Rex Hudler

In my mind there was some surprise at Anderson being ranked so high, but then again, he spent the 2nd half of the year in AA so it is easy to forget what he did in W-S. Again, keep in mind that McCarthy didn't spend a lot of time in Winsto-Salem either, so it is likely that not all managers saw him. Plus, my guess is that there is the typical "prospect bias" with BA and Anderson was a first round draft pick, so he gets a little more weight. More likely I think it is just the amount of time he spent there.

17. Sean Tracey, 6'3" 210 Age: 23 After a difficult 2003 season in which he posted a 9.50 ERA in the South Atlantic League, Tracey established himself as one of the best arms in the CL this season, ranking second in the league in strikeouts and ERA. A power pitcher with great confidence, Tracey's location and command drew comparisons to Indians righthander Adam Miller. Though he is four years older than Miller, the stuff certainly is comparable between the two. Tracey's fastball sits at 93-94 mph, touching 97, and he has an above-average power slider and changeup to go along with it. Tracey's poise and demeanor make him one of the best arms in the White Sox system. A major question mark remains his mechanical delivery, however; Tracey’s arm action includes a “stab” in the back, which can lead to control issues. "He always wants the ball," Winston-Salem manager Nick Leyva said. "His velocity shot up as he's honed his mechanics some, and he's had a breakout year for us."

ss2k, looks like another change is necessary. Sox got 5 players in the top 20 instead of 4. I totally missed Fields when originally scanning the list. 12. Josh Fields, 6'2" 210 Age: 21 The eighteenth overall pick in this year's draft out of Oklahoma State jumped right into high Class A--which shows you what the White Sox think of their first-round pick. Fields starred as a quarterback in college, setting school records for touchdown passes (55) and a Cotton Bowl mark for passing yards (307), yet he chose baseball over the gridiron. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Fields doesn't have the prototype NFL quarterback size and wasn't a big-time football prospect. But in his first taste of professional baseball, he showed that he should hit for power and average as well. Fields is raw at the corner right now, but managers and scouts said he should be a solid defender down the road. "I like him there," said an AL scout. "He's got good size and a strong, accurate arm. His footwork could be a little better, though, and his reaction time hasn't been exceptional. He needs more time there to really feel it out."

7. Ryan Sweeney, 6'4" 200 Age: 19 Sweeney, like Anderson, jumped from the Rookie-level Pioneer League to high Class A to start the season. Anderson moved up to Double-A during the season, but unlike Anderson, Sweeney is still a teenager. And as a 19-year-old among older, more experienced players, Sweeney held his own. Considered a second-round steal out of an Iowa high school last year, Sweeney’s season was not without its struggles. Still, some scouts who saw both players said they preferred Sweeney. “He hasn’t shown great bat speed—more slider bat speed to me, but that should change with more at-bats,” one AL scout said. “It could be a comfort thing. You get offspeeded to death in this league—especially guys like him. But if you know he can’t get around on the fastball, it makes it easier to set him up.”

6. Brandon McCarthy, 6'7" 200 Age: 21 Described as a blue-collar version of former White Sox righthander Jack McDowell, McCarthy doesn’t back down from anyone. Physically, he also resembles McDowell, with a 6-foot-7, 200-pound frame. His stature allows him to throw on a downward plane, and he repeats his delivery well. “He’s got exceptional command for a tall guy,” Lovekamp said. “He creates such good angles and works down in the zone. Coming from as high as it does, the ball tends to get on you quickly and looks really small as it sinks down at you.”

6. Brandon McCarthy, 6'7" 200 Age: 21 Described as a blue-collar version of former White Sox righthander Jack McDowell, McCarthy doesn’t back down from anyone. Physically, he also resembles McDowell, with a 6-foot-7, 200-pound frame. His stature allows him to throw on a downward plane, and he repeats his delivery well. “He’s got exceptional command for a tall guy,” Lovekamp said. “He creates such good angles and works down in the zone. Coming from as high as it does, the ball tends to get on you quickly and looks really small as it sinks down at you.”

3. Brian Anderson, 6'2" 205 Age: 22 Another five-tool player who jumped to Double-A at midseason, Anderson was one of the most exciting players in the league. He started off slow, still recovering from minor wrist surgery, but by the time May rolled around, Anderson kicked it into overdrive. A polished hitter who works himself into deep counts, Anderson also proved to be a plus defender in center field for the Warthogs. “To me, if you want to compare them, Anderson and Francoeur are similar, but Anderson is more disciplined around the zone,” an AL scout said. “Francoeur is more of a free-swinging guy and Anderson is going to make more consistent contact. He doesn’t have quite the arm Francoeur does, but his speed makes up for it where he plays.”

Well here is the Carolina League list....... TOP 20 PROSPECTS 1. Jeff Francoeur, of, Myrtle Beach 2. Michael Aubrey, 1b, Kinston 3. Brian Anderson, of, Winston-Salem 4. Zach Duke, lhp, Lynchburg 5. Kyle Davies, rhp, Myrtle Beach 6. Brandon McCarthy, rhp, W-S 7. Ryan Sweeney, of, Winston-Salem 8. Brian McCann, c, Myrtle Beach 9. Richie Gardner, rhp, Potomac 10. Fernando Nieve, rhp, Salem 11. Tom Gorzelanny, lhp, Lynchburg 12. Josh Fields, 3b, Winston-Salem 13. Ryan Garko, 1b/c, Kinston 14. Brad Eldred, 1b, Lynchburg 15. Anthony Lerew, rhp, Myrtle Beach 16. Chris Ray, rhp, Frederick 17. Sean Tracey, rhp, Winston-Salem 18. Rajai Davis, of, Lynchburg 19. Hayden Penn, rhp, Frederick 20. Mitch Maier, 3b, Wilmington Sox get five players on the list, starting with Brian Anderson at #3. If someone thinks it would be better to transfer this to a new thread, feel free.

Hawkins is a very good setup guy, but not a closer. I called that blown save yesterday before he threw his first warmup pitch. It seemed too easy.

So they got him to be a DH when at the time they didn't know Frank was out for the year? And where did they think he would play next year? I don't know every single player that might have been available then, but you can't tell me he was the ONLY one. The point is, KW went back to familiar ground, which was a mistake given everything I have already mentioned. He could have found someone else. He could have been more patient. There were still two more weeks before the tradign deadline. All I am saying is that I said it the day the trade was made and I am saying it now. I have been consistent and so far, right. Picking up Carl Everett was a bad move. We can argue all you want, but that is not going to change. If you want to disagree with me, fine. But I still say it was a dumb move and I'm sticking with it. I am confident the end result will show I was right. I understand the logic behind the move, I just think it was flawed. It was done with short-sighted thinking. I'm repeating myself here so I am done. Get your final word in and let's move on.

Actually it was Morse that was the 3rd player in the deal, not Francisco. Francisco was traded in the original Carl Everett deal.

Jim, I don't know what your fascination with Rauch is....... When did I say we shouldn't have traded Rauch??? Hell, I would have traded Rauch for a box of pearls, but that has nothing to do with this argument. My point is, that getting Everett was a bad move and it was. Call it an insurance policy for next year if you want, but when have the Sox had an extra $4.5 million for insurance?? To think that Everett would help this year was overly optimistic. To think that acquiring an out of shape, injured OF who is only good once every three years in hopes he will get his s*** together for next year is like throwing darts blindfolded. Yes I know KW liked him from the year before. But that is what blinded KW. He should have been able to see that Everett was a long shot to help the Sox again. I am saying the same exact things I argued with people the day he was re-acquired, so this is not hindsight at all. If Everett gets his s*** together and has a big year next year that that's great. But I certainly wouldn't bet a limited budget on it. Especially when OF's that hit .265 with 17 HR and 60 RBI are not that hard to come by, nor do they often cost $4.5 million.

You keep bringing out Rauch, Jim, I don't. Rauch is not the issue here. Going after Everett again is. He was coming off an injury and fat and out of shape, yet he was supposed to help this year? Now he is going to make $4 million while Ozzie threatens him with bench time next year. It was a stupid move. If a move had to be made, another could have. It was a reactionary move, pure and simple. Get over it.

But he hadn't hit all year! He only hits one out of every three years! It doesn't take rocket science to see this.

Thanks, I was going to have to ask for clarification.

Unfortunately that fire didn't help down the stretch.

Or perhaps he wasn't doing the things he needed to do to get better? Perhaps he was immature and disruptive and the improvement wasn't coming along fast enough? I don't know his situation, but 6 teams in 6 years is A LOT. Yes players move and there can seem to be reasons, but often there are reasons behind the scenes that drive things more than you know.

So fat guys and infielders are in our corner. Who else?

JimH, I agree there are many variables. I was using Pavano as an example for a more general question. Trying to get people to think about the positives and the negatives of the Sox from perhaps a different perspective. And if what Jason said is still true, and he is dating Alyssa Milano, then perhaps So Cal would be more attractive to him? If he is not, maybe the women of So Cal are, assuming he hasn't had his fill of the women of South Beach.

Jason, time to get your head out of the sand........ A LOT of stuff happens within a team that never gets reported. Some good, some bad, some just meaningless. You have to understand that there is often more to a story than gets printed in the papers.

Jason, there has to be something else. There is no way a team would hurt itself if that was all. You mention this incident and two others in Toronto. How many incidents were there that never leaked out? You, nor I will never know. The Angels aren't stupid. They aren't going to take this kind of stand for a bulls*** move. Sometimes things go on behind the scenes that never get out, trust me I know. Rather than try and dig into the details of this one incident, look at the bigger picture. Why would the Angels want to jeopardize their playoff chances? There are ways to discipline a player and not hurt the team. There is a reason none of these were chosen. There is a reason why he keeps hopping from team to team. Look at the big picture.

My point is, why in the hell would the Sox not have known he was out of shape? Why trade for a guy who has been injured? Who has not performed well? It is not hard to see that Carl only has one good year about of about every three. I don't have the time nor desire to research all of Carl's past contracts, but it almost sounds as if he gets his s*** together when it is soon to be contract time. Either way, I am not lamenting the loss of Rauch and Majewski, but stating it was merely shortsighted, if not pointless to trade for Carl again in the first place.

All of your post included good insights. I chose to quote these two sentences because it highlights issues that can be a positive or a negative to a club, depending on the person. A good hitter's park is not an incentive for a pitcher. A clubhouse full of Latin players may make other Latin players more comfortable, but it may make others feel uncomfortable. I am still curious to others thoughts on the subject. Perhaps this should have been a new thread. Oh well.

And the Sox still finish 8 games behind the Twins in 2nd place.

It is not about being an asshole. It is about buying into the team concept. If one guy is treated differently, others resent it. They feel they aren't being treated fairly, so their morale changes. If a guy misses team meetings or is constantly late, he is showing that he has no respect for the team. If a player or players don't commit to that team concept, then others will follow. The morale of the existing players will decrease. There are a million possible scenarios here and I don't know specifics about Guillen. I DO know that a team 1 game out of first place, fighting for a playoff berth WOULD NOT suspend one of their best players if they didn't think he was hurting the team. No front office staff is that stupid. Sometimes you put up with a few things here and there, but then you have to take a stand. You have to rely on players to do the right things. Sometimes you give them an inch or two, hoping they don't take a mile. Again, this isn't measurable, but it does exist. Things like this are also rarely discussed in the media, because it is best to try and keep things in house.