[6/6 Games]

Phree Phegley! Promote him already! Sheesh...

[FIRE JEFF MANTO]

His theory on drawing walks is insane. I want to try and give credit to this organization but man do they seem to be doing some really dumb things recently.

 

Exactly. Maybe they can bring Frank in on special assignment to have him instruct the team on the finer points of patience and pitch selection--sort of like the Royals have done with Brett. This gleeful disregard the Sox seem to have for taking walks and exhibiting any kind of a selective approach to hitting is insane. Robin had a good eye at the plate...I sure wish he would try to pass that along to the team.

 

And yes, anyone who fails to understand the importance of drawing BBs or even just working the count has no business being a major league hitting coach. Manto has to go.

[5/30 Games]

I wonder if Johnson's recent hot streak has anything to do with the fact that he ditched switch hitting not too long ago.

[Angel Sanchez Appreciation Thread]

I remember when he entered a game against the Nationals and I went "who"?

 

I remember when I learned he was released, and I went "who"? (that was right now)

[Dayan Viciedo banged the Walk Fairy?]

Viciedo did walk 45 times in 500 PAs at Charlotte in 2011. Not a ton, but a somewhat respectable amount--enough to give him an OBP of .364 for the year. I am hoping that if and when he gets settled in at the major league level he'll show the same amount of patience. Viciedo has always reminded me of Carlos Lee, who showed similar growth (13 BB his 1st year, 38 his 2nd and 3rd, then a career high 75 his 4th.)

[5/4 games]

But...if you turn a young guy into a successful closer, you can build that value a lot.

Nestor Molina would beg to differ...

[AAP: Jason Coats]

Coats reminds me of Jeff Abbott...hope he can continue to rake and perhaps add some power to the mix.

[Early ChiSox Draft Ideas]

Colin Moran has struck out only 8 times in almost 200 plate appearances. obviously he is not the kind of guy the Sox are looking for.

[Jordan Danks called up]

I just don't understand why we need Wise if Danks is on the roster. Danks has some upside at the plate Wise doesn't and his D is comparable if not a little better at this point. Yes, having another lefty bat off the bench is nice, but I'd even prefer having an extra backup in the infield (Morel?) over Wise.

[Frank and Konerko]

I'd pick Frank even if you had to play him in the outfield. He was that freaking good.

[Trade Idea: Rios & Rangers]

Rangers could use an OF bat with Cruz situation up in the air. A Rios-for-Olt deal might make sense with Keppinger moving to a corner OF spot for the time being.

 

I'd take that deal in a heartbeat. With Rios being so inconsistent and expensive though, I just have a hard time thinking he'd command a premium prospect. Maybe if he starts hot and we're willing to send along some cash...

[2012 Minor league free agent list]

Brandon Wood = Dallas McPherson.

 

Big numbers inflated by the Pacific Coast League.

 

As a 20 y/o Wood hit 43 HRs (and 101 XBHs!!) in A+ ball. The Cal league is a big-time hitters league, though that was an impressive season by any standards. He and McPherson were both big disappointments.

[Reverse standings, draft order]

last time we picked 18th...Josh Fields. Ugh.

[Post your Top 10 Sox Prospects]

That's not a counter-argument, son. Dayan Viciedo will never put up a good enough OBP to justify having a starting gig on a major league roster.

 

Viciedo doubled his walk rate as a 22 y/o in Charlotte from his first two years of pro ball and there is no reason he can't do the same at the major league level. While admittedly it is a small improvement, in his first 170 PAs this year he walked 4 times; in his last 248 he walked 15 times. One only has to look at a very similar hitter in Carlos Lee--who walked at about the same rate as Viciedo at the same age, but in AA--as an example of how a player can mature and get a better handle on the strike zone. Same for Magglio Ordonez, who had only 28 walks in 579 PAs his first full year in the bigs after a minor league career where he never walked more than 45 times (which is also Viciedo's high, and that in less PAs and at a higher level).

 

Now, will Viciedo learn to walk more? I have no idea, and niether do you. But to pass judgement after such a small sample size is foolish and flies in the face of logic. Personally, I see him being in the .280/.340/.500 range, and that translates into a solid regular with some upside b/c of his plus bat speed.

 

[Post your Top 10 Sox Prospects]

Trayce Thompson has an .800 OPS and a batting average in the .240s (despite BABIPs over .320) between A and AA. Why are people ranking him so high? Honest question.

 

Who would be a top 100 prospect aside from Hawkins?

 

Check this out:

 

Year Age Level OPS HR SB

2009 18 Rookie .510 0 3

2010 19 Low A .735 8 6

2011 20 Low A .785 24 8

2012 21 A+ .810 22 18

2012 21 AA 1.277 2 0

 

Notice a trend? Keep in mind Trayce was considered very raw coming out of high school...he didn't concentrate on baseball until his Sr. year, IIRC. Add in his bloodlines, his ability to hit for power, field, run, and throw...he's a good prospect and getting better. While perhaps he is not a top 100 prospect right now, he isn't that far away and if he can continue the same growth in AA next year (I assume the Sox will send him back to B-ham) he certainly will, and maybe even crack the top 50.

[I never realized something about the early 90s Sox]

Matt Williams was also en fuego, he wasnt hitting for average like Thomas was, but he had 43 homeruns and 96 RBI when they called it

 

Bagwell was really on a tear that year as well, with stats almost as good as Franks: .368/39/116, 15 SBs, .750 SLG and a 1.201 OBS! That was in the Astrodome also, which was always one of the worst parks to hit in. Of course, apparently he was on the juice at the time, which makes Hurt's superior, non-cheating season all the more impressive.

 

The early '90s Sox were a fun group to watch, especially the '90 team that set the stage for the next few years. I remember them being the most fundamentally sound team I have ever seen--rock-solid D, moving runners over, driving in 1 and 2 out runs, hitting the cutoff, not walking batters, capitalizing on mistakes, you name it. They were a +7 on their Pythagorean for the season...

[Post your Top 10 Sox Prospects]

 

The Sox system sure looks to be in better shape now than it did a year ago (though it's hard to complain with all the rookies who have contributed this year). It would sure be nice if we could add/develop a little more depth, especially in the infield and behind the plate.

 

1. Hawkins, OF

2. Thompson, OF

3. Johnson, RHP

4. Beck, RHP

5. Walker, OF

6. Rienzo, RHP

7. Sanchez, INF

8. Barnum, 1B

9. Snodgress, LHP

10. Saladino, INF (almost a .400 OBP as a 22 y/o in AA ain't shabby)

 

others: Castro, DeMichele, Soptic. Mitchell I guess, though I just can't see the guy making enough contact to stick around.

[Thompson pushing his way back into consideration]

Without ever having seen Thompson, I get a BJ Upton impression of him, based soley on the numbers and the scout descriptions.

 

That's not a bad comparison...keeping in mind that BJ was much more highly regarded when entering the draft, Trayce projects to have a bit more power and less speed. Trayce is much better of a defender, from what I hear.

[White Sox trade Osvaldo Martinez to LAD for cash.]

This is the deal that puts us over the top...

[The White Sox All-Time Have a Beer with List]

Ron kittle. He was my hero As a kid and I hear he is a totally cool, down to earth and funny guy.

[Soriano]

Dear lord no. Rios is a better bargain than Soriano, which should tell you all you need to know about him.

[2012 MLB draft talk]

Smoral is there. We're up.

 

When the A's drafted I heard the name 'Matt' called and was sure it was him....would love to get him.

[It must be said - Hawk Harrelson has to go]

In the top of the 6th of today's (6/2) game, with the bases loaded and Ichiro up, Hawk said that 'the sacks were packed with seamen'

[5/31 Games]

not sure why jordan danks doesn't get more credit on this board....

 

I think that is a function of the fact that this is his 3rd year in Charlotte and the first two seasons he was mediocre at best. He keeps progressing like he has this season and he definitely could be a good 4th or 5th OFer.

[The Miami Marlins thread]

Ozzie is a big mouth and an idiot for not thinking about the possible repercussions of his statement in Miami, but....deep breath...I agree with what he said and think the reactions are pretty over the top.

 

Yes, Castro has been an oppressive dictator for some time but we helped set the tone for him to come to power. A LOT of the anti-Castro vitriol out of Miami is spewed by bitter dissidents who were robbing Cuba blind for years with the help of an equally oppressive thief of a dictator, Fulgencio Bautista. The Cuban lobby act out of Miami is beyond old. Many of these same folks calling for Guillen's head are the same ones who wanted Elian Gonzalez to remain separated from his father. They were also instrumental in helping Jeb steal the 2000 election for Dubyah. In some ways they are no more in favor of a free democratic society than Castro.

 

They spent 60 years trying to assassinate Castro and strengthened his anti-American resolve in the process. He dodged every bullet along the way and continued to thumb his nose at us across 90 short miles of water. I do not agree with Castro's politics or human rights record, but Ozzie is not out of line to say that his survival in such adversity is worthy of some level of respect.

 

With all of that said, I still wonder how the hell Ozzie could say anything positive about Castro while working for a major Miami sports franchise. Just plain dumb!

 

Well put. Castro is responsible for some terrible atrocities but this whole episode stinks of manufactured outrage.