NorthSideSox72

Following up with the Outfielders thread, this week we can do one for skill position infielders (SS, 3B, 2B). We'll do a pitchers one next week (or mayve split it into starters, relievers), then a catchers and 1B's combined thread after that. So, list your top 10-ish prospects in the Sox system for these positions, and discuss! To start it off, here is my list, of the guys at those positions I'd consider actual "prospects"... 1. Carlos Sanchez 2. Marcus Semien 3. Tyler Saladino 4. Joey DeMichele 5. Rangel Ravelo* 6. Micah Johnson 7. Nick Basto 8. Eric Grabe 9. Zack Voight 10. David Herbek * = Ravelo has been on restricted list (leave) for a few months now, on a personal matter. Hard to say where to put him as a result.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 4, 2012 -> 09:31 AM) MLB takes a good chunk of the stadium for themselves. After that, the season ticketholders get next pick. What is left goes to the general public. I still haven't heard a date for when potential playoff tickets go on sale. With the new playoff format, I am not quite sure how they will handle it. Does anyone know if there would be a pricing difference between a wild card game and the ALDS? If not, you might just see playoff game A tickets go on sale, and then add on to that later. For season ticket holders, the first payment is due this week. Wild card and ALDS prices are the same. They range from $40 to $55 for ST holders (for 500 level), and will be higher for the few that go on sale to the public (I'd expect $50 and up, if you are lucky enough to get some via the public channels). Full season holders, with only a few exceptions, get their normal seat locations for post-season games. Split season holders get moved around.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Sep 4, 2012 -> 09:18 AM) Only a small number of tickets go on public sale for playoff games, and most of those are in the 500 level. Not sure about the price, but $130 sounds about right. QUOTE (schien4 @ Sep 4, 2012 -> 09:22 AM) Thanks man. There will be 100 and 300 level tickets for sale - on Stub Hub. They will go for very, very big money. Face value for 500 level seats for ALDS will be $50 and up, probably, but you will need to get very lucky to get those when they go on sale. More than likely you will need to go Stub Hub, and I'd guess $130 is a starting point for the furthest reaches of the 500 level, and up from there.

f***ing awesome.

Sorry, not sure why this thread got closed, probably happened by accident. Back open now, for anyone else who wants to post their list.

Nice to see a couple of the Sox catching prospects turn it on a little as the season ended. Josh Phegley was .304/.394/.589/.983 in August, .361/.410/.722/1.132 in his last 10 (including his o-fer in the finale). Kevan Smth posted an OPS of .807 during his 1.5 month stint with W-S, 40 points higher than he had at Kanny. Also, 9 of his 21 hits (43%) with W-S were XBH, where as at Low A only 34% of his hits were for extras. I think we'll go Catchers for the next list-your-prospects thread.

Hawkins combined results in 245 PA between Rk, A- and A+ as an 18 year old in his draft year: .284/.325/.484/.810. 55 K in 245 PA for a 22% K/PA. Also has 11 SB. Hard not to like that. Shoemaker had an interesting partial season in AA. Started hot, then drew a ton of walks, then went in a hitting rut, now has a 1.006 OPS in his last 10. Finishing the season around an .800 OPS.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Aug 31, 2012 -> 03:03 PM) I wouldn't consider 4.1 BB/9 in AA good. I think he's got a good arm, but I don't see him being good enough to make it as a starter. I think 3.7 split between A+ and AA, 4.1 in AA, 3.8 in his last 10 games in AA... is "decent", which is the word I used. Not great, certainly. But especially in the context of a guy who is holding batters to around a .200 average, and striking out better than a guy an inning... I think it is encouraging. He has a 1.17 WHIP on the year. I'd be more concerned about a lack of reliable secondary stuff as you mentioned. At least at this point.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Aug 31, 2012 -> 01:07 PM) He's got a good fastball that could play up in the bullpen and his secondary stuff isn't as good. Also, his lack of consistent control makes me think he wouldn't cut it as a starter anyway. Interesting. Not sure I agree on the control part: his BB/9 was 5.1 in 2011, and it has been 3.7 in 2012. 4.1 in AA. Those 2012 numbers are really pretty decent, and he's improving his control even as he moves up. Hard to say a guy with a BB/9 under 4 on the year is having any major control issues. As for his secondary stuff, I honestly don't know much other than quips here and there that his breaking balls are a bti slushy and inconsistent. Haven't seen much detail, or anything at all recently, about it. So I'll take your word for it. His BAA this year is .205 on the full year between A+ and AA, after it being .247 in High A, so I'd have to think he's got something there. Maybe not.

Most important series of the year so far. F*** Detroit and the horse they rode in on. Go Sox.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 04:23 PM) Rienzo put up solid numbers for Birmingham. I still think he winds up in the bullpen, but he can probably handle AAA for a couple weeks. Not agreeing or disagreeing, but would love to know your reasoning for that.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 03:48 PM) Ha yeah, there's no way I can come up with 10. My 9 and 10 were huge stretches for "prospect". But I do think the top 8 are all worth calling "prospects". Not top ones of course. The top 4 are the guys who will appear on overall Sox top 20 lists. The next 4 are below that, probably not even top 30, or maybe just barely in a case or two. But hey, if you want to post a top 5, that might be good for discussion.

Its been noted that the one non-pitching position where the Sox seem to have some decent talent depth, is in the outfield. So, thread idea... list your, say, top 10 outfielders in the Sox system. We can do this for pitchers too, or other positions, later (though at some positions there aren't even 10 guys, more like 5, worth mentioning). With his time in service, let's say Jordan Danks is ineligible. Same with Dan Johnson. So to start, here are my top 10 outfielders, just for fun... 1. Courtney Hawkins 2. Trayce Thompson 3. Jared Mitchell 4. Keenyn Walker 5. Brady Shoemaker 6. Brandon Short 7. Mark Haddow 8. Michael Earley 9. Jose Martinez 10. Kale Kiser How about yours?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 02:31 PM) Charlotte Knights Four more roster moves today, which include the promotions of Hector Gimnenez and Jose Lopez to Chicago. Knights get RHP Andre Rienzo and 1B Seth Loman from Birmingham (AA): Rienzo to AAA too? Sheesh.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 12:41 PM) Judging by how hard he started getting hit all at once, I was wondering if they were getting signs, but same idea honestly. Maybe. The reason I'd lean towards tipping is because the big rally started with their catcher (the guy maybe most likely to notice), and then on the 2nd run through the lineup. Like they figured something out.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 12:37 PM) One run wasn't going to win this one anyway. With Britton on the mound, the Sox should be getting a lot of hits. Hopefully soon.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 12:36 PM) Quintana's having way too many games now where he gives up crooked numbers early. Usually, he's been able to recover and gut it out for 3-4 more innings, but we can't afford to be down so much early every time he goes out there...especially against the really good teams in baseball. Before today his August ERA has been right around 3. Hasn't happened TOO many times. He hasn't been as dominant as previously, but I hope no one thought it was likely he'd continue with a low-2's ERA. He's actually been better in August than July. I'm guessing he just doesn't have it today. Or they are picking up on something, he's tipping without knowing it.

Fastball seems to be ranging from 88 to 92. Not a whole lot off his norms.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 12:32 PM) He was just cruising along and then BAM. Other than Teagarden, this was the 2nd time through the order. Quintana is not a complex pitcher in terms of stuff, so if he doesn't have his best stuff that day, it doesn't take long to figure it out. At least, that's my guess.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 10:39 AM) I am sorry, but most of the daily prospection evaluations on this board is done through numbers. Why are you suggesting something here that no one has information on? Unless you are a scout or you watch all of Thompson's games, you wouldn't know "how ready he looks." Everyone who knows a thing about baseball knows that scouting in person is better than scouting by numbers, I don't think you need to tell me that. But the closest thing we have to scouting is how players make adjustment at a new level. Thompson's last 5 games suggests that Double A pitchers have made adjustments to him, but he hasn't made adjustments yet to the pitching. And yes, I, along with most other posters, am aware that this is a move for Thompson to get more playing time and playoff experience. That's why I said this isn't a long term promotion. I've been trying to say, I don't know how ready he is. And neither do you. The numbers are just too small a sample size to be useful. That's all I'm saying. You seemed to declare, based on those numbers, that he wasn't ready. I am disagreeing with you.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 10:12 AM) Dan Hayes ‏@DanHayesCSN Gregory Infante was released by #WhiteSox to make room on the 40-man roster for Lopez and Gimenez. Also, Brian Bruney placed on 60-day DL. Makes sense. Infante was the odd man out in the bullpen stack this year, and he kind of dropped off the past couple years performance-wise. A little surprised its Gimenez over Phegley though, unless they want to avoid starting Phegley's clock, since it isn't 9/1 yet.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 09:32 AM) I don't think you are getting the point. IF Thompson had been on a tear for all 14 of his games in Double AA, then an actual promotion to Triple A might be logical. But he played well for the first 8 or 9 games, then came back down to earth for the past 5 games, I am telling you that you don't actually promote him at this point, because he hasn't shown that he can make adjustment to the Double A pitching yet. Thompson might be closer to Triple A than Shoemaker was a few years back. In Shoemaker's instance, he was promoted to get some more playing time at the end of the season. It will be the same case for Thompson. I am telling you that the Sox has a history of using this tactic in the past, but they aren't actually promoting the players long term. Unless you truly believe Thompson is ready and this move is long term, then I think you are arguing for the sake of arguing. I'm arguing because I think you are misunderstanding how the evaluations work in these situations. 5 games or 14 games, whatever it is, in that small a scale, the numbers tell you very little. Its about how he looks there, and how ready he looks. It is also about getting him some high end post-season experience. The numbers he put up in some given 5 games, or even 14 games, doesn't really tell you enough by itself to be meaningful. That is what I am trying to tell you.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 08:57 AM) Gimenez is coming up to cover Flowers paternity leave. Official? Also, he's not on the 40, I don't think. So still have to move someone.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 08:35 AM) So what are you saying? Thompson is ready for Triple A? No, I'm saying you don't know if he is or not. His numbers say he may or may not be, sort of hard to tell. But more so, I'm saying... what I said. Drawing conclusions from any 5 games is a bit ridiclous, one way or the other. And Shoemaker's promotion last year and this one for Thompson are not being done for the same reasons.

So, Trib says it is Lopez coming up. Which gives the Sox 3 backup IF's, and with Flowers down, no backup C. That just doesn't seem right. Why have Olmedo, Hudson AND Lopez? Some is going to get pushed off the 40 man roster in any case, to make room for a 3rd catcher for September, if not today. Seems to me they can designate Olmedo and he will likely clear waivers.