CaliSoxFanViaSWside

Carroll through 2 unscored upon.

Eaton leadoff single, Alexei fly out, Attempted pickoff of Eaton gets by Cabrera , Eaton to 3rd, unintentional intentional walk to Abreu. Dunn Sac fly scores Eaton. Avi hits double down right field line ,Abreu to 3rd grabbing at his hammy. Gillaspie walks. Flowers K's inning over , stranding 3. 1-0 Sox after 1.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Aug 29, 2014 -> 05:34 PM) That AB should bring some people in....The magic is gone =( It's still there , just hibernating.

We need a Magic Glasses Moment .

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Aug 28, 2014 -> 01:15 PM) If I was Hahn my most basic standard operating procedure on evaluating hitters, whether they are in house or potential acquistions, would be something like this: 1) Have all video data of all current or previous year contact situations analyzed and reviewed. Does the hitter barrel the ball up in this contact situation or not? Take a count of barrell contact. Being "fooled" and so on, that's mostly going to be a swing and miss thing, or a non swing entirely. Just looking at a hitter I would want to know how often he barrells it up when contact is made, and I would want to know the number of occasions total he does that and put it into a ratio that reflects PA. 2) From there I would look at things like player tools, position, etc. You want your SS & C to be defenders first, hitters second, but a good hitting C or SS that is kinda s***ty in the field could always move to another position. Are you looking for a position are are you looking for a hitter? If you want a hitter then really position is secondary IMO. Also, mechanical flaws are indicative of what? I'm thinking that you can't fix an internal incapability with a mechanical change, you can only implement a mechanical change to try to minimize an internal deficiency long enough to capitalize until the opposition makes the necessary adjustments in return. IE you can't hit the fastball with velocity up so you stand back in the box, or you take the curveball that starts high and drops low as a consequence of taking the high hard fastball hoping it's a ball. Or you look fastball and start early, and maybe implement some sort of mechanism to get you to start earlier. But no matter what if you can't consistently barrell the ball up because the coordination abilities are absent then all you can do is listen to you hitting coach and try new s***, but the mechanical stuff is never going to get you over the hump. I'm not sure what you mean by "barreling it up " . I assume you mean hitting the ball squarely on the barrel and not getting under it or on top of it too much. I think hitting the ball hard or squaring it up is even more important. That to me sounds like hand eye coordination skills, which kind of leads me into how good ones eyesight is. Ted Williams supposedly had better than 20/20 vision. Now there is "barreling it up" and hitting it on the "sweet spot ". I think we all have these machinations about hitting. Some guys just have a knack for finding the gap or the holes. Some guys hit it hard a lot and always find a glove. I've heard Hawk talk about moving around in the batters box yet I really can't ever recall seeing very many players do it. Same thing with choking up with 2 strikes or when contact is needed . Why do some player have open stances or closed stances or squared up to the pitcher stances ? Why do some use a timing mechanism like toe tap or why do they hold their hands where they do .Why do some wiggle their bat or their body? SOme stand straight up other crouch or have a lot of bend in the knees. If you're having no success how much of all this do you change ? Will some little thing make a big difference or does it all really come down to that hand eye thing . What made Gordon Beckham a star in college but not the pros ? Is it simply that only the elite play in the Majors and all your tools were good enough to dominate at one level but not at another ? I know there's such a thing as paralysis by analysis but I see guys lunging across the plate at the ball like De Aza and Viciedo and then I see guys who appear much more balanced like Mike Piazza who hit a lot of HR's to right field but did it on what appeared to be normal swings not lunging at pitches on the outer half. Watch Chris Carter now. He hardly seems to move at all. Very few moving parts in his swing. I think as a hitter you really have to know your strengths and weaknesses and make adjustments based on them .If you K or make a lot of weak contact on pitches away then let the pitcher have that part of the plate and wait for more pitches in your comfort zone then if every pitch seems to be away away away move closer to the plate. Force them to come to your strengths. Why shouldn't a hitter face each pitcher a different way the way a pitcher does to a hitter ?

QUOTE (scs787 @ Aug 27, 2014 -> 08:41 PM) If only the Sox were in the NL....He'd be 1 RBI behind Stanton and .004 points behind Morneau(there's a bit of a shocker) for the triple threat. I think he can win the Crown Royal .

Haven't been able to say and that's a White Sox winner in a while. Sanchez is doing well . Hawk calls him mini Maggs because he looks like Magglio.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Aug 24, 2014 -> 12:16 PM) Please just tie the game and then lose. I hate unearned losses for Sale/Quintana. There you go 1st half of your plan worked. Not sure I like the 2nd half

AviGar HR oppo line drive . All tied up.

The LLWS JRobinson v. S. Korea is on ABC. 1-0 SK so far.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 24, 2014 -> 11:43 AM) Ever since Avi homered, he's been trying to pull almost everything He's going to have troubles with guys throwing as soft as Capuano having been off so long. 90 MPH is probably where his head is at now not 80.

Conor 2 R HR off the lefty Capuano !! 3-0 Sox .

Lead off dinger for Alexei ! 1-0 .

Surprised no one mentioned Eaton's 1st rehab start with Charlotte. He went 2 for 5 with a double.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 22, 2014 -> 10:17 PM) story on Castillo as well....still underwhelmed http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/rusney-castillo-signs/ Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo agreed to sign with the Red Sox last night. According to a source, the deal is for six years, $72.5 million, making it the highest first-year contract ever for a Cuban player. Prior to the last year of his contract, Castillo will be able to opt into arbitration, which could take the total value of the deal even higher. Castillo, 27, has gained 20 pounds since leaving Cuba and is now 5-foot-9, 205 pounds, with his best tool his plus-plus speed. The extra size and strength has translated into an increase in power, with some scouts now putting a 60 on his raw power after pegging him with below-average to average raw power while he was in Cuba. In games, at least while he was in Cuba, he’s more of a line-drive hitter with an aggressive hitting approach. He won a Gold Glove in Cuba in 2011-12, with the speed and reactions off the bat to profile in center field in the major leagues, even though his arm strength appears to have backed up since he left Cuba. Castillo’s numbers were down from his usual pace in his final Cuban season in 2012-13, when he hit .274/.377/.399 in 68 games. The previous season in 2011-12, Castillo had hit .332/.395/.545 in 420 plate appearances with 16 home runs, 22 stolen bases (third in the league) in 29 tries and a league-leading 28-doubles. In 2010-11, Castillo hit .324/.373/.555 with 18 home runs in 400 trips to the plate and led Serie Nacional with 29 stolen bases in 35 attempts. Castillo had played on the Cuban national team, though he didn’t participate in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Since he’s 27 and has played five seasons in Cuba, Castillo’s bonus isn’t subject to the international bonus pools. Castillo is represented by Roc Nation Sports. That contract is nuts . Hahn didn't even really consider him at all because he wasn't left-handed.

When I was trying out for the basketball team in 8th grade the coach said practice is 5 to 7 meaning 5 to 7PM . Not having had much experience with organized sports to that point I thought he meant 5 minutes to 7 or 6:55 . My point ? Lack of experience

It's like the Jordan rules for the Sox. If a White Sox catcher blocks home plate and the runner is out , the runner shall be called safe. If the opponent of the White Sox blocks home plate and the runner is out the runner shall be ruled out.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Aug 22, 2014 -> 06:13 PM) what a stupid decision. Maybe we'll get a gift run on blocking the plate. Ha yea right, we don't get gifts.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 21, 2014 -> 02:44 PM) I'd be stunned if it's not Semien or Sanchez Considering Micah Johnson was shut down for the year, yea, no ther choice but Semien or Sanchez. Best of luck Gordon and thanks Angels.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Aug 20, 2014 -> 02:52 PM) Anybody think Hahn has talked to Konerko about going to a contender for his last hurray? Hurrah

Leury is only up playing because of his lack of hitting talent. The Sox probably don't believe he has the talent to be a good ML hitter so he's here strictly for speed and defensive versatility. Any other youngster who might have hitting ability has to have AB's in the minors. Leury doesn't. But still it's all made possible by the letters P and K.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 20, 2014 -> 06:32 PM) It's a joke that Leury is still in the majors. There are so many bad players on this roster. Who else can play infield and outfield without needing Minor league AB's for development ? Otherwise you might conclude PK being on the roster is why Leury is also. But I can't recall you ever weighing in on PK's presence.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 20, 2014 -> 06:04 PM) Noesi can't avoid the big inning He can't avoid the HR ball. Give up a lot of them but so does Chen only Chen moves the ball around pretty good.

QUOTE (1dog @ Aug 20, 2014 -> 05:27 PM) Robin must hate Conor. Or, he's just an idiot. Conor doesn't exactly light up LH pitching either so I'm guessing he'd rather have the speed near the top of the lineup .

QUOTE (1dog @ Aug 19, 2014 -> 06:09 PM) Gord0n doesn't even look like he cares at this point. Is there a reason we are still forced to watch him? Honestly, why not bring up Semien or whoever now to get a few more at bats. Do you have to wait for September? I just don't understand the thinking. He has a 0% chance of being on the team next year, right? Please, someone help me out. Never say zero percent .