bmags

I just don't understand how you all plan to get hitting. Last year this board was blown away as top 50 pitching prospects were being traded for expiring contract hitters. 4 to 1 deals (all pitching prospects) sent out for hitters and pitchers. But it took sending out a starting pitcher and top reliever to get a 24 year old hitter with his prospect shine off in vargas. Milwaukee traded an ace for a deal of way weaker position prospects than this board expected. Catchers and pitchers - that's what's available in trades. Our BPA pick last year is awesome until he had forearm soreness and we realized the guy already had TJS. Was a smidge away from a 2-time tommy john pitcher before he stepped foot on a mound for the sox. We'll be a team of Mike Tauchman-level signings and whomever first-round pitchers aren't on the shelf for tommy john for the next decade. BPA just is not a thing in the mlb draft.

Trading pitching for hitting just is not bringing the same value. Pitching prospects especially. It's just not going to move the needle.

I think our pitching development is overrated here. We put a ton of resources into it compared to hitting and get better than last results. But this ain't milwaukee. We are just one years removed from being unable to find even a single competent starter in AAA that could spot start and not be a disaster. And could not find a competent reliever. That doesn't happen to teams that can actually develop pitching.

I wouldn't say Hagen fit their needs best last year.

I just think the sox basically have no avenues to add hitting except the draft. We have no good trade assets left. Too many examples of finding a Smith in rule 5, Houser off waivers...the hitting equivalents aren't there. They have a bad offense with very little hitting prospects on their way. They'd have to hit 100% on those and few who look like wreckers. There may not be such a thing as too much pitching, but they definitely have too little hitting to ever compete more than 70 wins.

They didn't even change the writeup. I feel like this is BA doing a bit of "Surely this top college pitcher won't fall this far!".

I'm betting on Vargas. He's had rough stretches, but he has very high baseball IQ. The sox had a good decade stretch of zero baseball players you could say that about.

I mean never a bad position to add, but I would have put outfield as I don't see a single long term starter in our org there.

Does not feel like there is support in the sox for players like Laviollete, they have passed on so many like him last 5 years or so. And not even incorrectly.

I hope it's unlikely, BA has had Arnold and Witherspoon in recent mocks but it has seemed more like a general BA being stubborn about the floors of the college pitchers. Sucks to be in the position where you just have the draft exclusively left to get bats but neither arnold or witherspoon have the physical profile that i'd be happy about biting with a top 10 pick. But we'll see.

we aren't even acknowledging the scenario of college pitcher + schoolcraft heh

I mean...I've deleted the post 4 times where I ask about Matt Shaw. Cubs are supposedly sniffing around Ke'Bryan Hayes. Perhaps he's the bait there, but just seems like that will be the kind of position player currency we'd be feasibly able to pop away.

Kinda dreading this trade season. Feels like once again it's going to be like "we are interested in Houser. Are you interested in five 19 year old pitchers? You want a position player? How about this Top catching prospect?" again.

I actually do kinda want him to be bad. I also just think soxtalk's belief that playing baseball players in different positions around the diamond destroys them offensively just makes no sense. Gordon Beckham just wasn't good enough offensively. Great defensive 3b though..

Not feeling confident!

Wanted to discuss the Meidroth slide. Me? I’m in favor.

Naylor with an amazing AB

maybe, could be.

Yes things are difficult here but still surprising the degree of their drop. Not talking about being stars to just then being normie ball players. But Robert isn't hitting .700-.720 ops. We are talking almost a year and a half of an OPS+ in the 70s. Like, Leury garcia at age 27, just like robert, was 20% better offensively. And he sucked! Eloy Jimenez went from a 140 wRC+ at 25 to out of the league at 28. Vaughn was just an underwhelming 1B who suddenly was hitting worse than if you cut Leury Garcia's age 27 offensive season in half. Out of the league in AAA. Moncada ... well he seems like he's generally the same just injured. A more normal person who just prioritizes looking hot in music videos over baseball strength. Anderson I think is the MOST explainable. Him and Schoop were near carbon copies of one another offensively. Both were putting great offensive numbers up, and both fell off a cliff at age 30. Their approach just wasn't built to last. White sox players being underwhelming is built in for me. I'm used to a Brent Morel coming up and actually being ass. But this crop of dudes actually showing up as top players only to regress to out of the league just as quick is WILD.

it is so astounding that this guy became one of the worst players in baseball while entering his prime. I'm sure some blame goes to him, but man. Every single one of that 2021 core became non mlb players by the time they hit 28. It makes no sense.

My quality has been fine, but it drives me nuts how I'm never signed in, and how hard it is to just find the sign-in. There is no link on the freaking purchase page for those who already have an account! so annoying.

Speaking of not hustling, why the hell was josh rojas walking to first base after he hit into a double play on that hit and run attempt? I hate that guy so much.

Elko isn't good, but there are a lot of not good things on this roster. I do find satisfaction having a tall first baseman after the last few years. Hard to go back. Vargas is acceptable. But you saw what happens with Lenyn, short people don't know where small obstacles like "bases" are. They are too close to the ground, have great balance. Tall people are at a constant fear of stepping on something and falling over, and dying. Nature over nurture here, gotta go tall.

I think that is baseball karma at work. The shortstop was being lazy and you will always be punished correctly.

2016 Zach Collins (10) Zack Burdi (22) 2017 Jake Burger (11) 2018 Nick Madrigal (3) 2019 Andrew Vaughn (4) Just awful. Easy to notice that despite picking in the parts of the draft you should be able to get extremely athletic players with some polish, Hostetler went after short, sometimes wide, righthanded, unathletic college hitters. Burger was probably the most athletic, which is saying something. And a reliever.