NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jun 2, 2013 -> 02:42 PM) I think that's right. However, the performances of the prospects this year is as bad as I can remember. There have been a lot of ranked guys, and ones just outside, that have had lousy years. It has been tough to watch. Taking a look at the T25, if you were to do a VERY basic breakdown... Guys doing poorly vs expectations: Hawkins, Castro, Sanchez, Barnum***, Rienzo, Walker, Mitchell, Molina, S Rod, Marinez, DeMichele, Petricka, Olacio, Smith Guys going OK-ish: Thompson, Beck, Snodgress, Leesman, Saladino, Semien (could be considered better), Guys doing well or better than expectations: Johnson, Phegley I left out Omogrosso because he's on the club. Ravelo also is weird to rank, he's hitting very well for contact and OBP, but is now a 1B with no power so he effectively moves down. Soptic was traded. For guys just outside... Brennan has been getting hammered, Hansen has shown flashes, Wilkins is heating up a bit, Shoemaker is injured, most of the Coop Will Fix Em pitchers are injured or gone... ouch. Jaye, Coats, Micah Johnson, Earley, and Webb have been the pleasant surprises and should move up the list. Overall, that is a lot more bad than good.

Good night for SP prospects... Johnson, Jaye both worth watching. Leesman the enigma in Charlotte. Olacio the Inconsistent for Kanny.

QUOTE (MnSoxFan @ May 31, 2013 -> 03:08 PM) Makes some sense, and I do realize the Sox mgmt would not own up to removing those OFs from the equation sooner than later. I do disagree with your bat/speed combo. Micah is already showing he has pop of his own with the bat, and someone like a Tim Raines would look real good in LF for a long time. He has a long ways to go, but I give him a chance. We need a prototype leadoff hitter and this kid could be that eventually, has the eye, has the wheels and has some pop to his bat as well. He could be that. But he's got some development time in front of him still, so I'd think they would try to help him improve in his native position first.

QUOTE (MnSoxFan @ May 31, 2013 -> 02:56 PM) I am going to guess that Micah moves to the OF before any of the 2nd basemen ahead of him move to another position. He has made a lot of errors, that speed would be nice in the OF. I am also going to say that out of Mitchell, Thompson, Walker and Hawkins, likely only Thompson makes the big leagues and he will not be an impact player. So there should be room for this kid in LF. Maybe, but the iron hands might be fixable. He's got speed and range, I've seen reports of him making spectacular plays... but I've also seen someone watching the games mention he tries to make big plays a little too hard. calming down a bit may help. And his bat/speed combo may not play as well in the OF. Finally, those other OF's may not make it, but they aren't going to be benched in favor of Micah any time soon.

Cubs are getting absurd, and fully unsustainable, production hitting-wise from their pitchers right now. They also have 1-2 SP's pitching, IMO, way over their heads. They aren't an over .500 team, and they will descend further in the near future. But, despite the vapid nature of the original post... the currently-underachieving Sox, if they don't start hitting like they should (and playing defense), are probably only a slightly better team than the Cubs. So he's not too far off in that overall sense. I have a hard time believing the defensive woes continue, considering the team is almost the same as last year's top-defense squad with an improvement at 3B. And I don't see Dunn, De Aza and some of the other key hitters continuing to be THIS bad. Regression to the mean should help the Sox in those areas.

FutureSox Season Preview Season starts tomorrow (6/1). Discuss...

This thread is quality. A thread and post yelling at SoxTalk "MEATHEADS", while screaming an whining like a MEATHEAD without making any factual argument or even providing correct information. He was traded, not released... and he was blocked by a kinda good 3B in case you didn't notice. Gillaspie isn't great, but he's an improvement over what the Sox have had at 3B in recent years. He is so not a major problem on this team.

QUOTE (Lillian @ May 31, 2013 -> 06:10 AM) Why hasn't Micah Johnson moved up on the prospect list? Why hasn't he been promoted to the next level? He looks like the future lead off hitter and second baseman for the Sox. What will they do with Sanchez, if he gets back on track? Some have suggested that he could handle SS. He has, but no one is publishing new lists right now. He will be, probably soon, but there is a 2B ahead of him that the org likes a lot. Not saying that is a GOOD reason necessarily, but, that is a reason. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. That would be great, and it is possible, but still a LONG stretch from A ball. Sanchez handles 2B very well defensively, but reports from SS range from below average to above average, so it is really hard to say. Right now, moving him positionally is probably not a good idea, as it distracts from the key element for him at the moment, which is getting the bat back.

Mitchell sees the majors, but is never a significant contributor, is my guess. Walker should probably be demoted - no need to rush him, and he continues to struggle, after doing pretty well in previous levels. Hawkins, as others have said, is not suddenly striking out more than twice as much because of the transition to High A. I won't re-write the article I wrote on FS, you can all read it there, but I think he needs to stay at W-S at this point. He has adjustments to make, mechanically and in approach/tactics. He has the ability to hit that pitching, he just needs a LOT of refinement. Putting him at a lower level doesn't really help any of that, and may even hurt him by allowing him to not fix certain things.

QUOTE (danman31 @ May 30, 2013 -> 08:51 PM) Gonzalez is still a top 5 catching prospect in the system because there aren't five catching prospects in the system. Phegley is No. 1 and you can make a strong argument that Gonzalez is 2. Smith isn't putting up the numbers to make up for his age. Gonzalez is outhitting Blanke at the same level while being two years younger. The other catchers are Bryce Mosier and Jose Barraza who are too young and unproven to consider yet. Mosier hit sub .700 OPS in rookie ball last year and Barraza is going to miss this season with an injury. I'm not saying Gonzalez is great, but to say he's not top 5 is baseless and incorrect. As for DeMichele, none of those numbers support the thought of promoting him. I'd maybe consider having Micah skip to AA though. Anyone else? Well, I just don't agree with you about Gonzalez at all. The guy proved for years he couldn't get it done as a full time player. I'd put Phegley, Blanke, Smith, Ayala and Barraza all over Gonzalez at this point. Not that that is a pretty list or anything, as Phegley is the only guy who would be T25 right now. To be clear, I wasn't saying I think DeMichele SHOULD be promoted. I don't. I was pointing out the trend because, this organization sometimes makes promotions with certain player they feel can get there soon, more quickly than might seem to make sense. I got the impression the Sox saw Joey D as a fast-mover, so any indication he's adjusting, they might act on, especially with Micah behind him. I might consider the double-promotion, except... I do still think DeMichele will continue to improve and be ready for AA himself in not too long, for one thing. For another, you have Saladino and Semien alternating between SS and 2B at B-Ham right now, and they should definitely both be playing full time. Maybe promote Semien to Charlotte to make room?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 30, 2013 -> 04:34 PM) Meh, it was cliche, i'll give you that, but the movie was griping throughout and highly entertaining. The entire time you're thinking "oh s***, what's going to happen next." Very few movies rope you in like that. Sometimes cliche can be tacky, I don't think that's the case with that movie. There was no reason for him to make that sacrifice. He could have escaped. That is why it was silly, to me.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 30, 2013 -> 03:55 PM) Give me a more imaginative movie like Chronicle anytime over Hancock. I thought Hancock was more "imaginative" than most superhero movies. Wasn't super-deep, but it was clever, unique, and entertaining.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 30, 2013 -> 03:10 PM) Will Smith needs to stop thinking these apocalyptic movies or anything with M. Night are good career moves. He's gone from the most popular/charismatic actor in America to a question mark. So many disappointments...I Am Legend, Hancock, MIB 3 was decent, Seven Pounds, this one. Pursuit of Happyness was his last good one a full 7 years ago. Bad Boys 3 and Hancock 2? Really? I Am Legend was OK, until the lame ending. I liked Hancock, and MIB 3, and Seven Pounds. The only bad movies I see in your list is Bad Boys (insert any number).

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 30, 2013 -> 09:01 AM) M Knight should just stick to writing and let other people handle filming. Devil was actually pretty good Really? I thought the opposite. But this After Earth is a test of that, and so far it looks like I'm wrong, LOL.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ May 30, 2013 -> 01:02 PM) Well their military equipment is our equipment with a red star on the side after years of espionage. Not even close. China's military technology, on net, equivalent and similar to Soviet-level stuff from about the late 80's. They have some stuff more advanced, some stuff less. Example... last year China was doing an air exercise to show off their new, home-built air superiority fighter jets. First of all, there was the hilarious video highlight reel they released, which as it turns out had interlaced footage from Top Gun in it to make it look cooler. But analysts watching it noted that the jet is actually a Chinese knock-off of the Sukhoi SU-27, a fighter the Soviets (now Russians) started making in the 80's then updated in the early 2000's. China's version isn't as good as that. They copied and tried to improve, and didn't do so well. So no, they aren't nearly at our level yet, or even particularly close. Then there is the fact that, as noted, they have nearly zero motivation (as a nation) to go to war with the West. It would destroy their economy straight-away, then everything else after it. China is toying and learning, and the US should very much be concerned and watching them closely. But the idea that there is any imminent threat is a joke. As for this exercise, the US has been watched from afar for a long time, and I don't think China would learn a whole ton from just being part of the exercise. But China does a lot fewer exercises and with a lot fewer countries watching. So ultimately, I think the US can learn more from it than China could. China probably says yes to keep ties warm, but also for the publicity it gives them. They want to look elite.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 30, 2013 -> 09:39 AM) NSS, you should know me better. For shame bastardo. I thought you weren't serious, but I also thought, some people are. So there are some reasons for those screaming and yelling.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 30, 2013 -> 09:20 AM) please point these reasons out to me Seriously? The points are all over the thread. Or were you being sarcastic? If you are really asking, here are a few... 1. If you bring up Phegley, he's not likely to be a quick fix - he's going to have an adjustment period, just as he did getting to AAA, more than likely. So you will get Flowers-like production, give or take, for a few months anyway. 2. Phegley has been very good, and as I said earlier I believe he can be a major league catcher... but he's really only just gotten it dialed in for 1.5 months. That is a very small sample size, and he's probably not THAT good. 3. Catching is always a tougher transition to any given level than other positions because it involves so many different things. Flowers should be given, IMO, a solid half season at least to see if he can be good. We are approaching that point, but not there yet. If you pull the trigger too early, you risk never finding out if Flowers can be a legit major league starting catcher or not. He's now 2 months into full time play, so, it seems silly to throw out that development before giving him that chance. 4. Flowers put up much more prolific numbers, at times and in the overall view, in the minors, than Phegley has. This is a strong indicator (but not a guarantee) that Flowers is likely to be a better hitter. That may not happen, but, it tells you something. 5. Changing catchers also throws off the pitching staff, to some extent. The pitching is actually working pretty well, mostly (leaving out 2-3 bullpen guys struggling). There should be some hesitation before messing with that. All that said, I like Phegley, and I wouldn't be opposed to flipping him and Flowers in a month or so, if Flowers just isn't getting it done.

QUOTE (MnSoxFan @ May 30, 2013 -> 09:18 AM) I check the Barons, as well as the other Sox affiliates every day for transactions, I keep my own little Database with information. Something to do with my retirement days and keeps me a little involved in computer work (which I did for 30 years with IBM). Good to know, thanks.

QUOTE (MnSoxFan @ May 30, 2013 -> 09:15 AM) It was under the transactions tab on the Barons website, the usual place I look for transactions, almost missed it as it mentions Trenton as well. OK, you mean the league transactions - got it. Thanks.

QUOTE (QuintanasoHard @ May 29, 2013 -> 08:43 PM) Hi I'm new to the board. Tyler Flowers is looking really bad, I think the biggest problem I have with the sox organization is their unwillingness to make drastic changes midseason. There is no way Dunn should be batting fourth, and demote Flowers he has been horrible call up Phegley! GO SOX Welcome aboard! As you read through the thread, you will see that there are reasons for being patient here. And also realize that Phegley is not likely to come up and hit the world right away either.

QUOTE (flavum @ May 30, 2013 -> 09:01 AM) You don't have to follow somebody to do a quick twitter search. Hell, you don't even need to have a twitter account. I don't. I think you are missing what I am saying... are people searching, in Google or Twitter or anything else, for this guy or B-Ham every day? I was just curious how he heard about this. Of course I can see it now, I just wonder how he heard about it.

QUOTE (flavum @ May 30, 2013 -> 08:45 AM) https://twitter.com/Josh_Romanski/status/340075982952222721 People were following him before this? Anyway, as wite said, looks like a good guy to take a chance with, especially with the lack of lefty relievers in the Sox org.

QUOTE (MnSoxFan @ May 29, 2013 -> 06:22 PM) Barons get LP Josh Romanski in a trade. Was in Yankees org. Does not specify others in the trade as of yet. I can't find this in the usual places... what is your source? Just curious as there have been a couple times you had other minor league info like this that I couldn't find until later. I'm always searching for sources.

Miguel Gonzalez hasn't been a starting catcher since 2010. Sample size, guys. He's not even among the top 5 catching prospects in the organization at this point. There is an outside chance he earns his way back to a starting role, i.e. if he continues to hit AND Phegley is promoted AND there isn't a Flowers/Phegley in Charlotte AND Smith isn't good enough to get promoted to AA yet AND Blanke is kept back. That's a lot of ifs. DeMichele has been improving of late. He was .170/.257/.239 (26 K in 88 AB) in April, .240/.322/.385 (23 K in 104 AB) so far in May, .262/.354/.405 (7 K in 42 AB) in last 10, .381/.434/.619 (1 K in 21 AB) in last 5. So, if the Sox feel he's got it going, and he keeps hitting better, he may indeed head for B-Ham in June or July (allowing Micah to move up).

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ May 29, 2013 -> 10:17 PM) Thanks for the link. But based on your info you would have assume DeMichele is stuck at 2B. Maybe he can learn LF (anyone can really) but I don't see him switching over to SS based off of that info. Pretty much. More importantly, I don't think we'd know if he can switch unless he tried it, and worked through the learning curve for a good long while. He might succeed, but likely would struggle. He's been at 2B a long time now, and his defense at the position there is still a work in progress as it is.