong. This is a problem with WSI -- they seem to believe they're more than a fan-run website. I know I'll probably experience the wrath of moderators and administrators, but I just can't feel for Bureau because he provided the information himself. Tell the WORST that could happen to Soxtalk? We exposed inside information about the restructuring of the minor league system. hahaha, that's nothing important. It'd be different in Bureau came in here claiming Williams is having an affair with some random girl. I will say one thing regarding this (otherwise I've said everything that needed to be said in the post I made). There is a major difference between me, or someone else posting something that we've heard from someone we know or that is close/involved with the organization and an actual employee of an organization posting this sort of information. And I say that with upmost respect to you Flash because I know you have the best interest of the site at heart. I also want to point out that while we may not be a media source, nor have we ever silenced anyone who wants to slam the White Sox (if you think they suck, by all means you can spew it as long as it is in an intelligent, anti spamming/trolling fashion).

I'll comment on this subject one last time. When this item was initially posted, we did our dilligence and went to sources to confirm the validity to the extent we could. We did exactly that and determined that what was being posted was to be considered reasonable (or as reasonable as anything can be which is confirmed through online intermediaries). However, as things progressed it became clear that the information posted could lead to larger issues (none, specifically related to Soxtalk). However, based on numerous discussions (not just amongst admins/mods mind you) we deemed it appropriate to remove such stuff from public information in order to do our best to try and clean up a mistake which was made (note, that we did all things to the extent to insure that no matter what, Soxtalk performed no innapropriate actions). The fact of the matter is that while I run this site to discuss Sox baseball and thrive on being the best community out there which at times breaks newsworthy stories well in advance of the national media(because we have a lot of people here who have an ear to someone close to the organization or in the organization), there are other things that are more important. And in certain instances, that includes the jobs of the people who have helped out or provided us with outstanding information. Bottom line, Soxtalk's position is that there are certain things greater than baseball and while what was said was said and was in motion, we deemed it appropriate to try and protect to our best extent the long term consequences of said actions in our attempt to do what we could to protect the "source". I will also make one comment regarding Cheat's Blog. We simply made a request, no strong-arming no nothing. I won't get in the details of the request but nowhere did we demand anything, we solely stated our reasoning behind our actions and that the person concerned wanted us to reach out (since they did not know who ran the blog). I'm fully aware that Cheat's blog is his business and I completely respect his decision. I disagree with the way he handled the situation (ie, throwing Soxtalk under the bus even though the information would have never been out there without Soxtalk, nor did I ever have to provide any additional information I provided him with regarding the situation) but I'm more than willing to take such heat for trying to protect a poster. It all goes back to the basics that Soxtalk was established under and I've always felt we've done our best to ensure that every member here has an enjoyable experience.

Someone refresh me who Annie is? Is that the one little girl who is nice to Ben?

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ May 30, 2008 -> 01:14 PM) Agree. Scherzer has a good chance of ending up in the bullpen. Lets not get crazy here. Scherzer has a great fastball, good command and multiple good pitches. The only major question-marks around him are related to his delivery and the amount of stress he puts on his arm. If he stays healthy there is absolutely no reason he will be pitching anywhere but one of the top 3 spots in a teams rotation.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 30, 2008 -> 11:34 AM) I still wouldn't be shocked if Rays take Alvarez. He put on a show during the Team USA tournaments last year, and those games were played in front of a ton of Rays execs. At the time, I was told they would take him with the first pick. I know he's fallen a bit since then though. The big thing is he hasn't looked near as compact this year. I still believe Alvarez is as close to a lock to be an all star as you can get from a draft pick (Smoak is the other guy I'd make this case about). To a lesser extent I feel similar about Wallace having an extended career as an above average hitter. In Crow's case I'm less certain about his long-term future, but I have little doubts that if he's healthy that he'll have an above average career with an upside of being a #1 or #2 (more likely #2 imo, but a lot can happen in the future). In Posey's case, he'd probably be the guy in the draft I'd peg as having the potential to be the best all around player (with Beckham being close, but more risk involved with Beckham, imo). Alvarez hammate injury definitely had an impact and he's still been solid this year, but nowhere near as productive as he has in the past (although every scout knows the tools he has).

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ May 30, 2008 -> 12:30 PM) Lets go bigger... How did a large ship like The Black Rock end up in the middle of an island? How is that possible, unless the island landed ON TOP of the boat??? Holy s***, you may damn well be onto something. In fact, that must be how it crashed, that boat was randomly sailing and bam, island dropped on it.

I don't know if I'd take Crow first. He has some potential mechanical issues that have scouts concerned. I do think he's the most complete pitcher in the draft though. Beckham is a better prospect imo, but I still say I'd take Buster Posey at 1. In the case of Matsuz (USD), I think he's a very good pitcher as well (saw him pitch a couple games last year) but he doesn't quite have the plus plus stuff that Crow has. That said, he has a very good build and mechanics and again, he should be a quick riser. However, I have more concerns that Matsuz could turn into more of a Jeremy Sowers type (who just isn't able to get bye since he doesn't have a true "dominate" pitch and if I'm taking a guy in the top 5-10 spots, I want a guy with at least a plus pitch).

QUOTE (dasox24 @ May 30, 2008 -> 12:03 PM) That's a girl? I was going to say the same thing. And the whole Jack Osbourne reference, classic. Personally I could give two s***s if there were pecking, if it was full blown, get a room type makeout than they should have been asked to stop (just as a male/female couple should be asked the same as well).

Scherzer has more risky mechanics and is older. I'd take Kershaw and its not even debatable, imo.

Mizzu needs the other starter to have a sick game (he's fully capable of it too). I don't know why, but I think somehow someway, they pull it out and make it on to a Super.

Iguchi really looked like he had slowed down. Defensively he had lost a few steps and offensively his bat looked slow. Not to mention the Sox had a guy in Danny Richar that they liked a lot (and to an extent still do). Also, the guy is only hitting .258 on the season, which is about as productive as he was with the Sox last year (he hit .251 with the Sox in 07). However, he did have a nice tenure with the Phils (.300 with an .803 OPS). Bottom line the guy is clearly on the decline.

QUOTE (heirdog @ May 30, 2008 -> 06:38 AM) I think that is Alexei's job if OC gets launched (likely after the season). No reason to do it now as even with the issues, we are winning and he is starting to hit. Uribe may be launched sooner. I still would be shocked if the Sox thought that highly of Ramirez to have him start out at SS next season. My guess is the Sox will clear some payroll in other places and make a significant push at Rafael Furcal or make some other acquisition (maybe a prospect). In house, I really don't consider Ramirez a viable SS candidate. Yes he has the arm, but all around I'm not expecting him to dominate the next 5-10 years at SS. I still think if he played there on a daily basis we'd see very high error totals and with a team built around strong pitching, the last thing you want to do is be poor defensively up the middle.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 29, 2008 -> 05:21 PM) Oh for f***'s sake, the team is winning and Cabrera is playing well and you're b****ing about it because Cabrera didn't want an error charged to him? Maybe when you see Uribe come back up and hit .220 the rest of the way you'll remember why you think he's a terrible baseball player. I was going to say, off the field issues be damned, Cabrera has been much much better than Juan Uribe. I realize Uribe is special defensively but some of you are making it out to be that OC has been bad defensively. He hasn't been a gold glover, but he's easily still one of the 6 best defensive shortstops in baseball and that isn't too shabby. Offensively, even after his horrid start, he's light-years better than the blackhole named Uribe. Come on people, Cabrera is a significant upgrade over Uribe. The key is to find a significant upgrade over Uribe at 2B. Maybe Ramirez/Richar/Getz will be that guy and prove it this year. Ramirez still has some massive holes in his swing but his raw abilities have helped make him relatively productive (to an extent, he's still not great, but I can live with it as long as he keeps playing good defense and improving because he has the ability to turn into an above average offensive 2nd baseman).

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 29, 2008 -> 09:37 PM) The question wasnt whether our team is winning, its what to do with Swish, and if AJP is playing better in the 2 hole or further down the order. The biggest change has been Q in the 3 hole as his RBI count is above how many games they've played. Its an illusion that AJ is better in the 2 hole, he is in fact been a better hitter further down the order. Lets wait till Swish starts hitting for a week or two in a row and at that point I think the discussion is warranted. AJP had a bit of a slump in the 2 spot, but aside from that he's been rock solid. I think the biggest reasons for his successes this season have been an improved approach (back to the old AJ of using all fields) and a much much better physic (he's in great shape after being rather portly the last year or two).

We must go back to the Island!!!

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 29, 2008 -> 08:40 PM) No doubt an international draft would be so good for the game, as it would keep the richest teams (Yankees, Red Sox) from automatically grabbing the best international guys, but, like ya said, the complications would be endless(assuming all older international players would automatically be in the draft too like college guys here)... -why would japanese teams give up their signed guys when they just got $50 mil from Boston just to talk to Dice-K -how do you decide between an 18 year old with all the potential or a 30-year old with experience that will contribute now... -does the worst team get the first pick in both drafts? i know the questions go on and on, just something i've thought about it a lot before Clearly if another league holds the rights, than a team drafting them would be taking its chances on negotiating a deal with the International Team that owns the rights (whether its the Seibu Tigers or someone else). I'm guessing there will be rules for what makes someone an International Free Agent (ie, someone who would no longer be eligible for the draft). Look at the NBA, players drafted high often times are under contract with a Euro Team. Heck, the Spurs drafted Thiago Splitter (sp?) in the 1st round this past year and were anticipating bringing him over this off-season but he's opting to resign with his international team for another year (and at that point, if he wants out of his contract to come to the NBA, the Spurs and that franchise would have to work out a deal).

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 29, 2008 -> 08:26 PM) The only question I've ever had about an international draft are the ramifications on international free agency. What would have happened to Contreras, Ramirez, Matsuzaka, Ichiro, and the others as a result? Would there be a pardon to those that have played at a professional level within their own countries? It'd be complicated, but some form of an international draft would be for the best of the game. I think that is the major question and something they will have to figure out. At the same time, this would really help put a competitive balance within the international market and would be great as a whole for international players. Having this sort of draft not only enables small market teams to get some of the best international talent, but it also enables international players to get a better say in the contract situation (since the whole thing will be better monitored and long term that is beneficial to these guys cause I'm sure long term it will lead to International Draft picks getting sizeable bonuses as well). The next question is if the International Draft is separate from the Amateur Draft.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 29, 2008 -> 07:20 PM) Gammons was just discussing Wilder on Baseball Tonight. He basically said he was singing to the feds and its probably going to implicate another organization. He also thinks it will ultimately lead to an international draft. He didn't just indicate another organization, Gammons indicated that what Wilder was screaming was going straight to the top of some organization (which leads me to believe it could be as high up as a GM). Gammons also indicated that such organization(s) he was telling the feds about were not related to the White Sox (it sounds as if the fallout from the Sox is pretty much over). The question is whether its the Brewers (could you imagine if it were the case, considering Selig's general closeness to the franchise) or Braves as those are the two organizations that Wilder was in the longest (IIRC).

OC singled in Swish I'm guessing?

Dye homer or something?

Whats the score, inning etc. Thanks

That doesn't mean the Cubs would have gotten him. Again, I don't think DSL/Gio would have been enough. Remember all the rumors about the various trades the Sox/Angels could have made based upon reports.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 29, 2008 -> 03:41 PM) I hate thinking that we could have easily gotten Hamilton, or even McLouth, for less than what we got Swisher for. Who the hell would have known McLouth would have done what he did and no way would the Sox have gotten Hamilton. Volquez is 10 times the prospect (hell the Sox didn't, nor do they have anyone in the system who even comes close to being Volquez).