NorthSideSox72

This is our monthly hot sheet, with the best performances on the farm in May. We pick one hitter and one pitcher, and 3-4 runners up in each category. Before clicking the link, take your guesses.... OK now click here, and discuss!

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ May 30, 2014 -> 03:59 PM) So Micker is playing there this year. Interesting. I thought they'd rush him to the Arizona League Since AZL doesn't play for a few weeks, he may still end up there. QUOTE (scs787 @ May 30, 2014 -> 04:04 PM) Nice little write up. By "it's hard to track" does that mean we won't be getting daily box scores? Can't wait to follow Micker. You can, but they don't post live, just after the fact late at night or the next day.

Article here. Roster may change, it is hard to track that affiliate. Some interesting names on there.

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 29, 2014 -> 12:53 PM) Why do you assume the AZL team as opposed to Great Falls? Is the AZL league supposed to be of lesser quality competition a la Bristol? It isn't an issue of quality per se. The levels of play of the Pioneer and Appalachian leagues aren't that different, and I doubt the AZL is dramatically different than either of those. The Sox have specific uses they tend towards with their two rookie affiliates. Almost (but not entirely) without exception, the Sox sent the high schoolers, DSL grads and more raw guys to Bristol, and the more polished college types to Great Falls. Now Bristol has essentially moved, but they are keeping the same manager (Gellinger), and the AZL facility will be Glendale which is their own house. These only further cement that they want to keep the more raw guys who need more attention close to the vest, so I'm pretty sure the usage won't change. This tendency has the side effect of having Great Falls go to the playoffs nearly every year, while Bristol has almost always been terrible, in terms of full-team performance.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ May 29, 2014 -> 09:41 AM) Can he play SS a little though? His role seems to be a RH version of L Garcia in that he can play multiple positions. If he can play adequately at 2B, SS, 3B, LF, he will have a role for the Sox, if not he will be a AAAA player. His SS and 2B defense are reported to be decent but unspectacular. He's played 3B but I know nothing of how he did there. OF is brand new for him, his first game had a couple struggles, but that is to be expected. He doesn't have the speed Leury does, not would be be as good defensively anywhere in the field... but his bat has a lot more pop.

QUOTE (danman31 @ May 29, 2014 -> 02:03 AM) Ha, don't make it sound like a real job. If it's not fun, don't do it. If someone thinks they would enjoy this, they can take a crack at it. If it sounds like a chore, don't do it. That simple. Yeah, I think Dan nailed it. Does it require some time? Yes, about 20 minutes a pop. Do you like the idea of writing about baseball and getting your name out there, a couple times a week? Then join us! Sound like too much work? Then don't bother.

QUOTE (oneofthemikes @ May 29, 2014 -> 06:46 AM) His twitter says that he lives in Charlotte and works for both the Knights and the Checkers (Hockey). Looks like he used to work for NESN and the Boston Globe. So I guess it wouldn't be completely unheard of for him to have some industry connections. No, he doesn't work for the Knights, he is a reporter with the Charlotte paper and he reports on the Knights and other Charlotte beats. Much as I like his list, I doubt his "industry source" (note phrasing) is any more reliable than any of the other pundits we've seen.

Oh goodie, another thread derailed and ruined by a pedantic argument. Awesome.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 27, 2014 -> 06:56 PM) It wasn't a gamble, he was the team's 4th starter. 5th. QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 28, 2014 -> 08:14 AM) It was a gamble. Suggesting it was anything else is ludicrous. For virtually every team in baseball, the 5th starter is a gamble - some marginal guy, a young prospect, or a flier like Paulino.

Sox like to push their first rounders straight to full season ball, but it also depends on whether or not they are high schoolers. I'd guess Rodon goes straight to Kannapolis to start. Aiken or Kolek more likely the AZL team, then Kanny if things go well.

QUOTE (balfanman @ May 28, 2014 -> 09:29 AM) Not this again, Can we just get rid of this guy? In fairness, he did actually start the season hot for a week or two. No he's back to being more or less what he was, which is not a guy who belongs getting starting time.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ May 28, 2014 -> 08:39 AM) Axelrod for Charlotte Ortiz for the Dash Lowry for Kanny It says Jaye for Barons but he got demoted so who's starting? It is actually Blough for BHAM, and Jaye for W-S. Axelrod and Lowry are correct.

Nice fathom, some of those I was on too. But was more looking for this year, if possible - guys you thought would look good this year but haven't, or guys you were down on that have looked good so far.

...Keenyn Walker, who I didn't see a high ceiling on but thought he'd have a strong bounce-back. Also I thought Braulio Ortiz would have a strong year, but so far not. Who were you wrong on? If you are willing to admit it!

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 27, 2014 -> 04:24 PM) I couldn't have been more wrong on Paulino, but yes, it's time they move him to the bullpen to try and recoup some value for him. If not, not a big loss overall. He was worth a look, it was a good gamble IMO.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ May 27, 2014 -> 04:02 PM) We should be fined by mlb for abuse of the dl system THey'd only care if some other team complained, which they seemingly never do. Especially in the minors, the Sox (and other clubs) make some pretty sketchy use of the DL.

LOL at "shoulder soreness", dude hit 98 in his last outing. The DL shenanigans continue.

FS regulars- We added a new feature to the blog this year - daily recaps of the day's minor league action. They seem to be a success, thanks to the writing of Brian and Rob (with some help from Dan, and occasionally myself). We really like having these. The bad news is, one of our writers needs to drop off, at least for a while, due to schedule conflicts. The good news is, we are now looking for volunteer(s) to to join the fun! If you are interested, even if just one or two posts a week, we'd love to discuss it with you. We have a pretty simple format to follow, and once you've done a few, you'll likely find it is only about 15-20 minutes' time to do one. You get to have your name out there, so if you have any interest in writing or blogging in the future, this is a great opportunity to get your feet wet on something relatively simple. You will have some leeway to write what you want, and it can be a lot of fun. If anyone is interested, send me a message on here, or email us at [email protected]. Feel free to ask any questions as well!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 27, 2014 -> 12:27 PM) I wonder who is getting fed their information from whom? It is obvious that someone has legit sources, and others are being fed BS to cover the scent. The questions is who is who? Well, at least one of KLaw's tweets from a "source" was outright stricken down as wrong. He had said KW Jr and JR had been at the Nola start for the Sox. JR wasn't there (which, duh), and KW Jr works for another org.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 27, 2014 -> 10:25 AM) Right now, he's on a pace for SEVENTY errors. That's ridiculous. I don't care if it's the worst manicured infield in the Carolina League with the most inept home scorekeeper. And wasn't Viciedo basically benched/kicked off the national team one of those years in Cuba...at 17 or 18? It's not like he had a tremendous amount of experience before age 18-19 playing 3B. And I quote, 'He was an outfielder before,' manager Ozzie Guillen said. 'This kid was in right field in Cuba and he never played third base; he told me that. He told (bench coach) Joey (Cora) that last year." Again, we're 1.5 months into the season, and we're talking about a guy very raw to baseball in a way Viciedo was not. The raw number of errors isn't an issue at this point, other than to point out what everyone already knows - that he needs a lot of reps out there. His tools for the position are very good. I stand by what I said - moving him now isn't smart.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ May 27, 2014 -> 10:23 AM) Hardin also got promoted to Birmingham. Why would they send Basto to extended ST? He was hitting well Basto is a pretty awful defensive infielder, has been all along. That's problem one. And while he was making good contact and hitting for average, he wasn't getting on base much, or hitting for much power, so he was hitting somewhat well but nothing to stand out. If he can't handle the position defensively, that's an issue. Also: Christian Stringer promoted to Kannapolis. I was surprised Shryock got that job over him to begin with, it will be interesting to see how they manage playing time in Kanny with Shryock and Stringer with Rondon there, and the need to give Kenny's kid playing time (ugh) as well. That kept Voight from full time play.

Also, Voight to A+, Basto back to Ext ST.

QUOTE (Charlie Haeger's Knuckles @ May 27, 2014 -> 10:14 AM) Did anyone notice/report/post that Myles Jaye was sent down to WS? Didn't notice - thanks for pointing it out.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 27, 2014 -> 10:07 AM) How much do you want to bet they don't/won't allow him to get over 50 errors at SS? When was the last time the White Sox did that with any prospect in the minors? Viciedo was equally raw and how much time did it take before they moved him off 3B? As long as they believe the defensive side won't have a negative impact on his offensive game...they'll be patient, but only to a point. Anderson's biggest potential value comes with his speed and bat...on the offensive side, just like Hawkins. They will not care about some round number resistance for errors. You've got a different group of people leading things down there anyway, and remember they are letting Micah Johnson (who is not nearly as raw) stay at 2B. And finally, no, Viciedo was not qually raw, he'd been playing for a lot longer even at that age. Obviously yes, at SOME point, you can't keep running him out there if he's terrible. But the idea that we are at that point today is silly.

The velocity fade would be expected since he's stretching out to starting innings now. As long as he keeps being fairly successful, likely he's starting next year too, then we'll really see if stamina is an issue long-term (and thus make him a reliever). But what Stoltz didn't acknowledge here is, even if they know this guy is a reliever, the Sox like using them as a starter anyway. Hard to tell if that is the case here, likely is.