Rex Hudler

Wylie was basically the last guy out of the bullpen in Charlotte, rarely used. Larsen will fill that same role. The move was simply to keep key pitchers in their same roles. You do a disservice to both the player and their original team (note Birmingham and W-S both are in a pennant race) if you promote a player and rarely use him. See Tommy Nicholson and Jonathan Aceves for past examples of "organizational" moves.

Bristol Sox - Appalachain League, Rookie (short season) East Division ------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Pulaski 22 12 .647 --- 13-3 9-9 16-5 Won 3 6-4 Danville 20 14 .588 2.0 11-4 9-10 14-11 Won 1 8-2 Bluefield 15 18 .455 6.5 5-11 10-7 11-10 Lost 1 2-8 Burlington-R 14 19 .424 7.5 9-7 5-12 9-13 Lost 1 5-5 Princeton 12 21 .364 9.5 5-6 7-15 5-16 Lost 3 4-6 West Division ------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Elizabethton 20 12 .625 --- 11-7 9-5 12-11 Won 2 7-3 Johnson City 20 13 .606 0.5 12-6 8-7 10-11 Lost 2 7-3 Greeneville 18 15 .545 2.5 11-9 7-6 14-8 Won 1 7-3 Kingsport 13 19 .406 7.0 8-9 5-10 9-11 Won 2 3-7 Bristol 11 22 .333 9.5 7-11 4-11 8-12 Lost 7 1-9

Great Falls Sox - Pioneer League, Advanced Rookie (short season) North Division -------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Billings 20 15 .571 --- 11-7 9-8 12-11 Won 3 8-2 Helena 20 16 .556 0.5 10-7 10-9 14-10 Won 1 5-5 Great Falls 16 19 .457 4.0 10-9 6-10 11-12 Lost 3 4-6 Missoula 14 21 .400 6.0 8-8 6-13 10-14 Lost 1 3-7 South Division -------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Idaho Falls 19 17 .528 --- 10-7 9-10 12-12 Won 1 5-5 Provo 19 17 .528 --- 11-8 8-9 12-12 Lost 1 6-4 Ogden 17 17 .500 1.0 10-9 7-8 11-12 Won 2 6-4 Casper 16 19 .457 2.5 9-7 7-12 12-11 Lost 1 3-7

Kannapolis Intimidators - South Atlantic League, Low A (split season) 1st Half Standings Northern Division ----------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 *-Charleston-WV 41 29 .586 --- 24-12 17-17 31-23 Lost 1 3-7 Hickory 39 31 .557 2.0 25-13 14-18 31-23 Lost 1 4-6 Lexington 37 32 .536 3.5 20-15 17-17 25-28 Won 1 5-5 Lake County 36 34 .514 5.0 20-15 16-19 28-26 Lost 1 7-3 Delmarva 35 34 .507 5.5 20-12 15-22 24-29 Lost 1 7-3 Kannapolis 34 35 .493 6.5 17-20 17-15 26-27 Won 1 8-2 Lakewood 31 36 .463 8.5 17-15 14-21 25-27 Won 1 3-7 Hagerstown 28 39 .418 11.5 13-17 15-22 22-29 Won 1 2-8 Southern Division ----------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 *-Capital City 44 26 .629 --- 20-15 24-11 35-19 Won 2 8-2 Charleston-SC 40 29 .580 3.5 20-15 20-14 31-23 Lost 2 4-6 Rome 40 30 .571 4.0 22-13 18-17 29-25 Won 2 6-4 Columbus-A 38 32 .543 6.0 17-18 21-14 30-24 Lost 4 4-6 Asheville 31 39 .443 13.0 20-15 11-24 25-29 Won 1 4-6 Augusta 31 39 .443 13.0 16-21 15-18 23-31 Lost 2 5-5 Savannah 30 40 .429 14.0 14-19 16-21 26-28 Won 3 6-4 Greensboro 20 50 .286 24.0 12-23 8-27 17-37 Lost 1 3-7 2nd Half Standings Northern Division ----------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Hickory 19 11 .633 --- 8-5 11-6 19-11 Won 3 7-3 Kannapolis 19 11 .633 --- 6-8 13-3 19-11 Won 2 7-3 *-Charleston-WV 17 13 .567 2.0 7-7 10-6 17-13 Lost 2 5-5 Lakewood 15 15 .500 4.0 8-9 7-6 15-15 Lost 1 6-4 Delmarva 14 16 .467 5.0 4-13 10-3 14-16 Won 3 7-3 Lake County 13 17 .433 6.0 7-9 6-8 13-17 Won 1 3-7 Lexington 13 17 .433 6.0 4-9 9-8 13-17 Lost 6 2-8 Hagerstown 10 20 .333 9.0 5-11 5-9 10-20 Lost 6 3-7 Southern Division ----------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 *-Capital City 18 11 .621 --- 9-3 9-8 18-11 Lost 1 7-3 Rome 16 13 .552 2.0 8-5 8-8 16-13 Won 2 8-2 Asheville 15 15 .500 3.5 7-7 8-8 15-15 Lost 3 3-7 Augusta 15 15 .500 3.5 9-6 6-9 15-15 Won 5 8-2 Charleston-SC 15 15 .500 3.5 6-13 9-2 15-15 Lost 6 3-7 Columbus-A 15 15 .500 3.5 10-6 5-9 15-15 Lost 2 4-6 Savannah 13 17 .433 5.5 4-9 9-8 13-17 Won 5 5-5 Greensboro 12 18 .400 6.5 8-9 4-9 12-18 Won 1 2-8

Winston-Salem Warthogs - Carolina League, High A (split season) 1st Half Standings Northern Division ----------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 *-Potomac 37 32 .536 --- 23-13 14-19 18-11 Lost 1 8-2 Lynchburg 35 35 .500 2.5 16-18 19-17 17-13 Won 2 4-6 Wilmington 33 36 .478 4.0 18-15 15-21 18-14 Lost 1 5-5 Frederick 20 49 .290 17.0 9-24 11-25 7-22 Won 1 4-6 Southern Division ----------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 *-Kinston 45 24 .652 --- 29-11 16-13 18-11 Won 1 4-6 Myrtle Beach 40 28 .588 4.5 20-12 20-16 17-17 Lost 1 4-6 Salem 38 32 .543 7.5 22-10 16-22 14-13 Lost 2 7-3 Winston Salem 29 41 .414 16.5 15-22 14-19 11-19 Won 1 3-7 2nd Half Standings Northern Division ----------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Wilmington 17 11 .607 --- 10-7 7-4 9-3 Won 2 5-5 Frederick 13 16 .448 4.5 7-8 6-8 6-7 Won 2 4-6 *-Potomac 12 17 .414 5.5 5-9 7-8 3-3 Lost 1 5-5 Lynchburg 8 19 .296 8.5 6-11 2-8 3-8 Lost 2 2-8 Southern Division ----------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Myrtle Beach 18 11 .621 --- 7-6 11-5 3-3 Lost 2 6-4 *-Kinston 17 11 .607 0.5 8-5 9-6 8-5 Won 1 8-2 Winston Salem 17 12 .586 1.0 7-5 10-7 6-6 Won 2 7-3 Salem 12 17 .414 6.0 6-7 6-10 5-8 Lost 2 2-8

I'll have to finish the rest later...... hate it when work interferes.

I really had a hard time with OF's. I even cheated and looked at BA's Top 100 Prospects and there were very few OF's on that list.... And none made me want to change the ones I listed..... Other than that, the list was completely off the top of my head.

Birmingham Barons - Southern League, AA (split season) 1st Half Standings East Division ------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Tennessee 39 31 .557 --- 24-11 15-20 24-19 Lost 1 9-1 Chattanooga 38 32 .543 1.0 19-16 19-16 22-20 Won 2 4-6 Carolina 37 33 .529 2.0 19-16 18-17 26-22 Won 1 5-5 Jacksonville 35 34 .507 3.5 24-10 11-24 23-19 Won 1 4-6 Greenville 26 43 .377 12.5 15-20 11-23 13-28 Lost 2 4-6 West Division ------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Mobile 40 30 .571 --- 22-13 18-17 22-17 Won 1 8-2 West Tenn 37 32 .536 2.5 23-10 14-22 23-23 Lost 1 5-5 Birmingham 35 34 .507 4.5 17-18 18-16 26-20 Lost 1 6-4 Huntsville 32 38 .457 8.0 17-19 15-19 21-18 Won 1 2-8 Montgomery 29 41 .414 11.0 17-18 12-23 16-30 Lost 1 3-7 2nd Half Standings East Division ------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Chattanooga 19 9 .679 --- 10-4 9-5 16-8 Lost 1 6-4 Greenville 18 10 .643 1.0 8-5 10-5 13-9 Lost 1 5-5 Jacksonville 13 15 .464 6.0 7-7 6-8 6-9 Won 3 6-4 Tennessee 13 16 .448 6.5 7-8 6-8 6-8 Won 1 6-4 Carolina 11 18 .379 8.5 6-9 5-9 9-16 Won 1 3-7 West Division ------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Birmingham 16 12 .571 --- 8-5 8-7 8-5 Won 1 6-4 Huntsville 16 12 .571 --- 12-3 4-9 12-10 Lost 1 6-4 West Tenn 14 14 .500 2.0 9-6 5-8 12-6 Won 1 5-5 Mobile 11 18 .379 5.5 5-9 6-9 11-15 Lost 4 4-6 Montgomery 11 18 .379 5.5 8-6 3-12 7-14 Lost 1 4-6

We talk about White Sox players and prospects on here all the time and we reference who wins and loses each night, but how each team is doing seemed to get lost in the shuffle. Following are the standings for each of the Sox affiliates, for those who might also be interested in wins and losses.... Charlotte Knights - International League, AAA (no split season) North Division -------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Buffalo 57 45 .559 --- 28-22 29-23 25-17 Won 4 6-4 Scranton-WB 55 46 .545 1.5 27-24 28-22 21-25 Won 1 2-8 Rochester 55 48 .534 2.5 28-22 27-26 23-17 Won 4 7-3 Pawtucket 50 52 .490 7.0 27-24 23-28 27-15 Won 6 9-1 Ottawa 47 56 .456 10.5 23-27 24-29 15-24 Lost 4 4-6 Syracuse 44 59 .427 13.5 26-27 18-32 13-26 Lost 3 3-7 South Division -------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Richmond 56 44 .560 --- 30-20 26-24 11-11 Lost 1 8-2 Durham 53 47 .530 3.0 30-20 23-27 13-9 Won 5 6-4 Charlotte 50 53 .485 7.5 26-23 24-30 10-11 Lost 1 6-4 Norfolk 46 52 .469 9.0 23-28 23-24 11-14 Lost 2 5-5 West Division ------------- W L PCT GB Home Away Div Streak Last10 Toledo 55 48 .534 --- 31-23 24-25 13-15 Lost 1 5-5 Columbus 52 47 .525 1.0 27-24 25-23 10-14 Lost 5 3-7 Louisville 47 55 .461 7.5 23-28 24-27 11-13 Lost 3 4-6 Indianapolis 43 58 .426 11.0 22-27 21-31 14-6 Won 1 1-9

What posts?

Off the top of my head, here goes (my apologies to those I forget): 1B - Justin Morneau/Prince Fielder (tie) 2B - Rickie Weeks SS - BJ Upton 3B - David Wright OF - Grady Sizemore OF - Brian Anderson OF - Delmon Young C - Jeff Mathis RHP - Felix Hernandez LHP - Jeff Francis CL - Jeff Bajenaru (a bit of a stretch, but what the hell)

Man, this thread went downhill quickly..........

Get over Kelly Wunsch........... He ain't comin back! He's so far gone he is not even on the 40-man anymore.......

Kelly Wunsch is done........ He is off the 40-man roster.... Teams don't just outright a guy to AAA and risk losing him on waivers if they plan to use him again. For Kelly to return, he will have to pitch lights out in Charlotte for awhile and that may not be enough. Sox fans need to stop pinning their hopes on Wunsch. He ain't coming back.

Bullard, did you change your name? ;-) I'll answer........ Brian has done very well for Birmingham this year. The Barons bullpen as a whole has been excellent. And yes, I know that he is coming off an injury. But at 30 years old and having been in the big leagues, he SHOULD be dominating AA. Basically, McNichol is not a prospect. He is a minor league vet, that given the right timing, might be able to help a big league team out in the short run. If all goes well for him, he could get back to the bigs, but it won't be easy. He'll have to continue to perform at a very high level and be in the right place at the right time. IF all of that happens, his shelf life in the big leagues at this point is probably 2-3 years max. Take nothing away from what he is doing. He is coming back very strong from surgery and doing what he has to do. He just doesn't fall under the definition of a "prospect".

You must be talking about the pitcher Josh Fields, because Josh Fields, the third baseman cannot be traded right now. MLB rules specifically do not allow any player to be traded within their first year.

Because Beltran has shown no willingness to do anything other than wade the free agent waters after the season. With Boras as his agent, he's not going to re-up with a team now. It's not like the Sox have a warm and fuzzy relationship with Boras so he might help their cause by getting his client to sign.

I had no problem with what he wrote...... He was just basically saying that the Sox are likely in trouble without their two big guns. That follows conventional wisdom. Obviously Sox fans want to think their team could be the exception to the rule and it can....... but Mariotti isn't saying what a lot of people would initially think. I don't think that article carried any malice toward the Sox at all. Just speaking what has gone through a lot of people's minds.

Jim, allow me to add to and argue with you on a few points.... Let's argue first....... You can't look at the results of the prospects the Sox have traded and make the assumption that the Sox did the right thing each time because none of them have made an impact in the big leagues for that team or another one. There is more to it than that. Minor League depth is important, even if the players don't make it to the Majors. Having depth in your farm system gives you better teams and better players overall. It is in a clubs best interest to win at the Minor League level when possible because it teaches a winning philosophy to its farmhands. Minor League teams, including the Sox keep charts on situational hitting and rate players accordingly. A player may be penalized someone (a fine, extra work, etc.) if he is not performing at a level the org sets for certain situations. Teaching the players how to play the game the right way and how to win, is as important as teaching a handful of players how to hit lots of HR's and steal bases. When you have better players overall, it helps those few true prospects you have develop. It is easier to develop a complete player in a situation where he has other good players around him. When he learns that helping the team win will also help him move up, because he will be doing the right things. I am not saying that good players never come from really crappy Minor League teams, but looking at the big picture, it helps an organization to develop true prospects just by having good players around them, even if those players never make the big leagues. Now, let's agree a bit, but allow me to expand in a different direction....... I will agree with you on the Royce Ring deal for two reasons. One, I saw Royce pitch a lot and after watching a "closer" consistently throw 86 mph, I knew he was overrated. He knew how to pitch, so I felt like he still had a chance to be a setup guy (and he may still), but he reminded me of Randy Myers with about 8 mph less on his fastball. Personally, I liked trading for Alomar last year. The reason is, because no matter how much importance is put on stats in the baseball world, there is more to a winning team than numbers. Alomar had been there before. He was joining his brother, which made it reasonable to assume that he would be coming in with a good attitude, and as far as I know, he did. Robby Alomar does all the little things on a baseball field to help a team win games. He understand defensive positioning. He makes other infielders around him better. I really think that Jose made significant strides at SS, while and after playing with Robby. Robby knows how to bunt. He can hit and run. He can steal a base on you even though his speed has waned. Robby in the past, used to practice bunting FOUL down the 3B line. He wanted to be able to lay down a bunt that went just foul down the line occasionally so that he would draw the 3B in closer, giving him a better opportunity to hit. Some guys show bunt to do that. Robby used to practice actually bunting the ball foul, to keep 3B around the league honest. Not being in the Sox clubhouse, I can only speak in generalities, but a guy like that can make everyone around him better, even when he is not performing at a level he used to. There are certain players and characteristics that statistics cannot measure and that fans rarely see, but they help teams win. I felt that Robby, despite his spotty history, could be that kind of player with the Sox after reuniting with his brother and leaving the depths of last place and NY with the Mets. That is why, I liked getting Robby. I felt the Sox needed that last year. I never expected the stats from the Robbby Alomar of the Blue Jays WS days. Sorry for the long post........

My point is not to argue the validity of the trades, but only to offer accuracy..... You can't look at what Ring is doing now. You don't have that luxury when the trade was made. Ring was the previous year's first rounder and was pitching very well. That was his point....... Webster is now hurt, but he was having a very solid season. Saying he is "not getting it done" is inaccurate. Francisco made the jump from Class A last year to the big leagues this year. I dont care what his stats are right now. He is someone we would love to have back in our system.

Jim/Old Socks/Hex Rudler: It is obvious you dislike some of the trades KW has made in the past couple of years regarding the prospects he gave up. On some accounts, I agree with you. My question/challenge to you is: When is it okay to trade a prospect for a Major League player? Can you give us an example of a trade that you feel would be worth it despite giving up some talent? No Josh Shaffer for Randy Johnson's here....... I want something that is realistic and fair, given the talent of the players and the financial landscape of today. The ball is in your court. In your mind, what is acceptable and what is not in terms of trading a prospect or group of them?? I am looking forward to your input. Rex

Interesting piece on Josh Rupe....... The amount of talent coming out of the Tidewater area of Virginia has earned a lot of attention lately. From one of the majors' newest players (Mets third baseman David Wright) to the minors' top prospect (Wright's good friend B.J. Upton) to Team USA's best hitter (Virginia third baseman Ryan Zimmerman), it's been a great summer for players from the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that Rangers righthander Josh Rupe is part of that group. Rupe spent one year at Liberty before transferring to Louisburg (N.C.) Junior College, where the White Sox saw him and drafted him in the third round. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder came to the Rangers in last July's Carl Everett trade, part of a bounty that included outfielder Anthony Webster and righthander Franklin Francisco. It's a trade-deadline deal where the side that got the prospects appears likely to win out. The White Sox have since re-acquired Everett for two more prospects, while Francisco has emerged as a key member of the Rangers bullpen. Webster has missed a month at high Class A Stockton with a nagging knee injury, but he's hitting a solid .267-7-39 with 17 steals in 20 attempts. Rupe, however, might have the highest ceiling of the trio. He missed nearly two months with a forearm strain, but he's come back strong and is emerging as the ace of a revamped Stockton rotation. While the Ports use the tandem starter system, Rupe has sizzled in his four appearances since earning a promotion from short-season Spokane, where he was on a rehab assignment. His worst outing came last night, when he gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out six and got the victory. He's pitched 18 innings so far, giving up just 12 hits and four walks while striking out 14 to go 2-0, 1.47. Stockton pitching coach Andy Hawkins says he's not far from being ready to contribute in Texas. "He's got an average major league arm and four major league average pitches," Hawkins said. "He's throwing the heck out of the ball right now. The way he goes about getting hitters out is what's most impressive about him. He's not giving in to any hitter. "You can't sit fastball in fastball counts. He's not afraid to go offspeed and pitch you backwards, and he's got quality breaking stuff to do it." Hawkins said Rupe's fastball is sitting in the low 90s and has good life down in the zone. He's also throwing a good downer curveball and an effective changeup, but his hard slider might be his best pitch. "It's probably more of a cutter; it's got true cut fastball action," Hawkins said. "He's throwing his cutter around 87-88 (mph), and when he does that and locates it, it's a really nasty pitch." Rupe's arrival has helped Stockton reel off nine wins in its last 10 games, putting the Ports in a tie with San Jose atop the California League's North Division. He joined a prospect-heavy rotation that includes righthanders Wes Littleton and Nick Massett as well as lefthanders John Danks and Ben Kozlowski; Massett and Kozlowski are both Tommy John surgery alumni. Hawkins is just glad he has excellent arms to work with, pitchers who are working toward lowering the Ports' 4.69 team ERA. In July, the team ERA is just 4.26. "No doubt, it's a staff with some arms that have potential," Hawkins said. "I've been on the other side of that, and this is better."

Michael Moore was just picked up and added to the Knights roster. He is a minor league vet formerly in the Braves system and of several independent leagues. He has not played in 2003 or 2004 as best I can tell. I browsed through some of his previous seasons and there was nothing to write home about. My guess he is just roster fill and won't play a lot. Charlotte's rotation is (not necessarily in order): Yofu, Stewart, Diaz, Grilli and Munoz. If I did my math right, Yofu should go tonight which should give you Stewart on Friday night.

Doesn't know s*** about baseball?? Give me a break..... Let's see how YOUR predictions do every year.

I guess I am the only one that it doesn't annoy. I find it kind of humorous. This isn't my board, but I would think that it should take a lot more than that before admins would start censoring content. Just my two cents.....