chitownsportsfan

The season is 1/8 of the way over. It's literally like saying an NFL team that is 1-1 and currently in a WC spot is "contending". Get back to me at the halfway point. This article is pure garbage FYI, the writer has no clue about the Sox.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2017 -> 02:13 PM) The Mets are the perfect counterexample to why being super-cautious with pitchers is a good idea, and why throwing at 100% for every pitch might not be the best idea. Also highlights the perils of trying to build solely around young pitching, or at least primarily. The Sox for their part have usually done a good job of balancing out youth with proven vets at the MLB level and also having enough depth in the minors to weather injury storms. That said, what can the Mets offer for Q?

QUOTE (miracleon35th @ May 2, 2017 -> 12:11 PM) Small sample size but great start. Much better than schwabber's .196 batting average. In almost 300 MLB PA now, Schwarber has a 29% K rate, including 30% so far this year. He has a career BABIP of .284 and will rely almost entirely on power and patience in order to delivery value as a MLB player: his defense and baserunning are well below average. His 2015 was a fluke, with a whopping 24% of his FB leaving the park. Now that that's down to a more reasonable 12% he's struggling to generate enough power to offset his low BA. The patience is there, both in the walk rate and the outside zone chase % but right now he's hitting like the bad version of Adam Dunn. I don't see the upside really with him. I think at best he's a 250/350/500 guy that gives you nothing outside of his bat. That's a 3-4 WAR player but it's hardly a superstar.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 2, 2017 -> 12:43 PM) I would be very surprised if the White Sox send him back. Just based on their history with Rule 5 picks, they rarely make them, so when they do, they will want to keep them. Over the past 20 years, they've selected Adrian Nieto, Angel Sanchez, Jason Grilli, Tyrone Pendergrass, and Joe Davenport. Both Pendergrass and Davenport were sent back (I assume), but those occurred in '98 and '97 respectively. Sanchez was the only one they offered back of the previous 3, and the Angels actually refused him, so he remained with the Sox. Really, what is the point in losing a guy who can eat innings for a rebuilding club? He's averaging 5 innings per start so he's not exactly eating innings. At this pace he'll need 30 starts just to crack 150 IP. I'm with Feeky on this one I don't know why they took him in the Rule 5 as he has little upside for Cooper to work with. The clay just isn't there. Maybe you move him to the pen he gains a couple ticks of velocity but he's still got mediocre off speed offerings and is still right handed. Personally as soon as one of Fulmer/Lopez/Rodon/Shields is back or MLB ready I'd just offer him back and if they don't want him put him in the pen and send Beck down.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 1, 2017 -> 04:11 PM) As long as May is on the team he will play, especially when one of our outfielders had a tight muscle yesterday. Is that what happened to Avi? No problems giving him the day off and really no problem with May getting the ABs. It's just a shame the Sox don't have another intriguing OF like Avi to give some ABs to in a rebuild. Guess they want Garcia down in AAA playing every day.

Guess Avi needs a day off but FFS May isn't even a AA level player and he's getting ABs. It's tough to watch, even in a rebuilding year. Thankfully Basabe is doing well so far as the Sox need OF prospects.

QUOTE (pablo @ May 1, 2017 -> 12:33 PM) Not sure where you are getting that I don't believe Tim is a SS, but I guess you can spin it how you like. He's a very good SS who is already premium at the position. In case you missed it, Sox are in a rebuild and should be acquiring the best talent possible and if that means you duplicate a few positions and figure out where everyone plays later then that is what you do. Only point I am trying to make. Tim's athleticism is an asset to the organization in this regard. Trea Turner was a SS "Full Stop" until June last year, played about a week of games in CF, and then transformed a struggling Nats team and took them to the playoffs. I'm guessing you would have kept him in the minors all last year at SS though. Turner was a butcher in CF. It was his wRC+ of 147 that "took them to the playoffs", if anything. http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playe...;position=2B/OF

Ah crap it's Covey day. Hopefully Rodon and Shields can get healthy by the end of May, and Lopez keeps improving (he had a solid start this weekend).

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 1, 2017 -> 11:26 AM) Many did. He was pretty polarizing when he was here because of his defense. What was the consensus on Ray Durham's defense at 2B when he was with the Sox? I was a little too young to really remember.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 1, 2017 -> 11:42 AM) Yeah saw this over the weekend and this is the one stat that makes me intrigued. If he keeps that up then I think we are going to see a sustained more powerful avi. Yesterday was the first time it seemed he went back to some bad habits getting jammed inside with weak grounders and then chasing garbage off the plate. Hopefully just a blip.

I listened to Gibson and Mario and Rod all weekend on the Detroit broadcast and I will say the Sox are not alone in s***ty broadcasts. Gibson has the personality of a wet paper bag and Mario and Rod are just Tiger homers without much insight.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ May 1, 2017 -> 10:41 AM) Weight loss and conditioning doesn't change your approach at the plate or mechanics. From larry at SSS average launch angle this season is 10.4°, in contrast to 5.3° in 2016 and 6.3° in 2015. He's a better hitter this year no doubt. I think the weight loss has helped him in the field more than at the plate. He just looked kinda stiff last year. Maybe coming off the shoulder he focused a bit too much on pure weight training. The new trend in performance training is a lot of band and core and so called "closed chain" work over just pure weight lifting, so hopefully he's adopted that approach.

QUOTE (yesterday333 @ May 1, 2017 -> 11:25 AM) One thing I noticed that doesn't really matter, Moncada moved up to #1 because dansby swanson is no longer eligible to be on the list. Torres was never ahead of Moncada on the MLB100. right, by default really. Thanks for the summary guys.

QUOTE (pablo @ May 1, 2017 -> 11:17 AM) Positional flexibility is so important in today's game it would be wrong not to bring up the conversation. The fact that Trea Turner can play both SS and CF competently opens up alot of options now for the Nats with the unfortunate Eaton injury. They can look for either a SS or CF to replace him. Definitely not a "move a stud middle infielder to CF" point I was trying to make. If the Sox had the option to trade for top SS prospect that is also a great defender (Bregman. Rosario, Albies off the top of my head) you do not pass that up just because we already have a good young SS. By the advanced metrics TA has been already worth about 11 runs better than average, including .7 this year, as a MLB shortstop. TA is a SS. Full stop. "Positional Flexibility" is great, but so is an above average defense MLB SS.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ May 1, 2017 -> 11:03 AM) and Benetti isn't??? Jason might not know baseball but at least he doesn't have existential dread in the booth. Don't know about some of you older posters (maybe it's that old thing about shared misery being better or some s***) but personally I like my baseball as an escape, not a reminder of life's problems.

QUOTE (Sox-35th @ May 1, 2017 -> 11:00 AM) Because he's a garbage broadcaster regardless of his mood. And has been for about a 8-10 years. I was a fan of Hawk then, this version is not a professional level broadcaster.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 1, 2017 -> 10:59 AM) Make something your life for 60 years and then get back to me when you lose it. this is basically the defense of Hawk you and DA are going with? That because he's old and cranky he gets to do what he wants? This is a multi billion dollar business FFS not a church bake sale. As has been noted, there's plenty of way to get involved that don't require calling the game (or eyesight for that matter).

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 1, 2017 -> 10:15 AM) I am guessing it is a combination of everything. The guy is getting pretty old now. He will be 76 years old this year. The guy has spent about 6 solid decades traveling 6 months out of every year. Throw on top of that the untold hours he has spent driving back to Granger Indiana after homes games until last season. He has had eye problems for decades and has had many procedures and surgeries done on them. It is obvious he isn't seeing the game very well at all anymore, and I think that is a large part of the transition he has made from play by play guy to catch phrase guy to cover up for the lack of ability to follow a game closely these days. I also wouldn't be surprised to know that will all of that going on, the rebuild might not fit into the guys timeline for being around to see the end result, and he is quite honestly depressed. Can you imagine putting 60ish years into pro-baseball and then seeing the end in sight? We deal with much smaller changes in our lives getting us down. I can't imagine this. Baseball is the guys life, no matter what he says about family. He's not a family member that is going to the old folks home and misses his "freedom". He's a professional doing a job in this case. There's literally 100 different ways or more he could be involved with the Sox and MLB that don't involve calling games. I'm no huge Jason fan but he's getting a raw deal here.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 1, 2017 -> 09:45 AM) Yes, I think his passion is starting to wane. He knows the Sox aren't going to win anything, and he's gone from dying in the booth to working half the games, to maybe being an ambassador. Being home with his family seems to have grown in importance to him. IMO, watching the White Sox doesn't have the appeal it used to have to him. He would rather watch his grandson play little league than Avi Garcia chase down a flyball. Plus he probably realizes father time is catching up. If it weren't for this 8 decades thing, which is an accomplishment, I bet he would be done right now. He's even said when players ask him for his opinion on their swing, etc. , he passes now. Then. Go. Home. Nobody is forcing him to call games. He's a selfish old man, that's basically the takeaway from your post, which I guess was trying to defend him.

Fangraphs has Anderson a plus defender again this year, even with the adventures yesterday. You guys need patience. SS is probably the position you judge the least by errors. His range makes up for a lot of his footwork and hands issues, and frankly until yesterday those had rarely, if ever shown up so much in a MLB game. The "move this stud middle infielder to CF" cries are going to get really old in the next few years.

TA having a nightmare day.

QUOTE (Soha @ Apr 30, 2017 -> 01:48 PM) He just made back to back screwups. One wasn't an error because he recovered to get 1 out (it should have been a double play). This kid looks like he belongs in A ball, both defensively and at the plate. Good one.

lol Todd, at least he got Abreu over.

Abreu is looking like his old self. Getting those jam shots hits to RF again.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Apr 30, 2017 -> 01:21 PM) Psh good try V Mart is such a good hitter when he gets in those long battles I still think he will win more often than not. Luckily he's older now.