NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (oldsox @ May 27, 2014 -> 07:12 AM) Noticed that there are a bunch of catchers throughout the system with pretty good offensive numbers, including the guy at Kanny (Omar Narvaez) who is up to .317 now. He's 22 with 5-6 years pro experience. Don't know if any of these catchers are prospects, since their names never show up on prospect lists. What say you, Northsider? Narvaez has a lot of years under his belt, he's no longer challenged in A ball. Maybe he's very fringe at most. I personally have believed in Smith all along, because of the story behind the age. I even wrote a piece in the offseason comparing Smith and Nieto, and the conclusion I came to is that Smith probably had as much chance of MLB success in 2014 as Nieto if not more (which is to say, not very much). I think Smith could be in the mix in 2015.

There is some real silly in this thread. 1. People want to move Tim Anderson off shortstop right now? You can't be serious. He's been in pro ball less than a year and he was KNOWN coming to be UNUSUALLY raw. Not just JuCo raw mind you, but, didn't focus on baseball until has last year in college. He's all tools and very little skills. The idea of abandoning ship on him now is just ridiculous. 2. While W-L numbers for minor league affiliates may perhaps give some indications on the very ends - and the Sox system is at the bad end now - even that is very, very limited in value. You don't even have the rookie affiliates playing yet, or DSL, or guys injured, or more than 1.5 months of play. Not to mention every org has some clubs loaded up with career minor leaguers. Don't read into this.

QUOTE (oldsox @ May 24, 2014 -> 08:02 AM) It seems that with the collection of players in the Sox farm system that they would be able to find room for Sammy Ayala somewhere, just to see if he has a future in the game. Northsider, do you have a list of players held over at advanced spring training? An official one? No, but reading between the lines I can give you most of the names... C Sammy Ayala C Jose Barraza C Dillon Haupt C Zach Stoner 1B Patrick Palmeiro 1B Jackson Laumann 1B Cody Yount INF Toby Thomas INF Christian Stringer INF Jean Almanzar INF Audry Santana OF Nolan Earley OF Dane Opel (may have been released, not sure) OF Thurman Hall OF Juan Ramirez OF Antonio Rodriguez OF Sam Macias RHP Brandon Brennan (rehab, likely KAN when assigned) RHP Adam Lopez (rehab, I'd think he goes to W-S probably) RHP Chris Bassitt (rehab, looking at ASB return, probably to BHAM) RHP Charlie Sharrer RHP Devin Moore (also may have been released?) RHP Jon Bengard RHP Brad Salgado (converting from infielder) RHP Yoandy Barroso RHP Grant Monroe RHP Drew Bowen RHP Jamie Patterson RHP Anthony Santiago RHP Mike Blanke (converting from C) RHP Nick Blount (SUSPENDED) LHP Chris Freudenberg LHP Carlos Diaz Then there are more long-term injured guys, not sure if they are in AZ or not; Jake Cose, Matt Zaleski, Stephen McCray And finally the LatAm guys from last year's DSL or who haven't played yet, I know Adolfo is there for example, along with a bunch of other guys in that realm.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ May 26, 2014 -> 12:05 PM) How was this? Turned out to be fairly small, might have been 30-40 people there at most. They decided to make it informal, have the panelists kind of circulate and just answer questions from people. Didn't do a "formal" panel or anything. Was kind of cool talking with the BP guys, and spent some time chatting with Dayn Perry, in addition to fielding questions from people. As far as I could tell, there was only one Sox fan there (other than me), the rest were Cubs fans mostly. So I got a lot of sort of vague questions for the most part. The BP guys are talking about maybe doing a Sox-focused one on the South Side in the future, and picking a time where they could also get at least one of the Sox beat writers to be there. They agreed the timing was kind of bad for this one - not just for Sox fans with the NYY game going on, but also it was Memorial Day weekend so lots of people had plans. Apparently the one they did a few months ago was packed.

Yeah, when I said the system would look better after the June draft, July international period and July trade deadline, I certainly was not saying they'd be a top 10 system or even top half. More like, maybe, where they were in January - 20-ish.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 23, 2014 -> 12:40 PM) There was no bigger fan of Semien on this site than me last year, but his ridiculous contact issues seem to have come out of nowhere. You don't want to see him become another Josh Fields, where the player can't make the most out of their ability due to not being able to make contact. The strike out rates for far too many players in this system are ridiculous (Davidson, Anderson, Thompson, Hawkins, Trey M., Barnum). Buddy Bell has been with the Sox since 2009, and it doesn't seem like there has been any improvement in the system and the players don't seem prepared even when they do make the majors. For one thing, I think your concerns about Semien are way overblown at this point. He had great plate discipline all the way up, then suddenly it reverses in the majors - that is NOT the Fields profile. It also tells me he's got a high likelihood of fixing it. My only concern with him is Ventura (and Hahn) letting him rot in the bench when he most needs the work - thus delaying his improvement. As for the K rates, I definitely agree with that concern (though I think with Trey you are off base in his particular case - a high school draftee in his first year of pro ball, and he takes walks, I'm not too worried there). It is endemic and a serious issue. But Steverson just joined the club and is still likely trying to get the rest of the guys in line phiosophy-wise. I share your concerns here. I'm no great fan of Bell, but I think we're at least a couple years from passing judgment on him under the new leadership in a complete way. Let's see how Semien works out a year from now, and how some of these prospects in a now hitter-heavy top 10 develop under a new GM, new development staff (in some positions), and new hitting coach. QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 23, 2014 -> 12:52 PM) Here is an article from Jan 2013. The guys Buddy was raving about haven't graduated the system. I agree with you, Buddy must have pictures of someone doing something. He said Mitchell, Thompson and Sanchez were the closest to the majors. They would see the real Molina in 2013 and Castro was "a horse". The contact issues are a big concern to me as well. Guys with k rates that high in the minors are just going to get worse when they face pitchers who know what they are doing and more advanced scouting reports that will show their weaknesses. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01...ss-a-kannapolis I think you confuse Bell's promotional marketing ploys with actual development status. The contact issues worry me too. Molina and Castro don't - Molina was bad scouting anyway, and this system has actually been pretty good developing pitching, despite some misfires this year from Johnson and others. Hitting-wise, yeah, there is a real issue there with lack of plate discipline, though I think (as above) Semien will break through that.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ May 23, 2014 -> 01:07 PM) Again, none of those guys are comparable to Rodon getting drafted at 3 (assuming you meant Jered which was the biggest fiasco ever but still not comparable). Boras will pull shenanigans and probably not sign until the last minute, but he's not risking his client who has already lost mph on his pitches back to school on so little monetary improvement when he's the 3rd pick already. Agree. If the Sox get him at 3, Boras will try to get more money of course, but having Rodon not sign from this draft at all does a lot more bad than good for his client. There is a lot of risk there for the player. I'm not overly concerned with the signability thing.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 23, 2014 -> 01:01 PM) They're having Saladino taking OF practice now. My guess is Mitchell is gone. In fact Saladino played OF last night, had a couple issues out there too, including an error. To be expected as he adjusts.

QUOTE (MnSoxFan @ May 23, 2014 -> 12:35 PM) And tonight the 4 pitchers going for the Sox org are a combined 0-13 Yeah but Ortiz and Lowry are intriguing arms, and Lowry's had one start - and has a 1.80 ERA. Jaye still has potential too.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 23, 2014 -> 12:28 PM) 1. T. Anderson 2. M. Johnson 3. C. Hawkins 4. T. Danish 5. M. Davidson 6. F. Montas 7. R. Ravelo 8. T. Michalczewski 9. C. Beck 10. T. Thompson From that list, only Anderson has a chance to be ranked in the top 100 in all of baseball, and that's more due to preseason hype than his actual performance. As I'm sure you've seen me mention, this has been a disappointing first few months for a majority of the prospects. I'm really not sure how Buddy Bell has kept his job, especially with the awful performances by Semien and E. Johnson. You went off the rails here. The system graduated around a third of it's top 25 prospects, without any new blood from the June draft, the July Int'l signings, or any trades. Of course it feels more empty - IT IS. Yeah, Beck and Thompson disappointing are also factors - but then there are guys like Micah, Danish and (to an extent) Hawkins doing well, and some pop-up guys like Montas and Ravelo. Semien hasn't been much of a disappointment at all, he's done OK and barely had a chance yet - and he was never a T100 type guy, for most people. EJ is the biggest disappointment, and he's a puzzle to me. They are still very much developing though. If this system was 30th (or 29th) in baseball a couple years ago, and got up to say 20-25 range going into this season, it should be no surprise it fell back now. Did it fall back to the very bottom? Hard to say, probably not though. But if you want to talk about Buddy Bell's job, you have to compare apples to apples. See where it stands in January this coming offseason. A lot of the new LatAm development in the past year or two will take another year or two to really come to fruition.

White Sox MiLB affiliates now have the worst winning percentage among MLB organizations at .396. And Kannapolis is the lone semi-bright spot, which most would not have predicted entering the season.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 23, 2014 -> 08:40 AM) Do they have the nuts to do it to the fanbase this early in the season though? I mean, the team is .500 and it isn't even June. Tough pill to swallow for ticket sales. Most of the "fan base" would LOVE the idea of Konerko replacing Dunn for the remainder of the season. Doesn't mean it makes sense performance-wise, but that is the perception.

QUOTE (Señor Ding-Dong @ May 23, 2014 -> 02:02 AM) Random question: Does anyone have any idea how "Cleuluis" is pronounced? Every time I say it in my head I just know I'm butchering it. Not sure, but if you are on Twitter, ask @BigTexJosh (Josh Feldman, radio/PR guy for Kannapolis), he'd be happy to tell you. I've heard it pronounced at least two ways, and I am not sure what is correct.

He should definitely be in Charlotte. Send Black or Wilkins back to BHAM, neither are hitting much anyway. You could even send Tekotte elsewhere. That gets him and the rest of the actual prospects some reps. This is all short-term anyway though. By end of July, the Sox will have traded one or two infielders, I'd bet money on it.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ May 22, 2014 -> 11:42 AM) Is he the only one Sox have an eye on? Who else have they been linked to and can we expect Hahn to sign any international guys? I know he would like to build through that also. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 22, 2014 -> 12:12 PM) Give the stories about teams like the Yankees destroying their allotments, there might not be much left for them. I'd bet they maybe go for one big fish like Ynoa, and get a handful of like 250-600k guys in that "next tier", for exactly the reason SS2K5 mentions.

QUOTE (Dunt @ May 22, 2014 -> 10:08 AM) Question for the masses: I want to subscribe to either Baseball America or Baseball Prospectus and am wondering which you guys prefer for prospect information? I enjoy both the Effectively Wild and Baseball America podcasts quite a bit and can't decide which I'd rather give my money to. I'd go with BA, having seen both. Either are a good choice really. But I find BA to be deeper in content, with better contacts and connections (therefore inside information), and less snark.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 22, 2014 -> 09:19 AM) What is the deal with Michalczewski? He seems to be holding his own pretty well in A ball, but why are we so excited about him? I would think a guy like him would have to be raking to garner this kind of love. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 22, 2014 -> 09:26 AM) He's 19 and a switch hitter at the hot corner. First, ranking him 3rd is way too high for me. But even around 10, in a currently weak system, you have to have the full picture. He's 19, was drafted over-slot. Played SS in high school, considered to have a plus hit tool and plus power potential. The thought is he should be pretty good defensively at 3B, but he needs more time there. He's also got a little speed, though nothing to stand out there. He switch-hits, and shows a decent batter's eye. That's an impressive package for a third baseman at his age in full season ball.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 21, 2014 -> 11:39 PM) Conor's emergence is creating a nice little dilemma. Sell high on Conor? Package Davidson for a piece? Somehow keep both? Davidson could be a DH for 2015, if he puts it together offensively. His 3B defense, while improved, has never been called anything better than average at best.

BA (Ben Badler) now has Sox as favorite to land Huascar Ynoa (RHP, DR), their #9 prospect for 7/2. Article behind paywall.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 22, 2014 -> 08:17 AM) For NL teams, it makes a bit more sense because pitchers are terrible at hitting. For the Rangers, their manager is Ron Washington, who is a f***ing moron but gets the most out of his guys. Ozzie, circa 2004-2009.

QUOTE (LDF @ May 22, 2014 -> 12:01 AM) my list based on my wishful thinking. 1. Micah Johnson - what is there not to like 2. Tyler Danish - improving fast 3. Trey Michalczewski - continues to shine 4. Carlos Sanchez - this is based on my guess and what the stats says 5. Tim Anderson - hitting improving, defense ??? 6. Francellis Montas - i like his makeup 7. Brad Goldberg - same as #6, may be the 2 or 3 player to the majors 8. Matt Davidson - at this time, needs head screw on right 9. Courtney Hawkins - lets see how this yr develops 10. Andrew Mitchell - came out of no where to shine Cleuluis Rondon + Kevin Vance + Rangel Ravelo are too close to call. Goldberg at 7 and Vance being close to Top 10 are the two biggest surprises I've seen on a list so far.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 21, 2014 -> 04:03 PM) Good. I like the skill set and he's the kind of guy who could have a lot of value coming off a big league bench. Yeah, he makes sense to turn into a utility guy, so now Sanchez and Johnson can play full time in the middle infield.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 21, 2014 -> 02:21 PM) Defense is a statistic that Sabremetricians made up. Wonderful. Can't believe I got drawn into this. You are so obviously trolling.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 21, 2014 -> 02:17 PM) No example, just a lot of hot air from the Sabermetricians. Defense. You know, that part of the game not hitting for position players? Or do you think that defense doesn't actually exist, or is simply hot air?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 21, 2014 -> 02:13 PM) can I have an example? Of wizardry? Here ya go... Of what isn't on the back of a baseball card? How about ANYTHING meaningful about defense.