BamaDoc

The Sox graduated a lot of players from last year and the system seems better but I did a quick look on some other teams. Prospects rated as 45 or better. WS=10. Cubs 13, Cle 17, Det 13, KC 17, Dodgers 19, St Lou 20. So our depth still has a lot of room to improve.

Jim Callis of MLB.com has released his top 30 Sox prospects. Despite a lot of graduations last year a pretty good list. 5 overall top 100, 13 are aged 21 or younger. https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/whitesox/

The magic of spring training, Smith back in bottom of second.

Is this the game thread? Smith doesn't make it out of the first. 25 pitches. Hope just bad day

Sosa saying he wants to be more aggressive and isn’t worried about improving a 3.3% walk rate is , I hope lost in translation/semantics or something. To me, it is his biggest issue as a hitter.

Orioles projected 3b and 2b out for some time.....................Sosa?

Robert Duvall RIP. A good run 95yo. Great actor

For pitchers, if drafted/signed by July, it is 7 1/2 months until spring training. Granted pitchers are throwing to get ready for spring training but I wonder, especially for college pitchers, if that is why many don't pitch in the year drafted? Perhaps some teams are focusing more on the strength/mechanical side of things.

Also the 60 man DL opens next week so expect a flurry of teams trying to get players through now before more 40 man spots open up. I wondered if WS would claim Victor Mesa Jr since he has 1 option remaining and we could have DFA'ed Hill or someone out of options.

A point I haven’t seen mentioned is Smith needs to develop his changeup. He used it rarely last year but a third pitch/something for right handed batters is a key to him making it as a starting pitcher. He can work on it in AA AAA. If he is in MLB bullpen, he probably never throws it and thus doesn’t develop.

So the MLB article talks of getting Taylor to 100ip but Venable hopes to use him to win games. I would be wary of back to back appearances or anything that could hurt him. It is interesting but you have three right-handers in Vasil, Taylor, and Hicks who have some starting experience/ability to go more than an inning. At some point it might make sense to use each every third game for two innings. 50g = 100ip. Getting a couple days rest might protect them a bit. If we are out of the race or post trade deadline, it might make sense. If someone traded(Hicks), you could add in one of the TJ guys or a youngster.

I hope your surprising prediction is wrong. I think moving Hagen Smith or for that matter Schultz to the pen now would be developmental malpractice. If they are close to their innings limit and aren't up starting, I could see bullpen for last month or 6 weeks to get a intro to MLB but otherwise the team really needs at least one of them to be successful starters.

I think the complicating issue with Paez as a PTBNL is that before he can be returned to his original team, he must pass through waivers where any team could claim him. I suppose you could work it that should he pass through waivers, he would be in the pool of players eligible to be picked by White Sox.

Anyone hear of any talk to try and make changes to Charlotte to make it more neutral for pitchers?

Exactly my point. Just hoping those who had heard about the trade in advance might be able to share generalities on this portion of the deal. Not exact names , just an acknowledgment that there is injury protection or based on performance etc. I have followed baseball pretty closely for 50ish years and can’t recall another 2 for 1 PTBNL. Aware of times a pool changed but the 2for1 seems unique. Probably really overreading that something major could be in the fine print but I remember when Dallas traded walker to the Vikings lol