Greg Hibbard

Let me be very clear about my argument, because you all seem to be conflating my points. 1) If we're going to experiment with a scrap heap reclamation project that has kicked around the majors for a few years, which is what the White Sox MAY have been doing with Cody Asche, I would have wanted to go out and get a different type of player than Cody Asche. I would want no part of a contact hitter who has a low OBP and no power and has no defensive upside, because his ceiling is such that the "reclamation" is just going to make the rebuild extra confusing if it goes literally as well as possible - which is to say he ends up as a .250 hitter playing below average defense and getting about 10-12 extra base hits in limited time. I would much rather the White Sox have gone out and gotten a different type of player if there was going to be a reclamation project like this, because this guy seems wrong for the things that Guaranteed Rate Field is built for. Why tender this guy a minor league contract over calling up a AAA player with power and a nice OBP. Just looking at the AAA roster, why not Rymer Liriano, for example? 2) If the white sox were filling out the roster with "just a guy" then I don't understand why they are filling out the roster with THIS guy. This guy seems too good to be "just a guy," but too poor in the needed areas to be a guy that actually helps them in the ways that this team could be helped.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Apr 11, 2017 -> 10:37 AM) Cody Asche is a terrible example of the "in-between s*** that is an extremely stupid, non-committal way to back into 77 wins this season" player we normally get lol like I said, he will help lose if he isn't productive and it seems likely he will suck for us. Just like you said, he resembles a quad-A player. I think you're just complaining to complain at this point. Literally, every rebuilding team makes a move or has a guy like this on their roster at the early stages. I'm not complaining just to complain, but thank you for your feedback. You seem to admit that he's a warm body, but when I say a different warm body would help us either lose more or win more, you seem to take exception to that. A worse minor league would help us lose more. Do you dispute this? A proven ML free agent would help us win more. Do you dispute this? Since it's the DH position, literally ANY ML free agent who was at the end of his career, or fourth outfielder type, or fifth infielder type, or.....anyone would have been fine if we were trying to win. Since it's the DH position, literally ANY minor leaguer who can hold a bat would have been fine if we were trying to lose. My point is that the the TYPE of player he is is WRONG FOR OUR PARK if we were trying to get offensive value here. Could you please respond to THAT POINT? Thank you.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Apr 11, 2017 -> 10:31 AM) 5) same as any other guy currently in our system that's not a top prospect Again, who? Bernie from Weekend at Bernie's

Cody Asche is the exact type of in-between s*** that is an extremely stupid, non-committal way to back into 77 wins this season. If we're trying to lose, throw some dog on the roster. A real dog - some guy who is a never would be, not some guy who vaguely resembles a AAAA player. If we're trying to win, sign someone real, who actually works for the park he plays in, not another Beckham type with zero pop and no defense. I imagine he'll go 3-4 with a couple of doubles in a couple games in May and accidentally win a game or two for us catching the "wrong end" of the variance Then we'll DFA him I guess that's sound baseball strategy

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Apr 11, 2017 -> 10:08 AM) Why is Cody Asche on the roster? 1. They need to fill an MLB roster without rushing guys to the majors. 2. Guys in minors need seasoning. 3. Service time on younger guys in minors. 4. He was once a top prospect so why not. 5. He probably won't be on this team come June. 6. If he sucks, he helps lose games in this tanking season. 1) so any minor league guy that's not a projected top prospect would be fine 2) any guy in the minors who is not projected to be a top prospect we don't need to worry about service time 3) see 2. 4) because his major league stats have already shown us what he can do at this level, and there's no upside, and we want to lose, not win, this season, so why would we be worried about window dressing on some "major league caliber" DH 5) same as any other guy currently in our system that's not a top prospect 6) a guy who is not a top prospect in our system can help us lose more

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 11, 2017 -> 09:26 AM) Cody Asche is literally one year older than Avisail Garcia. Why do people seem to think that Asche is like a 32 year old journeyman? Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but I feel Avisail might have the ability to break out and hit 20 homers. Cody Asche might have the ability to break out in hives.

It's not like the Sox were stuck with this guy The went out and got this guy. This guy specifically.

I really don't get this. A guy like Asche has shown you literally everything he is going to do at the major league level. I'm going to continue to ask this question until I get an answer "What is the upside"? If the total upside truly is a AAAA player or a replacement level player who has average ML stats and terrible stats compared to every other DH in baseball, then literally any DFA replacement player from last season who can swing a bat would have been just as good, right? So why a contact hitter with no pop at Guaranteed Rate Field? Can someone explain that one to me?

In other words where is Josh Fields when you need him

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 10, 2017 -> 03:46 PM) People keep making posts like this, as if there is someone who is there someone who has a future or some skill that isn't playing. It is just complaining to complain. Even as someone who is about as pessimistic as you can get about what we have done to this point, even I can realize that you are pushing a boulder up Mt Everest here. What I'm essentially saying is a powerless hitter with no wheels, average on base and poor defense has no chance of developing into anything Even a .150 hitter capable of jacking the ball 17 times out of the park on pure muscle would produce more runs than this guy could and we might see something out of that person that might be more valuable than a dead end guy in a spot

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 10, 2017 -> 03:10 PM) But there is no one else. You don't want them to rush guys. You get this kind of crap. Maybe, somehow, one of these guys works out. Probably not, but that is rebuilding. For a team that made it a point to have most of their coaching staff, if not all, former instructors, their is very little young talent on the major league roster. Covey is about it pitching-wise, and I don't think anyone thinks he's a core piece moving forward. Anderson is. May, Sanchez, Davidson, Asche, the Garcias, probably even Narvaez...these are guys they are hoping against hope somehow find something realizing most likely no. Fraizer, Robertson, Q, Jones, Gonzalez, Shields, Holland, Soto maybe even Abreu, but I tend to doubt it, trade bait. Rodon is a keeper, but really not many on the roster. They seem to like Saladino. So of the current roster, I think if you had RH and KW drunk telling you the truth they would say Rodon, Anderson and probably Saladino and Abreu are the guys currently on the roster they think will be on the team when they believe they are a contender. Anyone else is gravy. Everyone else, just filling in and hoping or trying to get them to play well so they can be dealt to the highest bidder. There is no one else? There's not any minor leaguer in our system who deserves even just a cup of coffee at DH to see if he can hit home runs?

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Apr 10, 2017 -> 03:10 PM) In this day and age that is a cromulent 4th OF and a borderline starter. So our very best case scenario is 4th OF/borderline starter Great Yep, I sure hope we can reach our goal and develop Cody Asche into the next Warren Newsom

My question truly is - what is the upside. In literally a perfect scenario, what does Asche produce? .270/.320/.380/.700 with no defensive upside and potentially a liability? What the hell is that?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 10, 2017 -> 01:01 PM) For a fanbase that complains when the White Sox try to win, want them to do nothing but lose, they sure do complain a lot about s***ty players. You want the Sox to lose, don't complain Asche is in the line up. He gets them where you want them to be. I think you are missing the point here. I have no problem losing; I have a problem not getting quality development FOR that losing. Asche has dead end written all over him, mainly due to his # of years of ML experience. He has a pretty long track record at this level already.

I suppose maybe Saladino plays (backup) third/utility infielder when Moncada comes up and maybe Asche goes down then?

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Apr 10, 2017 -> 12:48 PM) It's a good question. My only guess is that they want Delmonico getting regular playing time instead of 2-3 times a week in MLB. Asche is effectively playing DH though. Anyone could play DH.

I've been poring over this guy's major league and minor league career, and what am I missing here? He seems like a good contact hitter with little power, suspect defense at 3rd base. Why are we spending a roster spot on a guy who appears to be Gordon Beckham without defense, especially since we have a 3rd baseman this season?

This is an Ozzie Sunday lineup if I've ever seen one. The bottom of this lineup is a black hole At least it's a nice day at the park today

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 6, 2017 -> 04:12 PM) Still, it's good to see Davidson have a good first game. Give him a little confidence, and not see .000 on the scoreboard for 2-3 games. I'm definitely with you there. You have to admit though that this guy is the right type to become Hawk's new Beckham type guy

Nothing like an outlier day for both Soto and Davidson to keep the White Sox chasing those dragons for a few years while Hawk talks about how much he LIKES these guys

Fantasy waiver pickups goin crazy

Something's very wrong - shields is somehow resembling a professional MLB caliber pitcher here

I don't mind that contact play. It's virtually a sure out at first anyway. Nice job on that subsequent single! 2-1 good guys

Way to execute and force them to make a play they didn't make.

QUOTE (BrianAnderson @ Apr 6, 2017 -> 01:22 PM) To each their own ... It just seems like a whole heck of lot of energy and anger put into an April day game/August upper deck corner -- and only for the reason being "out of principle" I agree with you that with where they stand in the MLB they should probably go out of their way to make the fans that do come out feel welcome and special - I also think season ticket holders (I've been for many years) could give two s***s about someone getting a replacement upper deck pass.. In the end of the day my only thoughts are this: 1 - dude, don't get so worked up. It's a 60 win Sox team. 2 - Sox should care more about their existing fans that are sticking with them right now and should probably get creative with ticketing/marketing ideas 3- The Sox don't need to care. Look at the Padres, Marlins, etc. etc. etc. These owners make money regardless. The difference between 15 and 17,000 fans a game isn't a huge deal to them. They follow the money. So they are focusing on other areas. I appreciate your response, but with all do respect, 1,2, and 3 do not address any of my points whatsoever. I get that small and midsize MLB teams are about money. I get that it's a bad team. I'm talking about how the White Sox nurture their fanbase. I'm talking about basic s*** that's real, real dumb when it comes to customer satisfaction. I took the time to make some well-thought out points about how they may want to rethink their approach, and their response was "this is what we're doing" If the White Sox continue to approach marketing and fan outreach in these ways, then they will never mend what has been a 40 year problem. You would think that they might think they need to learn something, given how piss poor their past results with this have been. However, you can't teach people who need to learn. I'm really most angry that the team I love continues to shoot THEMSELVES in the foot with stuff like this.