NorthSideSox72

If revenues were $227M, and total costs around $195M... the player payroll last year was $91M for the major leagues. If you do some basic math on the minor leaguers (whose salaries are paid by the parent club), that's about another $4M or so... That means player payroll as a whole was about $95M of that $195M in costs, or nearly half. That leaves the other half for every other cost of running the team, including personnel salaries and benefits for non-players (incl mgr/coaches, front office, etc.), facilities costs, and everything the heck else. So 30-or-so guys' salaries are half the cost. Also interesting - the White Sox acquired majority ownership of their Advanced A club (Winston-Salem Dash). I wonder what impact if any that had. And finally, $31M profit... on the one hand, over 10% margin is good... on the other, you can see why just that "one more player" or "one more contract" can represent a real problem at times if they aren't careful.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 25, 2015 -> 11:42 AM) concerning the farm and minor league, excellent work. i love to read up on these area. btw, do you or any know if they will do it again?? it would be a great update / PR move. As I said in the original post, this is a re-start of a regular thing. Season ticket holders sometimes get access to calls too, though those are a little different. The blogger calls are usually maybe 5-6 bloggers/writers, which affords a nice opportunity to ask a bunch of questions. Previous calls ranged from players to front office and coaches.

QUOTE (Señor Ding-Dong @ Mar 25, 2015 -> 11:34 AM) I recall reading something awhile back that said something along the lines of "Hawkins thought he was on the fast track and wanted to get to the majors as quickly as possible, which contributed to his struggles in 2013." That's obviously not a direct quote. Perhaps that's what Bell's "humbled" quote could be referring to, rather than implying Hawkins was cocky or arrogant. Yeah, what Bell once said was that when 2013 opened, Hawkins was whiffing over half the time a few weeks into Winston-Salem and was already making plans for his arrival in Birmingham. I can tell you from when I interviewed him down there in person, by August of 2013 he had most certainly been humbled (for good or bad). He was quite dour when I talked with him, got a lot of mumbled and resigned answers to my questions.

The White Sox have re-started the regular conference calls with some core bloggers, including FutureSox. This one was with Rick Hahn and Buddy Bell, and our own Rob Young (southside hitman) was in attendance. Here are his highlights from the call, which include some notes on position battles, prospect progress, and injuries.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 03:44 PM) Do you use stubhub? I would definitely be interested on shorter notice not sure if that helps. Do sell in two as well? Yes, we put these on stub hub if they don't sell to friends/family or whatever. If they are still listed they are still for sale, and yes I can sell two potentially.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 04:19 PM) Leury ought to work as an actual super-sub. Every one of those guys along with the OFs can sit one day a week. That's 5-6 games Leury could play a week, and that's assuming no one gets hurt which will happen at some poitn. Someone answered! Yes that makes sense. Put him through waivers, if he makes it through, do that.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 02:52 PM) Agree. You don't cut Leury. A full season of Charlotte ABs should do him well. I guess they can't take him off the 40 man without exposing him? Wilkins too. Too soon to cut him. This is what people are missing here... how do you get Leury a full season of AAA AB's? Who of Davidson, Saladino and Sanchez do you remove playing time from to give it to him? No one, for me.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 02:25 PM) That still doesn't mean it makes sense for the White Sox to just let Leury go. Saladino, Sanchez and Garcia aren't much different as projected finish projects. They pretty much all project to utility guys. Leury may not ever be able to hit, but same with the others. Saladino will be 26 this summer. Still in AAA usually isn't the recipe for future difference maker. Keep as many as you can around. No reason to let anyone go to make room for Brad Penny. Sure it does. Well more clearly, what makes sense is to look at what you have. If you believe Saladino and Sanchez need to be starting (as I do and I'd bet they do, but that's a guess), and Leury is taking a 40-man slot you need for 25-man guys, then the logical thing to do is to try to trade Leury... if that fails, put him through waivers... if he clears, put him on Charlotte's bench. If he gets claimed, try to work a deal, or just let him go.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 02:14 PM) He should have been in AAA last year but because of roster construction was in over his head. Any of the other guys would have been as well. Leury's time in the majors is not significant. He clearly wasn't ready. Sanchez got some regular ABs when he was called up, and he didn't manage a .600 OPS. Sanchez has a far better hit tool and is able to defend all three skill INF positions at least competently, in fact he looked better at 2B than Garcia did to me (the only one I saw them both play more than a game). They both have some speed. The only advantages I see for Leury is that he can also play OF in a pinch and has slightly more speed. I'll take Sanchez.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 01:40 PM) He turned 24 less than a week ago. To judge him based on scattered ABs last year is ridiculous. Let him get some time in AAA. In AA as a 21 year old he hit .292 with a .337 OBP. As a 22 year old in AAA he hit .265 with a .317 OBP. He fields a lot of positions well, many scouting reports and my 2014 BP think he will be a ++ SS defensively. He has a great arm and can run like the wind. Dumping him because as a 23 year old he didn't adjust to less than one AB a game is crazy. Not many guys who will be at Charlotte will be able to help the White Sox win games this year with their bats this season. He can help at some point with his glove and legs. If I thought he had any shot at starting, I'd agree. As being a utility guy is IMO his ceiling, then his time in the majors is pretty meaningful. And heck even if he'd managed a .600 OPS (just to pick one stat in this case), then that'd be fine, but he was WAY bad offensively. Just awful. And if the Sox lacked MIF depth for AAA I'd be all about him starting down there. But they don't, and my view is that Saladino and Sanchez are both better now and have more ceiling. Therefore, I see no reason to keep Leury around, unless you can get him through waivers and use him as a bench guy in AAA. Then, fine. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 01:41 PM) Would you expect a guy who skipped AA and AAA to be on the big league bench to be better than that? How much better? My version of this is "you put the guy in a position where he was supposed to fail. You can't be surprised if he failed at it". He didn't skip either. True he didn't play a lot at either though.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 01:19 PM) Leury Garcia is a player with decent potential, particularly on defense. Strong arm, decent skills, but extremely raw in every aspect of the game. It makes no sense to give him away. He may never see the big leagues again, but then he may also do so. If we were doing "what is best for the chances of developing him" he'd have gotten a full season in AA in 2013 and a full AAA season in 2014, he was instead on the big league bench. That's a setup where anyone not named Mike Trout should be expected to struggle. Disagree. We've seen him in the majors for 1.5 seasons now, 94 games, over 200 PA. He posted a .399 OPS in 74 games last year. That's not a SLG or OBP, that is OPS. That is worse than a lot of pitchers. He was 24 that season, which is young but not THAT young. He's been playing pro ball since 2008. Even that defense he's known for was nothing spectacular to my eyes. Yes he can play all over, yes he's likely to be semi-comptetent or better at many of them. Yes he can run. But to me, he is behind Sanchez, Saladino and maybe even Juan Diaz for MIF depth in the minors, as all of them could provide superior value IMO. I'd hate for him to get playing time above any of them.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 01:16 PM) Poor Andy Wilkins. Shouldn't they trade him somewhere he's got a chance to play? I said before, he's a guy the team wants there, for now. That said, I'd bet at least one of Neftali Soto, Dan Black and Wilkins is gone by the time Charlotte opens play. Maybe two of them.

Quinarvy (Daniel) has been out at Camelback this week. He's going to be doing a number of things, but so far he's posted a couple photo galleries on FS from the games he's attended so far. I thought I'd start one thread for these galleries so they don't get lost when the game thread goes to archive. March 22 gallery March 23 gallery

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 04:26 PM) The lack of power from the likely starting 9 has been shocking so far this ST. I really wouldn't read into that. At all.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 02:28 PM) BTW, nice of the White Sox to tweet Samardzija's tourney bracket that shows what the entry fee was. I'm sure he'll be banned from baseball for life. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/25117024 The Sox tweeted a whole slew of the players' brackets, showing the fee on it. I wondered at the time why they didn't grey that part out. Not smart.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 02:55 PM) They're not going to choose a veteran in Brantly over their own homegrown player in Smith...who has risen up in the organization and advanced level by level with pitchers that are familiar with/confident in throwing to him. Wilkins is 50/50. They'd prefer he be the "next man in" rather than someone like Dan Black or Keon Barnum...dealing Ravelo exposed a little bit of their lack of quality hitting depth at this position. Barnum is very young and struggled in A+ last year. He is not at all in the picture for the majors in 2015. At best he's in AA. If it isn't Soto, Wilkins or Black (which it likely would be), then as someone else said they bring up a position player like Saladino or something who plays all over and they split the DH.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 01:47 PM) Would it be OK on this site if he prefaced it with a Gordon Beckham or John Danks sucks? Because you haven't brought that up enough in threads that are actually on-topic. So you bring it to where it is completely irrelevant? Really? Just let it go.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 01:43 PM) Debating between a 2006 Nissan Altima 2.5s with 71,000 miles and a 2005 Honda Accord EX-L with 138,000 miles. Both are the same price. I'm not real familiar with Nissan in general but I've read a lot of positive reviews. Although everyone I've ever talked to said that a Honda will last for a long, long time. We are looking for reliability over anything. Haven't seen the Nissan in person yet but the Honda was obviously well cared for. It's very clean inside and out. They should both be good cars if they were both taken care of well (Carfax can help with that). I personally would be skeptical buying any car with 138,000 miles though, even a very reliable one that looks very clean.

QUOTE (Señor Ding-Dong @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 11:29 AM) It'll be interesting to see what we do with the outfield after this season, especially if Hawkins looks primed for a ML role at some point in 2016. I'm guessing Hawkins is more 2017, if he makes it. He's still just 21 years old, would be 23 for the entire 2017 season. And he has showed he's still quite raw.

QUOTE (Señor Ding-Dong @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 11:37 AM) I think Leury is as good as gone. We have tons of MI depth and there doesn't seem to be a place for him in Chicago or Charlotte. Wilkins or a pitcher far away from the majors could be gone, too. I think between Michael Ynoa, Onelki Garcia, and Raul Fernandez, Fernandez seems like the most likely. Zero chance Ynoa is gone.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 11:09 AM) I think Leury could be the everyday SS at Charlotte, Sanchez or Johnson at 2B, and Saladino playing like he did last year - playing everyday but not having a set position. I think people forget that Leury is still pretty young, the second youngest player on the 40 man behind Sanchez, younger than Micah, Davidson, and Saladino. He was rushed to the majors to fill a role, but given everyday at bats his bat could come around yet and he could be a Cesar Izturis type at some point. I really doubt Leury gets playing time above Saladino or Sanchez. QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 11:23 AM) Sox acquire 1B/3B Neftali Soto from the Reds for cash. He's 26 and has around 30 professional at bats..... QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 11:39 AM) Could spell the end for Wilkins and/or Davidson as White Sox prospects. Probably not Davidson, unless he's injured. More likely means Wilkins or Black leaving.

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 10:29 AM) They have to outright him off the 40-man to make room. After that, I personally don't care if he sticks around and backs up Saladino and Sanchez at AAA or gets claimed by another team. He's far away from relevance in either case. That's the thing. The org is likely higher on Saladino and Sanchez, so Leury is just a bench guy in AAA anyway. So you try to trade him maybe, or waive him and then assign him. If someone takes him, oh well. If not, he's bench depth in Charlotte.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 10:07 AM) I think the most obvious names for removal from the 40 man roster are.... (in order) Nate Jones going to the 60 day DL Surkamp getting traded Cleto getting waived/released Brantley getting waived/released Andy Wilkins (he has literally no place to play in Chicago between Abreu and LaRoche) getting waived or traded I'd doubt they get rid of Wilkins. He's actually exactly a guy you want, specifically because of Abreu and LaRoche. You need a slugging 1B type available for call-up as needed, but since they don't have a serious prospect there, you need a Wilkins type for insurance. If you lose Wilkins, then Dan Black becomes that insurance and that makes me far more nervous than Wilkins. I think Wilkins stays.

First, Cleto might get claimed but honestly the guy can't maintain control for more than a couple appearances anyway. So put him through waivers. Then there's Brantly who has options left, so I think he can come off without waivers. Kottaras probably has an out. One of the two will be out of the org. Then there's Leury Garcia, who I think they'll trade or release soon. I think they want to keep both Smith and Nieto around, and I bet Nieto goes to AA, though technically right now he's in AAA. Jones to 60-day opens a slot too. Finally, I think Surkamp likely gets next to nothing in trade, but that's OK. I don't see him as being a particularly good lefty reliever anyway, and as a starter he'd be behind a good 4 or 5 guys in Charlotte.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 02:36 AM) http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/2015/...-032215#image/1 Photos from the game. Shuck is grindy, in a good way. Micah looks nervous at second, but looks like he can develop there. Courtney is monstrous in person. Nice work Daniel, thanks for this.