CaliSoxFanViaSWside

QUOTE (skobabe8 @ Jan 9, 2015 -> 05:08 AM) Thanks! I've been a member of another Sox site but looking for something new. Happy to be here! There aren't very many besides this and Whitesoxinteractive.com and from what I understand it's extraordinarily restrictive at WSI.

QUOTE (Knuckles @ Jan 9, 2015 -> 06:10 PM) There's always some kind of announcement at SoxFest. Samardzija extended? Keep dreaming. KW likes it.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 10, 2015 -> 02:56 AM) Rudyard? Rios was a waiver claim. The Blue Jays were the ones to give him that money. He performed well in 2010 and 2012. Alzheimers is so sad.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jan 9, 2015 -> 10:17 PM) I plan on making a lot of bets with Cubs fans on this. I think the Sox are 10-15 games better than the Cubs, but their hype is so massive right now, I'd bet I can even get a lot of non-Cubs fans to take me up on this. Just make it like a $5 per game bet. If the Sox finish 10 games better than the Cubs you win $50.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Jan 7, 2015 -> 12:18 PM) Chicago White Sox 1 hr · White Sox have announced an expanded list of current and former players scheduled to appear at SoxFest 2015, including: White Sox pitchers John Danks, Zach Duke, Dan Jennings, David Robertson and Jeff Samardzija; White Sox prospects Tim Anderson, Courtney Hawkins, Micah Johnson and Carlos Rodon; White Sox greats Bo Jackson, Ron Kittle, Carlos May, Bill Melton, Minnie Minoso and Billy Pierce; and assistant hitting coach Harold Baines. http://m.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article/105...at-soxfest-2015 Not sure if they've brought out that many prospects in the past, but that's the past 3 first round picks, and the guy they pegged as the 2B of the future. I have a feeling Micah would be on the opening day roster if he could just have a solid but not spectacular Spring Training. If Micah could be a productive major league player he'll be a fan favorite in Chicago with his looks. If he's an All Star the national media will love him. I posted a video of an interview with him in the hitters mini camp thread.

This video is a 2015 season preview for the Sox which should get everybody even more pumped up about the upcoming season. It features offensive, defensive and pitching highlights of LaRoche, Melky, Samardzija, Robertson and Duke. Same for Sale, Abreu, Alexei, Quintana, Eaton, Conor, Flowers, Avisail and the drafting of Carlos Rodon. The music is louder than Hawk on the highlights and other video footage but some of you may prefer that. It's 20 minutes long but a fun watch.

Micah Johnson interview from hitters mini camp. http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?sh...15&start=15 Todd Steverson also http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?sh...15&start=15 Tim Anderson at BP.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jan 5, 2015 -> 04:39 PM) It's certainly not hurting that Rick Hahn has gone all YOLO this offseason. You only Leury once ?

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jan 5, 2015 -> 06:20 AM) I was thinking the same thing. I had seen absolutely zero connection between the Sox and Bonifacio outside of people here wanting to sign him. .959 OPS vs LHP in 2014, .721 for career. Even if he is closer to his career numbers than 2014 numbers, he's a solid platoon for Gillaspie at 3B. Appears to be decent defensively at 3B. I hope you say this tongue in cheek. If people here can see that Bonifacio was a good fit it's possible Hahn could too . He still might read Soxtalk or have some intern do it but it's not to get ideas.

QUOTE (Douglas Rome @ Jan 2, 2015 -> 02:31 AM) no, I'm talking about Kiplinger. I never thought much of him when he was standing in the batter's box, and he proved he stole JR.s money. thanks, douglas I thought you were going to call Kiplinger a "meathead" or "dingbat ".

For what it's worth I think there were very few among us who thought the Sox would sign as many free agents as they did. This defintely was the year to do it as I said often in the VMart thread. But even then ,with the Sox history of FA activity as a guide ,we got the usual ideas of signing projects and misfits here. Since the holidays just passed, I'm reminded that it seems as if the Sox are sometimes the "Island of Misfit toys" from the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer animation. Most of us get our ideas on what we would do based on this concept that we are a mid level payroll team based in a large market and play second fiddle to the other team here. Misfits indeed. Even now in this thread the risk of signing the best of the best is so foreign that we continue to want lesser players so they don't hurt the team financially and maybe we'd get lucky and some of them might actually perform at a high level. Hahn and the Sox either traded or signed some of the best talent out there at their respective positions and didn't spend over $46M on any of them. I expected high activity and I got it in spades which is all I could ask for. Asking anyone what they would do differently is not something I would endeavor to answer. I am not qualified nor do I have a plan I have discussed and agreed upon with other high ranking members of management and the owner .

QUOTE (lvjeremylv @ Jan 1, 2015 -> 10:57 PM) *sigh* When's the last Sox position player prospect that amounted to anything near what Ben Zobrist will produce over the next 5 years? I agree Hahn probably wouldn't do it, but he really should if presented with the opportunity. It's a tough call. A real tough call. We've all seen the Sox lack of success with positional prospects, the lack of attendance which supposedly limits the budget plus the Sox never having made the playoffs even 2 years in a row. I understand why you would "sigh" . One year of success seems like it's worth it with everything weve seen taking place with this team over the past 20 years. Plus there's the good chance Samardzija walks after the year . Rodon absolutely has to become what we all hope he can be for the Sox to have any sustained success. At least one other pitcher among the prospects has to rise to prominence . Zobrist would help but the Sox most likely don't have the bullets for him . At his age and for one year can Hahn reasonably justify giving up any prospect who is viewed as a key future cog ? On the bright side there's a chance the Sox can make the playiffs without him and if we're in the race at the trade deadline we'll know more about the team and see how prospects fare up here and in the minors.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 05:57 PM) No, you don't do it. you don't trade our only decent OF prospect. Play the young players - don't squander them on 34 year olds on 1 year contracts The world doesn't end after the 2015 season. The idea is to contend for years...not make a bunch of short term moves on a team that is and will be less than 50% to make the playoffs. Hawkins is probably 3 years away if he even makes it . You can draft plenty of good college OF's in the next 3 years who might make it before him.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 02:29 PM) Breaking Ben Zobrist down as a mere super utility player is oversimplifying him beyond recognition. It'd be like saying that Chris Sale has only been a swing guy because he's got about the same amount of relief appearances and starts over the last 5 years. That's absurd, no? The guy has absolutely been one of the most valuable players in the game over the last 5 years, moreso than RA Dickey. Over the last 5 years, he's accumulated 26.9 fWAR, good for 10th in the MLB. The only pitchers rated higher are Kershaw, Verlander, and Felix. WAR is not the end all, be all, but that paints a hell of a picture and if you think that Ben Zobrist is not going to cost a lot to acquire based on the idea that he is a "super utility player," you are going to be sorely mistaken. He absolutely is worth a top return and he will fetch a top return. I'm going to take a wild guess and say the Rays hold onto him until the trade deadline. Just don't think many if any teams will pony up for him. I know the Sox won't . They won't give up any more mino league starting pitching . If the Sox could grab him for Viciedo , Hawkins and one of Cleto, Surkamp, Ynoa, Onelki Garcia or maybe even Webb do it.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Dec 28, 2014 -> 08:19 AM) Actually White Sox attendance has dropped every year since Ozzie left and Robin took over as well. So I don't think the manager affects attendance. But the GM probably does. So KW is probably most responsible for 9 straight years of declining attendance. Certainly if attendance continues to decline( and I don't think it will), then the White Sox franchise is in serious trouble. Sale and Abreu alone should sell tickets after last season. Has there been any stories yet on 2015 Season Ticket sales ??? The Cabrera signing was inspired by the rise in season ticket sales . I read that there were as many this year, once the signings started. as there have been in the last 4 years combined.

I'd have to go back 10 years to find it on here but I wrote a heartfelt piece about winning the pennant in Anaheim and/or /maybe winning the WS. The drizzle during the last game in ANaheim representing the tears of all the Sox fans who never got to witness something like that or some crap like that. I had to write it because we all get so used to so many years of losing that it's a huge joyous occasion when we know we're not going to die never having witnessed how wonderful winning actually is.

Brad Penny most likely will not be the last reclamation project we sign. We have no depth in the starting rotation. I do not expect Rodon to pitch for the Sox until that time is past where they get the extra year. Maybe Carroll is resigned or Gavin Floyd but it will be someone and maybe another. Rodon will need to show the Sox that his command is there and would have to be making a mockery of AAA to get a chance to replace anyone in the rotation . It's all fun to discuss but as we say at work " don't worry about it " ! It'll unfold the way it unfolds, hopefully with as little problems as possible.

QUOTE (ottawa_sox @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 05:31 PM) But what about the new super Flowers ------ the one wearing glasses? The 2nd half of the season which translates to 48 games , so really it's 1/3 0f the season Tyler had a .280 B.A. , .337 OBP, .553 SLG, and .891 OPS. Odd thing is looking at the stats for August and Sept/Oct. which is 38 games the numbers don't match up except fot the Sept/Oct OPS . He must have been very hot the last 10 games of July. Is that the period when he went crazy with the Sorcerors Spec's ? Anyway Tyler chalked it all up to studying how great hitters do it on film so maybe he can carry over what he learned to 2015.

In a year when people in Chicago hear "MJ" they will think of Micah Johnson

QUOTE (SoCalSox @ Dec 14, 2014 -> 01:27 PM) Maybe I'm being ignorant here but why tender Viciedo if they no intent on keeping him. Now there is talk about settling for a comp pick? Just seems dumb to me, I suppose. I would have rather had Ichiro vs another year of Viciedo. Because no matter what the offseason plan was , Hahn couldn't be 100% sure he would be able to get the guys he wanted. Plus something for him is always better than nothing but if it ends up nothing then so be it. Move on and give him his 750K.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 16, 2014 -> 01:15 PM) There is a lot of this logic with which I do not disagree and can relate, but the usage of blown saves and W-L for the relievers is pretty silly. Blown saves from middle relievers tell you very little and they are incredibly vague as it is. If a previous reliever loads the bases with no outs in a 1 run game, the new reliever comes on, induces a double play and strikes the next guy out (leading to 1 run), he is credited with a blown save. That is not usually the scenario, but that scenario exists. Also, the Sox were a terrible team last year and brought in 3 relievers from teams who were decent to good. Their W-L record being better ultimately means nothing. Frankly, if you had just said "they brought in 3 relievers who were good to very good last year to replace 3 relievers who were crappy to really crappy," I'd have had no qualms with this. I'm currently expecting about 84-86 wins, and I think that could easily be way higher. Basically the new bullpen will not walk as many guys and will K way more . Though Hahn loves groundball pitchers, I'm sure he realized that a good bullpen should pile up the K's. Robertson's and Duke's K's/9 indicate as much.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 16, 2014 -> 02:23 PM) The 2014 numbers had him as a statistically slightly above average RF in limited time (though slightly below average while he was with the Sox in RF). He was an incredibly terrible CF, and an incredibly great LF in extremely limited time. For his career, he is below average, statistically. http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playe...ion=OF#fielding I know I saw the same stats. Just saying it's pretty much a given he's much better defensively than Viciedo. Can you imagine Robin putting Tank in CF ? At least Robin had enough confidence in him to give him a few games in CF. He just doesn't have the speed to be a true backup in center.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Dec 16, 2014 -> 02:16 PM) Get him as the fourth outfielder. It makes too much sense. Problem is he not really a backup CF. Need a guy who can play all OF positions pretty well . Jordan Danks is still the best we have for that so far.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 16, 2014 -> 02:07 PM) He is going to be a limited sample size guy no matter what the stats say. Just watching him out there, he looked like a little leaguer fighting the ball and routes. Guess I saw it differently than you. I thought he was above average in RF. But I know you don't like him as a player and I do so we're both biased . Only the limited sample size stats back me at least for 2014.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 16, 2014 -> 01:48 PM) His defense is viciedo/de Aza esque. Want to back that up with something tangible ?