Lillian

QUOTE (GreenSox @ May 5, 2015 -> 11:06 PM) One would think. Can't be any worse against right handers batting from the right side, could he? If all he had was those RHH numbers, he'd be a top 10 prospect. I wondered the same thing last year, until someone pointed out that he had just begun switch hitting. Given that he just turned 21, they probably want to give the experiment more time. Perhaps he could ultimately bat left handed in select situations, rather than against all RH pitchers. I really like this guy, and suspect that he may become the everyday SS, one day. Scouting reports rave about his defense.

It appears as though 'Chitownsportsfan' isn't getting much credit for sound analysis here. I never understand some of the petty, pejorative remarks from bloggers on the Net, which is a whole other subject. Allow me to just say that while I can see merit in both sides of this argument, I don't think that 'Chitownsportsfan' is getting his fair due here. He seems to make some pretty valid points. I especially agree that a young player should get additional 'points' for performing well at a younger age. Baseball is a game of high skills, which take time to develop. The younger a player is, when he can master those skills, the more it should suggest that the probability of his success is very high. I think the difference is in the evaluation of raw tools, such as power or speed, vs baseball skills and acumen. A player may be the fastest, or most powerful man on earth, but if he can't master the skill of playing the game, those tools will be of little value. On the other hand, a player who is skilled at the game, with much less raw strength and speed, can be the better player. The sooner that he exhibits those skills, the better it bodes for his future. There are a lot of guys who have been very good players, who make us scratch our heads with incredulity over how they do it. Nevertheless, they seem to know how to master the skills of the game. A guy like Dustin Pedroia would never be singled out in a crowd, as a professional athlete, but we've all seen what he can do. Of course, when you get a guy with the raw tools, who can master the skills, you have a super star. At this point, I think that Sanchez is one of those highly skilled players, with limited raw tools. Johnson is the guy with the plus, plus speed and raw athletic ability, who may or may not ever become a really good baseball player. If I want to win now, I go with the guy who is further along in the process of mastering the skills. If I'm playing for the future, I might gamble on the guy with the better tools. That's just my perspective.

Regardless of what we think, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the front office is contemplating this exact.move, and maybe even making these same arguments. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do, and how long they wait to make the decision.

As I said; Sanchez is not going to be the savior. The point is that there should be an open competition for that job, and Carlos has done all he can to win it. Of course, one of the two is going to be disappointed. That's tough. Get over it. Micah can spend some time in AAA, where he has not yet had a full season, and reward Carlos for his outstanding effort. It shouldn't be that hard for Micah to appreciate that his teammate has earned a shot. Here is another thing to consider. Johnson's role is to bat 9TH and try to get on and steal some bases. He isn't getting on base often enough to be the difference maker, that he will hopefully become. Sanchez can play a much important role, right now, as the number 2 hitter, where he has been most of the time. There, his switch hitting, offensive production can have more of an impact, by getting on base for the heart of the order. He has demonstrated his ability to put the bat on the ball, from both sides of the plate. And, to reiterate, it would afford the Sox an opportunity to try to get more run production out of Melky. That is something that they sorely need. Shoring up the defense is yet another plus that they gain with Carlos at second.

How do they not call up Sanchez? The offense is under performing so badly, and they have a guy at AAA who is leading the League. You have to bring him up. It sends all the wrong messages, if they don't. It tells your Minor Leaguers that they aren't getting called up, no matter how well they perform. It tells your Big League Roster that they will have job, no matter how badly they play and it tells the fans that the management either doesn't care, or doesn't know what it's doing, or both. I'm not saying that Sanchez is going to be their savior, but that he has earned a chance to be the starter at second base. Micah has done little to demonstrate that he is ready, and Carlos has been on fire since Spring Training. Moreover, his defense could go a long way toward making this team look more like a Major League team, in the field. I still think Sanchez should be in the #2 hole, and move Melky down in the order, where he can drive in some runs.

Do most of you gentleman really think that the front office did such a terrible job, this past off season? I thought that most of the analysts felt that the Sox had made real significant strides, to improve the team. Most of the posters on this forum seemed to like the moves, as well. I myself, was pretty enthused, coming in to the season. The only move that I haven't really been happy with was the La Roche signing. The rest of the moves looked good at the time, and I'm still confident that the new players will significantly contribute. The problem is that this start is going to be very difficult to overcome. The other thing about which I'm a little confused is all of the criticism of Avi Garcia. He has been touted as a potential 5 tool player, and he's really been the best hitter the Sox have had, so far this season. I like his approach, at the plate, and suspect that his natural power will eventually emerge. In the meantime, he's squaring up a lot of pitches, and using the whole field. He's hitting .328 vs. RHP and .400 vs. LHP. He'll almost certainly start driving in more runs, when the guys in front of him start hitting. I just think that he is one of the bright spots, rather than one of our problems.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ May 4, 2015 -> 01:16 PM) Micah or Sanchez is a symbol for everything that is wrong with how this org develops position players. They value athletes over ball players. They value some nebulous thing like "speed" over repeatable, real skills like above average defense up the middle, they rush guys before they've even proven they can tear it up in the upper minors. They talk out of both sides of their mouth. According to Buddy Bell the gap between AAA and MLB has never been higher. So what do they do with Micah? We'll just skip a full season in AAA! We'll hire Vince Coleman and just skip the natural maturation process that happens and try and have him learn how to read pitchers at the MLB level! Micah is currently below replacement in fWAR so yea, he's not part of the solution. I keep bringing him up because on a team that is awful defensively they decided to keep arguably their best defensive infielder on AAA. Ramirez is looking pretty toasty as well. I guess their scouts just missed that or assumed he could play SS until he turns 40. And what else, they sign La Roche and talk about letting him play 1st base 2-3 times a week? How often is he playing 1B? Once a week? They talk about getting better defensively but then you look at their decisions and you realize it's all hot air. If you want to talk about "calling me out" go ahead but I have articulated my position on Sanchez and Micah over and over and over again on this forum. You're free to go through my post history. So far, pretty much every single thing I predicted has come to pass with the two. Micah is struggling, making little to no impact, and the defense has been bottom 5 in MLB. Meanwhile, Sanchez proved in the spring and so far in AAA that he's MLB ready. It's hard to argue with anything you stated here.

The question is: Do the Sox believe?

Well, I'm sure not going to b**** about his article. After all, I just posted the same points myself, the last couple of days. The one thing he didn't say is that the La Roche signing was a bad idea. Other than that, he's probably right. This team is way better than either their record, or most of the individual performances. However, they are not good enough to recover from this hole. That's the point that we all need to understand. I hope they fix the problems and have a 2 or 3 year run, starting next year.

As I stated in the thread entitled "Who can the Sox acquire," this team is not in need of a total rebuild. Moreover, the front office would be too worried about the fan reaction, if they did. It wouldn't even be too late for them to get back into the race, if they were a really good team. Unfortunately, while most of this team is pretty solid and well balanced, there are some serious flaws. The hole which they have dug themselves into, is too deep, from which this team is probably capable of digging themselves out. If they had all of the pieces, one might have confidence in their ability to overcome this horrendous start. However, they simply don't. The team is flawed, not enough to merit a total rebuild, but enough to keep them from going 80 and 60, the rest of the way. That would get them to the 88 wins, which will most likely be required to win at least a Wild Card spot, in the playoffs. So, the question is: Who can they trade, to set them up better for 2016? My original post, in the other thread, was to trade Samardzija, and most of you seem to agree. I also stated that they really need to try to dump La Roche's salary, and look for a better option for next year. The more I think about that, the more convinced I am that it should be a high priority. He is the same hitter that Dunn was, in his worst seasons with the Sox. He's a strikeout machine, and completely incapable of doing anything against LH pitching. It might not be so hard to accept, if he weren't the clean up hitter.

Note that I said the purpose of talking to him was to "not burn any bridges and to keep open the possibility of bringing him back", as a free agent. I didn't say that they should necessarily do so. In fact, unless the contract were reasonable, I'd be opposed to it. He is not an Ace, as many of you have suggested. To the point about getting compensation; I understood that once he were traded, none of that would be relevant to the Sox. In fact, if they don't plan on making a qualifying offer, at the end of the season, that is even more reason to trade him, and get something back.

QUOTE (spiderman @ May 3, 2015 -> 05:13 PM) His situation is interesting. If the White Sox move him early, they can get more for him since a contending team can get 6-8 more starts from him. If they think (or cling) to a hope that they can go on an extended hot streak, and/or believe they can resign him in the off-season, he can walk with no return and/or a lesser return. Obviously, he appears to be the barometer to what Hahn is thinking. Why couldn't they sit Jeff down and explain the predicament, in which they find themselves. Tell him they would love to sign him long term, but that they understand that he wants to test free agency. Candidly admit that their chances for competing for a play off spot this year are fading fast, and that they have a flawed offense, which they will try to fix, in the off season. Suggest to him that he would have a better shot at winning, if they can find a suitable trade partner, for the rest of this season, and that they hope to fill one of the few remaining holes, through the trade. After the season, they would like to discuss his signing a long term contract with them. The benefit of that candor would be that they wouldn't burn any bridges, and keep open the possibility of bringing him back. They could arguably be well advised to consider trading him sooner, rather than later, as you suggest.

Woah!! Let's not throw in the towel on this entire team. While I am very pessimistic about their chances for this year, I love the core going forward. Next year could be very good, with a little tweaking. Everyone whom they want back, will be there, except Samardzija, and I've already expressed my thoughts on what to do with him. The bullpen appears to be fixed, the lineup is greatly improved, although the results haven't shown it, thus far, and by next season Rodon should be a force. There is some hope that the Sox may have a more impactful centerfielder soon, as Thompson seems to have turned the corner. Meanwhile, May is coming along, and not too far behind him. This is the year to develop Garcia, Johnson, and or Sanchez and Rodon. If they all mature into solid contributors, they could be key to the long term success of this team. I still feel that signing La Roche was a mistake, and I hope they can find a taker, just to clear salary and room for an upgrade, next year. To me, the big question is going to be SS. Is Ramirez worth bringing back, by exercising the contract option, or will Anderson be ready? Next year's rotation could be Sale, Rodon, Quintana, Montas and Johnson. That would eliminate the need to pay the big contract, for which Samardzija will surely be looking. In any case, this team, while off to a season killing start, is not bad enough, or old enough, to completely tear down.

And Thompson keeps hitting. 3 for 3 today. It's a lot more fun following these Minor Leaguers than the Sox.

Sanchez another double. Now 2 for 4.

Once Jeff is in demand, after getting on track, and a starter for a contender hits the DL, they can't afford to waste such a good trade asset. Barring a miracle, after today, the Sox will have to go 80 and 60 the rest of the way. The odds are not good on that. Next year, they have got to have all the pieces in place. Use Jeff to acquire 1 or 2 of them. If Jeff would be the final piece, sign him in the off season.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ May 3, 2015 -> 10:07 AM) Trade Samardzija now after his value has dropped due to a horrible start to the season? Same with LA Roche? Didn't we learn anything from the Swisher fiasco? Your point is well taken. OK, wait until he proves he's himself, re-establishes his trade value, and then trade him.

Very funny, "Jordan4life". But seriously, what is the point of keeping Jeff? This team isn't going anywhere, and he will be a FA.

Why not trade Samardzija? He could net quite a haul, and this team is not going anywhere, even with him. If they really want to spend the money on a long term deal for him, they can always sign him in the off season. I'd like to see if some team would give up a good young, potential left handed power hitter. But then, you probably all guessed that.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 3, 2015 -> 07:58 AM) Welcome to Dan Black/Miguel Montero as your DH. Since Wilkins and Viciedo are already gone. I'm less concerned about who takes his place this season than I am about clearing his salary off the books, so that Hahn can sign someone else, this off season. They sure as hell better not head into 2016 with La Roche as the clean up hitter.

I'd settle for a salary dump with La Roche, wouldn't you? If he's not off the books, how can the Sox pursue someone to take his place, for next year?

One of the biggest problems with this offense is Adam La Roche. You all know how important I thought it was to have a left handed power bat, sandwiched between Abreu and Garcia. La Roche is likely not going to be the answer. It's interesting to note that he is exactly the same age as Dunn, and that Adam has already retired. At least when Dunn joined the Sox he was, 4 years younger than La Roche, coming off a pretty decent year; 36 doubles, 38 homers and 103 RBI's. La Roche has already declined significantly, the last 2 years, vs. LHP. He now looks like he doesn't hit RHP too well either. He leads the League in strike outs; an incredible 30 in 74 at bats!! He should never start against a lefty, and he probably isn't good enough to fill that slot between Abreu and Garcia. Let's face it; he was a poor choice. Let's just hope that he is the last left handed DH/first baseman, from the Nats, named Adam, whom the Sox ever sign. If someone wants him, he is the first guy that I would like to see gone, in the "fire sale", which may have to occur. I'd bat Melky in his spot vs. RHP, and give the DH role to whomever. I'm already looking ahead to 2016, and I hope that in the off season, Hahn can finally find that left handed, power bat, they need.

9 consecutive hits, including 3 doubles and 2 homers!! What the hell is he on?

I've been touting Sanchez, as a better option right now than Micah. Bring him back up. Put him in the 2 hole, and move Melky into the heart of the order, where he can be a run producer. Maybe he can help jump start our pathetic offense.

While it may be too early to become sellers, themselves, it's certainly makes little sense for the Sox to be buyers.