Rex Hudler

I see lots of games there.... Talk to some of the players.... Have a friend that works on the Barons staff...... The Minor League atmoshphere is great. You can be real close to the game and the players are very accessible. You can sit near scouts, watch their radar guns, etc. If you aren't a pest, then most are very nice and will talk to you, players included.

And yes, Borch definitely has 40-HR potential.

Borchard will start in AAA unless injury comes into play. Don't be fooled by 5 games in ST. He still has holes in his swing. That said, I do believe he will get them fixed and be an excellent player but barring injury, I just don't think this year will be his year. He is a natural corner OF and is learning to play CF. He played it in 2001 at Birmingham and looked like a guy learning a new position. He played it adequately, sometimes making great plays and other times botching easy ones. I don't think he will ever be a gold glove type CF, but I think he could hold his own for sure. He will never wow you with his speed, but he covers ground deceptively. Having him in CF with El Caballo in LF is not ideal, however. When he was in Birmingham, a scout that comes to the ball park a lot told me that he thought Borchard was 4-5 years away from being a great big league player. That was only 2 seasons ago. Joe definitely has the potential to shorten the learning curve and cut into that 4-5 year prediction, but getting too excited about a couple of weeks in ST might be a bit of an overreaction.

He spent the whole year in Birmingham last year. Not hard to know something about the players.

Rios signed a Major League contract and Mario is not on the 40-man, so I don't see that happening, especially with him coming off a lost year from surgery. I think he will see a lot of DH time and they will ease him into the field. Rios seems to be more versatile also. Better wheels too, I would think.

Josh Shaffer..... He is the son of one of the Sox higher up front office personnel (Duane Shaffer). I am not sure of his position, but I think it is a VP level position. As far as Josh goes, he came to the Sox from the Angels in the same trade that brought Scott Bikowski last off-season. I believe the Sox gave up two Class A pitchers, but I don't recall their names. Josh was a reserve for the Barons last year and frankly did not belong at that level. He had been in High-A with the Angels the year before, but was hurt in a car accident and missed a lot of the season. I am not sure if that accident had any effect on him last year, but he was really, really skinny. He was weak and had absolutely no pop. He also was very error-prone. My best guess is that unless last year was an abberration then AA is as far as he will ever get. If he comes into this year stronger, then perhaps there were lingering effects from the accident and last year needs to be forgotten. I wondered what he was doing in the lineup as well, but with SS games, they need extra players and the full Minor League camp hasn't started yet, so maybe they just needed an extra body. Maybe dad has some pull too?

0-9 in ST? I know its only ST but is anyone worried? Could last year have possibly been a fluke? Yes, last year was a fluke! But only in that he will not put up All-Star numbers this year and he won't hit 35 bombs like he was on pace for last year. His numbers will be much more seasonable and rookie-like. That doesn't mean they will be bad, just don't expect too much. He'll be fine.

I just watch a lot of baseball, have been involved in the game at the amateur level for many years and can usually find stats on guys. I'm no genious or anything. LOL That said...... I like Rowand better as a player, but I am very high on Rowand. I think Rowand is a legitimate RF in the Majors and given a few years could put up some huge numbers. He has not yet shown his power potential at the Major League level and I think he will. He could be a legit 25-30 HR guy. You guys have seen him play CF more than I have, but I don't doubt his ability to play there. I just like his arm in RF. Watching him throw during the 2000 season was a pleasure. I guess I am kind of a geek in that regard, but I look for little things that stand out in a player and a player with a great arm is a pleasure to watch (perhaps because I didn't have one). Rowand, Dellaero and Olivo are three guys at three different positions that have as good of arms at their positions as I have ever seen. Watching those guys day in and day out is what is fun. Seeing a player here or there, or an at-bat or two on Tv doesn't really paint the whole picture of what a guy can do. What he does over a whole season tells a lot about a player. I like Mario V. but see him more as a 4th OF. With the right opportunity, he COULD break out like Maggs did and become a big time player, but having one guy break out like that after he gets to the Show is rare enough. More likely he will be a 4th OF for another team or he will be unlucky and labor in AAA due to a lack of a real opportunity. Like I alluded to before, he is not a guy that will impress you a lot by watching him play for 4 days. I hope he gets the opportunity somewhere to show that he can play at that level.

Mario is one guy I really like so allow me to fill in some of the gaps with him. Mario hit well in 2000 at Winston Salen, hitting .261 with 21 HR and 85 RBI. He played 88 games in Birmingham and 49 in Charlotte in 2001 and then had a huge Arizona Fall League following that season. His combined numbers for Birmingham and Charlotte were: .280 with 22 HR and 79 RBI. He then had a great spring last year before getting hurt. He had Tommy John surgery on his elbow and missed the 2002 season. Mario is not the kind of guy that will impress you by seeing him play once or twice. He impresses by what he does day in and day out. His numbers compare very well with those put up by Maggs at the same levels. He even looks a little like Maggs and goes about his business quietly. Being a RF along with the aforementioned, Maggs comparisons are frequent. Keep in mind, Maggs really bloomed after he was in the Majors, so it is not fair to expect the same from Mario. The differences between Mario and Maggs were that Maggs walked a bit more and struck out a bit less. The differences were not drastic, however. Mario was also a year older in AA. He will turn 26 before the season begins. I truly believe, given the chance that he could blossom like Maggs did. More realistically, he would be an excellent 4th outfielder. Unfortunately, that opportunity may never come with the Sox. Hopefully he will get the chance with someone, because I would hate to see him wasted by sitting in AAA for the next 5 years. That does happen to good players sometimes.

More info from BA to chew on..... In the 2002 Draft..... Best Pro Debut - 3B Micah Schnurstein, OF Jeremy Reed Best Athlete - 1B Eric Keefner, Jeremy Reed Best Pure Hitter - Jeremy Reed, OF Thomas Brice Best Raw Power - Eric Keefner, OF Seth Morris, 3B Edgar Varela, (Draft and follow OF Tim Collaro has more pop than any of them) Fastest Runner - Jeremy Reed (6.75 60-yrd dash) Best Defensive Player - Schnurstein or Reed Best Fastball - RHP Todd Deininger (91-94 with sink), RHP Rick Hummel (touches 96, but not as lively or consistent) Best Breaking Ball - LHP Royce Ring, RHP Josh Rupe Most Intriguing Background - LHP Daniel Haigwood (43-1 in HS) Closest to Majors - Royce Ring Best Late-Round Pick - Daniel Haigwood The One Who Got Away - SS Chris Geltz (went to Wake Forest) Assessment: The White Sox have drafted conservatively since signing Joe Borchard for $5.3M in 2000. They targeted pitching, using 11 of their first 14 picks on arms, but may have uncovered hidden gems in Schnurstein, Haigwood and Brice. Rating Past Drafts: 2001 (B+) - Honel, Gonzalez, Webster, Wing 2000 (B ) - Borchard, Hummel 1999 (A) - Stumm, Ginter, West, Wright, Rauch, Stewart, Sanders, Ulacia, Malone, Guerrier, Valentine 1998 (A) - Buehrle, K. Wells, Fogg, Rowand

The Sox Top 30 according to BA. I don't have time to re-type all of the scouting reports, but here is the list. 1. JOe Borchard OF 2. Miguel Olivo C 3. Anthony Webster OF 4. Kris Honel RHP 5. Jon Rauch RHP 6. Corwin Malone LHP 7. Andy Gonzales SS 8. Felix Diaz RHP 9. Arnaldo Munoz LHP 10. Royce Ring LHP 11. Neal Cotts LHP 12. Micah Schnurstein 3B 13. Dave Sanders LHP 14. Ryan Wing LHP 15. Brian West RHP 16. Brian Miller RHP 17. Tim Hummel 2B/SS 18. Daniel Haigwood LHP 19. Pedro Lopez 2B 20. Jason Stumm RHP 21. Jeremy Reed OF 22. Josh Stewart LHP 23. Edwin Almonte RHP 24. Wyatt Allen RHP 25. Heath Phillips LHP 26. Josh Rupe RHP 27. Edwin Yan 2B 28. Dennis Ulacia LHP 29. Franklin Francisco RHP 30. Thomas Brice OF

It is out and I have seen it, I just don't have it to reprint it here. Miller did make it (somewhere in the teens, I think).. Phillips was in the mid-20's, I think. Can't remember if Bullard was on the list or not. It included Andy Gonzalez, Pedro Lopez, Neal Cotts, Daniel Haigwood, Micah Schnurstein, Dennis Ulacia, Brian West and others. I saw it briefly Friday (someone else's copy) and that is all I can remember off the top of my head.

I heard Dauback went 3-3. That's all I heard.

Don't see why we couldn't do a live feed Good way to make some extra cash. - Pete hey im all on that... you produce it......cw tapes it and the boys and i will handle all the action......... lol............ Hot, I'm jealous! LOL

Just a guess, but I think Crede will hit the following: .270 19HR 72RBI 242B 112K 42BB 6SB And with those numbers, we should be very happy. They should only get better in time.

It has been a few years since some buddies of mine played, but here is an idea of what Minor League guys make. Perhaps Mr. Bullard will back me up or correct me on this, because the numbers could be off a little. First of all, the players don't get paid during spring training. They get put up in housing and a per diem for meals. Obviously a guy in Big League camp gets a much bigger per diem. If they provide their own housing, then they get a certain amount for that as well. Class A players make roughly $850 - $1,200 a month depending on their level. Double A guys start at around $1,500 or $1,600/month I believe. Triple A guys about $1,800. There are a lot of variables to this once they get to higher levels. If a guy is on the MLB 40-man roster, he gets a little more the first year. The second year he gets $38,000 salary (I'm sure that has changed with the new labor agreement and increase in the minimum at the Major League level). After a player has been in the same system for more than 6 full seasons, he becomes a Minor League free agent (unless he is on the 40-man roster). Minor League free agents c ommand a higher salary because they can sign with any team. Those salaries vary widely based on the player, the level he is signed for (AA or AAA) and demand in general. As a general rule, they range from roughly $3,000 - $6,000 a month. Some will get lower and a few will get more. So it is realistic to have 4 guys with lockers next to each other where one makes $1,500 a month, another $5,000 a month and another who makes $38,000 and yet another who makes $1,500 a month but got a signing bonus of over a million dollars. Mr. Bullard, hope I didn't let out the big secret? I would appreciate any insight you might be able to add. Are my numbers still close?

lol yea it worked for them.. look at what guys like griff and pay rod have done since their departure.........absoultely nothing.........lol..........addition by subtraction always works out well......... HSC...Griffey hit 40 homers a year after his departure from Seattle, got hurt, and hasn't played fulltime since. However, ARod hit .318 52 135 with 18 SBs in 2001 and hit .300 57 142 with 9 SBs this past year....those are some pretty good stats. Not worth $25 mill a year....but maybe $15 mill....especially considering he is a SS that plays rock solid defense(280 put outs, 452 assists, 118 DPs turned and 18 errors in 01; 259 put outs, 472 assists, 108 DPs turned and 10 errors in 02). Arod just has very little around him in Texas(which IS partly due to his huge salary). That's the big reason why Texas has been unsuccessful I know what the comment HSC made was, but the point was not how well Griffey and ARod did after they left Seattle, but how Seattle got better each year after losing one of their stars. They lost arguably the best OF in the game (at the time) and did better the next year. They lose ARod, agruably the best player in the game period, and won 116 games! That my friend, is addition by subtraction. A big reason the Mariners won in those years was NOT because they got rid of Griffey and then not resigning ARod....a big reason they won is because of what happened and because of the great moves Pat Gillick made. He got Mike Cameron, Brett Tomko....and a few others that I'm not thinking of in the Griffey trade....since then, Tomko has been traded to San Diego and the Mariners got a good backup catcher in Ben Davis and Mike Cameron has turned into a 25-25 guy that plays gold glove defense with a good arm....they also won the bidding of Ichiro, a player no one had ever seen prior to his entrance into the MLB....he surprised everyone and hit like .350 or .360 with 50 SBs, great defense and an incredible arm in the outfield....he was a major reason why the Mariners won in 2001. They also got great numbers from Bret Boone....who to that point in his career was like a .250 15 60 a guy year with pretty good defense....in 2001, he hit .325 37 135 or something to the extent....career year? I think so. In the rotation.....Garcia had a great year...Moyer had a great year...Sele had a great year....Abbott had a pretty good year....and I believe it was Halama who also had a pretty solid year....and then their bullpen was among the best in the league. Not only this, but they had many lucky breaks(though that season is highlighted by something very unlucky....blowing a 12-run lead to Cleveland and then losing the game 15-14). Their bench was also among the best in the league, being both deep and very good. When you mix all that together....a ton of career years offensively plus a great rotation plus a great bullpen plus a good and deep bench plus magic....you will usually win atleast 90 games....and if all 5 are very good....you will win more than that even(like 26 more to be exact...in the M's case anyways). I think it was more a lot of things falling in place the way they should rather than addition by subtraction. You don't think they would have won 116 games with a healthy Griffey Jr and ARod in the lineup and at their respective positions instead of having Cameron in CF and Guillen at SS? I think they would have won 120-125 games....and spent about $20-$30 million more. You're missing the point again, so I will assume that I am not making it clear. Never did I mean by "addition by subtraction" that the M's were better because they got rid of those guys (although it is possible) but merely that you can win with a team that comes together without a true star. It means less distractions and more focus on baseball and team. The M's were good with Griffey and ARod, but they got better after they left. I believe in Frank's case that very thing would happen. You would have more guys come together playing for one goal without all the distractions and I think you would see improvement in some guys. It is not an exact science, but I truly believe there is some merit to it.

I'd be curious to see what Frank would be like if the Sox were winning and Frank was only hitting .220 (not likely). Frank is tolerated when he is hitting well because he is happy. He is barely tolerable when he is not hitting. I heard rumblings before 2000 that "Frank was Frank" and "the guys just deal with him" and after that season as well. If he hits, all will be fine. If he doesn't I am afraid he will continue to find something to b**** about.

Hey Jim, I know you probably can't say a whole lot but what has camp been like since Frank talked to the media Sat? Do the players just tolerate Frank? Without getting too specific, what are your thoughts on the general feeling about him and the team since he spoke up this weekend? Thanks for any input you can give us.

Well, I don't think Honel gets 200k a year. He got whatever his signing bonus was, minus taxes and then just gets a minor league players salary. Once he reaches the majors then he gets the minimum contract for like 2 years and then becomes arbitration eligble. I think thats how it all works. Chisoxfn, you are correct. There are a few more wrinkles than that along the way, but you got it right. Honel should only be making about $1,000-$1,200 a month, in season only. His money came in the form of a signing bonus and all had to be paid in the first year.

lol yea it worked for them.. look at what guys like griff and pay rod have done since their departure.........absoultely nothing.........lol..........addition by subtraction always works out well......... HSC...Griffey hit 40 homers a year after his departure from Seattle, got hurt, and hasn't played fulltime since. However, ARod hit .318 52 135 with 18 SBs in 2001 and hit .300 57 142 with 9 SBs this past year....those are some pretty good stats. Not worth $25 mill a year....but maybe $15 mill....especially considering he is a SS that plays rock solid defense(280 put outs, 452 assists, 118 DPs turned and 18 errors in 01; 259 put outs, 472 assists, 108 DPs turned and 10 errors in 02). Arod just has very little around him in Texas(which IS partly due to his huge salary). That's the big reason why Texas has been unsuccessful I know what the comment HSC made was, but the point was not how well Griffey and ARod did after they left Seattle, but how Seattle got better each year after losing one of their stars. They lost arguably the best OF in the game (at the time) and did better the next year. They lose ARod, agruably the best player in the game period, and won 116 games! That my friend, is addition by subtraction.

"That's a slap in the face. I earned the right to be at a certain level and I'm not there anymore," Thomas said. what exactly does thomas mean by that???..its not very clear...he could be saying he is mad at KW and JR for invoking the DSC becasue he feels what he has already accomplished meand he should get preferential treatment... it also could mean that he knows he is not there anymore and it was a slap in the face to him...that he earned the right to be at that level but lost it...that he is mad at himself and thats why he is working so hard this off season... frank isnt the most articulate guy around...its hard to figure out exactly what he means at times baggs, I agree with you that comment could be interpreted differently and may have been meant differently. But it really fits with everything else he said, so it is easy to assume the obvious.

Well I am honored to be in the presence of someone so smart If Frank has a good year and the Sox win, that does not validate your point, not discredit mine. All I am saying is one person is not bigger than the team and Frank acts like he is. The Sox will be better off without him, when indeed that happens.

Frank is a lot different than most other superstars, both in attitude and in the fact that he no longer is one. The guy can hit, that's it. Can't run, can't field, certainly can't slide. He is completely one-dimensional. That is WHEN he hits.

Make that post and I will still argue that they can win without him. And I will be right.