ptatc

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 5, 2016 -> 08:05 AM) http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2016060..._medium=twitter He's spot on. The White Sox could go out and add Jay Bruce or a comparable LH stick. They could call up Tim Anderson and he could be as advertised. They could trade for Will Smith or another reliever to lock down the bullpen. They could replace Robin Ventura with Rick Renteria. But the problem is that if Jose Abreu continues to be one of the worst players on the team and in the league, this team isn't going anywhere. They have issues. It's a frustrating team for sure. Their main issue though is that Jose Abreu needs to be Jose Abreu. The dude has been terrible and it just can't continue. When the team's best players aren't playing well, the team will not win. It's true for all sports. Go ahead fire Ventura, Hahn and Williams. Get a new owner. Doesn't matter.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 5, 2016 -> 11:21 AM) As the Sox get ready to play another game against a divisional opponent thought you'd like to know one of their biggest issues: Record vs. Divisional Opponents: 2015; 32-44 2014; 33-43 2013; 26-50 2012; 37-35 2011; 32-40 2010; 32-40 2009; 34-38 2008; 44-29 Can't beat teams in your division? You're not going anyplace but home after the regular season. The 'big money', 'big market' White Sox can't beat the Kansas City and Cleveland's of the world. Two winning records vs. division in the last eight years. Mark Psst.... the Royals have a higher payroll than the White Sox by around 30 million and the Indians payroll is only 4 million less than the White Sox.

QUOTE (ronkark @ Jun 4, 2016 -> 06:25 PM) robin not going anywyere. he's part of 2 year window. it's a joke. he gets nothing out of these guys. abreu and robin show no passion. Yes, this is the problem. Not the fact that Abreu is not hitting the baseball very well.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 3, 2016 -> 04:12 PM) For reference - this model may not apply to Illinois for various reasons, but term limits for California did the exact opposite. They removed people who were gaining experience in dealing with issues and instead put every seat up to a primary every 2 cycles, such that the Democrat and Republican conferences basically became completely homogeneous and locked in behind the extreme sides on every vote/budget. Anyone who had any experience at compromising was removed rapidly. That made the state virtually ungovernable until the Democrats pulled off a Supermajority in the state Assembly and finally could pass a budget every year without having to negotiate at all. This could be true, however it would still keep anyone person from having the power that Madigan has amassed over the years. I would rather have the group wield the power not the individual.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 4, 2016 -> 06:29 PM) The Sox are just getting out from under the anchor of Danks' bad deal and now this. Even with S.D. paying a lot the Sox still now owe 27 million from what I read. For a mid 30's pitcher probably on the downward track. That's the way to build a "consistent" winner in my book! (sarcasm implied) Kenny strikes again. Mark Absolutely amazing....

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 3, 2016 -> 09:27 AM) That's true. I have to say I'm surprised at how disjointed the democrats still are. And honestly am a bit surprised at how difficult it was for them even to push that budget through. The madigan power mold does need to get broken up. He isn't holding the coalition together nearly enough (mainly because it's not an ideological coalition). That said, I knew he wasn't going to be Scott Walker in the state and is not, he doesn't have the power to be. But I still think in the long run we are better off than if Quinn had gotten elected. The only thing that will truly help politics in Illinois is term limits. Allow no one to accumulate the power he has.

QUOTE (JenksIsMyHero @ Jun 3, 2016 -> 09:01 AM) Someone remind me how Madigan continues to rule the state? They passed a budget that was unconstitutional. Rauner is doing the right thing IMO by telling Madigan to go jump in a lake. Standing up to Madigan and his cronies is exactly what this state needs. Sadly, the stupid people of this state will blame Rauner and Madigan will continue to hold all the power. He raises property taxes then uses his law firm to to appeal the taxes and gets people a reduced tax rate. thus the people in his district vote for him. It's simple. He doesn't care about the people only the power.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jun 3, 2016 -> 07:07 AM) Someone remind me how Rauner got elected? He ran on the platform "I'm not them" Similar to Trump.

QUOTE (ron883 @ Jun 1, 2016 -> 11:14 PM) IMO, there are two moves that can help the team without trading. 1. Call up Coats and dfa Sands. Put Costs in LF and DH Melky. Send avi down to AAA. If Jackson is gone for a bit, just put Eaton back in CF and coats in RF. Coats is a plus defender in the corners, and is pillaging AAA. 2. Fire Robin. Promote Renteria. Simple but won't happen. What moves do you think would help that wouldn't involve a trade? Serious question. Can Garcia be sent down? Isn't there a rule where once they've been in the MLB for a certain length of time, they can't be sent down without them agreeing to it.?

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 1, 2016 -> 08:32 PM) He really has no reason not to though. If he weren't on steroids, he wouldn't be on a team. He can just retire anyway when he gets caught. Makes sense to me. Yep, make the money while you can.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 31, 2016 -> 12:49 PM) Good piece on Fulmer, however, I am actually more dissapointed based upon the read. Seems like he is messing / tinkering without working with the coaches and I don't like that. I might be misreading and he is fully entitled to making mechanical changes but seems odd that he's made changes, yet key brass have kind of indicated as if he's doing it on his own. I think there should be a more team effort there. Good thing is we've been aggressive with the assignment and the stuff is there and evidently he has a real strong mental makeup. I should point out, I tend to be a skeptic when people make major mechanical changes that their body has dealt with for a long time. I think this is an organizational philosophy of letting the players succeed or fail on their own before the coaches make changes. There were similar articles about Hawkins.

QUOTE (Whitewashed in '05 @ May 26, 2016 -> 10:54 PM) Unfortunately for them he needs surgery. Looks like they're seeking one more opinion, but they've pretty much accepted he'll need surgery. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/180406208/ro...ght-knee-injury That's too bad. If it is just a partial it must still be to unstable. Sometimes you can get away without the surgery. He;ll be ready for next year.

QUOTE (EvilJester99 @ May 26, 2016 -> 04:25 PM) Got to hope when Anderson comes up that he doesn't struggle because everyone will declare him a bust and won't be happy until he is dealt his history has shown he will struggle for awhile when he first comes up.

QUOTE (gosoxgo2005 @ May 26, 2016 -> 03:00 PM) When would he be considered not rushed then? He has 1300 MiLB at bats. 1400? 1500? Beckham had about 230 MiLB at bats. THAT is rushing a prospect. Again, I'm not advocating for him to be called up at this very moment. If he's hitting .330 in 2 weeks and the Sox are still getting s*** production from half the lineup, then I probably will be. All that said, it's fun have a prospect so hot that we're having this debate even He will be ready when the people who do this for a living decide he has made the proper mental and physical adjustments to be able to perform at a MLB level. There is no number of at bats rule or age rule. He hasn't even had sustained success at the AAA level for more than a few weeks. Baseball is usually more about the mental adjustments than the physical ones.

QUOTE (Whitewashed in '05 @ May 26, 2016 -> 08:05 PM) Huge blow. They're preparing to be without him for the rest of the year. Sucks for them with Gordon going on the DL too with a wrist injury. Those zap a players power. Not feeling bad for them though. It is what it is. I still remember what it was like to lose Maggs and Thomas in 04. He shouldn't be out for the year if it's only the ACL and no surgery is required. Although it's probably all of June and July.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 26, 2016 -> 12:21 PM) I lived at home until I got married. My mom washed my clothes for my honeymoon Me too, however I paid for my younger brother's college tuition instead of rent.

QUOTE (gosoxgo2005 @ May 26, 2016 -> 02:14 PM) Please elaborate. Self explanatory. Rushing prospects can be a detriment to their development or even their overall future as an MLB player.

QUOTE (Dizzy Sox @ May 23, 2016 -> 05:18 PM) Toolsy outfielders are to KW what rakes are to Sideshow Bob. Can't avoid them, can't stop getting smacked in the face with 'em. Just once, just one freaking time would I like the Sox to spend a premium draft pick on a refined college hitter with an advanced hitting approach. I don't care what position--I've been beating the Collins drum hard the last month but he's not the only one--Nick Senzel would fit the bill for instance. But no, KW will keep trying to achieve some kind of vicarious playing career success through outfielders who look like they should be all-stars but in actuality don't have the plate discipline or eye to hit major league pitching. I have no idea if Rutherford falls into that category--he could be the 2nd coming of Ted Williams for all I know--but the lack of importance the Sox seem to place on plate discipline (which really boils down to having the physical ability to recognize pitch type, speed and location combined with walking up to the plate with, you know, an actual plan in mind) is stunning. Especially when that describes exactly Robin, Buddy Bell and Frank, the best hitter the organization ever produced-all key figures within the organization. If the Sox pick Collins, Senzel etc. I will gladly eat this post. These posts kill me. For years, KW was accused of taking the low ceiling high floor guys like Braodway and Poreda. The sox switch philosophy to take higher risks and now that is his problem.

QUOTE (gosoxgo2005 @ May 26, 2016 -> 12:42 PM) That's exactly my point. We all know Rollins sucks. Anderson, should he be called up (purely hypothetical at this point, obviously) might not suck. There's a chance he does, but also a CHANCE he doesn't. Accepting the status quo (Rollins) is not going to help this team. Anderson at least could. I t could also ruin him as a prospect if he isn't ready. He should have more than a couple weeks of success at AAA before they bring him up.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ May 25, 2016 -> 11:37 PM) 4% more Right. Decimal in the wrong place.

QUOTE (maxjusttyped @ May 26, 2016 -> 12:08 AM) It's been awhile since I read The Book by Tom Tango, and unfortunately most of what was written in it can't be found on the web. But I believe the general rule of thumb is that each lineup slot receives an extra 18 PA per year. In the grand scheme of things, that's not a big deal. But this is something that's entirely in Robin's control. An extra win that could be gained from batting someone like Abreu or Lawrie in the #2 spot compared to Rollins/Saladino/Sanchez could be the difference between them making the playoffs and not. Again, batting order isn't the be all end all. It's not the difference between 95 wins and 81. But it makes a difference on the margins, and the Sox aren't good enough to turn down opportunities to improve themselves on the margins. I agree that they will bat more. However, I'm not convinced that will lead to more runs within games due to the" lost inning" of having all of the worst hitters in a row. If you space out the probably outs of the bad hitters throughout the lineup, they have a lesser chance to disrupt the inning. On the other side, if they put all of the good hitters together there is a better chance of scoring there but almost no chance of scoring when the bad innings comes around.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 25, 2016 -> 09:50 PM) Roughly .9 plate appearances per game from leadoff to 9th. So .9 X 162, it's pretty darned significant over the course of a full season. Really? That doesn't seem right. Even if it is we are talking the 2 spot vs. probably the 7th or 8th because the wouldn't bat him right in front of eaton. Plus rollins hasnt and won't play everyday to get to 162 ganes which really minimizes the difference in plate appearances. Regardless, it just doesn't seem to make sense to put all of the worst hitters in a row to maxmize the useless inning.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ May 25, 2016 -> 08:33 PM) Call him up in September and let him play daily and roll with him next year at SS from day 1. Agreed, if he continues to progress.

QUOTE (maxjusttyped @ May 25, 2016 -> 08:29 PM) It just defies logic (to me at least) to willingly give your worst hitters more PA's than your best ones. We also know that hitters perform better when there are people on base, and pretty much any hitter on the Sox lineup is more likely to get on base than Rollins/Sanchez/Saladino. I haven't seen any evidence to suggest there's a benefit to balancing a lineup rather than stacking it, but maybe you're on to something. I guess it's two different perspectives. I see what you are saying over the season the better hitters will get more at bats, honestly how many more per year? 50? Rollins has an OBP of 290 so if you replace him with ahitter getting on base at 330 that 40% more. So thats about 20 more times over the course of the year or once every 8 games? However, if you separate the bad hitters you have less chance of running into a strong of outs. If Rollins strikes out with Eaton on first, the next hitters can drive him in as opposed to 3 straight outs with all of the bad hitters in a row. I see advantages to both but it seems worse to put all of the bad ones in a row to maximize the bad innings.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ May 25, 2016 -> 07:43 PM) Would you rather have every Eaton-started/continued rally end with Rollins batting and Frazier or Abreu on deck? Yes. If eaton started it, odds are abreu and Frazier still have a chance to drive him in.