GreenSox

He's been here 6 months, he doesn't have his own major league pitching coach, and I would assume he's focusing his work in the minors. I do suspect some of these vets (primarily Robert) are casualties of the new approach). There will be some free swingers who are good players and they'll have to figure out how to get the best out of them.

The first 6 picks look solid; they are all ranked and have nice write-ups. Very happy they picked Carlson. But I can't tell the price: how many of the subsequent 14 rounds were legit picks for their round. How many completely punted or semi-punted. Only one of the final 14 is ranked; each seems to have some skill and none look completely ridiculous, but 7 are college seniors. So I can't tell. And as I've noted before, in my opinion, a team in the Sox position has no business throwing away picks. They need as many lines in the water as they can get. If and when their overslot guys prove worthy of the price, then I'll change my tune. (And yes, I know how the draft works and I know that to pay players overslot you have to punt some rounds. That's the point- don't draft players who demand overslot. So far, they haven't proven to be worth it.)

7 college seniors/grad students. But they do seem of higher quality than prior years. Don't look like 10K guys for the most part. But not 150K guys either.

Exactly. If they pay up, they are objectively reaching. In the team's mind it would be like "well he was #20 on our board, we draft him at #43 and pay some overslot, we still got a bargain." And that's fine, if that team is better than the consensus at talent evaluation. But this is the 121 loss team that thinks it's better than the nom....... Maybe, I don't know that he's particularly over slot anyway. He's a good pick.

So do I. He's a 2nd round talent and we got him in the 2nd and he should get 2nd round slot (which would be the highest 2nd round slot).. As for "makeup", the problem with this team has been lack of talent. We need guys that can hit and have speed. Not a team of, with all due respect, Getz'.

Then they should have picked someone else. Reaching yields 121 losses.

Nice. They wanted a SS and got one.

A little late, eh?

Carlson or Irish. Not that difficult.

Arquette, Parker, Carlson, Irish: at least 1 will be there. Or Hall (underslot).

Amen. One of these SS. Hitters will be there at 10. Please don't clown this up, Getz.

they're really good at finding ways.

My Final Wish: Colonel Mustard in the Conservatory with the Candlestick. Marvin Gardens and Short Line Give me Jo Jo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi-GDD8yFyo&list=RDxi-GDD8yFyo&start_radio=1

What a crap game to lose.

Baltimore publicly offers $10 mll; teams pass until White Sox draft him at #10 and offer $6.2 slot. So he either waits til next year, or takes $2mill less than he would have gotten had kept its trap shut and, say, St Louis drafted him at #5. In this scenario though, the Sox absolutely should draft him, and perhaps offer him a little over slot as a feel-good measure. The harm if he doesn't sign is minimal (a lot less risk to the Sox if he doesn't sign than it is to the player).

It was odd pushing him to AAA when he was struggling in AA. Taylor wasn't struggling in AA and skipped AAA; but he has command issues...too much over the heart of the plate. Now maybe the major league pen is the proper place to develop that, but it needs development. All of this another reason I'd rather they not use early draft capital on a pitcher.

If Hall comes underslot, then fine. They want a SS, and he's a SS. And that's fewer picks they will have to throw away to pay for the overslots.

Didn't get another hit after Rojas killed the rally. Team leader, indeed. The braintrust must hold Julks, Fletcher, Palacios et al in truly low regard for Robertson to jump over them like this...good gracious.

I don't see why....if he drops, he drops.. The drop wouldn't be for signability reasons. It's a massive risk to wait a year . a lot more to lose than to gain. Of course I didn't understand why we paid Smith overslot last year....he would have had to be mad not to sign for slot.

For me, it's a hope, not a worry, that the rumors are because of assumptions, not real information.

I would be disappointed because this would make the 3rd lefty pitcher in our last 4 #1 picks. And he's a low-slot guy - too much comfort zone: Sox need broader diversification. And the Sox need hitters.

I notice a nexus between Vargas not hitting and his biggest advocate, Harold, not posting. Please resume posting Harold - Vagas needs you! Venable using Rojas as a pinch hitter is nothing but a clown act; not taking his job seriously.

Law, Mayo, ESPN and Fangaphs all had at least 2 players that were available at 5 ranked ahead of Smith, and all of them had Wetherholt ranked ahead of Smith. BPA hitter v. pitcher is really hard to determine anyway. And as Mags points out, teams don't trade their hitting prospects (except catchers, presumably because they generally hit well "for a catcher."). But I don't see the elite hitter in this draft (maybe Irish or Jace?, but high risk). The one angle is to trade for a recent draft choice- before the team that drafts him really cherishes him. That said, there aren't many great hitters out there. Teams win with a bunch of guys in the .700s. Get the pitching, defense squared away, so that at least we'll be ready when the hitters develop (which some will). And get some speed on this team, please.

It's unbelievable.

Houser throwing 7 innings in under 100 pitches, flummoxing the hottest team in MLB, is mighty impressive. Nice save, Leasure!