Randar68

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jul 14, 2005 -> 11:56 PM) Knights give up 6 HRs in a 13-2 loss. Box Score Hogs win 12-3. 4 hits for Hinton. Gio with a decent, short outing. Box Score Kanny lost 4-1. Hansen HRd. Box Score Borch with his 17th HR in the Charlotte debacle. Lucy was 1-3 at the plate and threw out 2/2 attempted base-stealers. And despite being hitless in 5 AB's, Valido stole his 29th base of the season, leading all Sox minor leaguers in that category.

QUOTE(Punch and Judy Garland @ Jul 14, 2005 -> 11:09 AM) Using steroids is obviously not a death sentence in the big leagues (Turnbow) but it sure does temper excitement. I have a hard time getting worked up about Valido You guys are a trip and a half... Valido made last season's All-Star team in Kanny before hitting a wall. He's the best SS prospect in the organization and gets talked about regularly. Not sure why the original poster feels that he "gets no love"...

QUOTE(MnSoxFan @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 12:03 PM) Allen is from Texas, no? Yep, you're right. Had the same brain-cramp last year. Montgomery, Texas... I always remember Montgomery and then just stick Alabama after it, LOL!

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Jul 13, 2005 -> 10:37 AM) Allen is just 19, so he's a Solid prospect to watch.... (even though I hate rookie league stats) The others all have caveats. I would say that Richard is the best prospect out of them. He's supposed to have great stuff for a lefty. He was a back-up QB at Michigan. Clayton Richard was a top-couple round talent out of Indiana HS and was a top QB recruit for Michigan. After not pitching for 2 years, he joined the baseball team after last football season as was so dominant he was their co-closer. Allen was an extremely raw HS kid out of Alabama who had a sweet swing, but not much experience or high-level coaching. BIG, yet runs like a deer. He was very solid at 1st base in Bristol last year and I am pretty surprised at the number of errors he's put up so far. Had a good enough arm to be an average RF-arm. Kid is going to take some time. They are taking a very similar path with him as they did with Chris Young.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Jul 12, 2005 -> 11:57 PM) That and Corey Patterson recieved absolutely ZERO coaching from the time he left AA as a 20 year old until now. He hasn't learned s***. Meanwhile Young continues to show that he's learning. You can teach a kid everything in the world, but it will benefit him not one iota if they aren't receptive... Patterson thought he was the second coming from the time he was in A ball and since then has refused to change his game for all intents and purposes. How is that on the shoulders of coaches?

Let's also keep in mind where some of these quotes and comparisons are coming from. Razor isn't the most objective guy (see preseason article with his comments, hype, and expectations)... I love Chris Young and his potential, I'm just saying let's not get excited any time Razor raves about a guy...

QUOTE(MnSoxFan @ Jul 12, 2005 -> 09:15 AM) His arm cannot be worse than Lance Johnson's was, and he was a good CF One-dog and Kenny Lofton, LOL! As much hype as Cameron got defensively, I always thought Chris Singleton was at least as good in CF... Young has worked extremely hard at his arm strength/accuracy. He has gone from Below-average in spring last season to at least an average arm. It will not be something that holds him back any longer, although if he and Anderson ever wind up in the same OF, I might move Chris to LF if I had a capable RF'er alongside.

QUOTE(BlackBetsy @ Jul 11, 2005 -> 02:38 PM) I could see them taking a package like Valido, Bajenaru and Owens for Vizquel. They'd be absolutely insane not to. With the contract he has at the age he is at, the only way they get that much is to pay the rest of his deal IMO. That said, I'd be irate with this deal from a Sox-fan perspective. Valido is by far the best SS prospect in the system and Vizquel is practically old enough to challenge Carl's assertion that dinosaurs didn't exist with a first-hand account....

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jul 11, 2005 -> 01:44 PM) Want to know where Young is going to end up next year? In someone else's minor league system. His fast rise points to someone wanting him in one of these deadline deals. I dont see us keeping all three of the AA OF'ers after the trade deadline. These kinds of posts are so utterly ridiculous it's not worth posting. Are some guys gonna get traded? In the long run, sure. But why do some people have to get so b****y and whiney and chicken-little-esque about prospect A or B eventually getting traded basically saying we shouldn't bother to follow them? Guess what, Rock, some day, you're going to die. Does that mean you shouldn't bother living? Seriously... stick a sock in it if that's all you have to contribute.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jul 11, 2005 -> 01:30 AM) Long winded way of saying a lot of people have given up on him way too quickly. People love to crap on guys when they struggle, especially when they were very critical of him being drafted in the first place, makes them feel right, I suppose. Not saying Jason is being that way at all, but Whisler and Lucy took the most heat last draft and people love to ride them because of their preconceived notions I think...

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jul 11, 2005 -> 01:30 AM) I don't know what you see in Schnur. I think I'm one of few to still be a supporter of Fields. I think he's going to be good. From the time we drafted him we knew what we were getting (relatively raw, a lot of power, a lot of strikeouts, below average defense). He's had one bad month and he's improved since (even won a hitter of the week recently). He might just be another Joe Borchard though, which is probably why Sox fans are hesitant to get excited about Fields. Nope, I'm with ya there on Fields vs. Schnur... BTW, having been written off by many, Donny Lucy has been playing pretty well, no? Fields has had to make adjustments as he's moved up and will always strike out a lot, but he's pretty good defensively and just needs repetitions. I'm in "wait-and-see" mode on several guys we've talked about a lot in the past.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jul 8, 2005 -> 02:15 PM) Young, Gio, Liotta highlighted in BA's Prospect Pulse Everybody seems to be glowing about Young right now. What do you guys think his assignment will be next year? Is there any chance he could make the big league club out of camp or will he be playing CF for the Knights next year? Too early to say, IMO. With the picture in Chicago and him having just skipped High-A, unless he pulls the average up to around .300 at season's end, I might start him back in AA and see what happens from there. He'll be in the big-league spring camp next year, no doubt...

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 8, 2005 -> 12:44 PM) Why would you give Anderson CF, when Rowand has been such a good player for you. That makes no sense at all. Right now it appears Anderson will be the 4th outfielder for the Sox next season. Pods-Arow-Dye Bringing Anderson up to be the 4th outfielder makes the least sense out of any of the options. Next year, I do think you will see Dye at 1st, Rowand in RF, Anderson in CF, and Pods in Left. That makes more sense than anything else considering Konerko is a Free Agent.

QUOTE(Greg Hibbard @ Jul 8, 2005 -> 10:25 AM) So is Daigle too old for this list? He is absolutely crushing the ball this year, no? In his sixth season of A-ball he was. He's too old for the list because he was playing in A-ball, not AAA. If he has a great second-half in Charlotte, he may start moving into the picture near the bottom of the list, but after that many years of toiling in the minors, it takes quite a move for someone like that to make a prospect list.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 11:10 PM) I want to make sure everyone understands the list was preseason. Randar....I agree.....with everything.... Hey man, you're taking the "Baj versus Walker Crusade" to the Sickels blog now? LOL!

QUOTE(ChiSox_Sonix @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 10:57 PM) he also had 2 SB There are two thoughts out there on Chris Young, IMO... 1) He's a low-average hitter and it will cost him 2) He's got as much potential as anyone in the organization and by far the most "Super-Star" potential in the org. The people who fall under #1 have almost Universally never seen him play in person as opposed to #2, the people who have seen the guy play. He plays with such passion, has so much fun, and when he hits the ball? He produces a different sound that only a couple guys in the minors produce when he hits it. Even if he never hits for a .300 average, he could hit .260-40-110 with 30 SB's in his prime and an OBP in the .350 range. Those are Andrew Jones type numbers. If the kid ever shows the ability to be a .300 hitter he is going to be an absolute star, IMO. The fact that he's doing this in a pitcher's park after skipping High-A is even more eye-popping. On top of that, there are few guys in baseball you'd have to root harder for. The kid just has the greatest attitude and is just a riot to watch play. Valido and Young are by far my 2 favorite prospects in the org as people and players right now. (and people know how much I like Anderson and Rogo and going forward, Hernandez and Allen)

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 10:28 PM) Lemon was a joke as dan alluded to. He's my adopt a prospect because I absolutely hated the draft pick last year. Valido I put that low because I'm completely unsure of his defense. What's it like? I've admittedly never seen the kid play. I thought I remembered him being the least highly thought of in terms of glove of our middle infield prospects. I see he only has 7 errors, but that means nothing to me. Missed that on Lemon, sorry. Yep, I was pumped about Valido from the day he was drafted, really thought it was the steal of the draft and said as much on WSI back in the day... Lopez and Valido are both MLB-ready today in terms of defense. They both show the kind of consistency you need at SS and both also make a lot of VERY difficult plays look easy. Smooth, flowing, smart. Valido especially has such a great mind for the game. He is a very analytical person/player, and he just knows, by reflex, what the right move is at any given time in relation to the situation, his abilities, where the ball is hit, who the runners are, etc... Lopez has really been pushed because of his defense the past 12 months, but he's still very young. Valido? He's not ever going to be a big power hitter but he can be a good doubles-hitter and at SS with the kind of defense he brings, that is plenty sufficient. He has a quick bat and when he hits the ball it sounds like it. He has average(maybe slightly above) speed for a SS these days, but he knows how to use it with his feel for the game. He runs a bit upright but he has a quick first step and knows how/when to steal a bag when he needs to. He started out well last year in his first year of full-season ball and made the All-Star team at mid-season. However, he hit a wall physically and mentally in the second half and was never really able to pull himself past it. He was just worn down, and that is very common for players in their first year of full-season ball. If he is able to hit .280 at the MLB level, he's going to be a very good SS for the White Sox. The Middle-infield scenario is actually looking to get crowded now with Getz/Valido/Lopez/Gonzalez all between High-A and AA in reality. Getz has no business being at low-A right now.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 10:15 PM) Holy s***. On base all 7 plate appearances? That's insane. I knew this guy would tear up the lower levels, but it's becoming hard for me to not get excited over this guy. College players with his level of experience need to succeed in High-A before I'm going to get excited out of the box, IMO...

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 10:14 PM) I think that he is an idiot and knows very little about our minors and that its dumb for 1 man to rate every teams prospects because it would impossible for him 2 really know each team's minor leaguers. Welcome to the internet. I just want to know how many of these people in the comments that are impressed or unimpressed by certain prospects have ever seen them play in person. I'm guessing only a couple. You think Sickels has actually seen any of these guys? Ummmm... no. Has Sickels seen Fancisco Hernandez, who, incidentally had made the adjustments and had starting hitting the ball much more consistently the 2-3 weeks before Lucy came off the DL??? Wes Whisler rated that high to begin with? He hasn't been healthy and neither has Lumsden. Rogo is a better prospect than most anyone gives him credit for. If Young ends up showing a more consistent approach at the plate and hitting in the .280 range at the end of the year, how is he not in the top 3 prospects? I have him around 5 right now and I have him much higher than Sweeney in terms of ceiling. Anyway, any jabroni with a computer can now post top 10 and 20 lists despite never seeing any of these guys play. Just because his name is John Sickels doesn't mean he isn't just blabbing about something he doesn't have first hand knowledge of...

QUOTE(BlackBetsy @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 02:44 PM) That's a nice comparison, da Chort. Francoeur performed like Young last year, too, only he did it in the Carolina League instead of the Sally League. I think there will be much more press on Young at the end of the year when the stat-based minor league analysis community looks over the season. I'm impressed by Young and getting more impressed. What we need to see from him more than anything is progress - i.e., getting better month by month as he goes through the minors. I think Chris might be due for a long look at ST 2006. Given Rowand's status, he might be a great possibility to be the starting CF in 2007 if (1) Anderson isn't around; or (2) Anderson can handle a corner OF position offensively. Ideally you'd be able to have Anderson in CF, Young in LF, and someone else with an arm in RF. Any outfield consisting of Young and Podsednik would be run on until the cows came home...

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 10:12 PM) By all accounts Sickels' list is horrible. Some of the comments after the blog entry make the list look Nobel Prize-worthy...

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 08:49 PM) well the hope is this offseason that Dye plays in some summer league and gets some time at 1B and than he can probably be our starting 1B with Gload as a backup 1B. He's been taking infield practice before games almost the entire year. This is not some unplanned snap decision by Ozzie.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 03:51 PM) I think what you will see next year is Dye at 1B, Anderson/Everett platoon in RF and Konerko gone with Frank as the DH. They would platoon Anderson why?

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 03:24 PM) I posted my Current top 10 over there.... 1. Brian Anderson -- Not great, not terrible. Will be a solid OF for years to come. 2. Brandon McCarthy -- No reason to let his ML call up effect his status. He's got some work to do, but could be very good 3. Chris Young -- Tons and Tons of potential. He is the one prospect I would be most upset trading. 4. Gio Gonzalez -- Great numbers, good curveball. some durability issues. 5. Ryan Sweeney -- Power is not an issue with me... Yet. He's young for the Southern league, and I expect him to repeat at least a half-season there next year. 6. Ray Liotta -- He's done nothing but put up good numbers since entering the system 7. Tyler Lumsden -- great stuff, injury 8. Casey Rogowski -- Promotion to Charlotte might be in order. I'd be interested to see how the Bandbox at Charlotte effect his power numbers 9. Sean Tracey -- Sinkerballer. Good ERA at every stop, poor control. 10. Robert Valido -- Just turned 20 (hopefully that's accurate) hitting .313/.360/.429 in the Carolina league. 28/4 SB/CS ratio. 11. Nick Lemon. As of today, Valido is too low, and Nick Lemon is about 20 spots too high, IMO. Nick Lemon is a better prospect than Harrell, Russell, Cunningham, Brooks, Andy Gonzalez, etc? Where is Jenks?

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 09:32 AM) You could be ruining a HOF catcher or 3B. got bad knees in the family, no catchers... I messed my knee up catching as a kid and there is no reason to do so...