NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jun 2, 2016 -> 02:52 PM) Nope. Totally different situation, and you know it. First of all, they can bring up Anderson anytime as far as I'm concerned. DFA Rollins, or whatever. That is a stand alone decision. That has nothing to do with Coats, and you know it. All I said, or implied, was that if Hawkins had Coats' numbers, he would be called up amid great fanfare. But it is Coats who has the big numbers, and he was a low round draft choice, so he stays at AAA. I really don't think draft round is a consideration at this point with either one. By the way, Coats isn't your typical 29th round pick. He was once drafted in the 11th, and was then slotted to the Rounds 5-8 range until he blew out his knee. So the Sox scooped him up and did a late signing. He's a real talent, just had to start behind the pack a bit. If what you're saying is true - and I don't think it is - it is because of Hawkins' loud tools in power and arm strength, and therefore ceiling potential. It's not about draft round. Anyway it's a moot point. Hawkins isn't even in the 2017 discussion right now, let alone 2016. Coats on the other hand has essentially proven everything he can in the minors, so it's a question of if the team's evaluators think he's ready, versus what they think Sands can continue to do (or not do). My personal view is now, and has been, that Coats is a better option than not only Sands, but also Shuck, today. The Sox appear to feel otherwise, though that could change any day now.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 2, 2016 -> 12:48 PM) Can Hayes play any position besides 1B? He's only been a 1B and DH in his pro career, so no, I don't think so. That's the big weakness there. But then let's be honest, how often has Sands played OF this year? And with 3 starting OF's plus both Shuck and Garcia, that's 5 outfielders. Sands really is only a 1B on this team anyway.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 2, 2016 -> 11:23 AM) Is Hayes a contender for a Sox bench spot? He should be. He's a lefty bat, which the team needs. He plays 1B above average, and it might be good to get Abreu to DH some days. The DH slot is currently manned by a guy who doesn't hit righties well (Garcia). He draws a ton of walks, gets on base (always a need). And he gives you a PH option, especially in interleague games, that likely does much better than Sands.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 2, 2016 -> 09:21 AM) Is there any scout or talent evaluator recently on the record projecting Coats to now POTENTIALLY be a big league regular? Callis, BP, Fan Graphs, etc.? Just curious...if there's something he is doing different, adjustments, mechanical....psychologist, etc., that accounts for his greater level of success this year? Next, it means Hahn has to come to terms with the Avi Garcia trade not being as successful as originally thought...although it gave us Montas, who was a key part of the Frazier acquisition. Same thing with Hayes, whose numbers aren't quite as eye-popping as Coats'. AAAA player or hidden gem everyone overlooked? If you asked 10 scouts to say who would have the best career WAR of the 3, wouldn't many of them choose a 3rd option in Delmonico based on his original pedigree compared to Coats/Hayes? I could go on about this, on both Hayes and Coats. But a few things to keep in mind... 1. Callis, for example, has had Coats ranked in the team's top prospects for a while now. And I just saw a report on BP saying he has MLB potential. Though neither have pegged him as a regular. 2. Each player has been overlooked for some specific and clear reasons. And they are the kind of reasons where national writers like you are talking about will tend to just not even give them eyeball time. That's the nature of their jobs - they can't look deep at 50 prospects on each team, as it's just not practical. So, they tend to miss a few guys. It happens, and they'll tell you that. 3. I haven't seen anyone call Hayes a starter, including myself, though I wouldn't completely dismiss the idea. As for Coats, it may be I'm alone on that island, haha. 4. The numbers aren't as crazy for either one as you might think, if you take more context into account than simply full year stats. For example, Hayes skipped A+ to go to AA - which made the already-largest jump in the minors a huge chasm. He had a horrible first month, predictably, but look how he progressed after. And keep in mind the ballpark he was in. For Coats, he basically skipped AA - and still hit pretty darn well in AAA last year anyway. Context is key. 5. Hayes actually did make a mechanical change early this year, we wrote about it.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jun 2, 2016 -> 07:28 AM) Here's the thing though, does Coats have an opportunity to be an everyday player if he keeps developing or is his ceiling pretty much a 4th outfielder? I'm a little higher on Coats than some. I think he's a better 4OF option right now than either Sands or Shuck, and his ceiling is a lower division starting corner OF. I'd give him a shot right now. QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Jun 2, 2016 -> 08:16 AM) Coats' BABIP is .390 this year. Think that's going to hold up? No, but also remember a few things. One, minor league BABIP's will always be a little higher than typical MLB ones. They are also generally less trustworthy.

The official Prospects of the Month for May are now up. The pitcher was a clear choice, and frankly, the pitching in the system has been pretty disappointing this year as a group (with a few exceptions). On the hitting side though, there were three guys who could have won it, all of whom are in the Charlotte lineup now. That team has some serious offense now.

Our next draft profile is up - LHP Braxton Garrett. Seems like a guy I could see the Sox surprising on and taking at 10. Not the most likely scenario, but possible.

Next profile is up on FS: LHP Braxton Garrett No one has linked him to Sox direct, but he does profile in some ways like a Sox pick, and is around #10 on most boards.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Jun 1, 2016 -> 07:40 AM) http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/2016/...e-in-charlotte/ Recap posted. It is the Future Sox debut from Owen Schoenfeld! Well, it is the Recap debut for Owen (the_Xsport). He wrote a draft profile last week.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 31, 2016 -> 04:27 PM) Dan Hayes ‏@CSNHayes 7m7 minutes ago #WhiteSox hopeful they could get Austin Jackson back by this weekend in Detroit. Jason Coats, keep a bag packed. Or, with Shuck and Garcia both on the team, Danny Hayes should probably do the same.

QUOTE (ptatc @ May 31, 2016 -> 04:27 PM) I think this is an organizational philosophy of letting the players succeed or fail on their own before the coaches make changes. There were similar articles about Hawkins. The hitting coaches actually had Hawkins make a lot of mechanical changes during his first full season, though not at the very beginning.

If you want to know more on Fulmer, check out the analysis piece we just posted on Future Sox. Tons of video including recent stuff from BHAM, quotes from Bell & Perdew, everything you want to know. For those asking about Cooper, here is our profile of him. But you can add to that his slider, which we didn't see but he's supposedly using regularly now.

For anyone paying attention to the farm, you've undoubtedly noticed Carson Fulmer struggling to find command (or even just the strike zone). So we asked around - talked with people from the Barons front office, interviewed AGM Buddy Bell, interviewed Pitching Coach J.R. Perdew. Grabbed videos from college, from 2015, and from 2015 in AA. The result is this excellent deep dive piece written by Brian, looking at what has and hasn't changed. Fair warning, it's a long article, but it's anything and everything you need to know about what Fulmer is changing and where he's struggling. Highly recommend you read it. Just great stuff.

So, some folks wanted him up for Opening Day. Then when he struggled - predictably - in his first month or so of action in AAA, some people were ready to jump ship. I wrote this back at the beginning of May. Now, he's made adjustments and is tearing it up. While I certainly expected this would likely happen, I must admit it happened faster than I thought. I still think though, the best thing is to wait until the 2nd half at least. As hot as he's been, it's 3 weeks of hot hitting. Too much risk at this point that it's still just a hot hand, and not being fully there. If he still looks good in July, we talk.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ May 26, 2016 -> 10:57 AM) That was the same argument used for Mitchell and Hawkins. No thanks. I don't remember that on Hawkins. Mitchell, yes. Same with Kevan Smith. Anderson had basketball. But I don't recall Hawkins being in the same category with those other three.

Hahahahahahaha this thread is so full of awesome. And I bet the O.P. wasn't even serious.

I moved back home, briefly, when I was 25. I had moved from Colorado back to the Chicago area, didn't have a job or a place yet. Moved back into my parents' place, got a crappy job (but still a job) within 2 days. Then focused on getting a "real" job, which I did about 4 months later. Stayed a total of about 6 months, when I had enough for a deposit on an apartment in Evanston and moved out. I don't think it's the worst thing in the world, and in many places outside the US (as was pointed out) it is quite common. Some people just have a hard time finding a good job, even if they are trying hard to. And yeah, there are also some in the "failure to launch" category that eventually need a kick in the ass. But I don't think that's all of them by any stretch.

Next up in our draft profiles: RHP Dakota Hudson The Sox have been tied to him, and he does profile with their traditional take, in addition to being probably the best college arm who'd be available at 10.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 24, 2016 -> 09:56 PM) I'm sure he will get the proper teaching and development in our system Funny thing, last year in AZL he started like this too. Then improved quite a bit. You know who they had him working with? Jim Thome. Maybe Jim needs to spend a week in Kannapolis.

Draft Profile - Zack Collins

As we approach the draft, we are going to publish profiles of a number of likely White Sox targets. First up - Zack Collins, catcher from Miami U. This is also the first article from our newest writer, Owen Schoenfeld, who is the_XSport on SoxTalk. So welcome him aboard as well!

QUOTE (Lillian @ May 23, 2016 -> 02:06 PM) I guess we have to trust the scouts. However, we all know the arguments against a Prep position player: 1) They haven't had an opportunity to ever demonstrate their ability to hit high quality pitching. 2) They require a long time to develop. 3) They aren't even physically mature, so it's difficult to know what they will look like, once they mature. Regarding "best player". The rankings are very close between Collins and Rutherford. Therefore, I assume that there is not a clear "better player". I'd rather have a guy who could contribute in a year or two, rather than 5 years. This is so intriguing to me: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/5/10/1...f-miami-florida No catcher reaches the majors in "a year or two". He'd be 3 or more years away, unless he changes position, which damages his value.

As we are getting close to draft time, we are getting more clarity on who the Sox might take. One prep outfielder in particular has been linked to the Sox by a couple draft experts, some FS sources, and the presence of one Kenny Williams at one of his games. It's Blake Rutherford.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ May 23, 2016 -> 11:28 AM) I was just asking for those out of curiosity. I know stats don't tell the whole story. For example, Derek Jeter committed a ton of errors in the minors. Not saying Anderson is going to be Jeter but just using the error stat reference. Isn't the end all be all certainly. Ah, then my apologies for being snarky. My bad.

QUOTE (Lillian @ May 23, 2016 -> 10:49 AM) He now has 6 walks, in 181 plate appearances. He has struck out 42 times, which is 23% He has made 7 errors in 192 chances, for a .964 fielding %. So two lines of ignoring the trend lines (which are quite important, as he was challenged at this level), and one line referring to a stat that shouldn't be used to evaluate defense. I can understand some hesitation. But you are focusing on a few specific stats, and not seeing the whole picture, both stats and otherwise.