NorthSideSox72

Just saw, Rienzo headed back to Chicago to replace Putnam (DL). That's why Zaleski is starting.

Per Sox twitter.

Scoreboard Charlotte: Zaleski (had said Rienzo before, guess he was scratched?) Birmingham: Beck Winston-Salem: Wendelken Kannapolis: Lowry Great Falls: Freudenberg AZL, DSL: TBA

Someone mentioned the other day, Tanner Mendonca's absurd K rate. Check this out... 2013 in Rk League w/ Twins (age 21): 23.1 IP, 37 BB, 23 K (14.3 BB/9, 8.9 K/9) 2014 in Rk League w/ Sox (age 22): 10.2 IP, 2 BB, 20 K (1.7 BB/9, 16.9 K/9) That's quite a turnaround. I've seen a report that he's got serious stuff, velocity and movement, just didn't have any control. If they've got him dialed in control-wise now, that could be a nice find.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 24, 2014 -> 10:40 AM) And Wilkins has never been considered a "real" prospect either. This is simply not true. He was a 5th round draft pick, which alone tells you he was considered significant in the Sox system. They also had him skip A ball to go to W-S. And he was ranked in the teens at times in three seasons, as high as 13th, in the Sox system. He absolutely was a prospect of some significance. I'd also contend he is still a "prospect", though I wouldn't put him the teens right now. Bottom end of the T25 give or take probably.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jul 24, 2014 -> 11:36 AM) ----------------- HOME -----------------AWAY Jordan Danks - 10 HR, .984 OPS------5 HR, .645 OPS Matt Davidson - 10 HR, .680 OPS---- 8 HR, .712 OPS Carlos Sanchez - 1 HR, .747 OPS-----4 HR, .767 OPS Andy Wilkins - 13 HR, .819 OPS------12 HR, .935 OPS Blake Tekotte - 4 HR, .779 OPS------7 HR, .768 OPS Josh Phegley - 10 HR, .930 OPS-------4 HR, .798 OPS Tyler Saladino - 8 HR, .936 OPS-------1 HR, .775 OPS So basically Danks, Phegley and Saladino are helped a lot by the bandbox. Wilkins and Sanchez are better on the road. Davidson and Tekotte are roughly the same. All are small sample sizes so take this with a grain of salt. Yeah, ballpark factor is at play but you can't over-assign it's value. Most of those players don't look like guys taking specific advantage. On a team level you can look at park factor, but even a serious homer-happy park may only add a couple home runs to a typical power hitter. It isn't doubling numbers or anything.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jul 24, 2014 -> 09:42 AM) Mason Robbins having a nice short season in his debut. He was a big hype guy out of HS. Adam Engel is still one of the most overlooked prospects in the system to me. He does have some strange splits though, last year he had an OPS against LHP at .900 while this year he's .892/.568 against RHP/LHP. I should note that this year's sample is inflated by a 38 PA stint in the AZL where he dominated to the the tune of a 1.175 OPS. Regardless, it's strange to see his success rate drop so heavily against LHP being a RH hitter. In Kanny only, his K% is at 25.8% and he's walking at a 9% clip so he's got some work to do as far as contact goes. He is 22 years old and playing with a bunch of younger guys at Kanny, but he's on a tear now that he's healthy again. Over his last ten games, Engel has a a slash of .378/.440/.711/1.151 with a K% down to 14.6% in those 48 PAs. Obviously a very small data set, but this is coming from a guy with elite speed who is known for his defensive prowess. All about the hit tool for Engel. If he can make decent contact and hit for a bit of an average, he's a legit significant prospect. But that is a big question with him.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Jul 24, 2014 -> 09:06 AM) http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/2014/...torrid-hitting/ Recap posted. Obviously covers suddenly controversial Andy Wilkins, but great performances from Brandon Brennan, Luis Martinez, Jose Barraza, and Mason Robbins. Brennan is a guy I could see popping next year and being on the radar. He was a pretty high round pick with intriguing stuff. But he came in raw (1 year college pitching), then missed a year with his TJ surgery and recovery. But if he can get back 100%, he's still an arm worth keeping an eye on, despite being pretty much forgotten by most.

Weekend in Milwakuee with the wife (wanted somewhere nearby for a very short trip). Suggestions on things to do, places to eat? We're taking the Amtrak up there and staying at a hotel in that area (near river, in downtown). So looking for stuff we can walk to in downtown Milwaukee ideally. Already considering the art museum, lake and river trails, maybe a brewery tour.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 23, 2014 -> 11:40 PM) He's always been a guy whose ceiling was a solid major leaguer. Of course, guys with that kind of ceiling aren't usually very popular, especially at first base. He's had to produce at every level to get any recognition, and so far he has done that. Until his recent hot streak, he really hadn't produced anything of note in AAA.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 23, 2014 -> 09:24 PM) To make the point, past HR leaders at Charlotte. 2012 Dan Johnson 28 2011 Steven Gartrell 26 2010 Steven Gartrell 27 2009 Michael Restovich 21 2008 Brad Eldred 35 I understand what you are getting at here, but this is somewhat misleading. Of that list, only Gartrell was ever considered a real prospect while in the Sox system. The other three were MiLB filler guys old for level. Wilkins is not a high end prospect, but I'd still say he's a prospect, and his 25 HR in IL play (and we're still in July) do mean a lot more to me than what Johnson, Restovich or Eldred put up.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Jul 23, 2014 -> 12:46 PM) Hawkins homers, his 16th of the season. May swipes his 37th bag. Narvaez doubles and walks. Now batting .328 with a OBP around .450 in 23 games with the Dash. Lots of speed in the system. And I'd like to see Narvaez get more playing time. QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jul 23, 2014 -> 01:11 PM) Jirchele has struck out 3 times in 103 at bats this year. That's incredible. Especially impressive for a guy who doesn't play regularly.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 23, 2014 -> 09:24 AM) Did we cut Rodon yet? Yes, and he was signed by the Cubs.

The results in his AZL appearances should mean nearly zero to anyone. His velocity was good, he wasn't missing spots a lot, and the hits he gave up were not hard-hit either. This outing should have no relevance to evaluating him, at least statistically. Once he gets going in W-S for a bit, the numbers may mean something.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2014 -> 08:15 AM) But another thing worth noting, in 2006 at the time Gload was around his highest usage, the average MLB 1b put up an .850 OPS. In 2014, the average MLB 1b is putting up a .764 OPS. Also true. And Wilkins has more power.

Recap posted.

QUOTE (Cerbaho-WG @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 07:16 PM) Why do people think Wilkins is a prospect? He's been thoroughly mediocre every step of his minor league career. Because he is one. But that isn't the same thing as saying he should be an MLB starter. I share your frustration with some of the overreaction with his (admittedly very) hot streak. But I also wouldn't mind giving him a look late this season when Dunn is likely elsewhere. It is possible he could fill a Ross Gload-type role with the team in the future, though Gload had a much better hit tool than I think Wilkins will ever have.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 07:26 PM) Side not, I wonder if Recchia might get a call in September, almost striking out 1 an inning this year with few walks. I'm as big a believer in Recchia as anyone - I think he's got the stuff and approach to be a 4/5 starter in the majors or a solid setup guy. But even I would not consider an MLB assignment this year, even for a cup of coffee. More likely he sees AAA at some point for a few starts, and goes into 2015 as starting pitching depth in Charlotte, waiting for a chance.

Wish I could man, but I can't. I had hoped to get in a scouting trip this year, but that now looks unlikely. Plus this particular weekend is anniversary with the wife, so, yeah. Have fun!

Recap posted. Sorry for the delay.

0%. Also 0% for bad.

QUOTE (ChiSoxJon @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 09:22 AM) I like Engela whole lot more than Walker, Walker was a bust in my opinion, not even prospective At this point, sure. But Walker did much better in Kanny in his first year there than Engel is doing now - that is the way to compare results. Of course results are not the same as tools.

There's been some talk about Adam Engel. Nathaniel Stoltz of Fangraphs did this piece today, going into some detail, including video. His profile is seemingly an exact match with a White Sox player from a few decades ago - Gary Redus. Plus athlete, plus-plus speed, a little pop, poor contact and hit tool, pull tendency and over-swing tendency, excellent defensive range, strong arm. What are people's thoughts? In some ways he's similar to a guy like Keenyn Walker, but I think Engel has more pop.

QUOTE (shoeless_joe21 @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 10:43 PM) I'd like to start following the DSL box scores more closely, but I don't really know much about any of our players on that squad. Who are considered the best prospects on the roster? Or are they so young that I shouldn't even bother getting invested in them until they're further advanced? It is very hard to say who the "real prospects" are down there. They're just so damn young. But a few guys that were paid relatively high bonuses that are still down there include Maiker Feliz, Jose Reyes, Hanleth Otano and Roger Ramos. There are also a few pitchers putting up nice K & BB numbers that may be worth watching.

Brennan back in Kanny after 5 rehab games in Great Falls. Solid in 1st start: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, twice as many ground-outs as fly-outs. He's 22, about to turn 23, so he's no longer young for his level. But he was drafted raw with only one year of college pitching, and then lost another year recovering from TJ. So from a developmental standpoint, it wouldn't hurt to have him repeat Kanny next year, at least to start. Depends on how he does the remaining couple months of the season.