Lillian

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 2, 2011 -> 01:50 PM) You tell me... How many guys toil in the minors until they are 31 and then become starters at the major league level in some productive capacity? I wouldn't describe his effort as "toiling" in the minors. He dominated during his time there. The explanation for why he has not had more time in the Majors is quite simple. He has had one hip and two back surgeries. It's reasonable to question his health, which I do as well. However, is it really fair to say that he has already demonstrated that he can't play in the Majors?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 2, 2011 -> 11:46 AM) Oh course, McPherson proved he cant do it at the major league level, which is more of an indicator of what his contribution could be to the team. His minor league numbers are useless at this point since he's a know quantity at the MLB level. Is that really fair? He's only had 371 Major League at bats, all but 11 of those were before he turned 26. Don't you think that it's a little premature to judge his ability to play at the Big League level? Ted Williams used to say that it takes about 1,000 at bats for most guys to figure it out at the Major League level. What better source of wisdom on the subject can you consult than Ted Williams?

Neither Mark Teahen nor Brent Morel have ever posted offensive numbers, at any level of professional baseball, comparable to McPherson's 5 year stats at AAA. Therefore, the questions we should be asking are; Is he healthy? And can he translate those numbers at the Big League level? His injuries are the obvious explanation for why he has not yet had the opportunity to perform at the Major League level. Again, for me, he is a better option than Teahen. If the Sox decide to go with the defense, then Morel is the frontrunner. In any case, I think that it's an open competition at 3rd base. We'll just have to wait and see how Spring Training goes, and then how these guys perform once the season starts. I'll say this; if McPherson starts the season at AAA, I will be surprised if he is not the best hitter on the Knights, by far.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Mar 2, 2011 -> 08:34 AM) Potential and Dallas McPherson? ?????? Would you please elaborate?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 2, 2011 -> 08:06 AM) One very simple question answers your question. Where would he play? Well, with the condition that he were healthy, and adequate defensively, third base. That would give the Sox one more big left handed bat, which they still lack, with Dunn providing the only real left handed threat. They're much better balanced in that regard than they were last year, but they are still very heavily weighted with right handed hitting. If they are still considering Teahen as a third base candidate, then why shouldn't they consider McPherson. He is probably better defensively, and has much more potential offensively than Teahen. If they simply want to go with the best defense at third, then Morel is the obvious choice. Vizquel should be a late inning defensive replacement, and their first option as backup at 3rd, SS and 2nd. I love Omar, but at 44, it just isn't realistic to expect him to be much more than that.

I've been very intrigued by the acquisition of Dallas McPherson, ever since his signing was announced. This guy was a "can't miss" prospect in the Angel's organization, before he hurt his back. Now seemingly healthy, after a couple of surgeries, it may not be too late for him to realize some of his potential. He dominated the minor leagues, with a homer every 12 at bats in 1,287 at bats in AAA, over his last 5 minor league seasons. His OPS was .966 over that time. Moreover, he didn't do that badly in his very limited Major League playing time. I understand that the Sox already have a bit of a log jam at 3rd base with Morel, Teahen and Vizquel, but if McPherson can stay healthy, he could be a major contributor from the left side, in the middle of the lineup. Does anyone have any real insight into his health? How is he defensively, when healthy?

He has been dominant vs. LH hitters in 5 of the last 6 seasons. He should be a big improvement over Williams as the LOOGY.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 03:41 PM) Nobody likes a snitch. All Oney would have had to do (if he HAD to say something) was point out that Bobby performed poorly and was given a greater opportunity than he'll likely find elsewhere at that same level of performance. Bobby Jenks was Doug Jones-ish last year. But instead of making it about baseball he made it about Bobby's personal life, crossing a line that hopefully will lead to JR sitting Ozzie down and telling him to reign in his POS kid or else. I'm not defending Oney, but I can appreciate how Jenks' comments would anger everyone in the organization.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 11:29 AM) I think you have to add in more of the full picture before you can compare Jenks to Hamilton. Let's hypothetically say that Hamilton had fallen off the wagon fully in 2009 (when he had that first few drinks and was wandering around asking if anyone has some coke, by his own description). Then, the Rangers cover for him. They continue investing money in him, continue giving him shots, don't bench him even while he's struggling, and finally let him go when his contract ends. They never say anything publicly about anything. Then, Hamilton comes out and criticizes the team for not giving him enough playing time. After all the covering for him that the team had done. You really would keep your mouth shut? If you were another player on that team, would you respect the team more if they continued to keep their mouth shut or if they stepped up and defended themselves? I'd find it much more pathetic if the team kept its mouth shut. You have focused the issue on the key point. No one disclosed any of Jenks' personal problems before. This recent disclosure is a response to Jenks' criticism of management for not having confidence in him. I think that you are absolutely right about how the other players would feel. Many of them may be as miffed at Jenks as Ozzie and Kenny probably are. Jenks is being an ingrate, and deserves to be called out. He let his team down by his off field behaviour, and has a lot of "chutzpah" to criticise the organization publically, after they covered for him for so long.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 09:47 PM) There is now absolutely no need for KW or Guillen to say anything else negative about Jenks. They can legitimately take the high road and distance themselves from Oney's comments, and it doesn't matter because the message and some vague, 140 character summary of the facts are already out there. KW and Ozzie should chime in by decrying Oney's statements. All that would do is put more emphasis on them. That makes sense. Should we conclude that K. W., Ozzie, and perhaps even J. R., are privately condoning Oney's remarks, even if, as you suggest, we are likely to hear public protestations to the contrary?

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 09:07 AM) The Vikings PBP guy and morning guy on KFAN in Minny loved the moved for the Sox and thinks Crain will be the closer. I doubt that he will close, except in situations where the hitters due up in the 9th are all right handed. It would be nice if he could be an effective closer though, as then Sale could be in the rotation. It wouldn't make any sense to make Sale the second best southpaw out of the pen, behind Thornton.

We shouldn't forget that the Metrodome had a lot to do with their prior dominance. Thankfully, at least the Sox don't have to contend with that obstacle anymore. I guess another possibility is to just compile such a better record than theirs, against every other team we play, so that even if they have a dominant record versus the Sox, they still can't catch us. At least we know that we wouldn't have to face them in the post season, if we can get there. No one has mentioned any player that has had an especially successful career vs the Twins, whom the Sox might try to acquire. Maybe they need to create a new position; "Designated Player vs. Twins". If the Sox do acquire another starting pitcher, I hope that he's really good against them. Then they should make sure that he gets a start in every series with Minnesota.

Thank you both for the great insight. That was exactly the kind of information which I was seeking. I did see somewhere that he is trying to acquire a good splitter. That's a much less stressful pitch than the slider, and very effective, isn't it?

Acquiring the Sox killing reliever, Jesse Crain, got me thinking about what else the Sox could do to improve their chances in head to head competition with the Twins. After all, the White Sox had a better record against the rest of the league than the Twins did last year, and no one did much better in inter league play than the Pale Hose did. It was the complete dominance of the Twins over the Sox that kept Chicago out of the post season. So, with that in mind, are there any additional, realistic moves that could still be made that might up the odds versus our division rival, or should I say 'nemesis'? To begin with, many would suggest that a big part of the problem is psychological. Perhaps Kenny needs to make his next signing a good, reliable, "shrink". But beyond Crain, and a good psychiatrist, what else would you recommend? Adding a player of Dunn's caliber should help in general, but we really have no idea how he will do against the Twins. Perhaps they should target a player or two with a history of playing especially well against Minnesota. None of our existing starting pitchers have done very well against the Twins in their careers. Even our good pitchers, in good years, haven't had much success. You would think that southpaws would have had the best success, with all of the Twin's left handed hitting, but neither Danks nor Buehrle has fared particularly well. Some of you will appreciate this little stat. Guess who was one of our very best hitters last year against the Twins. None other than my 'favorite' player; Juan Pierre!! He hit .333 with an OBP of .388. How about that? Put 'em in the middle of the order, whenever we face the Twins. Oh, and then you could bench him the rest of season, and use him as a pinch runner. Seriously though, any thoughts?

In reading the blogs, and articles on the Crain signing, there doesn't seem to be anything that addresses what accounted for Crain's second half season performance last year? Did he acquire a new pitch? Did he change his approach? From June to September, he faced 132 hitters and allowed just just 2 extra base hits, 1 double and 1 triple. That's pretty remarkable. Was his dominance a fluke, or can we reasonably expect him to continue to perform anywhere near that level? Of course, he will no longer be able to pad his stats versus the White Sox. I wonder if Konerko, A. J. and others were consulted before Kenny "pulled the trigger" on this signing. In that he seems to be equally effective vs left handed hitters, he could be a good candidate to close. Thornton and Sale could close in special situations, such as vs. the Twins when the scheduled hitters in the 9th inning are the big left handed bats in the middle of their order. The organization has already hinted that might be their thinking. Has anyone seen an explanation for why he improved so much during June to September?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 06:19 AM) There's no way Philadelphia would make that trade. I can imagine they do like Carlos Quentin, but probably more as a replacement for Raul Ibanez. If you want to include another player to get Dominic Brown, you are pretty much limited to Chris Sale and any other minor leaguers the Phillies may want. Carlos Quentin and Sale is too much to give for Brown. Wouldn't K.W. be crazy to even consider that?

Thank you, "Whitesoxfan", for your thoughtful and well reasoned response. I understand that the Phillies love Brown. Why wouldn't they? However, they reportedly also like Quentin. They really need a right handed power hitting outfielder, who is ready to contribute this year. I think that if you include one other piece, the Phillies just might go for the deal I proposed. Quentin could realistically be expected to hit 30 to 35 homers, and drive in 80 to 100 runs. I doubt that the Phillies expect Brown to do that, at this stage of his career. So are you saying that you wouldn't like the trade of Quentin + another player for Blanton and Brown? Or, are you saying that the Phillies wouldn't make the trade?

Those who argue that we shouldn't trade any pitching have a very strong point. One area that the Sox could still improve, other than the bullpen, is left handed hitting. Our division is very heavily weighted with RHP. Unfortunately, our lineup is still heavily weighted with RH hitting. Quentin to the Yankees or Phillies, for a good left handed hitting outfielder would work for me. I still like the idea of Dominic Brown and Blanton for Quentin and someone who will not be counted on to contribute this year. The Phillies are obviously going for it with all of that terrific, expensive pitching. They still need a solid right handed hitting outfielder to replace Werth, and they need to dump Blanton's salary. We could use Blanton to fill out the rotation if we can find a taker for Floyd, or one of the other aforementioned starters. My question is whether Brown is really ready to contribute. Granderson is interesting, although you would hope that the Sox would get another piece in a Granderson for Quentin trade, especially given his salary. Not only is Brown, or Granderson a good fit, because they both hit from the left side, but they're also both plus defenders, and improving the outfield defense should be another priority. If the Sox could do the Blanton and Brown for Quentin + trade, then I like the idea of dealing Buerhle to the Yankees for Granderson. Blanton almost makes up for the loss of Buerhle, except for all of the intangibles that Buerhle brings. However, the salary relief probably offsets that. The Yankees need the pitching, and money never seems to matter much to them. The "fly in the ointment" here is that Mark would probably veto any trade to the Yankees. But I would sure love that outfield of Brown, Granderson and Rios, wouldn't you? Speed, defense, 2 out of 3 left handed hitters. Oh gosh, I forgot. Where would Juan play? Oh, how sad. Hey, the formula of stacking the lineup with left handed bats seems to work pretty well for the Twins. Let's face it, other than Dunn, the Sox don't have any dangerous left handed hitters. Moreover, there aren't any in our farm system who could contribute any time soon, with the possible exception of the newly acquired Dallas McPherson. However, who knows if he'll ever be healthy enough to have an impact.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 14, 2010 -> 07:06 AM) I like your proposal. But I follow the Phillies quite extensively and from everything I've heard/read, Dominic Brown is essentially their Jason Heyward. The Phillies have been trading prospects at a furious pace the last few years. But Brown is still there. They wouldn't even include him in any package for Halladay. No way in hell they're trading him for CQ (though I'm sure they'd love to shed Blanton's salary). As far as MB to the Yankees, I don't see a match there. Granderson is notoriously worthless against LHP and is owed over $18 million the next two years. They're probably already regretting that trade. Gardner is one of the few quality, cost-controlled players they have. I doubt they would part for with him in any deal for Buehrle. Thanks for the response. Moreover, I just realized that the Yankees don't really have another outfielder to replace anyone currently in their outfield. I thought that Thames was still there, but it looks like it will be Granderson, Gardner and Swisher, with no one else really ready to help.

I think that these trade ideas have to be based upon a mutual need, and desire on the part of both teams. With that in mind, how about this idea floated by a poster on WSI?: Joe Blanton and his 2 yr. $ 17 mil. contract and Domomnic Brown for Carlos Quentin? The Phillies might actually go for that deal. They're looking for a Right handed power hitting outfielder, to replace Werth, and they want to dump Blanton's salary. However, which pitcher then gets traded, and for what? Now the Buerhle to the Yankees idea makes more sense. But maybe we take Granderson instead of Gardner. Granderson helps make up the loss of Quentin, better than Gardner would. Moreover, the Yankees would be much more likely to trade him than Gardner. Your outfield is Dominic Brown in LF, Granderson in CF, and Rios in RF. That is a great defensive outfield. Vs. LHP you could sit Granderson, put Viciedo in LF, Rios in CF and Brown in RF The savings on Quentin and Buerhle would pay for Granderson, Blanton and Brown, and leave a little money left over this year for a reliever or two.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 13, 2010 -> 05:28 PM) No, I'd call his performance adequate. I'd call Carlos's disappointing, because I was hoping/expecting a ton more. Yes, I think that expresses my sentiment exactly. I continue to hope and expect "a ton more" from Quentin, who is five years younger than Pierre. Contrastly, I would expect Juan to be in decline as a result of losing a step with age, and his dependence upon speed. It's hard to imagine that he would do any better than his last seasons performance.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 13, 2010 -> 03:13 PM) Again we go through this. OBP the last 2 years: Carlos Quentin: .323, .342. Career number; .347. Juan Pierre: .365, .341. Career number; .347. I don't really care about RBI's since those are a product of whether or not people are on base. There's a monstrous slugging difference between the two, and the 2008 version of Carlos Quentin had a massive OBP, but that version hasn't shown up any other year. Right now, there's no good reason to assume that Carlos Quentin will give you a better OBP than Juan Pierre. If you want to rip pierre, at least get the stats right. Yes, if you look at the last two years, you're right. However, he only played part time in '09, and if you go back to the 4 years prior to that, you get a completely different set of numbers. Playing pretty much full time, Pierre's OBP was consistently around .327. Watching him last year, I would guess that .327 is more like what we should expect next year. He had one insanely good month that brought his totals way up, but can you honestly say that you were favorably impressed the rest of the season? Quentin admittedly had a pretty bad year, and was hobbled with the plantar faciitis in '09, but we've seen what he is capable of doing, and I prefer that presence and potential. In any case, I didn't want to rehash any of this stuff. I was merely voicing my agreement with "Kenny Hates Pros".

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 13, 2010 -> 02:55 PM) If we get a legit RF who can hit a bit then I don't even care. Believe me, I LOVE prototypical lead-off men, I really really do. But Pierre is NOT that. Of course in the real world the Sox would move Carlos if the choice were him or Pierre because that's the type of s*** they do. Again, I agree. How Pierre could ever be considered preferable to Quentin is beyond my comprehension. It's because many way over value stolen bases. I'll take the higher OBP, and the RBI production any time.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 13, 2010 -> 02:44 PM) From a real simple and imperfect fan scouting perspective, CQ on defense is 1) not very baseball-smart, 2) gets bad reads a lot, 3) has very little closing or makeup speed, 4) can be aggressive in the field and will go all out on a play at times, 5) has a strong arm that can be accurate when he's throwing to the proper base. An arm alone is not enough to play RF. However, in a small park especially, playing LF gives the Sox at least the benefit of cutting down guys looking to take the extra base/score on somewhat shallow sac flies, so the huge loss in range is partly offset if nothing else. Ideally, since Ozzie rests his guys a lot, CQ would play LF normally but *always* DH when PK or Dunn get the day off. That would help minimize the damage he does defensively. Of course, anyone who DH's Omar Vizquel is liable to do really stupid things with Carlos. As long as Carlos is just being good, not even great, by working to minimize his OF time and keeping him in LF when he is out there, the bat will compensate for the loss of D IMO. The key is dumping Pierre or making him 4th OF while picking up a legit RF. Pierre shouldn't even be on this team IMO. He's a leftover from one of Kenny's worst offseasons ever. AMEN!!!! You knew that I would agree with you on Pierre. But then who would lead off?

In thinking more about choking up, it's not just a way to cut down on strike outs. The hitter also benefits by increasing the rate at which he can "square up" the ball, through better bat control. More line drives translate into more hits. In addition to affording better control, choking up also shortens the swing. It's too bad that the technique has all but disappeared.