Lillian

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 31, 2014 -> 06:06 AM) Chances are the teams picking ahead make the decision for you. Personally, Rodon would be my top choice, and if the White Sox ever passed on a pitcher because he was too similar to Chris Sale, the person who made that decision, really shouldn't be allowed to make decisions ever again. Yes, I agree. If that guy were "like" Chris Sale, and as good at being Chris Sale as Chris Sale is himself, then yeah, take him. Question is: Is Rodon really going to be anywhere as good as Sale? I don't know. That's the gamble with the Draft, isn't it.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ May 30, 2014 -> 08:00 PM) <!--quoteo(post=2988034:date=May 30, 2014 -> 05:42 PM:name=Lillian)-->QUOTE (Lillian @ May 30, 2014 -> 05:42 PM) <!--quotec-->It would really be nice to have a hard throwing rhp in the rotation to compliment Sale's lefty slider. Rodon is too similar. So, how soon could an 18 year old Kolek be expected to make it to the Majors? Is it completely unrealistic to think 2016, at 20? Dude, I'd love to have a nice right-handed starter to compliment Sale & Quintana, but you are being ridiculous by suggesting passing on Rodon because he's too similar to Sale. Chris could get injured at any point and then this "they're too similar" doesn't even matter. You never pass on the best player available in the MLB draft, especially when you're picking 1-3. If he were clearly the best player in the draft, I would agree. However, that does not appear to be the case, by all of the various mock draft projections. If only it were that simple. I just happen to prefer Kolek, and a little better balance, in respect to "handedness", is something about which I have often expressed my wishes. The only major draw back is that he is just 18, and therefore so far away from being able to contribute. And please, it's not "Dude". it's Lillian, or Ma'am. Thank you.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ May 30, 2014 -> 04:58 PM) Aiken is the one who could possibly move through the system that quickly due to how polished his arsenal/command is. But even for him it's probably very unlikely. Kolek needs a lot more work on his change/command, even the breaking ball(s), so he would ceratinly need more time than that. Also I'd be thrilled to have 2 Chris Sale's atop the Sox rotation. Handedness be damned. Do you think that Rodon could really be as good as Sale? If so, I agree with you. I'll take two.

It would really be nice to have a hard throwing rhp in the rotation to compliment Sale's lefty slider. Rodon is too similar. So, how soon could an 18 year old Kolek be expected to make it to the Majors? Is it completely unrealistic to think 2016, at 20?

QUOTE (oneofthemikes @ May 30, 2014 -> 07:23 AM) He allegedly already has a decent slider that could end up being a plus pitch and a curve that isn't far behind. That's great, but I hope that he doesn't throw too many of those breaking balls. Those are the pitches that lead to elbow problems. The change up is a better off speed pitch than the curve ball, anyway and it doesn't stress the arm.

If they select Kolek, I hope that they just concentrate on helping him develop a great change up. He could probably be successful, and stay healthy, just throwing the heater and a change.

I'm a little confused. Please clarify this concern for young pitchers' injury risk. I always thought that there was a difference between throwing "hard" and having good velocity. It seems as though Kolek doesn't throw as "hard" as some of the other candidates in this upcoming Draft. He simply is able to generate more velocity, primarily due to his natural size and strength, not because he is throwing "harder". I've read that he is able to maintain the speed on his fastball with relative ease. Moreover, don't the breaking balls put more stress on the arm than a properly thrown fastball? Many argue that throwing fastballs and change ups puts less stress on young arms, than trying to get the extra rotation on curves and sliders. He has not had to rely upon breaking pitches, because of his extraordinary ability to throw high velocity fast balls. That all sounds very positive to me. Hawk has always said that "the best pitch is a well located fastball, and the second best pitch is a good change up". You can add that the better the fast ball, the more effective the change up can be. A hitter anticipating a 100 mph. fastball will be starting his swing early. A good deceptive motion is then almost all that is needed to make him commit to a swing. Maybe Kolek's best approach would be to just develop a decent change, and not worry about throwing too many breaking balls. That could greatly reduce his risk of injury.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 11, 2014 -> 08:46 AM) You asking about right handed players is odd. Nola and Beede would likely having the ceiling of a #2. The three possible aces are Aiken, Kolek, and Rodon. You know me. I'm always hoping to establish a little better balance from that perspective. I'm all for taking the best player available, but I just wondered if any of the college right handers were good enough to justify a #3 pick, now that Hoffman and Fedde are going to both have TJ surgery. The Sox apparently were hoping for Hoffman, and I've read several references to the Sox not wanting to draft a high school pitcher, so it seems logical to ask who could provide a similar profile.

Now that Hoffman and Feede are probably out of the question, who among the top collegiate RHP would you rate as having the highest ceiling and highest floor? I assume that your list would include Nola and Beede. If chosen, wouldn't they both be "under slot" for the Sox? Athough not Aces, are either of them potential top of the rotation guys?

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Apr 23, 2014 -> 05:38 AM) I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that most non-Hispanic hitting coaches still find a way to work with their Hispinic players. And a quick google search confirms that Steverson can converse in Spanish. And again, my beef is with the idea that guys like Abreu & Konerko are working on the technical aspects of batting with other players. Is it possible? I guess so, but it seems incredibly unlikely IMO, and quite frankly that's the hitting coach's job. I'm not going to argue that Abreu may serve as a mentor to a guy like Viciedo, but that comes down more to preparation side of things. Viciedo becoming more patient is something Steverson has been pushing and credit should go to them not Abreu. Did you hear Hawk talking about the mentoring going on with Abreu and Viciedo? It was either last night or Friday night. We are probably both right. It appears that Steverson has really gotten through to Viciedo, and Abreu is not only reinforcing the concept of exercising more plate discipline, but he is also providing additional mentoring. Whatever it is, it seems to be working, and is very encouraging.

QUOTE (mmmmmbeeer @ Apr 26, 2014 -> 05:00 PM) Dunn and Alexei should net us something decent but there are serious drawbacks to dealing both. With Dunn, you now have no one to protect Abreu in the order unless Dayan keeps hitting. If teams see Abreu as the only threat in the order, they won't pitch to him....while his obp will increase, I just worry that this could stunt his development. With Alexei, I really sense that the whole Cuban pride deal is pretty strong on this squad and don't think it's any coincidence that 3 of the 4 Cubans are playing head and shoulders above expectations. Do we want to mess with that chemistry this soon? If this is the new Alexei, do we really have anyone that can step in and provide what he does? Semien can't. Of course, I agree with you. As you may know, I take a lot of heat around here, for being so concerned about the "handedness" balance of the roster. However there may be another option. Why not move Dunn, and then sign Kendrys Morales, after the June Draft, when he wouldn't cost a draft pick? Given the need for a LH middle of the order hitter, and the complete absence of anyone in the organization who could be expected to fill that role, it makes sense. If the Sox keep Viciedo in the outfield next year, they could field Viciedo in Left, Eaton in Center and Garcia in Right. Abreu and Morales could alternate between First and DH. Wouldn't you think that Morales would be thrilled to join his fellow Cubans, on a 3 to 5 year deal, even if Scott Boras tried to talk him out of it? That could be fun to watch; the "Chicago/Cuban Connection". I like it.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Apr 25, 2014 -> 03:22 PM) If Rodon hits his ceiling you have two aces. Would you rather have Sale and David Price or Sale and Edwin Jackson (which is what I think Hoffman could be. Great stuff, inconsistent results), just for the sake of handedness? I think that if you read my post again, you will discover that that is not my argument.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Apr 25, 2014 -> 07:04 AM) Danks is signed through 2016 and can only block trades to a few teams annually. His contract status with the club will have no bearing on whether or not we draft a LHP, nor should it. I'd hate to think we'd have passed on Sale at the time if we'd had four LH starting pitchers - and we wouldn't have - because to do so would have been asinine. Yes, of course it makes sense to take the best player available. However, is the choice really so clear, in this case? Moreover, there are other circumstances, such as Rodon having another year of college eligibility, having Boros for an agent, and wanting first pick bonus money, even if he is picked lower in the draft. If he were clearly the "best player available", I would agree that the Sox should take him, providing he would sign. But it's not that simple and not that clear, in this case. While the philosophy of picking the best player is a sound one, doesn't it also make sense to consider the needs of the organization, when there is no clear consensus regarding who is the "best player". Regarding my seeming "obsession" with "handedness"; I've never really been completely convinced of the whole notion of advantages and disadvantages of from which side of the plate, or the mound, a player plays. However, isn't it pretty much conventional wisdom that it does matter?

I agree entirely with Caulfield regarding the issue of another LH Starter. Sale, Quintana and Danks are now all locked up, and young enough to be around for the next Sox Post Season run. Moreover, the roster is not likely to produce a RH top of the rotation guy. The last thing this team needs is another LH Starter. This team is being built "backwards"; too many RH hitters and too many LH Starters. How the front office ever got to this point of not having a single impact left handed hitter, and the top 3 starters all being southpaws, is simply baffling.

You're right. I just read this: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...ws&c_id=cws

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Apr 23, 2014 -> 04:58 AM) Perhaps our new hitting coach has been coaching them? I seriously doubt Abreu has offered much technical advice to either player. Yes, but isn't interesting that the two players with the most impressive start are Abreu's fellow Cubans? Alexei hitting for average and power in APRIL!! Viciedo hitting for average, and drawing walks. Are these the same two guys? If Steverson were the difference, interesting that he should be getting through to the two guys who barely speak English.

Could Alexei and Viciedo be trying to emulate Abreu? Or, maybe he has even been "coaching" them a little. Neither of them has had a start like this season's first month. Where would the Sox be without the Cubans?

QUOTE (glangon @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 06:26 AM) Paulino is rotten, worse than Axelrod was. Speaking of Axelrod; there is your 5Th starter. He's a serviceable RHP, and can eat some innings, thus saving the pen. On occasion, he can throw a pretty decent game, and isn't horrible the rest of the time. I can't imagine the Sox adding yet one more left handed starter to the rotation. They desperately need a RHP. Thank goodness Johnson showed such significant improvement in his last start, after some adjustments he made.

To be playing and excelling at that level, at his age, is impressive. It's interesting that through the first 10 games, he has all of the Dash's homers. Huge improvement over last season.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Apr 11, 2014 -> 09:43 AM) I'm expecting my greatest Sox entertainment to be watching him hit, and comparing his stats to M. Cabrera. If he can become the premier hitter in the A. L., that would make the season worthwhile, even if this team doesn't make it to the post season. That prospect might have seemed preposterous before the season began, but he is proving to be the real deal. Remember the scouts concerns about his bat speed? Now everyone is raving about his bat speed. Anyone who can hit the way he did in Cuba, or at any professional level of baseball, for that matter, should be regarded as an extraordinary talent. It could be a lot of fun. Just to somewhat contradict what I wrote above, regarding dominance at any level: In almost any place but Cuba, a player as dominant as Abreu was, would have been promoted to a higher level. However, since the players in the Cuban Leagues have nowhere that they can go, they stay at the same level beyond the point that they have demonstrated their ability. Nevertheless, as we all know, his numbers there were unreal.

I'm expecting my greatest Sox entertainment to be watching him hit, and comparing his stats to M. Cabrera. If he can become the premier hitter in the A. L., that would make the season worthwhile, even if this team doesn't make it to the post season. That prospect might have seemed preposterous before the season began, but he is proving to be the real deal. Remember the scouts concerns about his bat speed? Now everyone is raving about his bat speed. Anyone who can hit the way he did in Cuba, or at any professional level of baseball, for that matter, should be regarded as an extraordinary talent. It could be a lot of fun.

And to think that he was expected to be the center fielder, until Eaton was acquired. He has looked pretty lost and not very graceful in the outfield. He may have speed, but he doesn't seem to utilize it very well.

Thank you for starting this thread. A lack of a middle of the order left handed bat continues to be the most glaring flaw in the Sox organization. There isn't a single candidate at either the Major League, or Minor League level, who could realistically be expected to contribute any time soon. It's a shame that there probably isn't even a candidate to fill this void, in the upcoming Amateur Draft, and that's picking third, with likely all of the position players, from whom to choose!!

QUOTE (oneofthemikes @ Mar 29, 2014 -> 08:21 AM) I really don't think so. They have been so good at developing pitchers lately and so miserable at developing anyone who can actually hit, that I can't see them using the pick on anything other than an arm. At this point I'm just hoping they grab one of Rodon, Beede, or Aiken. Those are the 3 guys that I'm watching and even if Rodon falls that far I don't think he'll take less than 1-1 money, so Beede and Aiken it is! That's a pretty serious indictment of their coaching ineptitude. Perhaps the organization ought to start by finding some people who can develop hitters. They can't build a farm system if they can't do that. I'd certainly hope that they would not pass on an exceptional hitting prospect, because they lack the confidence in their own people to develop him.

This alleged "deep draft" doesn't appear to contain a true potential "Ace" pitcher, at least not from the early season performances. It had seemed that the Sox would have almost a guarantee to get a great pitcher, drafting third. I was hoping for a right handed, top of the rotation arm, to compliment Sale. The way it's been going, I'm not sure that any of these pitchers are worthy of a #1. Now that Rodon has come back to the pack, Kolek and Aiken seem like the only ones with true Ace potential, and the Sox don't appear to be inclined to draft a high school arm. If the top two picks are pitchers, and the Sox are left to select the best of the remaining arms, might they be better off going with the best position player in this year's draft?