Lillian

I've forgotten. In what spot in the order did Beckham hit the best last year? Weren't his best offensive games the ones in which he batted second?

Here's an interesting stat: In a White Sox uniform, Carlos has now hit a total of 76 homers in 1,093 at bats. That's a homer every 14 at bats, which projects to 40 homers per season. This year he is right on that same pace of one home run per every 14 at bats. "Is he back?" He never left. He struggled a little with his average, but he has been driving in runs all year.

Last night's injury to Peavy makes a pretty dramatic statement regarding the inadvisability of including Hudson in any trade for Fielder, or any other LH bat. The Sox have been pretty lucky regarding the health of their pitching staff. It's pretty common to have injuries to pitchers, and having a guy at AAA, who is stretched out, and ready to step in for an injured pitcher is invaluable. I think the hope of acquiring a big impact bat has now been pretty well dashed. I'd still like to see Kenny acquire a decent LH hitter for the middle of the lineup, but it won't be Dunn or Fielder. Perhaps they can get someone like Edmonds, or a free agent signing like Delgado (if he's ready).

Well, he's no Fukadome, but he is THE Carlos Quentin!!!! Just imagine how we would all feel if he were doing this on the other side of town. Thank God Kenny wasn't listening to some of the absurd suggestions that were floating around these boards.

I agree with those of you who think that Fielder, or Dunn for that matter, would be too expensive. Of course, it would be great to add a guy who can hit 40 or 50 homers with an OBP of .400, but this team doesn't need a guy that good in order to win. Moreover, I don't think that we have the pieces and the money to get, and keep, someone like that. We do however need a respectable LH bat vs. RH pitching. for all of the reasons I've stated in previous posts. Adding a decent left handed hitter to the middle of the order would make a significant difference, just by his presence: LF Pierre SS Ramirez RF Quentin 1B Konerko DH (Any Decent LH Power Hitter with an OBP north of .360) CF Rios C A. J. 3B Viciedo 2B Beckham Now that Quentin is hot, and hopefully back, and Rios is back to his career norm of a 20 to 25 homer hitter, instead of a true slugger, I love the idea of having Rios bat 6th. He can be like a second leadoff hitter for the bottom of the order. A. J. is a capable #2 type hitter, to bat behind Rios. Then you have Viciedo as an RBI threat, serving as a #3 type hitter, for the bottom of the order. Beckham can also drive in a run, once he gets back on track, and also serves as a second lead off hitter at the bottom of the order. Of course, eventually he should hit higher in the lineup. That's a very good, and well balanced lineup, once you plug in a respectable LH Bat at DH. They could platoon Teahen with Viciedo, when he comes off the DL. Vizquel is a great late inning defensive replacement for both of them. Again, I'd love to have Fielder or Dunn, but if the other guys are performing up to expectations, the Sox don't need to spend the money, and give up the prospects that it would take to get one of those guys. Then next year, let's sign a big free agent LH bat to take Paulie's place. They may have the money to do that, if they don't resign Konerko. That way they would still have to spend the money, but wouldn't have to also "give up the farm".

Fielder would cost the Sox too many good prospects, and be too expensive to keep past next season. Moreover, he is a better hitter than the Sox really need. They simply need a good left handed bat for the middle of the order. They need a guy who can add a left handed presence and break up the string of right handed hitters. However, they don't need that guy to be their best hitter. A guy with an on base percentage of .370 or better, who is capable of hitting 20 to 25 homers, and driving in 80 to 90 runs would be fine. Pitching is what will carry this team, if they are to make a run at the post season. The offense would be good enough with a more modest acquisition. A player of the caliber of Dunn or Fielder is really not necessary, if the pitching holds up.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 04:15 PM) I'm the last person who would trade prospects, but Fielder's only 26, he's a proven commodity, if he can be resigned for at least 5 years, the White Sox should consider it. I imagine the Brewers would want either Viciedo or Flowers as the centerpiece in the deal, a replacement level player to take over first base. They'll want at least two pitchers, possibly three and one or two position players. You're looking at sending them five players for Fielder. Fielder isn't a free agent until after 2011, so they would be need to be overwhelmed. Not only is that way too much to give up for a season and a half of Fielder, but I'd be surprised if it would really take that much. I did read that the Brewers are reportedly not interested in trading either Fielder or Hart, as they are considered core players, and the Brewers do not want to go into a full rebuilding mode. If that's true, then perhaps they would need to be overwhelmed to be persuaded to alter that plan. However, even then, your speculation still sounds like an awful lot for them to ask. Which two or three pitchers were you contemplating? If you are talking about some Minor League pitcher, other than Hudson, then perhaps that would be reasonable.

Those of us who have watched Lillibridge's horrible at bats, since being acquired from the Braves, are understandably skeptical of his recent success. Who knows if he can continue to be even respectable? However, it is worth noting that he appears to have made some adjustments. Ozzie had been imploring him to change his game, or find himself out of baseball. The coaching staff had been urging him to shorten his swing and try to make contact, and to thus utilize his speed. I noticed last night that he is choking up on the bat just a little, and his swing looks shorter. I remember watching him in Spring Training from my very close vantage point, and thinking; "why doesn't this guy choke way up on the bat and just try to make contact". I turned to the fans around me and made some remark like "the guy thinks he's Albert Pujols". In fact, at times it looked like his swing was longer than a lot of sluggers. What has impressed me is that he seems to have shortened his swing. If he can stay short and quick, a la Paulie, he might be able to at least perform respectably at the Major League level. Not surprisingly, now that he is choking up and using a shorter swing, he's hitting the ball harder and further than when he appeared to be trying to kill the ball. He does have great speed, and he's considered a decent defender. I think that he overthrew that ball last night because he was trying to make sure that he didn't hit the runner, who was coming into to second pretty high, in an effort to break up the double play.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Jun 29, 2010 -> 05:32 PM) I was thinking the same thing. Does anybody think that De Aza couldn't at least beat Juan Pierre's 59 OPS+? In addition to his speed, he can actually take a walk and get a few extra base hits. Did you notice De Aza's line vs. RHP this year in AAA? 97 AB .330 Avg .425 OBP .485 SLG 7 doubles 1 triple 2 HR's 11 RBI 14 BB 14 SO 8 SB 0 CS Last year at AAA in half of a season, vs. right and left handed pitching: 267 AB .300 Avg .370 OBP .506 SLG 21 doubles 5 triples 8 HR 34 RBI Add his good defense, and you get a pretty compelling player for consideration to take Pierre's place. If he can perform anywhere near that level, you can then try to move Pierre in the off season, and get some salary relief to be applied toward other needs. What's wrong with giving him a chance to show what he can do? It'd beat watching Pierre's "Punch and Judy" routine. Jeez, can the guy even hit a fly ball deep enough to score a runner from third? The only way he gets on is with a "seeing eye" single, or a blooper. I'm sick of watching it. At least Pods wasn't affraid to drive in a big run.

There is one other reason that Juan Pierre is not good enough to bat lead off for this team. In the A. L. the lead off hitter often comes to bat with men on base. Without the automatic outs at the bottom of the order, there are too many RBI opportunities to exploit to settle for a guy who isn't a good clutch hitter. Pierre doesn't get on base enough, rarely gets an extra base hit, and can't drive in a run. All he can do is steal a base. He would be fine as a pinch runner, but he is not a good lead off hitter. The Sox should bring up De Aza and let him lead off and play left field. He's not only a decent hitter with a little pop, but he can also steal a base. His defense is good enough to play CF, and in left he would be way above league average. This link provides a little insight on De Aza: http://soxbronzetitan.wordpress.com/2010/0...ejandro-de-aza/

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 28, 2010 -> 02:05 PM) Or maybe the fan base is smart enough to realize managers have to say they like their current team and need nothing else. It is obvious Oz still likes Kotsay, but at least he isn't playing Jones as much as he used to. I think we'd be fine if he'd just stop being stubborn and let Viciedo be a regular. Of course, that phenom the Pirates called up is hitting below .100 in his first 30 at bats and strikes out every other at bat so there still could be some adjustment time for Dayan. As much as we need a LH bat, I'd still rather see Jones than Kotsay. His upside is much higher, and he has never had much of a problem hitting RH pitching. He also improves the defense when he's in the outfield. But then we've discussed all of that earlier in the season. I understand that Jones' average really went south, but that may be attributable to his lack of playing time. Kotsay has proven that he can produce while playing very sporadically. After all, he's a great pinch hitter. However, Jones is a slugger, and he needs to play regularly to keep his timing sharp. If they are only going to play him versus lefties, they would be better off not playing him at all.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jun 28, 2010 -> 07:50 AM) The 2005 Chicago White Sox. Well, they did have Everett, and he was dangerous enough as a left handed hitter to at least force the opposing manager to make a pitching change, late in a game.

The biggest hole in this team is a potent left handed bat. Not only isn't there a single LH power hitter on the 40 man roster, but there really isn't one in the entire organization. This glaring deficiency has become even more apparent with Teahen's injury, although he really isn't that good to begin with. It's important to have a least one LH threat because pitchers just get too comfortable facing one right handed hitter after another. Moreover, late in the game, this team's lineup doesn't force the opposing manager to make any lefty-righty match ups, unless of course there is a left handed starter. Does he really need to go to the bullpen to bring in a left handed reliever to face A.J., Kotsay, or Teahen? It would be interesting to research how many teams have ever made it deep into the post season without at least one dangerous left handed hitter. I can't think of one, can you? So, who is out there, and who could the Sox afford to give up in exchange? Many of you have mentioned Dunn, Fielder, La Roche, Markakis, Shin-Soo Choo and A. Gonzales. Perhaps K.W. should target a younger player who hasn't yet completely established himself, as the others would cost too much, both in players sacrificed and salary owed. I mentioned Chris Davis some time ago, and I still think that he's a good candidate. Texas needs pitching, and Davis is blocked by Smoak at 1B. They have Davis playing a lot of 3B at AAA. He had a great half season for the Rangers a couple of years ago, when he was just 22, and he's tearing up AAA this year. I understand that he has struggled a bit with his big swing, but he's young enough to make adjustments. Perhaps the Sox could offer Garcia. He could help the Rangers rotation, and the Sox have Hudson to take Freddy's place as the 5th starter. If Davis is not the answer, then I'd search for a similar young LH power hitter who could fill that void, not only this year, but for several years to come.

Several of you have echoed my biggest reservation about moving Rios to lead off. Of course, as I stated, you would like to have his production in the heart of the order. However, to reiterate, such a move is predicated on the acquisition of a potent LH bat. Since no one seems to think that Delgado will be a viable possibility, just plug in your own choice for the LH bat, and then consider that you would still have an effective middle of the order with Quentin, the new LH bat, and Konerko. The acquisition of a LH power hitter, with a good OBP, is the most important issue, and the key to my whole suggestion, because that then affords the luxury of moving Rios to lead off.

QUOTE (bighurt574 @ Jun 25, 2010 -> 08:18 AM) We've won 9 in a row and 13 of 14. I'll wait til we lose a few to suggest big changes. To argue that you don't make any changes because they're winning is not very convincing. Pierre is not the reason that they're winning. The main reason that the Sox have suddenly turned it around is because the pitching is finally living up to its expectations. Pierre hasn't had an extra base hit in a month. He doesn't get on base nearly enough for a lead off hitter. You do all realize that his OBP is still only .315!!! They aren't winning because of him, they're winning in spite of him. The Sox have to get better at lead off if they're going to keep winning. After all, they won't be facing the weakest N.L. teams the rest of the way. I guarantee you that K.W. isn't thinking he doesn't need to tinker with this team just because it finally put together a decent run.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Jun 25, 2010 -> 07:48 AM) Delgado. Haha The Angels seem to think that he could help them: http://blog.prorumors.com/2010/06/rumors/l...es-replacement/

It may be time to think of replacing Pierre as the lead off hitter. Although he has hit better of late, his On Base Percentage is completely unacceptable for a lead off hitter. It seems pretty unrealistic to expect him to produce any better than he has over his last 5 seasons in the National League, during which time his OBP was only around .330. He doesn't have the ability to drive the ball in the gaps for extra base hits, especially with the small alleys in the Cell. He does see a pretty high number of pitches per plate appearance, and hits a lot of foul balls, which is a positive attribute for the lead off hitter, but he simply does not represent the best "table setting" option for the Sox. While providing a stolen base threat is a valuable attribute, it is not as important as getting on base, which is the number one priority of a lead off hitter. Another point to consider is that the lead off hitter gets more total plate appearances than anyone in the lineup. Can you really afford to give the most at bats to a guy with a way below league average OBP? Fortunately, the Sox don't have to look to acquire a lead off hitter, as the team already has a much better option. Rios processes all of the desirable attributes of a lead off hitter. He has the ability to steal a base, in fact he's close to Pierre's League leading production in that department. He's always been a doubles machine, and is currently leading the Sox in that department, with 17. I will concede that historically, he hasn't been a very high OBP guy, but this year he seems to have improved that part of his game, and is currently second only to Konerko, with a .372 OBP. In fact, he's closer to Konerko than to the third ranking OBP on the Sox. Perhaps he's taking more pitches, and maybe that has in part been responsible for his overall offensive improvement this season. Just ask yourself, would you rather give the highest number of at bats in the season to Juan Pierre, or Alex Rios. Of course, the biggest argument against Rios leading off is that it takes him out of the middle of the order. However, I'm assuming that K.W. will find that missing LH power bat to sandwich in between Konerko and Quentin. If the Sox can add that missing piece, then you have the luxury of batting Rios first, and move Pierre to 9th. If that left handed acquisition is an outfielder, then you could bench Pierre. I personally would still rather have Jones in the line up than Pierre, but that's because I'd prefer to have the run production, than another stolen base threat. I understand that his average has come way down, but that hasn't been helped by his infrequent playing time. Power hitters need consistent at bats. Remember, this is the time year when balls begin to fly out of The Cell, and Jones is a guy who can hit homers in bunches. Here is a suggested lineup with Rios at leadoff, and Carlos Delgado as my pick for a LH power bat. I also left Vizquel at third, even after Teahen comes off the DL. I really like Omar in the "2 hole", and love his stabilizing effect on the left side of the infield, although of course he can't play every day: CF Rios 3B Vizquel LF Quentin DH Delgado 1B Konerko C A.J. RF Jones 2B Beckham SS Ramirez Pierre can pinch run for Konerko and Delgado. Kotsay becomes the LH hitter off the bench, although I don't really know for whom he would pinch hit. I haven't considered what to do with Teahen. If he could start hitting, maybe they could platoon him with Jones, and give Mark some playing time in the outfield, where he wouldn't be such a defensive liability. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Jun 22, 2010 -> 01:59 PM) He was our 4th best hitter on the season when he went down. Nobody has overtaken him since, and Jones has done everything in his power to make Teahen 3rd best. He would have done it already if he played more than twice a week. By your logic, you should not want to see anyone put on a Sox uniform other than Rios or Konerko. Moreover, Teahen has been a very good hitter versus RHP in his career. Although he has improved vs. LHP in the last couple of seasons, prior to that he was always a much better hitter vs. RHP. Here are his career #s vs RHP: AVG .274 OBP .341 SLG .428 OPS .769 That would be acceptable at DH, if the Sox can't acquire a LH slugger for the second half. Teahen could platoon with Jones, who should be in the outfield when he does play. Let Omar play 3RD and bat in the #2 hole. Give Vizquel a couple of days off a week, and play someone in his place at 3RD, who can field. That would rule out Viciedo. Perhaps they can give Lillibridge a shot, although he really is a pretty awful hitter. Kotsay should be a LH pinch hitter, off the bench. That is a role in which he really has been exceptional, in his career. However, his opportunities would certainly be limited the rest of the way, now that inter league play is almost finished. There aren't many RH hitters on this team for whom you would pinch hit Kotsay.

Won't Carlos Delgado be ready pretty soon?

The Hell with August. Bring him up!!!!!! Seriously, If everyone is worried about his motion, just let him be the LOOGY for the rest of this year. That would not give him enough innings to damage his arm, no matter how bad his mechanics might be. The funky motion might make him really hard to hit, if he isn't over exposed. He's supposed to have really good control, and two plus Big League pitches. That just might work as a LOOGY. He wanted a chance to get to the Majors this year, so I say give it to him. Apparently, he has plenty of self confidence. If he flops, then there is always "plan B". Let him go down to the Minors and prepare to be a starter next year. The Sox will have fulfilled their obligation to give him a shot at the Majors this year. It looks like a win - win situation to me.

One of the reasons that the Sox were able to go on this streak, while playing National League teams on the road, is that there was no DH. Normally, not being able to use its DH places an American League team at a slight disadvantage. However, that's not the case with the Sox, for one good reason; They don't have one!!!! It's not like they had to sit anyone whom they'd miss. They better get a legitimate DH quick, because they're almost finished with inter league play, and they'll be home anyway, so they'll be using a DH the rest of the way. If they're going to add someone, it better be a middle of the order left handed hitter. That's the only piece missing, providing of course that everyone plays close to their potential. Not like the major under achieving effort we painfully watched for the first two months of the season.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Jun 16, 2010 -> 12:49 PM) Do we really believe that Jerry or KW or Ozzie would purposely cook up a fake drama in the middle of a baseball season to boost a... TV show that nobody's watching? I find that a stretch. As absurd as it seems, to conclude otherwise is to suggest that this organization is being run by egomaniacs and idiots. Either way, I'm completely disgusted with all them. How about you?

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 16, 2010 -> 11:47 AM) No one watches MLB Network....it's been a huge bust in the ratings. No one will care about this show, so a "scripted" fight between KW and Ozzie makes no sense. Did anyone even watch the show last year about the Phillies bullpen? They didn't suggest that Chan Ho Park sleep with Scott Eyre's wife or anything like that. I didn't know that the ratings were so bad. Well, perhaps that's all the more reason for them to pull a publicity stunt.

I've been thinking more about the question I raised earlier in this thread regarding the legitimacy of all of the "soap opera" like nonsense being reported. If very little of this stuff appears in the soon to be aired MLB.Com, I might give it some credence. However, if this is all depicted and played up in the program , then I will be even more suspicious that a lot of it is being done as a publicity stunt. That would especially be my reaction if the cameras captured a lot of it. As I said, you would think that everyone would have tried to be on their best behavior, knowing that their words and actions might appear in the program. If the cameras were present and rolling, that should have provided a very strong motivation for Kenny, and Ozzie, as well as his wife and sons, to put their best foot forward. It will be interesting to see exactly how this is all depicted, but not because of the soap opera drams, but because if just might provide insight into how real it is.

QUOTE (pktmotion @ Jun 15, 2010 -> 04:48 AM) I would've agreed with you completely, before the draft. My general assumption was much like yours, The White Sox/MLB are trying to generate some interest in there upcoming show, so they're showcasing the dysfunctional dynamic between KW/Ozzie. But the Sox taking Ozney at round 22, where he was projected at 8-12. Is a pretty hard hit to question if it was fake. It's one thing to stage a riff between two characters in Chicago and its another thing to jeopardize a young talent's financial/professional career and use him as a pawn in a publicity stunt. What if another team had taking Ozney? MLB would've had to manipulate the draft so as Ozney would've been available that late. If that's the case, it then becomes a disconcerting case of MLB's authority. I think the relationship between Ozzie/KW is entirely real and has been for some time, only now before their reality show is it starting to garner more media attention. Well, you have a point. However, didn't Ozzie and Ozney have an agreement that he would go to college if he wasn't picked by the 6th round? If that's true, then I guess it really didn't matter whether he was picked in the 8th, or the 22nd round. I just find it hard to believe that all of these people have suddenly displayed their worst behavior, at precisely the moment that they are being so carefully scrutinized by the MLB.COM coverage. Wouldn't you think that the opposite would be true? They should all be trying to put forth their best public image, unless it's just a well orchestrated stunt. For my part, I'm put off by the whole thing, either way. If they are all such idiots, I find it embarrassing as a Sox fan. If it's all a stunt, I'm equally offended by their attempt to dupe baseball fans everywhere. If I enjoyed these kinds of silly theatrics, I'd be a fan of Wrestlemania, not baseball.