Chisoxfn

Schnur came out of the gate hitting good, but then the injury broke up his rhythm and he never really got back into a groove. I really like Schnur, in fact, I think within a year he can establish himself as one of the best 3rd base prospects in all of baseball.

Well it works well for the Sox or at least I hope it does, since we got that righty predominant order.

The Warthogs game was rained out today. They will play a double hitter on Wednesday.

i could do that as well, if thats what the consensus is. The only thing with a subcategory is, considering the higher amount of pinned posts on the main board, it could end up with a ton of pinned stuff. if I were to do a seperate forum, then it would be the 2nd main forum in a sense. It would be directly below Pale Hose Talk on the directory.

UPDATED: Seems like everyone thought this was a great idea, so the board is now up and ADAM!!!! For a while we've thought about opening up a Minor League Specific Board. Minor leagues are a real popular subject and this could make it easier for everyone to keep track on those type of things. I also know that in the past some people didn't like the idea. With the board getting bigger, some of the threads are more easy lost in the shuffle and wanted to get an idea on what everyone thinks of it?

Honel is going to likely skip his next start and then will be back or at least thats what Rex reported. Nothing official out of Bham, everything seems to be quiet.

Didn't see it in either of the press releases I got from Winston. Will double check them when I get home tonight.

If he tore it that would be bad news. It definately be Baker related cause Prior's mechanics are smooth.

Happy 16th You can finally drive!!!!!

Oh ya, I got your email and I'll send it your way tomorrow. Was lazy tonight

Right now I think is too early to make any moves. Wright kept the Sox in the game against one of hte most explosive offense in the majors. I realize the Yanks offense has struggled thus far, but that is still an incredibly difficult lineup to navigate through. Bottomline, the team was in the game and thats all I can ask from my 5th starter. In fact, I think Wright is capable of going out and shutting a team down a few games, which is something you can't say about a lot of 5th starters. As a whole, if your back end starter keeps you in the games, then thats enough for me. Right now I keep Cotts in the pen to help ease his transition to the majors. I want to see him get consistent innings. Now if after 4 starts from Scho or Wright, we see that one has just been awful (hopefully both aren't) and Cotts has pitched good, then I'd make the switch. Until then, I say leave things the way they are. One thing I've learned as I watch baseball more and more is, people have to be patient. Sometimes people are way too patient, but most of the time they are too impatient.

Or it was because it was like his 4th start and he hadn't even pitched as high as AAA yet. Geeze, some people expect someone to come up and be Randy Johnson or Greg Maddux from the get go. It doesn't happen, pitchers still have to develop as they are up, every player does. You aren't just bam ready to produce, unless your name is Albert Pujols or Dontrell or Brandon Webb. Its very rare. If anyone is going to right off a young pitcher that made only 4 major league starts and only spent part of a season in AA and freaking dominated then all I'm going to say is its stupid. It was a given he had things to work on and his control is much better thus far this year then it was last year. Most importantly, his curveball is looking way better then it ever had. Him developing a third pitch is a huge key, plus he has the cutter as well (4th pitch).

I think this was the best offensive game of the season for the Sox. They hit the ball on the screws all day (Minus Dorn and Crede). I was shocked when some of those balls weren't going for hits or homers. Its a tough loss, but I think the Sox should of won.

Who knows, if people new that their wouldn't be much guessing in baseball. That person would be superior to any GM in baseball as well as any scout in baseball. Thats what makes it so hard. You just want to get as many quality players as you can so the odds are better that you get some really good players to develop. The other hard thing is, the Sox haven't had any incredibly high picks to get a guy like Prior, Mauer, or a Jared Weaver (This year's almost guarantee #1) so it puts you in a position where you really have to scout well.

Haigwood pitched 5 innings today for Kanny. I think he gave up 2 runs and Kanny lost. Still, very good outing considering its his first start since his injury. By 1st start, I mean first start that counts.

Felix has always thrown a fastball, slider and a plus changeup. Nothing wrong with his stuff and he is still pretty young. Rauch got hurt, case closed. He'll never be what everyone once expected him to be. Prospects get these projections when they are really young and when they don't meet them its turned into how big of bums they are. Most of the time, guys don't pan out near their potential level. If 10% of super star prospects panned out, each team would have 4-5 SUPERSTARS. And you want a two pitch pitcher, look at Randy Johnson. He's probably one of the best two pitch pitchers of all time. Jarrod Washburn is essnetially a one pitch pitcher (He's basically all fastballs).

Hey Brando...are you watching the games. The balls have been absolutely crushed. The Sox have hit like 4 balls to dead center to the track, about 400 feet. And they haven't been pop ups, they've been line shots. The Sox have hit the ball on the button every at bat. I realize you have something against Rooney and I'm not listening to him, Im listening to the Yanks guys, but the balls have been absolutely scolded. Get over it.

To add to that, he was shelled last season. Still has high upside and I don't consider it much of a concern.

The job of a 5th starter is to keep the team in the game. Last I looked the Sox are in the game and they were going up against the Yanks #1 pitcher. He may not of been great, but he gave up like 4 hits and 4 earned runs. I'll take it out of my 5th starter in New York.

Nachreiner and he's going to be in Great Falls this year. He'll be in Arizona until then (or I'm assuming thats where he'll be) working on his mechanics and such.

Look at the attendance, the Sox have led Chicago in attendance numerous times and it can happen again. It takes consistent winning and playoffs.

Ya, I still can't figure out why Deininger and Castro are in the pen, cause both are better then some of the guys starting in Winston Salem. I understand with Castro, but Deininger moved to the rotation for half of the season last year in Kanny and should be capable of handling High A ball. I think two guys will be moving up to the Hogs rotation sooner or later, not sure who it will be though.

2004 Winston Salem Warthogs Preview By Mike Doyle April 11, 2004 FutureSox.com After winning the Carolina League championship last year, the Winston-Salem Warthogs are almost a completely different team. Gone are workhorse pitchers Kris Honel and Ryan Wing who were promoted to AA Birmingham, as well as manager Razor Shines who will join Honel and Wing at Birmingham taking over for Wally Backman. While last year’s Warthogs team was carried mainly by pitching, new manager Ken Dominguez will be given all the offensive tools he’ll need, especially in the outfield, which we’ll review first. Outfield (4): Brian Anderson, Normand Martel, Ricardo Nanita, Ryan Sweeney The everyday outfield of Anderson, Sweeney and Nanita is bursting with talent, containing three players that made Baseball America’s White Sox top 30-prospect list. Oddly enough, Anderson, Sweeney and Nanita were all selected in the 2003 draft (1st, 2nd, and 14th rounds respectively) and all show explosive offensive upside. Anderson, who will be the ‘Hogs centerfielder, was drafted out of the University of Arizona with the 15th overall selection of the 2003 draft, and has legitimate five-tool talent. Anderson is considered a complete hitter, showing patience, power and an ability to hit for a high average. While Anderson did have surgery last year to shave off a bone in his wrist, he showed up to Spring Training at one hundred percent and quelled any doubts about the injury. Along with Jeremy Reed and a plethora of others, Brian Anderson leads a very solid outfield core throughout the White Sox minor league system. The only thing Ryan Sweeney didn’t do at his first big league Spring Training was make the White Sox 25 man roster. Less than a year removed from High School, Sweeney impressed just about everyone who laid eyes on him this spring, including a scout who referred to him as “a God”. ESPN’s Rob Dibble also boldly stated during an interview that Sweeney could be in line for a September call up, but that looks to be a very remote possibility. Although Sweeney is merely 19 years old, he looks like a veteran at the plate with his smooth left-handed stroke. Sweeney has yet to develop serious power due to switching to wooden bats, but talk to any Sox scout and they practically drool over his offensive potential. It will be very interesting to see how Sweeney produces in his first full year in professional baseball with such lofty expectations, but the Sox organization is quite optimistic. Without a doubt, Ryan Sweeney is the player to watch this year within the Sox organization. Although teammates and fellow outfielders Brian Anderson and Ryan Sweeney gobble up a good amount of praise, Ricardo Nanita is one heck of a baseball player himself. At Florida International Nanita led the Golden Panthers in nearly every offensive category during the 2003 season and was rewarded by being drafted by the Sox in the 14th round. Nanita has solid tools across the board, but his batwork and baseball knowledge stand out. Nanita can literally do it all at the plate and impresses equally on the base paths and in the field. With the spotlight set squarely on Brian Anderson and Ryan Sweeney, do not be surprised if Nanita surprises a lot of people with a very solid season. Normand Martel is in for a repeat tour of the Carolina League and it is doubtful he will see the amount of playing time he saw last year with the ‘Hogs (117 games). Martel is stuck behind the best the Sox have to offer in the outfield and it will likely be a late inning replacement at most. Martel should expect to see more playing time around midseason if either Sweeney or Anderson are promoted to AA Birmingham. Infield (7): 1B – Casey Rogowski 2B – Pedro Lopez SS – Mike Myers 3B – Troy Cameron IF – Tommy Nicholson, Chris Amador, Brian Becker While the Warthogs’ outfield is bursting with up-and-coming prospects, their infield consists mainly of holdovers from the previous year. 1B Casey Rogowski will spend his 3rd year at Winston-Salem, which serves as a disappointment to both Rogowski and the White Sox organization. Rogowski was once considered a solid prospect but injuries as well poor power numbers have dropped him off the Sox radar. Rogowski shows good defense at first base but the Sox would prefer much more offense from Rogowski. 25-year-old free agent Troy Cameron will patrol third base for the Warthogs after spending 2003 in the Independent League. Cameron has shown good power throughout his career (he was drafted in 1997 by the Atlanta Braves in the 1st round), but has never hit for a high average. Cameron should see a good deal of playing time this year. While the Hogs will field veterans at the corners, up the middle is a completely different story. Pedro Lopez and Mike Myers will make up the ‘Hogs double-play combo, with Myers finally escaping the Rookie leagues after four years. Myers is a very solid hitter who will be pushed very hard in hopes that he can keep up his success from last year. Lopez is a very toolsy second baseman that projects to be a future leadoff hitter. Lopez has very little power but can hit for average and is a terror for opponents on the basepaths. Because of his speed and soft hands, Lopez is a fine defender. The backup infielders consist of holdovers from last year’s Warthogs squad, but all are very interesting cases. Tommy Nicholson is a very versatile player who can play a number of positions in the infield. 2B Chris Amador is probably the fastest player in the Sox system behind Ruddy Yan, but has loads of trouble at the plate. Brian Becker is almost a mirror image of Troy Cameron except he plays at first instead of third. Amador could see extended playing time if Lopez is moved to SS for Myers. Catcher (3): Carlos Lee, Wally Rosa, Ryan Wade (DL) Carlos Lee, the brother of current Sox leftfielder Carlos Lee, will be the starting catching for the Warthogs this year. Wally Rosa returns for his 3rd year in a Warthogs uniform, albeit this time as a backup. Ryan Wade is a definite feel good story for the ‘Hogs. Wade was a coach at Hillside Baptist College in Oklahoma for the past three seasons but will make his first jump into professional baseball. Starting rotation (5): B.J. LaMura, Rob Purvis, Beyong An, Sean Tracey, Nik Lubisich The Warthogs pitching staff has questions, to say the least. Staff “ace” is 26-year-old Rob Purvis who was drafted by the Sox in 1999 in the 1st round, 45th overall. Purvis’ career has been derailed by injuries and inconsistency but he hopes to put those troubles behind him. Following Purvis is Beyong Hak An and then B.J. LaMura. Beyong An was obtained along with since traded Franklin Francisco from Boston in exchange for RHP Bobby Howry. An, who hails from South Korea, is a classic finesse lefty who will be returning to Winston-Salem for the 2nd time. LaMura is a flamethrower out of Clemson University who must develop his secondary pitches to become successful. LaMura was plagued by control problems last year and he must correct them as he moves up the minor league ladder. LaMura easily has the upside of any Hogs starting pitcher. After being placed on the voluntary retired list, Nik Lubisich changed his mind about baseball and pitched very effectively for Kannapolis last year. Lubisich has had a good amount of success in the Sox organization and there is no reason to think he won’t continue that trend. Rounding out the rotation is Sean Tracey who struggled mightily in Kannapolis last year, but turned his season around at Great Falls. Tracey has good stuff but his lack of success at Kannapolis is a bit worrisome. Bullpen (7): Brad Murray, Jose Espinal, Dwayne Pollok, Jason Stumm, Paulino Reynoso, Rick Hummel, Julio Castro Look for the Warthogs’ pen to be very effective this year, especially from the right side. RHPs Dwayne Pollok, Jason Stumm and Rick Hummel (closer) should be the workhorses of the bullpen, but some other players could be thrown into the mix. One such player is Jose Espinal who spent last year as a starter in the Chicago Cubs organization. Also keep an eye on Paulino Reynoso who could be pushed into the starting rotation if an injury or demotion occurs. As the 2004 season begins, newcomers Brian Anderson, Ryan Sweeney and Ricardo Nanita should provide loads of excitement at Ernie Shore Field. But while the excitement should be in the air at Ernie Shore Field, the pitching staff must step up and surprise people. If their pitching is non-existent, 2004 could be a very interesting seasons for the Winston-Salem Warthogs.

Well people have said I look like Justin Timberlake

Nice 1st start for him.