Jordan4life_2007

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 11:13 PM) I think a package of Hudson, Mitchell, Flowers and Retherford would get the job done. A potential leadoff hitter, a franchise catcher and a potential front end starter. . not to mention they are arguably our top 4 prospects. Mitchell's trade value is about as high as mine right now. Ain't nobody even lookin' at him at the moment. Define "franchise" catcher? And I'm pretty sure the Padres don't think much of Retherford. Hudson would definitely be a legitimate part of any package.

QUOTE (qwerty @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 11:25 PM) So if he sucks so bad in game what is there to like? Do you think he is cute? Or what is it... funny? I just don't get it. I don't understand this either. I hear it all the time. "Ozzie is a bad in-game manager." Is he spiritual or something?

QUOTE (jphat007 @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 10:25 PM) THe problem is not Kotsay. The problem is the entire second half of our lineup. Yes, part of the problem is Kotsay. Rios is spraying line drives all over the place. He should definitely be in the 5-hole.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 07:32 PM) Your pimping of the Rays' talent-for-dollar ratio fails to account for the fact that they had a decade-long stretch of Top 5 and Top 10 draft picks. That tends to make it a hell of a lot easier to field a talented team for less, and isn't really comparable to the Sox's situation. The only way for the Sox to "trade" for the Rays' roster would be to repeat 2007 10 years in a row. Again, what is your point? A specific question was asked. "What teams would you trade rosters with that has an equal or lower payroll as that of the Sox?' He didn't ask, "What teams would you trade rosters with that has an equal or lower payroll as that of the Sox? Oh, and teams that have had multiple high first round picks don't count." And your argument really has no merit. It's "easier" to field a contending team when you have top 5 and top 10 draft picks every year? Tell that to the Pirates and Royals. What makes it "easier" to field a contending team is when you can spend money. I don't want to even think about what the Rays would be able to pull off if they had legitimate financial flexibility. They're on the cusp of losing two all-stars, and not because they don't want them back. They simply won't be able to afford to pay them.

QUOTE (Brian @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 06:35 PM) I'm going to Arizona in September and want to go to Chase for a game and the DBacks are either playing SF or Houston the week I am there. Sigh Hope that Lincecum is pitching if it's the Giants. Otherwise, yeah, you're in trouble.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 03:46 PM) Pierre looks weak defensively when he's compared to Crawford, but so does just about every other LF in the game. I'll take Pierre's defense over that of Quentin, Pods, Carlos Lee, Albert Belle, etc. Of course they have a better lineup. They had a full decade of high draft picks. What's their excuse for not developing the same level of starting pitching that the Marlins did in 2003? Get back to me when you make a point.

Remember when the Astros were one of the most stacked/exciting teams in baseball to watch during the late 90's, early 2000's? The product they've put on the field for the last three years or so is embarrassing.

We get summer like weather most of March. Baseball season rolls around and here comes the rain. f***in' bulls***.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 06:56 AM) I asked 2 questions in that post and you gave one answer, I didn't know for which question. I see that they have a better lineup & defense, but when you say: "And whatever advantage we have in pitching gives way to the big edge they have on us in hitting and the ENORMOUS edge they have defensively." Is that measurable or is it just what you think? Both. And there's really no debate. The Rays were 5th, 5th, 3rd and 1st in the AL in R/HR/BB/SB IN 2009. The Sox were 12th, 6th, 9th, and 6th in those same categories. There's no realistic reason to believe at this point that the Rays won't have a better offense than the Sox. The gap in defense is even more significant. The Rays were ranked 1st and 2nd in all of baseball the last two years in UZR. They were ranked 1st and 8th the last two years in DER (defensive efficiency ranking). The Sox were ranked 21st and 27th in UZR the last two years. The Sox were ranked 20th and 16th the last two years in DER. This is just common sense (not saying you don't have any). The Sox have been a very bad defensive the last two years while the Rays have been the best. QUOTE (balfanman @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 07:17 AM) I don't think that the Rays have an "enormous" edge on us defensively. I know that it's wrong to compare our defensive prowess to recent Sox teams because frankly, we haven't been very good. The 2010 Sox may not be the best team in the league defensively, but we are vastly improved in this area and I think that we will end up being above average overall. JMHO. Yes, they do. They have above average, and in some cases, elite caliber defense, in LF/CF/3B/SS/1B. The White Sox have above average defense at exactly 1 position. And that's RF with Rios (or when they play him in CF). Alexei has the tools to be an above average defensive SS. But he's not there yet. PK is good at scooping up poor throws. But he has zero range. Everybody else is either below average or not proven yet. It's not even close. Edit: Pierre has good range. But that arm.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 12:48 AM) Theirs is just as good as ours right now. We have the better rotation and bullpen, but they have one hell of an offense. I'd say that our starting pitching is one tier better and our bullpen is one tier better. But their offense is somewhere near the likes of Boston and New York while we'll hover near the middle of the AL. I'm not even sure we have the better bullpen when Howell is healthy. We have a clear edge if Bobby can rebound from last year's mediocre performance. Adding Soriano was a big upgrade for Tampa.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 12:33 AM) Well, I'm not sure which of my questions you were answering when you said the Rays. I'm guessing you meant that you would take their roster and not that they have no faults in their lineup. Maybe in the long run theirs will be better, but for this season, I will take our players with their track records over any projections. Also not sure how you quantify their offense & defense vs. our pitching. Is there some stat for this or is it just your opinion? You asked what roster would we take with an equal or lesser payroll and the Rays immediately came to my head. I didn't say they were a perfect team. They've got issues at 2B and C. RF might not be a big thing for them if they leave Zobrist out there, which he played tonight. How do I quantify their offense and defense vs our pitching? I don't understand what you're asking. They flat-out have a better lineup and their team defense is worlds better. You want me to provide stats? I shouldn't have to.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 08:56 PM) Not exactly. FIP measures everything a pitcher can control. So HR, HBP, BB (not IBB), and K are in the formula. Of course, the part where it is not perfect is where it does not take hits other than home runs into account at all. xFIP is better anyways. Hopefully, when hit f/x comes out, we can get something better and more accurate. Is that statistic actually coming out?

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 08:35 PM) This is the beginning of an amazing era of baseball. The combination of young elite (or soon to be elite) pitching and position player talent is as good as it's been in at least 20 years. Aroldis Chapman is set to make his pro debut Sunday. And I'm actually considering getting the MILB.tv package just to watch him pitch.

My name is Jordan4life, and I like watching Evan Longoria play baseball. The end.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 07:54 PM) They have 3 guys in their rotation with less than 40 games pitched in their careers. What would people here be saying about Kapler if he was our starting RF? And what would a Rays fan say if their starting LF/3B was Juan Pierre and Mark Teahen? And their rotation might be young. But David Price and Wade Davis project out to elite #1 and #2 starters. Jeff Niemann looks like a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy. And whatever advantage we have in pitching gives way to the big edge they have on us in hitting and the ENORMOUS edge they have defensively.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 07:23 PM) Well, we could give our players more than one game before we trash them. What teams do you guys see that don't have faults? What teams with equal or lower payrolls would you trade our roster for? The Rays.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 05:06 PM) You are right, but he is much more legit than Bruce was. Heyward's plate discipline is phenomenal for a kid his age. Add in his raw power even in Turner Field and good defense, and he'll be damn good all around. I love Bruce too, but in a couple years he won't touch young kids like Heyward and Upton and that's not a diss to Bruce who is a very good young hitter. I agree though that the extreme hype all of a sudden is not warranted for Heyward as he will never touch Griffey and Bonds (or Pujols) as hitters. He will struggle when the book is out on him, so we'll see how he adjusts. I don't doubt for a second that Heyward will be a superstar. But the enthusiasm needs to be tempered just a tad. He's going to experience some growing pains.

QUOTE (everafan @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 07:34 PM) Every year there are Indian apologists - people who think Shapiro is some kind of SABR genius even though he couldn't win when he had Lee, Sabathia, Hafner, and Sizemore in their prime. This is why he won GM of the year in 05. Rob Neyer believes the ALC shakes out like this AL CENTRAL 1. Twins - 85 2. Indians - 81 3. White Sox - 77 4. Tigers - 76 5. Royals - 72 The Twins would have been big favorites if they hadn't lost Joe Nathan. Now they're just favorites. And yes, the Indians went 67-95 last year. But somebody has to be this year's big surprise, right? Fausto Carmona, Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore all played exceptionally well in spring training. The Indians have a new manager. I'm just saying, don't be shocked if they do something amazing. I'd be more than shocked if they did something "amazing" this year. I think they're looking good for 2012, though.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 02:43 PM) I'm late posting this, but this has been a great interview. I recommend everyone listen to the podcast tonight. Bernstein goes "Boers wouldn't, but I would have packed your bags and taken you to the airport to get Adrian Gonzalez." Beckham then calls Boers "an idiot." This kid rocks. I think you need to listen to the interview again.

QUOTE (chisoxfan09 @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 03:51 PM) Did anyone see Thorton´s veocity? Was it low 90´s or mid to high 90´s? 95+. His velocity was just fine.

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 03:35 PM) I wonder if they could do it over, would the Rays take our Beckham with the first pick? Could you imagine Beckham and Longoria in the same infield. Good lord. Anyway I'm glad the Rays, Pirates, Orioles, Royals, Marlins, Giants, and Reds wanted different players. Our gain for the next 15+ years--hopefully. I personally think if they (the Rays) could do it over they'd take Posey.

The Jason Heyward phenomenon is officially out of control. Since the HR yesterday, he's been compared to Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds. He's the talk of every baseball site there is right now. Everybody is going nuts in trying to acquire him in fantasy leagues. Didn't Jay Bruce have an OPS of, like, 2.000 through his first week with the Reds? Calm down, people.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 03:33 PM) One thing I noticed yesterday that I love. We have a setup guy (Putz) and a closer (Thornton) for non-Save situations. I was very impressed with Putz yesterday. That split-fingered fastball looked real crisp. Hopefully the FB velocity improves as the year goes on.

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 03:09 PM) Is Thome one of them? I know Konerko is... :-) Bengie Molina.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 02:43 PM) I'm late posting this, but this has been a great interview. I recommend everyone listen to the podcast tonight. Bernstein goes "Boers wouldn't, but I would have packed your bags and taken you to the airport to get Adrian Gonzalez." Beckham then calls Boers "an idiot." This kid rocks. You lyin'. I've got to hear this.