NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 04:09 PM) Don't forget that Dempster can say no to coming to the Sox if he wants. Did you miss my post?... QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 03:58 PM) the Cubs beat writer just said the other day that the Sox were, in his view, likely on Dempster's short list of teams he'd accept a trade to. Keep in mind that this is a half season stint, and he probably would rather not have to move twice with his family in tow.

With none of the catchers in W-S being actual prospects, I sure would like to see Kevan Smith moved up before the season is out. At his age he should hit AA next year sometime, even for a catcher. GF lineup may be mostly filler, but the two middle infielders (Micah Johnson and Justin Jirschele) are making a little noise.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 03:52 PM) Even though it was probably said with a hint of comedy, Dempster has said he would never play for the Sox. the Cubs beat writer just said the other day that the Sox were, in his view, likely on Dempster's short list of teams he'd accept a trade to. Keep in mind that this is a half season stint, and he probably would rather not have to move twice with his family in tow.

I'd prefer to go for Dempster, who for 2.5 months won't cost a ton in prospects, and the Sox could even get some money back against his remaining salary (which would be around $6M for the rest of the year). He would also probably be happy to stay in town. The biggest factor on Volquez is, does Cooper think he's fixable.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 01:15 PM) At the risk of sounding too much like Balta, we already discussed this a bit in the Catch-All Anything thread. We determined I'd strike out looking. Well I guess I missed that. QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 01:19 PM) What is this from? Did Joe Morgan or some dumb commentator say that Chapman or Strasburg pitches at the speed of light or something? I didn't think it was "from" anything, just thought it was funny.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 11:23 AM) f*** yeah. Doritos scores high on the creativity scale with some of the flavors they have thought up. Yeah, those Sizzlin' Sweaty Sock Doritos are teh awesome!

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 10:34 AM) My observations: People keep mentioning Barnum as a 18 year old when he's actually 19 and a half and turning 20 in January. It just bothers me when people understate age. I would perhaps even include Olacio in the bottom of the top 25 base on age and size alone, not to mention that his K rate is almost 1 per inning in Low A and Rookie ball as a true 18 year old starter. I don't get why people have ranked Saladino as low as 17. I think a lot of people have overlooked is his home and road split. The B Ham park is more of a pitchers park, his home OPS is an atrocious .588, but his road OPS is .908! His regression in hitting is more of his inability to adjust to a pitchers park rather his regressing as a hitter overall. He's actually hitting a lot better post all star break. Hitting 16 homers in the W-S hitter friendly park is definitely unstainable for him, but I think he also sacrificed some of his power to work the count, draw walks, get on base, and utilize his speed more often. He showed major improvement in that department this year. His regression as a hitter is overblown by some folks here. The kid just turned 23, provides average defense at SS. If SS doesn't work out for him, he will definitely be adequate at 2B. A middle infielder with potential for .800 OPS and ability to steal 30 bases would rank a lot higher than 17 in a system like this. We've seen some negative reports on his defense, that seem to indicate he is not even average for that level and his development. Also, while being in B-Ham may take some HR's away, it should cause THAT drastic a split, which suggests something more mental. Its possible the pressure that was added last year when he became so highly touted, then had an extended look in ST, is having an effect. Also hearing rumblings of some other, unspecified issues. His overall numbers are not good, but his K rate is a little lower and his walk rate is a lot higher, so those are good signs. Hopefully his strong July will continue. But having him in the teens on the list, right now, seems about right to me.

The Club Seats thread got me thinking... where do people usually sit? What sections will you just not sit in at all? Which are the best? Which are the best for the money? We're in 536 Front Row, and love it. Club Seats are also great. Lower deck usually isn't worth the extra coin to me. Jim Beam club rocked, but wouldn't do it for list price. Anyone else?

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 11:00 AM) I'm thinking of ways for us 500 level scumbags to gentrify the Cell. We've had 4 seats UD, front row, right above home plate on the 3B side, for years now, and I would never move to the lower deck. I can always go down there anyway to walk around, since I have season tickets. But why would I pay 50% more, or more than that, for lesser views? I've got no one in front of me right now, its awesome.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 09:19 AM) I don't understand having Chris Beck waaay ahead of Heidenreich. Same age, one a second rounder, the other a fourth, Beck getting pretty much lit up at Great Falls, Heidenreich solid now at High A (combined 101 innings/3.38 ERA/.244 BAA/pitching against older players). Seems like Beck is annoited hhis status. Well first, Heidenreich has pretty uninspiring peripherals, particularly the fact that he doesn't strike many guys out. Second, whenever you are ranking a draft pick, you obviously cannot use any pro stats to evaluate. Beck has pitched in only a few games, which is next to meaningless. Have to go on tools/skills and college results and reports from scouts. Based on those things, Beck has higher potential. Also, Beck was at one time a much higher considered pick than this, but had a drop off his last season in college.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 03:17 PM) I forgot about Jordan Danks, he's definitely in my Top 5. Top 5? The guy did almost 3 seasons in AAA, and only in his third year did his K rate get below 30%. He's going to be exposed with more at bats, as pitchers adjust, and he isn't likely to have the bat to be a starter. Possible, but unlikely. His defense is his biggest value. You may be overvaluing him based on his very small sample size with the Sox. QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 03:40 PM) Definitely, go with ceiling/potential. That's why Thompson is off the charts to an extent, or Hawkins, or Barnum. We these things, u have to ask "who could potentially be a major league All-Star caliber player?" That's where Sanchez falls a bit short, lacking both plus speed or power. And, because there aren't any other middle infield prospects in our system, it makes him appear a bit better than he really is, perhaps. Axelrod is pretty much interchangeable with Zach Stewart...and until Molina shows better stuff, any amount of control makes him not so much better than a glorified Matt Guerrier. Someone mentioned Wells, Danny Wright...those guys were potentially 1/2 frontline starters. We really don't have any of those types....maybe Castro, maybe Beck, maybe no one at all. It's going to take a huge turnaround for most of us to believe he's (Molina or Axelrod) anything more than a back-end of the rotation guy. I wonder where Doyle would have ranked here? Probably 5-10 for some people, not in the Top 15 or even 20 for most others. It makes for some interesting arguments. Or even where Zach Stewart would have ranked if he was still considered as a starting prospect, not a reliever and he hadn't forfeited his "rookie" status with 50 IP. I can't speak for everyone, but Doyle would not have cracked the Top 20 for me, probably more in the 25-30 range. And I've never been a fan of Stewart, he'd have been only slightly higher than Doyle for me, maybe.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 02:55 PM) Everyone ignores Ryan Kussmaul. Three years in the system, moving right up the ladder from Kanny to Dash to Barons. Always solid numbers, low hits per inning, lots of K's. He'll be at Charlotte next year and will prob do well. He gets people out. If Petrika or Johnson or Soptic had his numbers even at lower levels, you would have them ready for HOF indoctrination. QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 03:36 PM) Agree on Kussmaul. His numbers say he's a bullpen prospect, though I know nothing about his stuff. 25 at AA - should be tested at AAA soon. Kussmaul, Remenowsky and to an extent Kloess are all very similar. They're guys who have a shot at being a reliever, maybe even a good one, but they are also old-for-level and have no blow-batters-away stuff. They get max results with the tools they have. They're all guys who, to me, are in the 25-40 range in the system in terms of ranking, and while worth keeping an eye on, have fairly low ceilings and fairly low rates of likely success in the majors.

QUOTE (PolishPrince34 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 02:14 PM) I don't have Jordan Danks anywhere near the Top 25. He's a 4th Of at best. Also, I have Dylan Axelrod way down in the rankings again at best a 5th starter on average/below average team/long reliever. Shocked how high Danks and Axelrod were. 1. Hawkins 2. Castro 3. Mitchell 4. Barnum 5. Thompson 6. Walker 7. Molina 8. Sanchez 9. Johnson 10. Rienzo 11. Saladino 12. Beck 13. Hernandez 14. Leesman 15. Petricka 16. DeMichale 17. Snodgress 18. Heindenrich 19. Septimo 20. Axelrod 21. Walters 22. Olacio 23. Phegley 24. Ravelo 25. K. Smith Just missing Soptic/Semien/Ayala So you're definitely a ceiling guy. Axelrod and Danks are interesting discussions. Axelrod's ceiling is probably a 4/5 starter, more likely a long reliever... but he's already proven he can do that, which is huge value to a team. If you look at the FS list, the guy right behind him, Trayce Thompson is the exact opposite: huge ceiling, huge bust potential. Danks is probably a 4th OF, but again, he's already proving he can probably do that, and with his athleticism and tools there is a chance he can improve further.

Salvador Sanchez is moving up in a hurry this year as a pitcher. Bristol, Kanny, W-S and now B-ham?

DeMichele ended up 1-5. Mark Haddow was taken out yesterday after 1 AB, and didn't play today. Injury or promotion? Anyone with info?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 02:07 PM) 100% true. You can also order your food/drinks inside where there is AC. The bathrooms are indoors as well. All this, and its really quite nice. I've done it a couple times. I wouldn't do it a lot or do season tickets because it is so much more expensive, but, for an occasional treat, totally worth it.

This

My top 25: 1 Simon Castro 2 Jared Mitchell 3 Courtney Hawkins (I should get killed pretty good for this in here) 4 Keon Barnum 5 Carlos Sanchez 6 Charlie Leesman 7 Pedro Hernandez 8 Josh Phegley (opinions varied widely on this guy) 9 Trayce Thompson 10 Nestor Molina 11 Rangel Ravelo (Have him migher than most would) 12 Dylan Axelrod 13 Andre Rienzo 14 Keenyn Walker 15 Chris Beck 16 Jordan Danks 17 Tyler Saladino 18 Erik Johnson 19 Kevan Smith 20 Jacob Petricka 21 Joey DeMichele 22 Leyson Septimo 23 Blair Walters 24 Jhan Marinez 25 Jefferson Olacio Some guys who just missed for me: Soptic, Brennan, Haddow, Snodgress, Omogrosso

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 12:12 PM) We had some discussions on Sanchez. Basically it came down to some people not buying into him because of a lack of power. As a middle infielder you're not looking for much, but it's hard to succeed in the higher levels as a singles only hitter. Regardless, when you factor in his age and level he's having the best season by a White Sox hitting prospect by a mile. It's really not even close. Yeah, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him climb higher by the offseason, unless his production falls off or we acquire a bunch of top prospects via trade.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 11:35 AM) Its good that Johnson is getting experience. Given the injury and his overall slow start since joining the system, nice that he's making progress and getting to work on some of the tweaks the Sox have made to his delivery. The dude has a big league arm and a nice looking slider. QUOTE (danman31 @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 12:06 PM) Sure sounds like a reliever based on those two things, not that I'm complaining. The Sox have adopted a draft philosophy regarding pitchers that I absolutely love. Take starters with big fastballs. If they can learn a change up and develop the offspeed stuff they can stay a starter. If they can't, that big fastball puts you half way to being a big league reliever. With a guy like Johnson who already has a good slider, you already have something for the pen as a backup plan. Look at Jones and Santiago. Jones had the stuff and just needed to control it. Santiago had the fastball and just needed a secondary pitch (which he got last year). It's a lot of fun to see the Sox draft and develop pitchers currently. Position players, well that's a different story. Johnson was hitting 95 on the gun too, which is nice to hear after the arm issues.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 11:07 AM) Kettle Brand Salt & Vinegar. The BBQ and Salt & Pepper are delicious too. I also like their New York Cheddar chips. I know a bunch of people that are borderline addicted to the Spicy Thai ones.

FutureSox, the White Sox prospect-focused blog on the Trib's ChicagoNow site, has published it's twice-annual Top Prospects List. Perfect topic for discussion on baseball dead day. What do you think of the list? Do you feel someone should be higher or lower?

Haven't seen this one done, so, why not. My entry... Love those things, try not to keep them in the house, or else I'll just eat the whole damn thing.

Bike is gone! I'll close the thread.

DeMichele just keeps hitting. Soptic is settling down a bit lately. QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jul 11, 2012 -> 07:29 AM) I don't normally look at the DSL boxes but I did last night Don't know anything about anyone down there but I looked at one of the relievers who pitched, Yensi Magallanes, and he's put up fantastic numbers. Has a 0.00 ERA through 25.1 IP and has only allowed 12 hits (.150 OPP BA) and 9 walks to 22 strikeouts. He's 19 and a lefty. I'd think there'd be a good chance we'll see him at one of our rookie affiliates or potentially even Kanny next year, no? Really hard to tell with guys in that league, without knowing more than stats. But I'd think if some teenager who throws left can put up numbers like that in DSL, then yeah, he'll be with an affiliate next year (as long as he's old enough).