MnSoxFan

Honel was expected to start, nice to sweep the team, in fact we swept the playoffs didn't we, 5 games in a row.

I agree Majewski is marginal, but I have a gut feeling about him, liked what Chisoxfn said about him. He has a shot.

Burke was called up for his abiltiy to play 3B and 1B too I believe. Rivera is the better prospect, tho both are considered AAAA players.

Laumann was demoted per the article I posted in the initial post in this thread. He wanted to discipline a scout and could not because the scout had contacts with the team in higher places (maybe Fontaine, KW, Monroe or Shaffer would be my guess). So they made Laumann a cross-scout again and have not given him one assignment. Fontaine is minor league coordinator (what KW used to do) and Laumann was scouting director, now Shaffer is scouting director again. He manned the 7 previous drafts before the last 3 that Laumann headed up. I think Laumann has done better.

I just like that Laumann's drafts appear to have provided us with our best everyday players in a long time. We keep hitting them and draft lots and lots of pitchers and we will get our share to pan out. Just need to sign the kids who are unsignable or don't draft em.

and do not lump Sager in this list of injured pitchers, we knew his history and took a big chance on him. I, for one, thought it was worth the chance, it did not turn out. Cannot blame the injuries on the drafting. Every team has em.

Rex says Quintero is the BEST defensive catcher he has seen, Olivo or not. Stewart is a big guy, and not thin either, he looked very tough in Spring Training, sizewise. He only hit .207 in 220 or so ABs in High A ball, but he walked 27 times and only struck out 29. I like that he makes contact.

Yes, I agree, it smells bad. I feel Laumann got hosed. Another pitcher who lost MPH after we drafter him, Wyatt Allen.

Interesting, I would doubt KW leaves the GM role. But one never knows. Ring was moving very quickly, and to give Laumann a bit of support, we concentrated more on hitters than pitchers in his drafts. I just know our last 3 drafts beat the heck out of the prior 7, cept for the two years we had all the extra picks, and even in those years we made big mistakes. Dellaero as a 1st rounder, and that OF who played at Winston Salem for about 4 years from San Diego area who was supposed to be such a great HS hitter. Both of them were wasted.

I would take .250 with 10 homer with the defense Olivo gives. Also would love a backup catcher who can play D even if not hit, maybe that could be Stewart 3 years down the road.

Silly season isn’t very funny for scouting directors by Jim Callis September 1, 2003 CHICAGO—In NASCAR, it’s known as the Silly Season. The origins of the term are murky, but it’s used universally to describe the shuffling of drivers, team personnel and sponsors for the next racing year. Before one season is over, rumors swirl and alliances form for the next. This summer, Silly Season has come to baseball—in particular to scouting directors. It kicked off in July, when the White Sox demoted Doug Laumann to special-assignment scout. They’ve since given him no assignments. Five days later, the Blue Jays promoted Chris Buckley from scouting director to assistant general manager. Buckley, who made the transition from a tools/projection approach to a statistics/polish philosophy when J.P. Ricciardi became Toronto’s general manager, still will be involved with the team’s drafts. Then in August the Angels fired Donny Rowland. Though Anaheim has gone from one of the most barren farm systems to one of the deepest under Rowland’s watch, GM Bill Stoneman said, “It just didn’t work out.” More changes appear imminent. An American League playoff contender was expected to reassign its scouting director shortly after Baseball America went to press. A club in the National League postseason hunt was receiving inquiries about its position, though the team says it’s not open. One of the NL’s most successful directors also may soon be shown the door. Maybe this should be called Open Season. Either way, scouting directors aren’t finding it too funny. Laumann Made Sox Better The White Sox say they made the change with Laumann, which they initially tried to spin as a promotion, for “the betterment of the organization.” Laumann has declined comment, but several other sources say his downfall came when he wanted to discipline one of his crosscheckers. The scout has ties to higher-ranking people in the Sox front office, so Laumann was overruled. When he persisted, he lost his job. It’s impossible to know for sure how good a draft is until five years or so afterward, but that has never stopped us from evaluating them in the short term. And the early returns on Laumann’s 2001-03 efforts look good. His three first-round picks all show great promise. Kris Honel (2001) is the top righthander in the system. Lefty Royce Ring (2002) was the key player in the Roberto Alomar trade with the Mets. Multi-tooled Brian Anderson (2003) hit .388 at Rookie-level Great Falls before a wrist injury ended his summer. He’d be the club’s long-term answer in center field if Laumann’s 2002 second-round pick, Jeremy Reed, wasn’t batting .410 in Double-A in his first full season. The combined total of bonuses for Honel ($1.5 million), Ring ($1.6 million), Reed ($650,000) and Anderson ($1.6 million) comes to $5.35 million—just $50,000 more than they paid for 2000 first-rounder Joe Borchard, who’s regressing as he repeats Triple-A. Laumann’s drafts also produced the main prospects (Anthony Webster, Josh Rupe) in the Carl Everett deal with the Rangers. After Anderson this year, he also scored with second-rounder Ryan Sweeney, an outfielder with first-round talent, and fourth-rounder Robert Valido, who could be the best shortstop in the entire 2003 draft. Granted, Laumann’s scouting staff deserves its share of the credit for all this apparent success. But how does replacing him better the organization?

A bit of a different story with catchers tho, just look at his timings on his throws, better than most Major leaguers. I am not saying he will ever make it, cause he has not hit, but I am enthused over his D. We had a guy named Humberto Quintero last year with same kind of numbers, he just made AA all star team for Padres as Catcher for SL.

CHICAGO—Chris Cron has faced his share of challenges managing at Rookie-level Great Falls. Finding a productive center fielder has not been among them. An organization that has highly regarded prospects Joe Borchard and Jeremy Reed at the two highest levels also has upwardly mobile center fielders in the low minors. Because of injuries, Cron has overseen an intriguing procession of players in center. Brian Anderson, Chicago’s first-round pick this year from Arizona, was set to get the bulk of time there. But after hitting .388-2-13 in 13 games, he was sidelined with a wrist injury that required season-ending surgery. Ricardo Nanita, a speedy native of the Dominican Republic who was drafted in the 14th round out of Florida International, took over for Anderson. He established himself as a major force, setting a Pioneer League record with a 30-game hitting streak, and was batting .384-5-37 in 185 at-bats when he broke his hamate bone swinging the bat. Cron’s next move was to turn the position over to Mike Myers, who had been his regular shortstop. Myers was drafted in the 22nd round by the Mariners out of high school in 1998 but decided to attend Central Florida. That decision looked questionable when he failed to retain the interest of scouts. Myers used up his baseball eligibility and was considering an offer to play wide receiver for Central Florida when the White Sox signed him as a nondrafted free agent following the 2002 draft. Myers, 22, was hitting .288-3-41 in 200 at-bats. He’s an aggressive hitter who crowds the plate and forces the action. He was leading Great Falls with 16 stolen bases and 10 hit by pitches. The White Sox aren’t sure what they’ve got in Myers, but he’s put himself on the radar. “It’s so far away, from Rookie league to the big leagues, but I could see Mike Myers playing a long time in professional baseball,” Cron told the Great Falls Tribune. CHI-LITES • Righthander Brandon McCarthy followed up a successful debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League last year with a strong season for Great Falls. He was 8-3, 3.67 with 91 strikeouts and 12 walks in 81 innings. • Outfielder Mario Valenzuela, out most of the season with a shoulder injury, finally got back into action in mid-August. The Sox have loved Valenzuela’s bat for years, but he has been unable to avoid injury.

Despite Ring’s mindset as closer, future could come as set-up man BY SCOTT LAUBER BINGHAMTON, N.Y.—Royce Ring fancies himself a closer. The lefthander has the swagger, the sideburns that stretch halfway down his cheeks, and the John Rocker-like sprint from the bullpen. He’s even got the song—Metallica’s “Sad But True”—that blares over the public-address system when he seizes the ball. Ring was a closer at San Diego State and last season as a rookie in the White Sox system. And when the Mets got him and two other minor leaguers July 1 in the Roberto Alomar trade, they quickly anointed him their closer of the future. Asked last month what role he imagined himself filling on a big league team, Ring said without hesitation, “I’m a closer.” Case closed. Or is it? John Stearns, Ring’s new manager with Binghamton, gushed after watching the 22-year-old record five outs on 15 pitches in a 10-9 victory over Norwich in his Mets debut. He raved about Ring’s pinpoint control, late-breaking slider and bulldog aggressiveness. But Stearns also said he’s recommending that Ring be allowed to pitch more than just the ninth innings he had thrown for the White Sox’ Double-A Birmingham affiliate. He also suggested that Ring’s big league future may well be as a seventh- and eighth-inning reliever. “Ring might be a set-up guy in the big leagues,” Stearns said. “In baseball right now, we’re breeding these one-inning closers, and I don’t believe in that. I want to stretch this kid out a little bit and let him go two or even three innings.” Scouts who attended Ring’s Binghamton debut agreed. He threw three pitches—eight fastballs, six sliders and one changeup—but his fastball, normally a closer’s most devastating pitch, averaged 89 mph and topped out at 91. Everyone admires Ring’s fearlessness on the mound, but the early review was that he has a closer’s mentality with a set-up man’s stuff. Ring, however, believes in his ability to be a closer at any level, from Double-A to the majors. “My mentality is just max-effort, get in and get out,” said Ring, who had six saves and one win in his first nine Mets appearances. “That’s been my thing ever since college, and it’s worked well for me.” Overcoming Obstacles Life hasn’t gone as smoothly for Ring, whose father died in a motorcycle accident when he was 15 months old. He learned to throw by playing catch with his mother Lori, who said young Royce’s first word was “ball.” He was raised by his mother and paternal grandfather Roger, who died in January 2002. Ring dedicated his junior season at San Diego State to his grandfather and sometimes points a finger skyward after earning a save. Then there was San Diego State coach Jim Dietz, reluctant to recruit Ring because he weighed almost 240 pounds, and Aztecs pitching coach Rusty Filter, who often chewed Ring out for being cocky despite a 6.07 ERA as a freshman. “Life wasn’t easy for him,” said Dietz, who put Ring on a workout program that helped him shed 30 pounds and add six miles an hour to his fastball before his sophomore year. “From an early age, he developed toughness.” After Ring set San Diego State records for saves in a season and career in 2002, the White Sox drafted him 16th overall. He signed for $1.6 million and went 2-0, 3.91 with five saves in two months with Class A Winston-Salem. Trading Places Ring was enjoying an all-star season at Birmingham (2.52 ERA, 19 saves, 44 strikeouts in 36 innings) when the phone rang in his Huntsville, Ala., hotel room one morning. It was Wally Backman, Ring’s manager, with news of the trade. “I just got drafted last year, and you never think you’re going to be traded that fast,” Ring said. “But to be in a trade for a future Hall of Famer (Alomar) is an honor, and it’s nice to go to a team that expects a lot from you.” Ring has been billed as the best prospect in the trade (the Mets also acquired Triple-A reliever Edwin Almonte and Class A infielder Andrew Salvo). Interview requests have been pouring in, but the Mets have tried to limit access to Ring to reduce the glare of the New York spotlight. Interim general manager Jim Duquette has labeled Ring the key to the deal and predicted Ring “has a chance to be our closer from the left side pretty quickly.” Ring backed up that forecast with a 3-0, 1.80 record and seven saves in 20 innings with Binghamton, with 15 strikeouts and eight walks. “(White Sox GM) Kenny Williams was reluctant to give him up,” Duquette said. “As a matter of fact, he told me no on a couple different occasions. But when it looked like Alomar may be going to the Royals, he came back and offered Ring.” Time will tell if the Mets ring in their future with Ring closing their games. Until then, he’ll pitch in Binghamton, sprinting in from the bullpen to Metallica and trying to pitch as confidently as he speaks. Then, Ring’s case will be closed. Scott Lauber covers the Eastern League for the Press & Sun-Bulletin of Binghamton.

• Though Salem catcher Hector Gimenez was crowned the Carolina League’s best defensive catcher by league managers, Winston-Salem’s Chris Stewart had thrown out a sparkling 50 percent of opposing basestealers, tops in the league. Stewart’s home-to-second times are as quick as 1.75 seconds, and he works well with pitchers. “I think his catching and throwing skills are as good as anyone’s on the minor league level,” Winston-Salem manager Razor Shines said. “When Stewart’s catching, the running game on the opposing side is reduced to hit-and-running even with plus runners.”

I remember Rex indicating that Castillo was the one who alerted Sox to Yofu, so maybe he was resigned to return a favor. We needed some arms after those trades, roster fill if you will.

Winston Salem did win 6-3 behind Heath Phillips vs Bryan Bullington (was he the numero uno pick in last years draft?). Now up 2 games to 0.

Nice relief for Ulacia and Fields. Spidale has been hot for the playoffs. INSTON-SALEM AB R H BI AVG LYNCHBURG AB R H BI AVG R.Yan 2B 5 2 1 0 .167 N.McLouth CF 4 1 2 0 .308 M.Spidale CF 4 1 2 1 .538 B.Chaves SS 4 2 1 3 .154 E.Welsh DH 4 3 2 1 .417 J.Keppinger 2B 4 1 0 0 .143 E.Storey 3B 4 0 0 1 .222 W.Young DH 4 0 2 2 .250 C.Rogowski 1B 4 1 0 1 .000 R.Doumit CAT 5 0 0 0 .231 D.Holt LF 4 2 3 3 .333 J.Bautista 3B 3 0 1 0 .625 N.Martel RF 5 0 2 2 .308 J.Cortes LF 5 1 2 0 .250 M.Morse SS 4 0 1 0 .333 Y.De Caster 1B 3 0 0 0 .333 W.Rosa CAT 4 1 1 0 .250 V.Buttler RF 4 1 0 0 .273 R.Purvis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Bradley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Ulacia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Hart PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Pollok PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Sharber PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Hummel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Capps PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Castro PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Owens PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fields PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Waligora PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 38 10 12 9 TOTALS 36 6 8 5 WINSTON-SALEM 4 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0-10 12 1 LYNCHBURG 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0- 6 8 2 E--D.Holt, R.Doumit, Y.De Caster. DP--WINSTON-SALEM 0, LYNCHBURG 0. LOB--WINSTON-SALEM 6, LYNCHBURG 11. 2B--N.Martel (1), M.Morse (1), W.Young (2), J.Bautista (2). HR--E.Welsh (1), D.Holt (1), B.Chaves (1). HBP--W.Young, J.Bautista. SF--C.Rogowski. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WINSTON-SALEM R.Purvis 0.2 3 2 2 2 1 0 27.00 D.Ulacia (W,2-0) 4.1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 D.Pollok 2.0 3 3 2 0 3 1 9.00 R.Hummel 0.0 1 1 1 1 0 0 UDF J.Castro 0.2 0 0 0 2 1 0 0.00 J.Fields (S,3) 1.1 1 0 0 0 4 0 0.00 LYNCHBURG B.Bradley (L,0-1) 1.0 5 6 4 2 0 0 36.00 A.Hart 1.0 3 3 3 1 0 1 27.00 J.Sharber 2.0 2 1 1 0 2 1 4.50 M.Capps 3.0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0.00 H.Owens 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 T.Waligora 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 HB--D.Ulacia 2. WP--R.Purvis, B.Bradley, H.Owens. PB--W.Rosa. SO-- R.Yan, E.Welsh, D.Holt, M.Morse, W.Rosa 3, J.Keppinger, W.Young, R.Doumit 4, J.Cortes 2, Y.De Caster 2, V.Buttler. BB--M.Spidale, E.Welsh, E.Storey, D.Holt, N.McLouth, B.Chaves, J.Keppinger, J.Bautista, Y.De Caster 2. T--3:06. A--2036

Was wondering what his ERA would be without that one outing where he took one for the staff when he had nothing. I remember you telling me that the next morning Rex.

Not a no doubter, but he can play 1B, 3B, and even a little 2B, and he is going to catch fulltime in Fall League, so I think he makes it as a backup. Maybe not next year, but the year after I bet. He seems to be a ballplayer, maybe not most talented, but plays the game right and gets important hits.

McCarthy with nice start too YTD YTD GREAT FALLS AB R H BI AVG BILLINGS AB R H BI AVG A.Gray 2B 5 1 2 3 .288 C.Dickerson CF 5 1 2 2 .244 M.Myers SS 4 1 2 1 .294 L.Bolivar 2B 4 2 2 1 .349 M.Valenzuela LF 4 1 0 0 .368 L.Bolivar SS 0 0 0 0 .349 B.Bounds 1B 4 0 1 1 .321 J.Votto 1B 5 0 1 0 .316 C.Lee DH 4 0 2 1 .299 M.Perez CAT 4 1 2 1 .338 R.Sweeney RF 3 0 0 0 .333 W.Olmstead LF 4 1 2 3 .273 M.Schnurstei 3B 3 1 0 0 .265 B.Himes RF 4 0 2 0 .314 C.Lisk CAT 4 2 1 0 .270 J.Urgelles DH 3 0 0 0 .158 C.Young CF 4 0 1 0 .194 P.Gentry PH 1 1 1 0 .226 B.McCarthy PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Cairns 3B 3 1 2 0 .302 S.Suarez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Hudson SS 2 0 0 0 .170 F.Hernandez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Mosby PH 1 0 0 0 .223 D.Beale 2B 0 0 0 0 .202 D.Hawk PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Escorcha PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Wells PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Shafer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 6 9 6 TOTALS 36 7 14 7 GREAT FALLS 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 1- 6 9 2 BILLINGS 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 5 X- 7 14 2 E--M.Valenzuela, C.Lisk, T.Cairns, W.Hudson. DP--GREAT FALLS 2, BILLINGS 0. LOB--GREAT FALLS 6, BILLINGS 8. 2B--C.Young (3), P.Gentry (14). 3B--C.Dickerson (4). HR--A.Gray (7), W.Olmstead (12). SB--L.Bolivar (12). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA GREAT FALLS B.McCarthy 7.0 9 2 2 2 10 0 3.65 S.Suarez 0.1 3 3 3 0 1 1 18.90 F.Hernandez (L,1-3) 0.2 2 2 2 1 1 0 2.70 BILLINGS D.Hawk 2.1 1 2 1 1 0 1 2.97 O.Escorcha 3.2 5 3 2 2 3 0 2.20 M.Wells (W,1-1) 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 2.03 D.Shafer (S,13) 1.0 2 1 1 1 1 0 3.04 PB--M.Perez. SO--B.Bounds, R.Sweeney 2, M.Schnurstei, C.Lisk, C.Young, C.Dickerson 2, L.Bolivar, J.Votto 3, M.Perez, W.Olmstead, B.Himes, J.Urgelles 2, R.Mosby. BB--M.Myers, M.Valenzuela, R.Sweeney, M.Schnurstei, L.Bolivar, T.Cairns, W.Hudson. T--2:47. A--2997

Honel dominating too. WINSTON-SALEM AB R H BI AVG KINSTON AB R H BI AVG M.Spidale CF 4 1 1 0 .250 I.Ochoa SS 4 0 1 0 .250 N.Martel RF 4 1 1 1 .250 M.Quintana RF 4 0 1 0 .250 B.Becker DH 3 0 0 0 .000 W.Taveras CF 4 0 2 0 .500 E.Welsh 1B 4 0 1 1 .250 J.Cooper DH 4 0 0 0 .000 C.Rogowski 1B 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Dyson LF 4 0 0 0 .000 D.Holt LF 4 0 0 0 .000 R.Choy Foo 3B 3 1 1 0 .333 E.Storey 3B 4 0 1 0 .250 M.Knox 1B 3 0 1 0 .333 M.Morse SS 4 0 0 0 .000 D.Malave PR 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Stewart CAT 2 0 1 0 .500 A.Camacaro CAT 2 0 0 0 .000 R.Yan 2B 3 0 1 0 .333 J.Sherrill PH 1 0 0 0 .000 K.Honel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Torres 2B 3 0 0 0 .000 D.Ulacia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Foley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fields PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Gronkiewic PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 32 2 6 2 TOTALS 32 1 6 0 WINSTON-SALEM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0- 2 6 1 KINSTON 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 1 6 0 E--E.Storey. DP--WINSTON-SALEM 0, KINSTON 0. LOB--WINSTON-SALEM 5, KINSTON 7. 2B--M.Spidale (1), C.Stewart (1). HBP--R.Choy Foo, M.Knox. SH--A.Camacaro. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WINSTON-SALEM K.Honel (W,1-0) 7.0 4 1 0 0 4 0 0.00 D.Ulacia 0.1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 J.Fields (S,1) 1.2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 KINSTON T.Foley 7.2 4 1 1 1 9 0 1.17 L.Gronkiewic (L,0-1) 1.1 2 1 1 1 2 0 6.75 HB--K.Honel, J.Fields. SO--M.Spidale 2, N.Martel, B.Becker 2, E.Welsh 2, D.Holt, E.Storey, M.Morse, R.Yan, I.Ochoa, W.Taveras, J.Cooper, T.Dyson 2, R.Choy Foo, J.Sherrill. BB--B.Becker, C.Stewart. T--2:34. A--809

Talking with Rex earlier, he like Bajeneru, thinks he has a shot.

Rauch, Stewart, Ginter, Sanders, Valentine (I think), McWhirter, Bajeneru, Malone, Ulacia and Curreri also from that draft still with the org. (cept Valentine of course)

Now how did you know I was an old man? :-)