NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ May 4, 2016 -> 12:30 PM) Def a make or break year for Anderson as far as his ceiling. If he hits say 280/310/430 down there and plays good defense he's still in line to be a 2-4 WAR starter. If he hits 260/280/380 with mediocre defense then his ceiling is probably 1-3 WAR starter unless something strange happens with his development once he hits the bigs. How's his defense? It looked pretty good in spring. If he's a solid MLB quality defensive SS he doesn't have to hit much to have good value. I don't see it as make or break. Even he scuffles for a few months, instead of a few weeks, that doesn't derail his career or effect his ceiling. It just adjusts the timeline. His defense improved quite a bit last year, to where most folks I talk with believe he sticks there long-term. In 2014, that would have been a 50/50 thing or maybe even lower. But I haven't seen him play this year aside from the occasional look-in via MiLB.tv.

QUOTE (ron883 @ May 4, 2016 -> 09:55 AM) Haha I've already read that a couple times. I'm just wondering if anybody has seen him or has any other input on him. I always check out futuresox prospect profiles first. That site is impressively good. Haven't seen any other prospect site specific to a team that competes with that. Seriously, great job to anybody who contributes to that site. It is really awesome and I appreciate the time people put into it so I can stay educated on my prospects. Thanks. Here is an in-person look from one of our writers who saw him in Birmingham last August - and that writers is now a believer that Hayes can be a major leager.

QUOTE (ron883 @ May 4, 2016 -> 09:46 AM) Does anybody have any input on Danny Hayes? I see great defense and good obp skills. Is he still a prospect at this point? Is any .800 ops out of him at 1b/dh too crazy to predict? You hate to move Jose to dh, but if Hayes keeps playing well and is a good defender, solidifying that infield defense even more is a mouthwatering idea. As always, if you are curious about a White Sox prospect, first stop can be the Prospect Profiles page on Future Sox. Here's the profile on Danny specifically.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ May 4, 2016 -> 09:16 AM) http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/2016/...t-at-the-plate/ Recap posted. Danny Hayes is ON FIRE Danny Hayes, first 7 games: .000/.125/.000, 14 K in 24 PA Danny Hayes, 10 games since: .500/.579/.906, 3 HR, 5 K in 38 PA I mean, it's really small samples, but... that's a ridiculous turnaround. He went hitless his first 7 games, and here after 17 games his SEASON line is now .302/.403/.547. It's perhaps not crazy to suggest he could help the MLB club at some point this year.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ May 3, 2016 -> 11:41 PM) And there were posters here who wanted him on the team.. smh. *raises hand* I wanted him over Sands. I admit it. Not that either was terribly exciting, but that was my thought at the time.

QUOTE (MnSoxFan @ May 3, 2016 -> 03:45 PM) Just let em stay, no where to move up to. Let them build their stats and make better trade bait. No one is trading for Nick Basto. Or Danny Hayes. Or even Delmonico. At best, they could be throw-ins or minor for minor pieces.

Erik Johnson gets the slot, for now. Here's his prospect profile if you want to brush up, though he's technically no longer a prospect.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 3, 2016 -> 11:08 AM) Yes. Brain fart. Davidson's not doing much worth talking about in Charlotte right now though. Who the heck are you?

QUOTE (Dunt @ May 3, 2016 -> 08:15 AM) In his last 10 games, he's hitting to the tune of .318. He's fine. He's fine, I agree. Though the last 10 games are not why, for me. I actually wrote the article a couple days ago when he had yet to take a walk.

QUOTE (TheTruth05 @ May 3, 2016 -> 08:26 AM) If Anderson is a slow starter at every level he has been at, I'm assuming if he does well this year in Charlotte he's basically penciled in to start at SS in 2017? That's Plan A.

Some folks have expressed concerns at Anderson's high strikeout rate and generally mediocre hitting results so far in AAA. Here's why you shouldn't worry about it, at least for now, and probably the rest of this season at least. What are your thoughts on Anderson?

Brennan was replaced by Nolan Sanburn just before gametime. Not sure why yet. QUOTE (BaseballNick @ May 2, 2016 -> 12:31 PM) How serious of a prospect is Nick Delmonico? I know he had been busted once for PEDs a couple years ago, but he seems to be a dangerous hitter. He is nowhere to be seen on the White Sox Top 30 Prospect list and doesn't get a whole lot of publicity. Thanks in advance for any insight on him. He was actually on the very back end of our T30 midseason last year on Future Sox. He was once a highly touted prospect. He had defensive problems that forced him to move around the diamond, he's currently at 1B but still plays some 3B. His hitting was on and off. There were rumors of attitude issues, and what's really interesting is how he came to the Sox. When we interviewed him, we got a story that he hadn't told anyone else yet - basically, it wasn't that the Brewers couldn't find him as they reported. It's that Nick intentionally avoided them because he wanted to leave. So then they released him, and the Sox grabbed him. Here's our profile on him. Includes a link to that interview I mentioned.

Are we really going to fight about which link to use? Who cares. Just use what you like. Or use both. What we should really be talking about is Tim Anderson's first walk of the year!

The first month of the season is in the books on the farm as well, so it's time for our Prospects of the Month for April. The winners are both guys that sort of came out of nowhere. Some of the honorable mentions are bigger name prospects. What really stood out, for a system known for producing pitchers, is that (statistically) the hitters were far more dominant that the pitchers in April.

I think Matt Cooper may be the most pleasant surprise of the year so far on the pitching side. No one saw him going to an SP role. I've probably seen him and written on him more than anyone not part of the Dash or White Sox, and I thought he'd struggle as a starter. But he's done very well.

Recap posted. Story behind important day for Danish.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Apr 28, 2016 -> 09:11 PM) What does everyone make of Zangari's start? Hit his 5th homer tonight, but has 41 K in 96 PA. Should we be happy that an 18-year old has a .216 ISO in A ball or worried that he's striking out like crazy? He and Adolfo are in similar boats. Both have big raw power (Zangari more so), both have aggressive approaches at the plate, both are quite young for their level. So while the K's do worry me, it isn't anything I'd call alarming... yet. I am happy if I see progression through the year. If he flatlines all season like Hawkins did in his first full year, then I get more worried.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Apr 29, 2016 -> 06:42 AM) His walk rate was horrible in the first half of last season at AA before showing improvement. Let's give him another month before we panic, he needs to learn how to hit the junk he's seeing in AAA before he knows what to lay off. This is exactly right. First, anyone who thought he'd get to AAA and suddenly hit .300, I don't know what to tell you. Every indication was that this level would be a challenge, and that he'd likely struggle at first. And that's what we are seeing. Let the guy develop. Second, understand why he was able to hit as well as he did before without walking much or at all. He's got insanely fast hands, excellent barrel control and prime athleticism. Those things can't be taught. But he was not only over-aggressive, he was also going in without a good plan at times, and made poor choices on swing judgment. Those things CAN be taught, though obviously there's no guarantee he learns it. But it's crucial to see that his downfall right now is something repairable. Just adjust your thinking to be 2017 for Anderson, which is what it should have been all along, and you'll feel more comfortable.

Recap posted Frebis had a no-hitter through 6.

Mason Robbins gets the cycle. That's the second Dash hitter to have one in 6 days. Prior to that, the Dash say it was 2,900 days since the last one. QUOTE (southside hitman @ Apr 27, 2016 -> 12:40 PM) I was feeling sheepish because I thought I didn't rank Lassiter but I doubled checked and he's in there lol. Great to see Basto hitting this well. He is only 22 and was taken in the 5th round so he has the pedigree. Where has he been playing defensively? He was drafted as a shortstop, and he was... not good there. I have a funny story about that from sitting at a game next to a scout once. He was then moved to 3B, and wasn't good there either. Then the outfield. Now first base. He's a guy without a defensive home, which is a problem. If he can be competent in the OF at least, he's got some intrigue as a prospect. At first base, not sure there is anything there.

Lassiter another pair of hits. He's still reached base in every game he's played (though one game it was via FC to avoid a DP). He really should move up soon. Basto is hitting the world in A+. Also needs to move up at some point.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Apr 26, 2016 -> 04:21 PM) Anybody that follows prospects: does anyone have any good catching prospects in their system? Doesn't seem like anyone really has more than one halfway decent catcher, prospect or otherwise. I saw that this is a deep draft for catchers. Probably would behoove the Sox to invest in one or two. I am not an expert on other systems, but from what I've seen, catching talent is very hard to come by. And the Sox have some by the way - it's just that all the ones who look like they have at least reasonably possible starter ceilings are in Low A or rookie ball / Ext ST. That means a solid 3 years away, or more, when you are talking about catchers (they rarely move quickly).

Also, this triggered the biggest wave of minor league roster moves I think I've ever seen in one day in-season... C Kevan Smith to the DL C Hector Sanchez to Chicago C Omar Narvaez to Charlotte C Chris O'Dowd to Birmingham C Sean O'Connell to Winston-Salem C Daniel Gonzalez to Kannapolis INF Danny Mendick to Winston-Salem INF Cleuluis Rondon to Kannapolis OF Louis Silverio to Winston-Salem OF Michael Danner released INF Dante Flores to Kannapolis So now, Sox fans, your next catcher up is Omar Narvaez - prospect profile here. He's barely played above A+.

Feel awful for Smith. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 26, 2016 -> 02:45 PM) I have quite literally never heard that phrase before. Dan Hayes ‏@CSNHayes 10m10 minutes ago Kevan Smith goes on DL w/ "sacroiliac joint dysfunction." Was reported he had back spasms in warm ups Mon before was set to make MLB debut. Calling ptatc!

So, here are all the moves today... C Kevan Smith to the DL C Hector Sanchez to Chicago C Omar Narvaez to Charlotte C Chris O'Dowd to Birmingham C Sean O'Connell to Winston-Salem C Daniel Gonzalez to Kannapolis INF Danny Mendick to Winston-Salem INF Cleuluis Rondon to Kannapolis OF Louis Silverio to Winston-Salem OF Michael Danner released INF Dante Flores to Kannapolis C Daniel Gonazalez to Kannapolis Not sure I've ever seen that many in-season moves in one day before. Sadly, this probably means Johan Cruz' injury isn't minor. They wouldn't bother shipping Flores from AZ to NC if Cruz was back in a few days. Also interesting, BHAM now has two catchers that are really minor league backups: Dowdy and O'Dowd. Fun name pairing too. Kinda surprised that, with 4 legit outfield prospects in Kanny, the promotion was the one bench guy (Silverio). I suppose he's replacing Danner, who was their bench guy anyway, so it makes sense.