Chisoxfn

Well I think it was this week that Kenny mentioned he did everything he could to get a trade off before Rauch went or something along those lines. Him and Ozzie even sat together working the phones or something like that. Garcia is out their but the Mariners are probably holding out for more. Sheets could be out their, especially now that it could be possible that Kenny will give up someone of Reed's status.

I'd agree. I think Kenny is burning to make a move and acquire a heck of a pitcher. Personally I don't think their is much chance that we see another 5th starter from within. The Sox are going to make a trade by then, I just hope Kenny doens't force something. He's not going to sit around and continue to see the Sox lose every time the 5th guy pitches till July...he's going to address the issue now and I gotta say its reasons like this that I like Kenny, although its also reasons like this I can dislike Kenny

Plus if the Sox give up 3 or 4 prospects, just think of it this way....they got 4 extra draft picks compared to most ball clubs to use to go right back into rebuilding the system. Trading your prospects is just another way of utilizing your farm system, imo. The Sox have done a good job growing from within (even if they can't find a 5th starter) and using your prospects to acquire a 5th starter is similar to developing them from within. I'm guessing a package of Borchard, Rauch and a good prospect could be a possibility.

Just saw it...gonna merge what I posted into the other one

I'll merge what I posted into here BUt ya, this article got me pretty excited. I just think Kenny is going to do whatever it takes. I dont' know if it will work, but it at least gets me excited. I don't want to see the Sox sit and wait. The lack of a 5th starter (it means the Sox are going to loss 1 out of 5 before you ever step onto the field roughly) is gonna really hinder the Sox, plus it could put added stress on the bullpen. By June 12th, the SOx are going to have a new starter...book it.

Williams Pining for Pitching The Article goes on to mention that Kenny is not actively shopping any of the current playesr although he says no one is untouchable. It sounds like he's willing to give up any prospect in the organization and he went on to say the reason is because of 1917. Sounds to me like he's pining for a deal. It also says that its believed he is looking for a #1 starter and that JR has given him a large amount of leeway financially. Who knows if this is true, but I have no doubt Kenny is going to pull the trigger soon. The question is which prospects are going where and what pitcher are the Sox getting. All I know is that I"ll s*** a brick if I see a good prospect going for Kris Benson. However, if its Ben Sheets, I'd give up a good amount including the #1 prospect in the organization Jeremy Reed if thats what it took. Sheets could help the Sox get their this year and frankly thats what matters. Plus, getting to the playoffs boostes revenue and can help put the Sox in a position where they can add to the payroll.

Happy Bday to the two of ya. One of which is responsible for the Great Hot Chick Contest Hope you both have damn good ones

Thats really good.

Typically its because AA is where the best prospects are. The jump from AA to AAA isn't that big so if a team is very high on a prospect they may have them skip the level, especially if they think the player is special. The only difference between AA and AAA is AAA has a lot more minor league veterans that may be a little more patient, but overall, the raw talent level in AA is much greater then it is in AAA.

I think Borchard will be the 1st up, assuming his back isn't too bad. I know he was available to pinch hit tonight and I'm assuming he will be in the lineup tomorrow. I got a feeling the Sox don't want to rush Reed, especially since he's dealing with one of his first slumps in his professional career, which I believei s caused by his injured wrist.

I don't know. I think the Sox have some guys that are capable of turning into solid 5th starters, although the Sox will have to be patient with them and ease them into the development. I don't expect anyone in the Sox organization to come in and dominate. The Sox don't have any prospects that are capable of doing that, imo. However, I do feel that Felix Diaz or potentially Arnie Munoz could come in and eventually turn into a pretty good 5th starter after a few starts, well a lot better then what the Sox have had.

But since he's a two sport player you can spread the bonus around or something along those lines. Plus Fields has made up his mind to play baseball. This wasn't the case with Borchard. Borchard had no problem sticking around another year and playing football. As a 1st round pick, Fields will get a lot more guaranteed money then a 5th to 6th round pick in the NFL who will take a chance of beating. My thought is you can't not fire the trigger on a guy because something similar didn't work out a previous time. That would of been like not getting Colon last year cause the last time you gave up a few pitchers for one it ended up biting you in the ass (see the Ritchie trade).

From what I read he would be a later round selection. He has been very good for the Cowboys though. Some scouts feel he's a little too small to be a pro qb. He is 6'2 but it could be one of those 6'2 where he's really 6 ft. Also, each day I'm going to do another draft preview. The next one will focus on some players that should be available during the sandwich round (The Sox have two selections then) and then the following day will be in regards to the 3 2nd round players and then the following day one on random players I like that could be taken later.

What I suggested is having a ticker below and instead of talking about all the players do more of a focus on the early players drafted. Then start talkinga bout the organizations as a whole, drafting strategy, all those type of things because its something so few people are in. I don't think many people know how the MLB draft works and all that stuff. To me it would be neat if they did things like that. Included in that is showing video clips of some of the current prospects and what not. It would just be like a 2 day video session on future guys coming into the majors, talks with some gm's, talks with some scouts, video footage of guys that are currently in the minors. It be a great way for MLB to start hyping some of its FutureStars and while they increase their revenue by having it on tv, they also are going to help minor league baseballs revenue increase as well cause more people may end up checking out some minor league games because they are a little more familiar with some of the stars.

Dontrell Willis was pretty damn raw. I don't think he had any AAA time and he had very limited AA time if I recall. I think Brandon Webb made the jump from AA too, but not positive on that.

Its quite simple, the Sox can't have guys pitching on 9 and 10 days rest and expect them to come in and pitch good. IF they are going to go with a guy they need to do all they can to help them suceed. It is hard enough making the jump from AAA to the majors, let alone making it when your going to be rusty because you haven't pitched in your normal schedule. Pitching on the side is not the same as pitching in game situations. The Sox dicked around with Diaz, they did the same with Cotts and Rauch was and is a bum since his injury. Its not like the guys the Sox are bringing up are some of the best prospects in baseball. Some of them have potential, but in all honesty, the AAA level isn't very good pitching wise. I think Majewski has a MLB arm while someone like Diaz has a shot. Other then that, they have a good minor league pitching staff, but I don't think it will do much at the major league level. However, the Sox have quite a bit of good arms coming up in the lower levels.

Sowers is pretty damn good. The guy flat knows how to pitch, but I don't see much of a chance on him falling to the Sox pick. If he did, not a chance in hell they would pass him though.

MVP, but I've heard ESPN is pretty good too.

Or if they are in the JUCO world series, then they can get an extension of some sort or something?

I can honestly say, my curveball has more break then Rauch's and when I throw my curve it goes down in the zone. I do struggle throwing it for a strike, but when I used to pitch on a consistent basis I had every bit the curve Rauch had today. That was brutal and it was finishing at the letters.

Ya, but Billy just struggled. No matter what, Billy has been nothing but a team player and I don't think anyone will deny that.

I'm guessing draft and follows...let me look up some info on them from the draft writeup last year. 42 or 43 Eric Everly: The White Sox must really want Eric Everly, as this was the 2nd time he was drafted by the Sox. In his first year at Olney Central Junior College, Everly showed a good K:IP ratio, and continued that success with the Waterloo Bucks, who play in the Northwoods League. Could be a candidate for draft-and-follow. Brandon Johnson: 44. Brandon Johnson, 18 – L/R – 2nd – Crowder College (Freshman) Brandon Johnson is a freshman at Crowder College, who played his high school baseball at Glynn Academy in Brunswick Georgia. As a freshman it is likely that he is a draft and follow candidate. Johnson, like many latter round picks, doesn't have good odds to be a major leaguer, and will likely be a tough sign, simply because the odds are stacked against him and the money isn't there. Plus he has the leverage of being able to play another three years of baseball at the collegiate level, trying to improve his draft status. The Sox may have some other draft and follows signing soon. I think they have within like a week of their season ending or something along those lines. Rex, do you know exactly how much time they have to sign the potential draft and follows?

Well it will be interesting what happens. Did Rauch sound sincere? I'm guessing though that the people within the organization know what really happened and I don't think any of us will ever know the actuality. Maybe Kenny jumped the gun or maybe Rauch is full of balognie. Either way I don't expect to hear anything else about this other then speculation. Still, I fully believe it was the wrong thing to do, even if he was supposed to drive down, you wait until you hear from someone within the organization. Plus, I'm assuming he would be flying and not driving so he would have to wait for the Sox to set things up for his plane ticket. I just know I lean to it being Rauch's fault cause I've heard numerous bad things about him and his attitude.

No idea, but I know there have been a few articles in regards to televising the draft. I don't see why they wouldn't. I have a lot of ideas they could use that I didn't mention in the article cause I didn't want to go too in depth. When I started writing the article I wasn't planning on even talking about it and then it ended up kind of going there. I should of added more content to it though.

Munoz is who I think it will be. I just made mention of it on the post about Rauch.