NorthSideSox72

I see Kyle Hansen is back pitching again after missing 1.5 months. He's struck out 8 guys in 4.2 IP so far.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 07:37 AM) When will you go on record? You prospect guys slay me, take a stand. And that is where you make it clear you don't get how this part of baseball works. Excluding maybe a half dozen guys among ALL teams who are nearly sure things at any given time... and excluding the minor league bench filler guys who are 100% sure not to make the majors... everyone else in between, by nature, is a percentage game. There is no "take a stand". And you guys who keep saying, well, Thompson is a failure because previous players have been failures... on what planet does that logic make any sense? The development guys under KW have pretty much entirely turned over in the past few years. Drawing any conclusions at all from anything pre-2009 to today, in terms of how players will develop, is groundless.

My guess is, Beckham is going to get one more shot in 2013. Carlos Sanchez is waiting in the wings, possibly Saladino as well, but neither are ready right now. If 2013 sucks for Beckham at the plate, he'll become a utility IF or be traded.

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 02:39 PM) Yeah, you said that before. Not buying it. And the big picture discussion is hitting talent. Kenny Williams is good at finding pitching, but it's all for not if Chris Young and Chris Getz are the best hitters you can draft in 11 years time. Not buying it simply means you are unwilling to accept that things change. they clearly have. So we're adjusting the goal posts? OK. The sox system is one of the worst in baseball in terms of hitting talent. No one is arguing otherwise. But, first off, I could care less if he drafts them or gets them from other teams or signs them as free agents. Viciedo, Ramirez, De Aza were all brought in as minor leaguers (essentially) because Sox scouting found them. Second, relative to a few years ago, the Sox system now has more hitting talent than it did then. That is called improvement. The outfield picture in particular looks pretty promising right now.

Sorry to hear about the dog. I am sure that can be very difficult. However... QUOTE (PorkChopExpress @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 01:23 PM) You know, I usually try not to get into these kinds of things, but this one gets me. Everyone experiences life differently. Some people bond with their pets just as much, if not more, than with family members. And when they lose a pet, it is the same, or worse than the loss of a family member. Don't presume to tell other people how "it really is" or how they should feel based on your personal experiences. Who are you to tell other people how they should or should not cope with a loss of any kind? No one in their right mind loves their pet(s) more than their children. That is 100% ridiculous, no matter how much you may love your dog/cat or whatever. Dunn's child was experiencing major medical problems. There is absolutely no comparison there.

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 02:27 PM) Competent GMs can find good hitters beyond the first few rounds of a draft. Also, he can't scout international hitters worth a s***. Alexei and Dayan both have poor plate discipline. The former can stay because of his defensive impact, but Tank is looking like a career scrub. The track record is inexcusable, and so is the lack of outrage on these here boards. Using Alexei and Dayan as reasons the Sox don't do well with Cuban or international scouting is a little like saying McDonald's is healthy food and pointing to a Big Mac. Um, what? Alexei is having a down year but is still in the grand scheme an above average player at his position, and signed for relatively cheap. Viciedo is doing pretty nicely in his first full year. Where do you get the scrub thing? And while the track record has been bad, if you actually did follow things, you'd see their whole approach and methodology has changed dramatically in the past few years. And some dividends are already coming out of that. Nobody is under the delusion that the Sox system is very good. It is among the bottom teams in terms of high end talent depth. But guys like Alexei and Dayan from international scouting... the 12 rookies that have played on the Sox this year on a first place team, not a disaster like the Cubs or Astros... and some of the great scouting pickups like Quintana and De Aza... are all indications the system's method is improving, a lot.

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 02:22 PM) I'd love to hear some examples. Maybe you're looking at the wrong numbers? Determining talent in the minors isn't all about stats - it can't be. Stats, even advanced ones, are good tools, but they have limits. And they mean more at higher levels, more service time and older ages. Less in the opposites. Hawkins' numbers, for example, especially in such a small sample, mean only a little. Thompson's mean more of course, but he's still young and relatively raw compared to other guys at his level of play (AA). You have to also look at tools, and further from that, skills. And make-up. And actually seeing them play, which few people here actually do (for obvious practical reasons)... so you look at scouting information about them when you can. And video. If it were all about stats, Dan Black would be in the top 5 prospects in the Sox system. Do you think he belongs there?

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 12:08 PM) http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article....articleid=18077 No, no it hasn't. His OFFENSIVE game has taken big steps back.

Avengers Gag Reel

QUOTE (Cali @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 11:59 PM) DeMichele is a little (and I mean little -- 5'11'') XBH machine. He's a bit of a sleeper... High draft choice, not sure the term sleeper applies. He was considered pretty polished and mature. But definitely nice to see him doing well. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 09:02 AM) Is it normal for those kids to go straight to a pro team at 16? Gonzo in the Trib just talked about this in a recent article. For those 16-17 year olds, even after they have signed, they have to go through hoops for MLB to verify age, eligibility, citizenship/visa, medical and drugs. Takes time. Then they go to a mini-camp of some sort. Then, finally, they get to organized ball. We may not see them this year.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Aug 21, 2012 -> 09:00 AM) Dan Black still raking. He's a year older than Mitchell. If Mitchell had these numbers, this board would be lit up and Sox brass would be salivating, the Trib would be covering him, ESPN would induct him into the Hall of Fame.....Minor League POY, yadda, yadda. But his name is Dan Black, he's big so he plays first base and can't get promoted because he would interrupt the career path of Wilkins, Johnson, et al. Geez. A year older than Mitchell with a lot more service time and at lower levels, and the fact that he plays 1B isn't some small difference. Johnson isn't in Charlotte because of career path, he's there because he's a major league ready bat keeping as sharp as possible. And Wilkins is indeed still probably above Black on the food chain... though it is not impossible that Black will pass him up at some point, given their divergent performances this year. Wilkins has been promoted aggressively, now in AA in his 3rd year in the minors, and lost some time to injury. So again, service time difference. Black has gotten to mature ahead of the age median for his leagues, Wilkins and Mitchell have not. I know it irritates you that he's not being given much consideration, but there's no need to exaggerate everything to make your point. If he keeps hitting like this, and does so in AA next year, then the Sox will likely give him a longer look. But until then, he just has to keep raking at every level and wait for the opportunity. Johnson likely will be gone next year, that is the nature of guys like that. If Wilkins is sent to AAA (which may or may not happen), then Dan will have his chance in B-Ham to prove himself. Or, they may have both players at B-Ham next year, alternating DH and 1B.

Hawkins making a nice splash in A ball so far. Dan Black on a tear. August split: .403/.467/.745/1.213. Last 10: .436/.522/.846/1.400. QUOTE (scenario @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 08:05 PM) Gotta catch a flight. Did something happen tonight that I missed?

I don't know if it is meaningul, but... in the past week or two, I've noticed Gordon doing something he was NEVER doing since his rookie year - putting above average velocity fastballs into good play. Also, he is gapping to R and RC better now. Might be nothing, but, might be an indicator he is putting it back together. We'll see.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 02:39 PM) I guess that life is better when you lie to yourself. Don't make me come over there old man.

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Aug 20, 2012 -> 01:40 PM) His numbers indicate very poor plate discipline. I've followed baseball long enough to know that it probably won't work out in the majors. Sorry, fellas. I guess that life is better when you lie to yourselves. If we're talking about high school/college hitters, Kenny is the blind squirrel that has yet to find even a single nut. Deny it all you want. It's the truth. Who do you think is lying to themselves? I mean, you jump into this discussion, ask what people think and say you don't follow things much... then have apparently decided that everyone you asked is delusional and you obviously know better. Not many people will want to engage you in discussion if that is your style. Thompson has had the same scouting report for a long time. Came in raw, strikes out a lot, has a ton of physical tools, has plus potential for power, speed and defense, and is now starting to translate his tools into baseball skills. No one here is saying he is a future all star - but they are saying a guy with his raw talent, he does have an all star ceiling, so it is exciting to see that he MIGHT be turning a corner.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 19, 2012 -> 05:27 PM) This is truly impressive. I do like that he blew $10 grand on trying to set up an official looking website to fool MLB. I don't like that he may not suffer any additional punishment for it...that ought to be a violation of some rule. He may indeed get in trouble for it. Feds are looking into it.

7 years? The guy is a well below average defensive SS, with an above average bat-for-position (a position he may not be able to stay at for long), serious attitude issues and a lot of mental mistakes. The $60M isn't as scary, really, as the 7 years. That is a big risk to take. Everyone is talking about how much he can improve because he is so young. Except, this guy has shown consistently he lacks the mental tools necessary to do that.

QUOTE (BlackBetsy @ Aug 19, 2012 -> 12:18 PM) Haven't seen this show....what was it? And since his name is Singh...I would otherwise guess that he is a Sikh. Does he wear a turban (required for Sikh men) when he pitches? Not sure where you get the Singh thing. Singh is a pretty common surname in India, and Sikh is something like the 4th most popular religion there (behind Hindi, Muslim and Buddhist, maybe even behind Christian).

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 19, 2012 -> 10:00 AM) D-Weezy cf Gordo 2b Dunn dh PK14 1b Rios rf AJP c Alexei ss Tank lf Olmedo 3b They picked today to give Youk a day off? Need to win here, for the team's mental health if nothing else. They are about to go home to play NYY. Need to get a win before they get on the plane.

Interesting to see in the Kanny box, the appearance of Rinku Singh (for the other squad). I hadn't realized any of those Indian pitchers from the reality show was still around, but he's playing A ball now, putting up semi-decent results. He can supposedly throw 92.

Erik Johnson's last 3 games, as he is adjusting to A+: 20 IP, 11 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 23 K. Yeah, that works. Looks like the Kanny game would have been fun to watch. Tied through 9... Top of 10, Kanny's manager got ejected, and then West Va scored 2 on a home run... Bottom of 10, Kanny ties it back up on a DeMichele single and a Haddow HR... Bottom of 11, Kanny walks off on singles by Marjama, Heisler and then Hawkins with his 2nd walk-off GWRBI in a row. Nice. Micah Johnson... would love to get a read on his defense. 9th rounder this year, 21 year old 2B putting up an .825 OPS for GF, also has 16 SB. And getting better - .984 OPS in last 10 games. Walk rate is decent, has a little power, some speed, and the K rate is manageable.

QUOTE (That funky motion @ Aug 17, 2012 -> 06:03 PM) If and when Dyson gets an at bat, does he get plunked? Oh come on, you aren't serious, are you?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 17, 2012 -> 02:49 PM) ADA cf Youk 3b Dunn 1b PK14 dh Rios rf AJP c Alexei ss Tank lf Gordo 2b Maybe my memory is fuzzy, but weren't Viciedo and Ramirez flipped in the "regular" lineup before all the recent DL stints?

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Aug 17, 2012 -> 02:46 PM) After one appearance for B'ham, Gregory Infante's back on the DL. Brent Morel was activated from the Charlotte DL, Tyler Saladino was demoted back to B'ham, but that move may have been rescinded. Nick Ciolli and Ross Wilson were activated from the W-S DL and Jeremy Dowdy was placed on DL. What is Infante's injury? And what makes you think the Saladino demotion might have been rescinded?

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Aug 17, 2012 -> 01:43 PM) Oh to be a fly in the popcorn for that. You want to be grabbed then eaten by Greg? Kinda weird, but, OK.