NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 07:11 AM) He'll be in B'ham, no doubt. The team has actually said that. He's AA-bound.

QUOTE (Jake @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 11:15 PM) I think you shortchange Sanchez a bit. I would not put him in with Bonifacio and Beckham as you do, calling them "known commodities." This works both for and against Sanchez. If Sanchez is anything like the (younger-than-Johnson) guy he was last year in AAA, which seems to be ruled out as an impossibility by most, he'd be an excellent choice at 2B and would never get pushed off the spot except to (possibly) move to SS. There's intriguing upside with Sanchez and, more importantly, a fair amount of mystery. More nit-picky, I think Johnson having "far more speed" than Sanchez is probably a stretch. Maybe not literally so much as the extent to which it makes for a meaningful difference between these two players. I'm also inclined to believe that Sanchez is such a far superior defender to Johnson that this aspect is not being adequately considered, but I'll admit to seeing very little of Johnson's D. More generally, I'm concerned about Johnson's poor production in AAA and his general up-and-down production that is typically only "up" when his age compares favorably with his competition. I also think that a bad run in MLB is not harmless, but rather that a stretch of really poor play in MLB can really hurt a player's development and confidence. Likewise, even if the bad play doesn't do it, the demotion can do it. Sanchez has nothing to prove in MiLB so I don't see a great reason to protect him from MLB failure at this juncture. Some very good points here. Sanchez is certainly not as known as Beckham and Bonifacio, that is true - Sanchez is further back on the development curve and has far fewer looks in MLB. On the other hand though, Sanchez has a pair of seasons at AAA and some MLB time, so he's certainly more known (for good or bad) than Johnson. I'm also not sure Sanchez is such a far superior defender. Sanchez is much smoother and will be better fielding batted balls in a core zone, but the range difference is I think significant. And that means a significant number of outs Johnson can make that Sanchez won't. So it is hard for me to believe Sanchez can be a lot better defensively, unless Johnson is booting a play every game (either a literal error or just poorly played into hits), which I don't think will be the case. As others have pointed out, you have to remember, Johnson was hitting .300 in AAA for a while before the injuries bit him, so make sure to keep that in mind. But if you still want to look at that, then look at these tidbits too... Sanchez' first year in AAA was far worse offensively than Johnson's. Yes he was two years younger and that is important, but Sanchez also had more minor league play under his belt by then too. This isn't to say it is a perfect comp, but to point out that Johnson, even with the hammy issues, did better in his first shot at the level than Sanchez did. Finally, while I think rushing a player can have consequences, I don't think a guy who's dominated AA and spent time at AAA being a major leaguer is going to do that. If he struggles for a month or two, he goes back to AAA, and I just don't see that harming a guy like Johnson.

QUOTE (Downtown518 @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 02:52 PM) Just curious…. any reports on how BA is faring in his comeback attempt? Saw one BA writer who happened to notice him warming up on a back field. Said it was good to see him back and that he looked in great shape. That's all I've seen or heard. Maybe Quinarvy/Daniel can get some video of him when he's down there next week.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 02:12 PM) http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball...asketball-title Damn you Pres.Obama for jinxing Iowa and UnI. If he had another Jan caucus to win, hed probably not have picked 2/3 Iowa programs to go down. I was curious if there was ever a year that all four Iowa D1 teams had made the tourney together. Drake has only been to the tournament once since 1971. That year in 2008 they were actually a 5 seed (!!!), but were upset by the 12 and lost first round. Their one appearance in 40+ years - how depressing. And no other Iowa teams even went that year.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 01:12 PM) I think that we may have all collectively made him up. I'm not entirely sure he isn't just a subconscious/groupthink-related psychological coping mechanism that arose from the complete lack of pitching talent we had in the minors. Now that Rodon is around, we're not "seeing things" anymore. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 01:13 PM) If he wasn't listed, he is still in camp. One of these answers is true, and the other is awesome.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 11:42 AM) BTW it's caveat emptor not umptor . D'OH! Speaking of trying to get too cute, haha. Fixed it, thanks.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 10:32 AM) I don't think that is going to happen. I also think it's irrelevant. If he can pitch effectively, so be it.

Thompson only mild surprise, and Nieto I thought was AA-bound. QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 10:38 AM) No room for Brantly/Kotarras in Charlotte already. Yeah, that's all a little weird, I thought Nieto would be starting in AA, Smith in AAA, one of Brantly/Kottaras backing up in Charlotte and the other gone.

QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 09:52 AM) Instead of having offshoots of Beckham and Penny talk in the Sale thread, let's just talk about the 25-man right now. Here's what I got... Lineup: Eaton CF, Cabrera LF, Abreu 1B, LaRoche DH, Garcia RF, Ramirez SS, Gillaspie 3B, Flowers C, Johnson 2B Bench: Bonifacio UTL, Beckham IF, Shuck OF, Soto C Rotation: Samardzija, Quintana, Noesi, Danks, Penny Bullpen: Albers, Webb, Jennings, Petricka, Putnam, Duke, Robertson DL: Sale, Crain, Jones (60-day) On the fence about Webb. He'll have a short leash if he sucks in April, and Crain is ready. The three guys to move off the 40-man: Leury gets traded Guerra and Brantly get moved off the roster too. I think Cleto and Guerra are both above Webb right now, and Webb has options (I believe Cleto and Guerra do not). Also, you get nothing in trade for Leury, except some minor league org filler. Which is fine, as I see no reason to keep Leury around when we have Bonifacio and Beckham in MLB and Saladino and Sanchez in AAA. Looks about right otherwise though.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 09:50 AM) Do you think he ends up a better defender right now though? I'm only able to rely on what you and others say from scouting his defense and if his glove is indeed major league ready then he deserves it. 30 AB's in March also don't change my mind about his need to show something at the plate in Charlotte. But it's helping. Right now, hard to say, but I think he'd be on par overall (just better at some things, worse at others). This 30 PA in Arizona are really only a small part of the evaluation for me, and the stats are not even a major part of that, as I detailed in the article. QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 10:07 AM) Again micah was hitting pretty well through July in Charlotte. He got up over a .300 average. We started to decline in august but that was due to the hamstring issue that he was eventually shutdown half way through august. That too. Though he still really only has a short time in AAA, which is a concern.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 09:40 AM) I like reading this... This is fixable. We've seen these reports for a couple years now. His mistakes on defense were usually a lack of focus or trying to get to cute. Those are very much fixable.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 09:29 AM) I would still rather have the certainty of Sanchez' defense, but Micah has the job. I'll be thrilled if I've been wrong about this. QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 09:35 AM) I'm rooting for Micah and will be happy, but considering the resources we've put into betting on ground ball pitchers, I would not mind Sanchez at all. See, here is where I was able to make up my mind. I have concerns about the defense too, but his range as I've seen over the years (and we're seeing more in ST now) is such that he can easily make up for an extra 10 or 12 errors and go beyond that in the course of a season. And that's without considering he could improve with the glove. What I've seen so far is focus - he's not making the mental mistakes, in an admitedly small sample size. If that holds true even most of the time, I think he ends up a better defender than Sanchez - and that makes it case closed in my view. Just my opinion though, as this is a lot of projection and I could very easily end up wrong.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 09:29 AM) I would still rather have the certainty of Sanchez' defense, but Micah has the job. I'll be thrilled if I've been wrong about this. I think you can make a good case for Sanchez, almost as good as Micah in my opinion. Heck I think you can make a case for any of the five really, which is what makes it so interesting and hard to decipher.

I'm now fully in on Micah as the 2B. Got into a discussion with James Fegan (from The Catabird Seat blog), as he feels Micah isn't there yet. So here's a sort of response to his piece, where I make the case for Micah as the Opening Day 2B. Agree? Disagree? Not sure yet? Grammatical errors?

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 05:12 PM) keithlaw ‏@keithlaw 2m2 minutes ago Tyler Danish just took a liner off his right forearm or wrist. Leaving the game. Doesn't sound good Worrisome, but fortunately, it is rare to end up with a big problem injury with a batted ball impact that isn't to the head. Hopefully, and probably, it is nothing big.

Prospects to include Will Ferrell, by the way.

Our own Quinarvy with another fun episode of FutureSox TV, this one looking at how some key prospects are performing so far in Spring Training. It's just 3 minutes - enjoy!

Worth noting, if you want a 4th OF who can defend well and occasionally hit one over the fence, Trayce Thompson might be your guy. I think he needs a year in AAA, but he does meet DA's qualifications.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 02:44 PM) I think technically, Bonifacio will be the 4th OF. Shuck appears the favorite to win a spot, and he wasn't a bad hitter until last season. I am concerned about the comments from Angels announcers implying he isn't exactly stellar with the glove. If you aren't going to have a guy in that spot that isn't a really good OF, I would prefer a guy who can come off the bench and hit one over the fence. I didn't listen to any Angels broadcast, but having watched him play a little in the spring and reading reports from people at the games, I've read nothing but positives on his defense. In fact people have been impressed by his play out there. I honestly haven't seen anything negative on that yet, other than your posts about an Angels broadcast.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 01:55 PM) What is it about the 3 errors in 8 games that makes you think Saladino can play the OF? The 3 errors mean nothing in that small a sample, and those were his first games out there anyway. What means more is that he IS just starting at it, and even if he may get good later, he won't be right now.

I am not sure I understand the hand-wringing about Soto, unless you think he's got health issues like last season (which is a valid concern). If he's healthy, he's better than Brantly or Kottaras by a long shot on both sides of the ball, in my view. For those concerned about his arm, again assuming he's healthy, consider this. Soto's career CS% is 27% (554 ATT), including 35% the last two years (57 ATT). Brantly? 25% in his career (which is also 2 seasons, 72 ATT). Kottaras? Career 18% (194 ATT). 23% last two years (44 ATT). Just for some perspective.

Kentucky just plays so big and long across the court. A pressure defense would be one way to get them, but I think you ultimately have to score by setting up outside shots and hitting 3's at a prolific rate. Box-and-one with corner cuts, keep going across the triangles on screens until someone has some breating room from 3 or long 2 and put it up. Like late 80's Loyola Marymount offense.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 11:22 AM) Thanks for peeing on my day. I'd thought I read they could be on the hook for as little as $250k, but that's probably not the case. Tyler D looks better to me, though a ways to go in ST. Not really sure what he needs to improve upon, if he's healthy. If someone can show me where it is a non-guaranteed deal, I'd be happy to have been right earlier on and wrong now. Please do let me know if you find that!

QUOTE (Lillian @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 11:55 AM) Regarding Soto: Can he throw? Isn't there an issue with his arm? He's got a better arm than Flowers, Brantly or Kottaras, when he's healthy. And it appears he is at this point.

Also I disagree they need a new guy. I don't think anyone who will be available as a bench guy will be better than what the club already has.