GreatScott82

I have a wierd feeling about this team. I know this team won't be as aweful as baseball experts say they will be. I also know this team likely wont win 90 games this year. I like our rotation ( i dont love it). I like our bullpen's young arms (I dont love it). The thing that worries me the most, is our offense. Viciedo has been aweful this spring, Rios and Dunn are coming off terrible seasons and just how long can Konerko carry this team? However, those same guys I just mentioned are also very capable of hitting the hell out of the ball, and if 3 out of the 4 do so, we just may very well steal one of the 2 wild card spots this year. My final predicition: White Sox win 84 games. Will that be enough to earn one of 2 wild card spots? Only time will tell.

I'm going out on a limb here, Gavin Floyd will win 20 games. Chris Sale impresses as a starter winning 14/15 games. Gordon Beckham wins gold glove AND silver slugger award at 2B. Rios has a great first half, teams will become interested, management ponders trading him to unload his salary. Fukudome replaces him as the every day RF for the remainder of the season.

Peavy only lands on the 15 day DL once this year Thats right, I said it!

Danks isn't going anywhere. Floyd maybe dealt in June if this fails early.

Gotta love his .475 obp so far this spring.. . keep it up Adam, you have a long way to go.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 19, 2012 -> 07:27 PM) It is kind of amusing that KW's and Bell's solution to the 3B problem was to sign/acquire/trade for two of the worst 3B in modern-day baseball history in Teahen and Viciedo. Throw in Wilson Betemit, and you have a true Axis of Evil Defense. Even more ironic that after watching Crede and Uribe all those years and the positive effect it had on our pitching staff, they still decided to go in that direction. I think they did a good job of replacing Uribe's defense with Ramirez. I think the jury is still out on Morel, but he has shown glimpses of Credeness at the hot corner. As far as Viciedo goes, I just believe he is a potential DH who plays the field as of right now. I hope he can be decent out in LF, similar to Carlos Lee, at least he was adequite. We will definitley need Viciedo's bat if they want any prayer of competing in 2012. Now lets just hope he doesn't boot many baseballs during the regular season.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 17, 2012 -> 09:42 AM) $27 million comes off the books in Peavy and Pierzynski next offseason. You're telling me you can't upgrade a roster given $27 million? I love the way you analyze

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Mar 6, 2012 -> 12:27 PM) As much as I'd like Kenny to keep selling, it seems he's crossing his fingers that this team isn't awful. If things go south he can trade Thornton/Gavin down the line. Yep. Now that there are 2 wildcard teams, perhaps he's thinking 84 wins earns a wildcard berth. I honestly don't think this team is as bad as experts say they will be. However, that doesn't mean they will make the playoffs. If Detroit does not win the central, i'll be shocked!

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 20, 2012 -> 11:57 AM) Alex Rios hit .280/.333/.400/.733 in 27 plate appearances in the 3 hole. And, if you want to use that as reasoning for batting someone in a certain spot, then he should be batting cleanup, where he put up a .795 OPS. But, that's silly. Humber not being in the rotation is also silly. He is technically the Sox best returning starting pitcher, and you want him in the bullpen? If Castro is going to be in the rotation, it will be after Floyd or Peavy is traded come midseason. The fact that Humber is our best returning pitching is scary. But he will likely still make the rotation. Usually there are 1 or 2 ST suprises and i'm hoping Castro can turn heads. But on paper, you are right it will be: Peavy, Floyd, Danks, Sale and Humber. And i'd take Rios hitting .280 in the 3-spot over .220 in any other spot in our lineup, thats for sure! Hopefully Ventura plays the #s game. We know Ozzie didnt.

Now that the team is pretty much set going into 2012, if you were Coach Ventura, what would your starting lineup and roation look like? Starting Lineup: 1. Alejandro De Aza- LF 2. AJ Pierzynski - C 3. Alex Rios- CF 4. Paul Konerko- 1B 5. Adam Dunn- DH 6. Alexie Ramirez-SS 7. Dayan Viciedo- RF 8. Gordon Beckham- 2B 9. Brent Morel- 3B I know it sounds crazy placing Rios 3rd. However, when Dunn went down and Rios was in the 3 hole- he thrived. Once Ozzie dropped him down when Dunn returned, he suffered tremendously. I would place Dunn 5th and pray for a miracle style turn around. I love the bottom of our order and think De Aza can be a serviceable leadoff hitter. I know AJ in the 2- hole looks weird but in 2008 he thrived in that spot and he is becoming a smarter hitter with age, working the counts and hitting to the oppositie side of the field. Rotation: 1. John Danks- L 2. Gavin Floyd- R 3. Jake Peavy- R 4. Chris Sale- L 5. Simon Castro- R - I think he will impress in ST. 6. Phillip Humber (Long reliever) What is your starting lineup and rotatioN?

Ahhh. Jose Valentin. Mr. Clutch! I remember being at that game vs the Yankees in June of 2000 when he came up and got a clutch basehit to bring home Herbert Perry for the win!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 11, 2012 -> 08:54 PM) http://www.chicagonow.com/white-sox-observ...now-chris-sale/ Feel good Chris Sale analysis with lots of numbers to back it up. As noted, the confidence is going to the change more often (7% versus 17.5-22.5%) and the addition of a cutter (Don Cooper) could make him an elite pitcher. I think the farm will be much better this year as well. They have definitley made moves to improve the pitching depth.. . we still have a far way to go but i dont think we will be on the rock bottom for much longer.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Feb 12, 2012 -> 12:56 PM) They won't, so it doesn't matter. You are probably right, I was just speaking hypothetically. I can see another team who is contending this year bidding high on him. However, I can see us going strong for this Soler kid. He can be an intruiging project at a much lower cost.

If the Sox do somehow land Cespedes, do you think he begins the year in the farm?

What if Dunn wins the comeback player of the year?

Rozner has always been my favorite columnist in town and this article states the truth! Well said, Barry! It will be nice not having a clown run this team anymore.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 24, 2012 -> 02:15 PM) The beginning of the end of KW's reign as a good GM was the Swisher trade from the A's. Not only did it result in getting rid of Gio, but then after Swisher busted, you had to go spend a fortune on Rios the following year to play CF. If Swisher had panned out, the organization takes a totally different path. Its amazing how baseball works out. We were so close in signing Tori Hunter in 2008 before LA swooped in and over payed. If that doesn't happen, we wouldn't have traded Gio for Swisher, who we then trade for nothing. That pretty much opened the door for KW to go ahead and bring in Rios. We can pretty much blaim the Angels for the loss of Gio. just kidding. That one is all KW!

He pretty much said Ozzie let this team lose their edge after 2008. It definitley turned into the Ozzie show and less about the actual team. That is where I think Robin WILL be solid- the focus will now be in the basics of baseball. I agree with Hawk, Coach Robin will be a breath of fresh air. This team won't go far this year, but it will be nice to see guys like Morel, Viciedo, Beckham & De Aza progress through out the season! Im also interested in our new young arms!

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jan 21, 2012 -> 11:38 AM) And that's what you hope for. If the Sox trade Gavin they're all out anyways, pick up some of the money and hope to get overwhelmed with a prospect package... I am unfamiliar with their farm system. Who do they have that we can make a difference for us in the near future?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 16, 2012 -> 08:25 AM) Really, I wouldn't project these guys, especially Soler, to be ready that soon. Thats true. But they would most likely see the MLB much sooner on a team like the White Sox who have a poor farm system.

I say we sign Soler and Cerpedes If Soler truly is that 5 tool guy in the making, we would have an excellent spot for him out in CF as early as next season. Cerpedes can be inserted in LF for the start of the 2012 season if signed. Suddenly our team would be very Cuban

For our team to compete for the central, 6 out of our starting 9 would need to have career years or close to it. (Beckham, Ramirez, Morel, Rios, De Aza and Viciedo)

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 02:56 PM) That is without Peavy's buyout and Floyds $9.5 million option. With Peavy's BO its up to 69 million and with Floyd's option. (I think they should take it.) It would bump the payroll up to $78.5 million. Going into that year, you may have a rotation of Danks, Floyd, Sale, Humber, Castro/Molina/Axelrod. With a young rotation and about 22-$30 million to spend on free agents and maybe more (pending on if they trade Thorton or not). This team can significantly be much better sooner than we thought. I actually don't mind taking this 2012 season as a "Lets see what we have in our guys" type season. I really hope KW deals Thorton soon!

Is this the 2013 plan? I was looking at the #'s and by the looks of things, payroll will be down to $65 million heading into 2013. That can give white sox management up to $35 million to spend 'wisely' on players if they choose to go for it next year. Will that happen? I'm not sure. But with so many players coming off payroll, this year and next year, we may be sitting pretty FINALLY next winter. What are your thoughts on this?

I think Rios belongs in LF. Watching him play CF last year made my eyes hurt. De Aza did a pretty solid job out there. He won't be the best CF in the league but he definitley wouldn't be the worst and it would be an upgrade over Rios IMO. Rios looked good in 2010, can he get back to that? If the answer is no- than move him to LF.