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QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 02:47 PM) If Carson Fulmer is a pitcher, no matter how well the other draftees do, the 2015 draft is a big success. When Larry Himes rebuilt the White Sox, his first rounders were studs. In 3 of his 4 drafts, the rest of the draft produced pretty much next to nothing. The only guys he drafted after the 1st round that signed and helped the White Sox were in 1990 with Ray Durham and Jason Bere. He also drafted Bob Wickman that year who was eventually traded for Steve Sax. Yet those drafts turned the White Sox into contenders for a while. So? The White Sox just acquired Brett Lawrie for JB Wendelken and Zach Erwin, yet by your current logic path, those players would have no bearing on the future of the white sox because they are not top picks and top prospects. The extra budget pool we acquire with the 28th pick lets us get a couple more JB Wendelken and Zach Erwin and possibly a gigantic lottery winner. The explicit players may end up not succeeding for the white sox, but that doesn't mean they are without value if they don't make big leagues for the White Sox.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 01:50 PM) That Astros route didn't work out so well for them. I think the would have been better off with Bryant and Rodon rather than Appel and Aiken. I think you are missing the forest for the trees here, Dick. If we want to continue to spur top level FAs and use our farm to get major league ready players, that single pick may lead to 3-4-5 additional high school or other players into our system that otherwise would not be. Last year was extremely thin with among other things 2 picks missing and then less signings after. It should be even more valuable to Sox, not less.

Considering how freaking long this presidential race has been, I find it funny they moved Iowa back. When did this happen? I only just remembered after a memory of reading a nytimes on an abroad trip in early january 2008 that said she won New Hampshire, and that won't be until into february.

Just to reiterate - Fowler is a good (er...average) player whom certainly makes us better, but how much better is a question to me and I really can't any more offensive upgrades that do not come with upgraded D. We've seen how good Sale and Q can be in front of a horrible defense. How good are they when you cut out X number of baserunners per year with good defense? How much better is our bullpen? I'd like to see it while we still have Q/Sale.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 12:35 PM) His power the last several seasons seems to indicate a 15 homer guy if he stays healthy. His defense isn't stellar, but it's not horrible. He gets on base, and can run. And he gets Avi off the field. It sure beats sending another top prospect or 2 away for a guy like Dickerson or Blackmon. But how much does it beat just getting Austin Jackson who will get you plus defense to go with your elite pitching (1-3) and doesn't tie you up long-term? Also - "not horrible" defense is what I heard about Melky and it seems to usually indicate pretty terrible. It's just a waste of resources. Is the more money, more years and a pick better than Jackson? Fowler is a good player, but I like him a lot less when he is rounded out by Eaton and Melky, whom total will provide us with 45 some hrs a year.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 12:30 PM) The draft pick isn't my only reservation with Fowler. I think he'll cost more than that, and I'd also prefer a more talented defender. Yes to both.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 12:30 PM) I still don't get the must some have in holding on to this pick. Considering the outrage Shark and therefore this pick wasn't traded in July, one would be led to believe it was a worthless pick. They still would have their full draft intact. You basically would be making the trade Semien et al for 1 year of Shark and 3 years of Fowler. Sure, I'd like them to keep the pick, but it isn't a killer at all. I don't know if it's just a pick, it's the committing to a likely-bad defensive OF with limited power. His OBP is great, but, at least with Jackson you know it's a placeholder to upgrade. With Fowler, it's committing to a pretty average OF for a long time.

Yeah, that said, still want Jackson over Fowler, even though he's not as good.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 10:28 AM) It's too big of task to make non baseball players baseball players. It's not like other sports. Football, basketball, you can get a guy with a ton of talent to be decent in a few years. Baseball, no way. There aren't stories of guys who picked up baseball as 16 year olds and became big league stars. Hopefully Tim Anderson

I'd be fine if he wasn't. He was suspended for half the year, and it's pretty likely this was from before then. Kid has a substance abuse problem that flares up just as his dad gets diagnosed with cancer and gets treatment? It's not like he was a very good QB, so this is either enabling behavior keeping him on, or they actually see him improving and know he's struggling with a problem.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 10:04 AM) You are probably looking at a really long term investment before a potential payoff, I would guess somewhere between a decade and a generation by the time you actually see results. As long as that is understood, it is a great idea. Especially with any success Sox make, the copycats could basically use the fruits of white sox labor pretty rapidly without any of the longterm financial commitment sox made. Another point, not really knowing how cba will change. It's possible white sox wouldn't even have full rights to to sign these players out of their academies.

The one thing I think holds baseball back where it has no previous foothold is the incredibly single-purpose and high maintenance fields. Much of Brazil/India/etc is built densely and a lot of the soccer fields are half size on dirt. These academies would be hard to set-up or be out of the way. I like this idea Caulfield, but man, sox do get hurt reputation wise here for Wilder scandal. "Oh, you want to set up a bunch of academies in areas with little oversight? Sounds good". One thing of baseball as well, this is a long play. This is not a sport of naturals. It's not like football where a former basketball player can bulk up and 2 years later is a star DE. The repitition is insane, so this would just be a long, long play but an important one.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jan 26, 2016 -> 09:22 AM) Here's a leaderboard of guys that age in the last 30 years with the highest single-season chase percentage. There are ways to be productive at the plate if you're a hacker, but most of them involve hitting for some power. Avi is clearly in rarefied air here. You can't even compare him to anybody. He's at the top. SMDH. Was going to say that list had better names than I thought but then I saw it's also historical.

Is Miller projected high? They ought to draft a WR...our top 4 are not models in health.

Mizzou stole a 3 and a 4 star recruit from Boise St in one weekend, one from Arkansas and one from Oklahoma. First Oklahoma recruit in a while.

I guess I don't know how Pro Bowl works anymore, isn't Smith in AFC?

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 02:01 PM) Avi surprisingly had the third highest walk rate among all Sox starters last year. Through May last year he had a .323/.360/.445 slash and was .278/.331/.435 in August. If he can hit like that all year he is fine. It's just the .548, .581, .588 OPS's he put up the other three months that made his year look really bad. The kid is a hard worker. I wouldn't be surprised to see him make great strides this year. I realistically could see him putting up a .280/.330/.460 slash line this year. I just don't think he has the skill of adjusting. He clearly knows what to do but he has trouble applying it consistently. He came out in august pulling hte ball like crazy, and it goes away as soon as it comes.

Happy for Dunleavy, I hope he gets to play at a high level. He is the one player that I would say "fits" the bulls proposed new style.

Really disappointed the Broncos are in. They were such an unwatchable team all year. I do hope people take note from Rivera not being fired, and kudos to Jags for sticking with Bradley one more year. Continuity is always underrated. If a coach has lost a locker room, they should be fired. But one bad year or in year 3, they should get some time. There's so much random crap that goes on in a football year that is the difference between winning and losing.

QUOTE (peppers312 @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 01:08 PM) it's a BIG "if", but what if Garcia ends up hitting to the tune of .265-270, .350 OBP, 20 HRs, 70+ RBIs next season? would people STILL malign him? i guess the reason i ask is because he's STILL young. he'll be 25 this upcoming June and in terms of baseball years he hasn't even hit his "prime." i look at a guy like Alex Gordon (just an example), his numbers his first 3 years with KC are nothing special. he was 23-25 years old. now i'm not saying Avi is the next Alex Gordon, but when Gordon hit 27-29 years old his production went up. i understand we want Avi to produce NOW, but is he really as hopeless as everyone on here makes him out to be? It's mainly the deficient hitting with deficient defense. If he is just an average hitter he still needs to be replaced. That said, if he actually got up to .350 OBP he is much more acceptable.

There is one brightside - I feel like even 10 years ago we would not have realized how bad Avi was at this point.

Heyward - like 25.5 (if you consider the 3 years and all signing bonus money even if its deferred) Cespedes - 25 Gordon - 18 Upton - 22 Basically a shade under what everyone is expecting with big shocker being years. I have no sympathy for the comments like "so you want them to pay X $25 million per YEAR?!?!". No, I didn't , but when they rely on Free Agency to acquire talent and claim to want to compete right way, that they actually engage that market with realistic expectations of cost. None of these guys are "overpaid", they are paid what top level free agent outfielders will continue to get.

Honestly was expecting Dunleavy to retire after the news, if he plays at all I'm happy.

Congrats to Cam Newton on this year and his career. He truly had to deal with the dumbest of all body language criticisms, and the dude just balled out this year despite all receivers being completely inexperienced.

Also I'm hoping Desmond is more like a 2 year 26 million deal with player option otherwise meh