CWSGuy406

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Jan 25, 2005 -> 02:10 AM) I doubt any teams out there would claim him and have to add him to their roster. He has only had one really good year so far. Some team would claim him, easy. Tracey has some nasty stuff, just a little wild... GM's love 'stuff', they see Tracey, he'd be gone.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Jan 25, 2005 -> 02:04 AM) There are a few guys from the 40-man roster that could be designated for assignment to make room for Iguchi... Pedro Lopez Paulino Reynoso Matt Smith Sean Tracey I doubt anyone would claim these guys. You're kidding, right? Sean Tracey is (considered by some around here) our second best pitching prospect behind B-Mac. Reynoso is a good call, but isn't Lopez an alright IF prospect?

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 11:05 PM) How about this? White Sox get: A.J. Burnett Marlins get: Jon Garland Willie Harris I would do that trade in a second. The Marlins get cost-cutting replacements for Burnett and Castillo and we upgrade our rotation. Reports are that Burnett is a real jackass in the clubhouse (I remember reading that somewhere this offseason). I dunno if I want two (just potentially, not definite) sparkplugs in Pierz and Burnett in the clubhouse. Plus, it's nice to have an innings eat as your fifth starter. We'd have three question marks (two health ??s, one mental ??) with Burnett, El Duque, and Contreras. I love Burnett's stuff, but I think we're OK heading to Tuscon as the team is now (maybe adding a vet MIF).

QUOTE(Chisoxmatt @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 11:58 PM) How do you disagree? He is super fast yet only had 19 SB. 19 SB's isn't terrible, considering he was yanked in and out of the lineup day in, day out. It's my belief that stealing bases is a thing of confidence. If you're confident, you can look like an all-star doing it. If you're not confident, you'll look silly. Isn't that, in part, why Raines and Podsednik were brought in? To get Willie some confidence (Obviously, that's to a lesser extent now with Iguchi here, but still, Raines and Podsednik are going to teach Willie a thing or two).

QUOTE(mmmmmbeeer @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 11:26 PM) Agreed. Harris is not a guy you want coming in to PH and is not much, if any, of a defensive upgrade late in games at 2B or CF. You could only bring him in to face RHP, and we can't count on him to bunt. If he does manage to get on base, you can't even count on him to steal. If you pinch run him, you still can't count on him to steal. I really don't see how we could justify using a roster spot on him. If Iguchi fails then we move Uribe to 2B and play whoever our utility man is at SS, who will hopefully be someone who can bunt and has good speed. I absolutely love the idea of trading Willie, Garland, and a medium to high prospect for a decent starter and a MIF guy. We know just from looking at the current roster that KW can't be done unless he is content with Valdez as the UTIL man, which I don't believe he is. What do you mean Harris isn't a good defensive replacement? I think everyone here can admit that we, most likely, won't be getting a defensive upgrade with Iguchi. Yeah, I know about his Gold Gloves -- but there's gonna be an adjustment period as he's no longer gonna get those lolly-pop, easy, predictable turf hops. He's aging, too, so I doubt we're going to keep him healthy the whole season. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect him to be injury prone, but he'll have his bumps and bruises throughout the season. Harris plays about as good of a 2B as just about anyone. And yes, I'm serious. Also -- what's wrong with Harris coming off the bench, late in the game, and stealing a base? No doubt, if Harris gains some confidence from Raines/Podsednik, then we'll have a premier base stealer on our hands, and you know Ozzie will put that to use, bad attitude or not. We have what I'd call, three question marks (I'm knitpicking here) on this team -- at 3B with Crede, at 2B with Iguchi, and at LF with Podsednik -- Crede may not bounce back from his poor season last year, Iguchi may not adjust well, and Podsednik may not bounce back to his 2003 form. It's nice to have a safety blanket in Harris, in case our 2B or LF fail to produce, but that's just me...

QUOTE(Jabroni @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 09:34 PM) .275 AVG .350 OBP 15 HR 50 RBI 30 SB I agree with this one, except a little lower AVG...

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 05:34 PM) A+++++++++++++++ I haven't been this happy since -- since, well, the Bears beat GB in Week 2. And even then I wasn't as excited as I am now...

All of this, of course, to the theme of Thunderstruck by ACDC, with a packed house on April f***ing Fourth!!! Mercy, I'm getting chills up and down my spine just thinking about it. "The White Sox battery, pitching #56, Mark, Buehrle, and your catcher, AJ Pierzynski!" "At thirdbase, # 24, Joe, CREDE!" "At SS, # 5, Juan, U-Rib-E!" "At 2B, Welcome your new 2Bman, Tadahito Iguchi!" "At 1B, # 14, Paul Konerko!" "At Designated Hitter, # 8, Carl EVERETT!" "Your leftfielder, # 22, Scott, Pod-sedNIK!" "At CF, # 33, Aaron, ROWAND!" "At RF, # 23, Jermaine DYE!" YOUR 2005 CHICAGO WHITE SOX! BRING ON APRIL FOURTH!

Welcome to Soxtalk! Hopefully Iguchi will make a huge impact upon this team...

I need some insight here, from any OOTP 6 fans. How good should I make Iguchi? I think I plan on making him a 6 at contact, a 6 at HR power, and a 6 at eye/patience, so 6's all across the board -- because I really don't know how good to make him. He seems to have good power, good average, and good OBP (the past two seasons, at least). What do you guys think? (Sorry, didn't know if this belonged in the Sports Bar or in SL&P.)

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 07:24 PM) You've been a real trooper through all this and I want to applaude you. You're that guy that won't settle for anything less than being told, "you are right," aren't you. Will that make this temper tantrum cease? YOU ARE RIGHT KEITH. Have a cookie, but whatever. :rolly Addison, let's end this petty s***. My apologies for pushing the envelope, I was a real jag for saying that your hatred for Harris is "ignorant", as I put it. I'm just looking to instigate a fight by saying that, so I apologize for that. We have our different opinions on Harris, neither of which will change (most likely). My bad for any jabs at you. A good baseball argument got a little heated, I guess, ehh? Peace?

QUOTE(JimH @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 07:26 PM) Very interesting, thanks much for the info. The Reds wanted some insurance, seeing as one of their SS candidates is stuck in Venezuela with a knee problem. I did read the Larkin article last week, and the agent says Larkin has not found the perfect situation yet. Teams are pursuing him though ... notably Washington. The Sox were mentioned very loosely ... in terms of pursuing middle IF help. Longshot. Say Larkin retires, which is most likely going to happen. Who is out there -- veteran wise -- that can put up average numbers, and play SS? I think we're looking at Ozuna/Valdez for SS. Boy, Harris' ability to play SS would make my argument a hell of a lot easier... Jim -- one more thing. Don't take this as me being a smartass, but how do you expect Larkin -- if he signed here -- to get 90+ games at SS? I'm assuming the Sox don't expect Crede to be as 'sucky' (for lack of a better word at this point) at 3B this year, and I'm also assuming that the Sox think Iguchi is going to at least put up a .270 AVG -- at least. If all of that holds true, it leaves really only one position for Uribe, as our everyday SS.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 07:24 PM) You've been a real trooper through all this and I want to applaude you. You're that guy that won't settle for anything less than being told, "you are right," aren't you. Will that make this temper tantrum cease? YOU ARE RIGHT KEITH. Have a cookie, but whatever. :rolly Temper tantrum? You're the one doing the name calling, not me.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 07:23 PM) Keith ... I think it goes deeper than just wanting what they feel is an upgrade (Iguchi over Harris). Stats wise, strictly stats wise, Harris had a decent year and it would be easy for them to say "he is still young, let's give him another year". Instead, they busted their ass to find a new 2B. The White Sox are not historically noted to pursue upgrades when they feel they have a good enough solution already in house. Point well taken. Sox obviously aren't happy with Harris, so they improved. I don't think they would have been going nuts if they didn't wind up with Iguchi, but they did -- so we won't explore the hypothetical "what if's"... Now as to Harris makes the team will be the topic of discussion the next couple of weeks. I think he's the type of player that Ozzie would love to have coming off the bench, a guy who could do what Dave Roberts did in the ALCS -- come off the bench, play good defense, steal a key base (with the help of Raines and Podsednik, of course). I just think Harris is too good of talent to leave at AAA, or to trade for a bag of balls. I think our biggest question marks at this point (offensively -- and I'm just knitpicking here, these aren't huge concerns, though slight) are what if Iguchi doesn't adjust well, and what if Podsednik doesn't return to 2003 form, or what if he stays at what he did during the 2004 season (which isn't good at all, despite the high number of SB's). Harris deserves a spot over Timo Perez, but that's just me. A plus which has to be (at least, IMHO) taken into consideration is that Harris can play IF/OF, while Perez can only play OF. Granted, Ozzie is probably infatuated with Perez with his bunting ability, but I just don't think Perez deserves a spot on the team anymore...

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 07:18 PM) Jesus H' Tapdancin' Christ. Thank you. :rolly No need to add the Jesus H statement, but whatever. No need to call RockRaines "spike", but whatever. It's not rocket science. If you believe a player is going to give you a .300 AVG with 20 HRs, and 70 RBIs -- at 3 million -- who isn't going to take that over a guy who's going to hit .250-.280...? That isn't the debate, though. Or at least I hope it isn't.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 07:05 PM) I cannot emphasize enough two things ... one, this problem (real or imagined) goes well beyond the stats. And to many close to the White Sox org, it is a real problem and not imagined. Two ... if we do the math on the 25 man, Harris does not fit. But Jim, is it really that simple? Look -- I like Harris, I'll admit that. I think you know that. But -- if you have the chance to add a guy @ less than three million, who has the chance to give you a .300 AVG, .400+ OBP, 20+ HRs, and 70 RBI's, aren't you going to do it, even if the guy you currently have his Johnny Hustle himself, the hardest worker on the face of the planet, at that position currently? I think this is a case of, the Sox believe that they might be getting a potential star in Iguchi. Whether their assessment is right or wrong, they believe Iguchi is going to be a great player here, considering he's put up (the last two season, at least) awesome numbers in a pitchers park. This might be taken as a poor comparison, but don't you think -- if given the opportunity -- if Troy Glaus was knocking on the door and willing to sign with the Sox for about 5-7 million, the Sox wouldn't sieze the opportunity, regardless of Joe Crede's offseason progress? What I'm trying to say is (putting all of my thoughts into one statement) -- The Sox probably believed that they were getting a better player, a better value with Iguchi @ 2.3 than Harris @ league minimum.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 07:01 PM) Ugh'. Back to work. I wanted Vizquel. I wanted Cora. I wanted Cairo. I wanted Womack. I wanted Eckstein...pattern? Someone was going to be brought in. It happens to be Iguchi. I anticipated someone coming in because of the comments about Willie coming from inside the Sox organization. Wheter you want to admit it or not, the Sox have fingered Willie as an attitude problem. If Harris stays on the Sox, I want nothing more than for him to succeed and be a productive member of the Sox; however, I think it would better serve the Sox to trade him for something of value i.e. a gritty, veteran middlle infielder or some type of prospect. If they can't get the utility middle infielder via the Harris trade, try free agency. This goes beyond my "blind hatred" for Harris; it simply doesn't make sense to have him on the roster. We need a vet that can play multiple (at least two, hence, if either Uribe or Iguchi, hell, or Crede goes down, someone can step right in) infield positions and do so without having to go through some sort of learning process. What more do you want from me? I was just responding to your point that if someone wasn't brought in, I still wanted Harris traded (which was brought up by you, not me). And I simply called that a dumb statement. Agreed. They brought someone in, and have been looking to improve the second base position since Durham left. But, again -- I was responding to your hypothetical situation of them not bringing someone in.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 06:56 PM) Not that much. Just that Ozzie likes to talk, so you hear a lot of it. The announcers tend to echo Sox management, so I just don't take too much from that (witness the sea change that occurred when Jimenez left -- from 'we don't see that at all' to 'worst teammate in the game'). If you look at the minor league reports, everyone praises his leadership and attitude. That's from both partial and impartial sources. And you didn't hear anything snide after the Sox got him, like you did w/ Jimenez leaving the Padres. So he's confident, why is that at ALL bad? He's never (as far as I've heard) said anything negative about his teammates, only positive things about himself. And he's never gone to the press complaining when he loses time or gets thrown into a different position. So I will continue to see Harris as a model citizen as long as I see nothing solid behind all this talk. Great post. Jabroni -- was it you who posted a link to a Baltimore Oriole prospect website? Well, whoever did it, if you're reading this, can you post it again? I remember reading -- as well as the things mentioned above -- that Harris was able to hit lefties as well as he hit righties. I know this has nothing to do with the argument, but considering Harris has had less than 200 AB's against lefties -- and many people dislike Harris because of his inability to hit lefties, as well as his "attitude" problems -- I still believe we should give him a chance. Keeping Harris on the bench isn't a bad thing. BTW -- Timo Perez is such a waste on the roster as of now. If Harris is in AAA because that bum is on our roster... Ugh.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 06:49 PM) EDIT: as for Keith...I never once addressed Iguchi flopping because this problem goes far beyond Iguchi. In fact, it has nothing to do with Iguchi. If Iguchi wasn't brought in, I still would have been calling for a trade. C'mon man. :banghead That really doesn't make a lot of sense. You were calling for the Sox to trade Harris for a minor leaguer, whatever they could get for him. If Iguchi wasn't brought in, was Valdez gonna start at second? But, I guess anything is better than Harris, right? :rolly

QUOTE(JimH @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 06:47 PM) Uribe Ok... But isn't Ozzie/Kenny's plans for pitching and defense? Rich Aurilia has been absolute garbage the past four seasons (plus -- his defense isn't exactly what I'd call stellar) -- and Larkin, while above average with the stick, is fading with the glove a bit...

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 06:43 PM) Woa......................who ever said that? No offense Keith...but you are way off the mark with that one. No, I'm not... Through all of your Willie bashing, I haven't seen you once -- not once -- bring up the possibility that Iguchi may flop, which may very well happen. You're hatred for Harris is absolutely pathetic, but that's JMHO. Jim is at least objective with his dislike for Harris. But whatever -- I'm not going to bring down the vibes from today, because it truely is a good day, as Kenny has assembled the best team since '94, and possibly better. I think that -- at the very least -- we can agree on.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 05:53 PM) You honestly have me laughing out loud. My sentiments exactly. Clean out the locker son. Addison -- Since you're so positive that Iguchi is sure to be the .300+/20+/70+ lock, what happens if he flops...? EDIT: And ditto to jackiehayes' post...

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 05:38 PM) Rowand wasn't going to be the 2 slot hitter even before the Iguchi signing. It was going to be Uribe. Am I the only one who doesn't want to see Uribe in the two spot? He's more of an RBI/HR guy, not really good for OBP/contact. I'd much rather have Rowand hitting there, but maybe that's just me...

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 05:17 PM) I wonder how Willie is going to steal those 65 bases from the bench. He better have and OBP of like 450. Hey -- when Thomas is healthy, it will be nice having two solid bats off of the bench in Harris (assuming he makes the team, which he might not), as well as Everett. Wow... I'm just really happy at how well-rounded this team is. There isn't an easy out in this lineup, and if things go fairly well, we might have a lineup that, 1-9, won't hit below .250 (Crede is a stretch, but I'm fairly confident he'll bounce back for us).

BRING ON OPENING DAY!!!!! Way to go Kenny!