Lillian

We'll see what management does with Reed. If they simply send him to AAA, for the rest of the season, then I'll concede that that was the plan and that I was wrong. Yes, and I have seen his unimpressive AAA numbers, from this year, albeit in limited playing time.

Then what was the point of signing Reed? And please, there is no need to be condescending. I'm not an idiot and am perfectly aware that Collins hits left handed.

Sending Reed to Charlotte makes little sense, as he has already proven his ability to hit AAA pitching. Reed is in his final option season, so he’ll need to make next year’s Opening Day roster or else be exposed to waivers once again. Therefore, this is the last chance for the Sox to find out if he has any value, going forward. Why not give him Alonso's playing time, split between first base and DH, the rest of this season. If he can finally establish his ability to hit at the Major League level, he could be a useful piece next season, in the same role, even if Abreu comes back. That would also allow the Sox to give Vaughn sufficient experience, before rushing him to the Big Leagues. If he can establish his Major League credentials, Reed is young enough to be a valuable trade chip, once Vaughn arrives. Or, he could continue to DH, if Abreu is only signed for another couple of years. Regarding Collins: if they want to keep him in Chicago, they really need to dump Castillo. If Castillo is going to remain on the roster, Zack should go back to Charlotte. It probably isn't that risky to let Castillo go, as they could always give Mercedes, or Zavala some playing time, if McCann or Collins were to suffer an injury. I just don't see the future value of Collins, as a first baseman, or DH. Either he develops as a serviceable catcher, or he likely has no future, with the Sox.

His split stats are pretty impressive. He has really struggled against LH pitching, but has been very good vs. RH pitching, in his Minor League Career.

Eloy is hitting homers at a 40 per season pace. I wonder where he would be, if he hadn't lost over 3 weeks to the ankle injury. Quite impressive for a 22 year old rookie.

As soon as Anderson returns, putting Leury in RF would be fine, for the rest of the season. If both Robert and Madrigal are on the team next year, they could do worse than having Leury in RF, while the top OF prospects continue to develop, on the Farm.

This is not intended to be an argument either for, or against, Palka's presence on the current roster, but merely as a clarification. His 27 home runs, in his rookie year, were hit over just 3/4 of a season. He projected to hit 35 homers, in a full 162 game season. Of course, he would likely always fall short of the full number of at bats, because he would likely not see much playing time against LH pitching. Nevertheless, his home run rate of 1 per every 15 at bats, was quite impressive for a rookie. Again, whether, or not, he should be on the roster is the question. It's an interesting debate.

I misspoke. I meant to say his "average," not his "BABIP". The point that I was trying to make was, that since there are virtually no other at bats to consider, other than walks, his BABIP will translate very closely to his batting average, because he doesn't make many outs, via the strike out.

What would you guess Madrigal's BABIP will be, when he gets to the Big Leagues? Whatever it is, that will pretty much be his batting average, because there probably won't be enough strike outs to significantly impact that BABIP. Wow, is that refreshing.

And don't forget Burger, who is likely only going to be able to play first, or DH. Then too, there is still Palka, who also only fits at first, or DH. I suspect it will all sort itself out. Eloy is working hard on his defence and has actually looked quite serviceable in LF, lately.

They are facing another lefty today, so R. R. is trying to stack the lineup with RH hitters. His other options are Jay, Palka or Collins, all left handed hitters, although Jay hits lefties very well. I would have used him, instead of Rodon. Maybe Jon isn't feeling well. Oops, I forgot that Abreu needs a day off, from playing first, after yesterday's double header. So, Palka would have been the other choice, not Jay.

The purpose of citing his AAA stats is not to attempt to convince anyone that he is a productive hitter. He has already established his bonafides, especially most recently, with his 2017 Major League production, with the Twins, when he hit 38 homers. The point is that he had a hip injury, which resulted in surgery. When the Yankees signed him to a Minor League contract in April, there were concerns about his health. His performance at AAA serves to alleviate those health concerns. The Yankees thought that he might be a useful piece, which given all of their depth, and considering that he hadn't even demonstrated that he was fully recovered, suggests that not everyone thinks that he is a useless "bum". Again, if the Sox do not care about trying to win games, then I agree that there is no point in bringing in a guy, who will likely not be part of the future. However, if they do want to put the best team on the field, for the remainder of this season, that is a different story. Providing some protection for Eloy would be advantageous. I suspect that Morrison would be willing to take almost any offer to get playing time, in order to try to establish his value, as he vies for a contract in free agency, next year. Regarding Collins: If the Sox can dump Castillo, it would be fine to have Collins serve as the back up catcher, under McCann's tutelage, for the remainder of this year. In that scenario, Zack could DH on days when McCann catches. The only problem with that plan is the inherent risk of having both catchers starting in the same game.

I continue to favour sending Collins back to AAA, in order to get him more playing time, behind the plate. Having him DH is not going to help his development, as a catcher. McCann needs to be catching most of the games. Having McCann mentor him is a plus, but there is no substitution for getting the experience. If he cannot become a serviceable catcher, I don't think that his bat will play as a DH.

Everyone is complaining that R. R. is giving DH at bats to Rondon. Morrison would be a huge upgrade. Of course, if the object is to tank again, for another Draft pick, then I understand the objection to acquiring anyone who could help win ball games. In just 43 games, at AAA Scranton, Morrison has 11 doubles, 15 HR's, 37 RBI's, with a .289 AVG, .350 OBP and a .658 SLG%. His OPS is 1000. Oh, and against RHP, this season he has 11 homers in 105 at bats, one every 10 trips to the plate. Some "Bum". I would guess that my bad idea will be adopted by some team in need of a useful bat. And where did I say that they should acquire him, simply because he bats left handed? While I would consider that another positive factor, that is not the only reason to consider him. His numbers speak for themselves.

Hey, what would be wrong with picking up Logan Morrison, who was released by the Yankees? He is recovered from his hip surgery and was hitting really well at AAA. He's only 31 and is a bonafide power bat, from the left side. He would be a replacement for Alonso, and offer some protection for Eloy. I wouldn't sign him to any long term contract, but he might be willing to come to the South Side, on a short term deal, just to re-establish his value. That would make Palka haters happy, as he could go back to AAA.

You can add Maury Wills and Vince Coleman to the list of former stolen base leaders, who managed to steal bases without getting hurt. Although Henderson slid head first, most of the time, that might be part of the problem for many base stealers. I think Madrigal is using the feet first slide.

Madrigal seems to be pretty adept at stealing bases. Maybe the better outcome would be for him to continue to hit line drives and take walks. His small stature presents a small strike zone, for opposing pitchers to target. I hope he becomes even more selective and draws more walks, which with his extraordinary contact skills, could make him an ideal leadoff hitter. I'd take a .320 to .330 AVG and a near .400 OBP, with 40 to 50 steals, over his developing 15 Home run power. Let him accidentally hit 5 to 10 homers a year, but be an on base machine and steal lots of bases. The Sox should have plenty of guys to drive him in, without Nick having to sell out his contact skill, in order to try to hit a few more homers.

Well, maybe it will turn out to be a blessing in disguise, if someone emerges as a viable 5TH starter, to join next year's rotation of Giolito, Kopech, Cease and Lopez. If that happened, the Sox wouldn't need to sign any more than one solid starter, who could replace the weakest of those 5. Moreover, the remaining guys might well have demonstrated the ability to at least provide some depth, with all of the injuries, which seem to be inevitable. Ultimately, they may get some help from returning TJS patients; Dunning, Puckett and Rodon. Of course, the latter may not even remain on the roster, if the front office decides to not tender him. I'm intrigued to see what Puckett has to offer. He has been injured ever since he was acquired and has thus been pretty much forgotten about.

With Giolito, Lopez and Nova being the only obvious starters, who is most likely to fill the other 2 rotation slots, for the remainder of the season? Are there any other candidates besides Cease, Santiago, Banuelos, Detwiler and Covey? Could Fulmer get another shot? Is Kubat a possibility? My guess is that they will try Cease and either Covey or Santiago. I wouldn't mind giving Detwiler another start.

Do you think that he's still using PEDs? How naive of me? And I thought that MLB had pretty much cleaned up the steroid issue. Perhaps the ball is not the only thing that's "juiced". As an "old time" baseball fan, there is a lot about the game today that I don't consider an improvement. The game was a lot more interesting before the home run became its dominant feature. What a shame. I suppose that the Brits found all of those homers and huge offensive outputs delightful. It's probably all part of the same grand scheme of things: Make the game even more international and use the home run as the main attraction. Nevertheless, as hard as they may try to ruin the sport, it's still the best game ever devised.

Players like Encarnacion and Cruz prove that guys can still hit, in their late 30's, if they can stay healthy. It isn't the age itself, it's obviously the way age increases one's vulnerability to injury. Miguel Cabrera would still be doing the same, if he had been able to stay healthy. He always seemed like a guy who didn't take very good care of himself. It's a good thing that Abreu has tried to get in better shape. He looks more fit now, than he did about 3 years ago. My point is that at 32, Jose should not be considered "done".

I had previously thought that he wouldn't be able to hit even that many homers, however now that I've seen so many smaller players hit homers and the distance on some of the balls hit by average sized guys, I've changed my mind. This lively ball and the hitter friendly Guaranteed Rate Field should afford him the chance to hit a few homers. Given his extraordinary contact skills, I think he will hit enough homers to garner a 40 grade for power. Moreover, he will almost certainly get stronger, with his weight training regimen.

You may be correct, but I have more confidence in his ability to be better than you expect him to be. I'm sure that you hope you are wrong, as do I. Again, I don't expect him to continue, at his current pace, but I'd be very satisfied with something around a .280 Average, and a .340 OBP, with a little power and continued plus defence, with exceptional leadership qualities. That would represent a very solid fixture behind the plate.

Of course, one can simply look at the back of a baseball card, and assume that any given player will produce, as he has in the past. Well, at least you are given him credit for having a brighter future than his career .684 OPS. In any case, I would hope that the Sox player evaluation staff employs a little more sophisticated approach than that. So, are we to assume that you don't give much credence to the idea that he has changed his approach, by taking the ball the other way, rather than trying to pull everything, as he says that he used to do? Or, that he has become one of the best 2 strike hitters in baseball, by choking up on the bat, when down in the count, by 2 strikes.

What kind of offensive production would you expect him to put up, going forward? How good of a catcher do you think he is? Upon what are you basing your assessment?