NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Mar 28, 2014 -> 01:38 PM) Who's playing 2B/SS besides Sanchez playing at AAA? I have that same question. Charlotte has too many arms, but missing a starting IF and at least one bench IF, and I just can't see any names that make sense at that level. It is possible Charlotte goes one infielder short of typical for the short term while Beckham heals up, and keeps an extra pitcher around. Technically, Saladino and Johnson haven't been re-assigned because they are already on B-Ham's roster, so it is possible one of them is in Charlotte. But it seems like it makes more sense, with Beckham probably back very soon, and Charlotte not starting until the 4th, to just short Charlotte one IF a few games (if that) and send them Semien back when Beckham returns.

Tons of roster movement going on. I'll try to summarize... Releases: Mark Haddow, Eric Jaffe, Salvador Sanchez, Henry Mabee, Cody Puckett, Steven Upchurch, Eric Patterson To Charlotte: Javy Guerra, Jared Mitchell Most of the B-Ham roster is confirmed, all these guys have been assigned there to this point: Catchers Kevan Smith and Miguel Gonzalez (wonder where Blanke is?) INF's Chris Curley (should start at 3B), Rangel Ravelo (1B), Jeremy Farrell (bench), Jaime Pedroza (bench) OF's Keenyn Walker, Trayce Thompson, Josh Richmond (there's your starters), and Joe DePinto DH/1B: Christian Marrero Pitchers: Chris Bassitt, Myles Jaye, Chris Beck and Terry Doyle (add Snodgress and that is your rotation), plus Nestor Molina, Frank de los Santos (L), Parker Frazier, Nelvin Fuentes (L), Nick McCully, Kevin Vance (leaves one open bullpen spot for one of Winiarski, Wendelken, or any number of other guys) So the only question marks are one bullpen spot, and no confirmation on Micah Johnson or Tyler Saladino but they are your likely middle infielders. So really, everything but one bullpen spot are set.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Mar 27, 2014 -> 01:30 PM) I liked it. I just wish Chris Nolan was running the show, and not Michael Bay. Would be cool if they made a dark and serious TNMT movie, and not a cartoonish action comedy. I'd like to make a dark and serious smurfs movie. Would be just about as likely to work.

Read highlights here. Interesting guy.

Forbes' latest valuations are out. Club now ranked 14th in value at $695M, and showed an Operating LOSS of $2.7M. But Jerry and company are just greedy, money-grubbing carpet baggers.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Mar 27, 2014 -> 07:59 AM) More OT: you all laughed when I suggested that Hahn and Kenny probably have at one point looked at this forum... well, last week in a Twitter interview, the Houston Rockets GM said that he does look at fan forums to gain information/insight. It's possible, people. Who laughed? People with the Sox most definitely look at this site, some are registered users. Perhaps not Hahn or Kenny directly, but others.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 08:58 PM) He should be after 2 yrs at Bristol. Just curious, what was Wimmer's signing bonus? Maybe it financed med school, which makes him a smart, practicle dude. As Dan said on Wimmer. For Ayala, he only played sparingly both years at Bristol, so I'm not totally sure he's set for Kanny. Really hard to say, he may be there, but if I had to bet, I'd say he's at Great Falls. He's only played 57 games total over that two years, hasn't hit well, and has shown very low walk rates and K rates over 25%. He's also just 19 even now, so there is no need to rush him, especially as a catcher.

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 10:06 PM) Any word on how Hawkins has performed this spring? I've only seen one scouting-type person give a report, from the back fields, I think it may have been Jason Parks. Calling him a Role 4 guy, has serious doubts about the hit tool every being good enough. But also acknowledged the big raw power. Seperately, I saw a different person talk about how surprisingly good Hawkins was in CF defensively - so that's a positive.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 05:29 PM) Looks like our real SP prospects are Birmingham and below. A few interesting guys in Birmingham. I also note that while Montas has gotten the pub out of that Peavy trade, Wendelken seems to be ahead of him, per the list above. "Ahead" only in terms of polish, and therefore level in the org. Montas is a higher value prospect, IMO. He is just younger, more raw and more in need of development. Montas' fastball is something special.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 09:38 AM) Caught some movies on plane rides this weekend: Wolf of Wall Street - again, good solid movie, very entertaining, but not great. Why Leo was nominated is beyond me. He's literally just playing Leo from every movie he's ever made. Same with Hill - he was funny, but what was so great about that performance? Minor gripes, since the movie itself was pretty good. Typical Scorcese though, 20-30 minutes too long. I don't think I could watch that on a plane. Too afraid someone would happen to glance over and see something. Lots of very not family-friendly stuff going on in there. Perhaps I'm overly paranoid about that though.

Talked with Trey. He retired, and is going to Med School. Sometimes forget that these guys occasionally leave for other, better career opportunities.

Trey Wimmer, catcher drafted just last year, tweets he is out of baseball. No idea what happened there - release, injury, retirement or what. That one is a bit of a surprise, I thought he'd be starting in Kanny. I guess Dillon Haupt or Zach Fisher are there instead, or maybe Martin Medina. I doubt Sammy Ayala is ready for that jump.

What coaches have the most direct responsibility for defense? Are there official infield and/or outfield coaches? Or defensive coordinators at the major league level?

There have been more releases that will become official soon, but for now suffice it to say things are very fluid. Minor league rosters should be announced around 4/2 or so, if not before. 2nd FutureSox podcast (yes, the first one will be up soon, just getting past technical issues with hosting) is planned for recording the week of the 7th, and will cover the official rosters and some of the stories and surprises from that.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 03:25 PM) Is Montas in the bullpen now? Well, I couldn't figure out with Montas, Ortiz and Recchia there, which two would start and which one may relieve. Could be any of the three going to the pen, or maybe one goes up or down a level from there, I couldn't decide.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 03:22 PM) Who is J Pedroza? 2B, Charlotte. Jaime Pedroza was an offseason MiLB free agent pickup, only there because Semien and Garcia are in Chicago (and Micah J isn't ready for CHarlotte).

Lots of changes recently. So here is my updated big board guesses... CHICAGO C Tyler Flowers 1B Jose Abreu 2B Marcus Semien SS Alexei Ramirez 3B Conor Gillaspie OF Dayan Viciedo OF Adam Eaton OF Avisail Garcia DH* Adam Dunn SP Chris Sale SP Jose Quintana SP Erik Johnson SP John Danks SP Felipe Paulino RP Nate Jones RP Matt Lindstrom RP Scott Downs (L) RP Donnie Veal (L) RP Javy Guerra RP Maikel Cleto RP Ronald Belisario Bench Adrian Nieto Bench Leury Garcia Bench Alejandro De Aza Bench Paul Konerko DL Jeff Keppinger DL Gordon Beckham CHARLOTTE C Josh Phegley 1B Andy Wilkins 2B Jaime Pedroza SS Carlos Sanchez 3B Matt Davidson OF Jordan Danks OF Michael Earley OF Blake Tekotte DH* Dan Black SP Andre Rienzo SP Eric Surkamp (L) SP Charlie Leesman (L) SP Stephen McCray SP Dylan Axelrod RP Jake Petricka RP Daniel Webb RP Brian Omogrosso RP David Purcey (L) RP Taylor Thompson RP Frank de los Santos (L) RP Nestor Molina Bench Miguel Gonzalez © Bench Cody Puckett (UTIL) Bench Denis Phipps (OF) Bench Alex Liddi (3B) ***The other AAA guys... Matt Zaleski Scott Carroll Salvador Sanchez Ryan Kussmaul Parker Frazier Tony Pena Jr Evan Crawford (L) Terry Doyle Omar Poveda Mauricio Robles (L) Hector Gimenez © Zach Putnam Deunte Heath BIRMINGHAM C Kevan Smith 1B Rangel Ravelo 2B Micah Johnson SS Tyler Saladino 3B Chris Curley OF Keenyn Walker OF Jared Mitchell OF Trayce Thompson DH* Mark Haddow SP Chris Bassitt SP Myles Jaye SP Scott Snodgress (L) SP Chris Beck SP Jake Cose RP Cody Winiarski RP JB Wendelken RP Sean Bierman (L) RP Jarrett Casey (L) RP Nick McCully RP Bryan Blough RP Kevin Vance Bench Mike Blanke © Bench Eric Patterson (INF) Bench Jeremy Farrell (UTIL) Bench Christian Marrero (OF) ***The other AA guys... Luis Sierra (UTIL) Grant Buckner (OF) Jake Floethe David Cales David Putman WINSTON-SALEM C Mike Marjama 1B Keon Barnum 2B Joey DeMichele SS Tim Anderson 3B Dan Wagner OF Courtney Hawkins OF Jacob May OF Jason Coats DH* Adam Heisler SP Jefferson Olacio (L) SP Tony Bucciferro SP Kyle Hansen SP Braulio Ortiz SP Mike Recchia RP Frank Montas RP Brandon Hardin RP Terance Marin RP Euclides Leyer RP Storm Throne RP Andre Wheeler (L) RP Zach Isler Bench Omar Narvaez © Bench Ben Kline (UTIL) Bench Michael Johnson (INF) Bench Joe DePinto (OF) ***The other A+ guys... Martin Medina © Kale Kiser (OF) Jeremy Dowdy © KANNAPOLIS C Trey Wimmer 1B Danny Hayes 2B Tyler Shryock SS Cleuluis Rondon 3B Christian Stringer OF Adam Engel OF Jacob Morris OF Juan Ramirez DH* Zach Fisher SP Brandon Brennan SP Tyler Danish SP Chris Freudenberg (L) SP Brad Goldberg SP Andrew Mitchell RP Matt Ball RP Jacob Sanchez RP Matt Abramson RP Jose Bautista (L) RP Alex Powers RP Joey Wagman RP Anthony Santiago Bench Dillon Haupt © Bench Josh Richmond (OF) Bench Justin Jirschele (UTIL) Bench Jean Almanzar (INF) ***The other A guys... Yoandy Barroso Zach Voight (3B) Hunter Jones (OF) Grant Monroe Dylan Chavez (L) Drew Bowen Jordan Guerrero (L) Jamie Patterson ROOKIE/EXTENDED/DL/SUSP Sammy Ayala Patrick Palmeiro Toby Thomas Trey Michalczewski Nolan Earley Dane Opel Thurman Hall Corey Thompson Thaddius Lowry Jose Brito Tyler Barnette James Dykstra Sean Hagan (L) Eric Jaffe Charlie Sharrer Devin Moore Jon Bengard Brad Salgado Zach Stoner © Carl Thomore Cody Yount Jose Barraza © Sam Macias Antonio Rodriguez Micker Adolfo Michael Carballo Carlos Diaz (L) Angel Rosario © Audry Santana (INF) Tyler Williams (EXT) Adam Lopez (DL) Jeff McKenzie (EXT) Nick Blount (SUSP) Henry Mabee (DL)

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 01:18 PM) Otherwise known as (insert dramatic music) "The NSS72 Conundrum" LOL

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 08:52 AM) Comparing games is an apples and oranges comparison though since Smith was drafted out of college and Nieto out of high school. Smith played 142 games in college in the same period of time, so he really has more game experience under his belt. You can say that his development was curbed by playing football, but he hasn't had the track record of interruptions that Nieto has. In six years of pro ball, Nieto has one full season played, Smith already has two in his first two years. I think you are stretching here. Because Nieto's seasons have been shortened, they don't count? He's played 66% more pro games than Smith, and has been around pro clubhouses and coaches for twice as many years. And Nieto isn't a 19 year old anymore, he's only a year younger than Smith. If we put Nieto's rookie, SS and first A ball seasons as a parallel to Smith's college time (which still gives Nieto an advantage, since it was pro ball with pro coaches and regimens, and no football), and just look at their 2011-2013 together (when they were both in pro ball and a year apart in age), Smith has simply performed better those three years - in an almost identical number of games (246 for Nieto, 265 for Smith).

QUOTE (TheTruth05 @ Mar 26, 2014 -> 06:23 AM) I been in and out this thread because I'm pretty sure I'm getting a 7 game plan, is there any difference to opening up the plan up through a rep or online in your opinion? Reps can be very helpful, and starting a relationship with one has benefits. They can tell you things the online site may not yet know. And in the future, they can help you out.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Mar 25, 2014 -> 09:49 PM) All of this may be true. However, you are over looking one major factor: The White Sox organization evaluations. If the Sox thought the two were equal they would have brought up Smith or at least not taken Nieto in the Rule V. There must be something the Sox saw that convinced them that at this point they do not have anyone as ready as Nieto is. It may just be the defensive abilities right now and that Smith may be the better overall player later. However, as of this point the Sox believe that Nieto has something that Smith doesn't. Again, I'm not saying I agree or disagree as I don't know the situation well but at least the Sox believe Nieto has something that the catchers in our organization currently do not. Not so much overlooking that, in fact it is acknowledged multiple times in the article and my posts. I'm not there in "the room" to know that, nor is anyone else. However, I don't necessarily think the reason they keep him is because they saw something signifcantly more than Smith. Think of it this way - they may have in fact seen Smith part 2. Now, if you have a dire catching situation in MLB and a farm system nearly empty of catching prospects, and you have a chance to get another guy at a similar level to your currently best catching prospect... don't you think about making a move for that guy? Point is, they may not see him as better than Smith. They at least see him better than most catchers in the system though, and want to load up on possibilities. Just that in this case, because of the way they got him (Rule V), you have to handle his path differently.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Mar 25, 2014 -> 04:47 PM) But thats part of the difference as well. Smith is a year older and has had a consistent development timeline. Nieto's development was interrupted by a variety of hiccups that slowed his development. Nieto played his first full season last season after being drafted in 2008, Smith was a college player and has two full seasons since being drafted. Odds are neither are going to make it given their profiles. Sure - Nieto has 100 more games under his belt, and more time beyond that in camps even when he wasn't on a roster. He's had more development time and made less ground. I agree by the way, neither are likely to be major league starters.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 25, 2014 -> 04:41 PM) Except Nieto has jumped to the front of the line. Smith doesn't have that get out of jail free card, no matter what their numbers look like. And at the end of the day Nieto and Smith now have very different paths through the minors. If you want to use analogies here, the better one is that Nieto is on probation, with hard conditions. And he'll be out of probation, if he makes it, around the same time Smith gets out of "jail". Flores got the same deal, and never made it work as a starter. Flores and Nieto aren't the same either, but the Rule V aspect and going straight from A+ are the same. Flores was a backup part-time in the majors, and spent some time in the minors, over a 5 year period and never made it stick. Meanwhile, other prospects passed him up as time went on, which could just as easily happen here. This opportunity is not a guaranteed ticket.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Mar 25, 2014 -> 04:35 PM) Re Smith, so Nieto and Smith are about equal; fine, now we have 2 prospects at a similar development point. No harm in that. We all know that the odds are that a AA C prospect won't make it, so we doubled our chances. I'm don't see why a trade couldn't happen in April or May. We're willing to leave him on the ML roster, but probably would prefer not to; if Rizzo wants something, anything, he's got to come to the table. He and Hahn could play chicken for a little while; or not. We'll see. Anyway, it's another interesting aspect to what should be a very interesting season. Yeah, now that I re-think it, I suppose an early season trade is possible, though I think it is unlikely. And don't get me wrong, I'd love to have Nieto stay in the system.

I want to point this out too - Smith has only 3, or really 2.5, years in the minors to get to what he did last year. Nieto took 6, or really more like 4.5 or 5 with missed time, to get to that level and put up slightly lesser numbers offensively and defensively. Challenging a player level-wise, like they are doing with Nieto in a big way, requires the ability to adapt quickly. Smith has shown better performance at doing that than Nieto has - so far.