Lillian

Moncada is virtually worthless, as a RH hitter and from the left side I see two major problems: First; he has one swing, regardless of the count or the situation. Secondly, he takes way too many pitches, with 2 strikes. Hopefully, he will learn and make adjustments.

Pardon my ignorance, but how is it allowable for an infielder to block the bag, when a runner is attempting a steal?

In contrast to some of the other teams, which are in the "race to the bottom," the Sox have few contributing assets, which will be traded, at the deadline. Moreover, they have just gotten back Rodon and the 'Garcias'. The improvement in the lineup, coupled with the continuing development of the young guys, and oh yes, a surprisingly decent bullpen, could surprise a lot of people. If they trade both Soria and Shields, it may depend upon how well their replacements do. Nevertheless, I wouldn't be surprised if this team played .500 baseball, the rest of the way. That would leave them with a final record, 23 games below .500. 68 wins would not put them in a great position for the Draft, but it would be fun to watch and would hopefully start to create a winning culture, for this young core. Frankly, I'm more concerned about how well our current crop of prospects progress, than I am about the potential for another couple of top Draft picks. I'd be satisfied, if they end up picking in the top 7 or 8.

Ptatc, it does seem that most of these Tommy John Surgeries are being performed on young pitchers. I can't recall that many veteran hurlers, requiring this procedure. It would be interesting to see a statistic, which could provide the factual evidence.

Are any of you watching the OSU game?

Interesting points. Your explanation poses a dilemma. Some argue that the younger pitcher, with less "wear and tear" on his arm, is a safer bet to stay healthy, at least for the near term. Perhaps that assumption should be weighed against your assertion that pitchers who survive their earlier years, as a pro, may have a higher probability of avoiding these kinds of injuries, given their history of staying healthy.

Some of you might enjoy reading this summary of last night's offensive onslaught by the Dash, highlighting Laz Rivera's huge night. This guy is really intriguing. He wasn't highly touted, but his entire career, including his college and junior college days, is very impressive. I remember listening to Hostetler rave about him, last month. https://www.milb.com/milb/news/laz-rivera-paces-winston-salem-dash-with-career-night-at-playte/c-282919428 This is a very good scouting report, including good video: http://baseballcensus.com/2017/12/20/chicago-white-sox-laz-rivera-scouting-report-baseball-player-evaluation-video-december-2017/

I've been following the Sox for 66 years, and I remember seeing a lot of the same pitchers, in each era. Very few of them blew out their arms. It's only anecdotal and I can't provide any statistics. I just remember that it wasn't something that a fan worried about. You could pretty much count on a guy to make his starts and go late into the game. If today's pitchers didn't have TJS available, it seems half of them would be out of the game, and early in their careers. I don't have an explanation and I don't know what they are doing, but someone should seriously consider changing the current approach to pitching. I doubt that the fastball is the culprit. It seems more likely that it's trying to throw some of the breaking pitches, with the lower seams. That is what puts more strain on the elbow. Fastballs and change ups are the two best pitches in baseball, especially when effectively combined. The change of speed, with a deceptive motion, is still the most effective way to get batters out. That and location is more important than throwing curveballs, sliders and maybe even cutters. To that point, which of those breaking pitches puts the most stress on the elbow?

Maybe the medical profession needs to improve the TJ surgery and give pitchers some kind of "bionic arm". Then, every prospect could just have the procedure, before going pro. Seriously, it is getting out of hand. This was never anywhere near as prevalent, back when pitchers threw more often and many more pitches, per outing. Imagine how many guys would be out of the game, if it weren't for Tommy John Surgery, which didn't even exist, back then.

I couldn't agree more with your observation. He has taken so many pitches, just outside the strike zone, which could have been hit to the opposite field. It's frustrating to watch, particularly when he has 2 strikes and when teams employ the shift, in their defensive alignment. I understand that he is not unique, but it is nevertheless frustrating. Being a pull hitter is fine, but being "pull happy," as you call it, plays right into the opposition's strategy of pitching hitters away, and using the shift. He could be so much more productive if he exploited the shift, and just took the outside pitch to left field. Moreover, trying to pull an outside pitch, most often results in a weak ground ball. This entire approach is one of my pet peeves. I guess I'm just "old school".

Wow, was that ever prophetic!! "Tomorrow" we witnessed his biggest day at the plate, in his short career. A bases clearing double and then a 3 run homer is indeed a pretty nice "change".

Thanks Fathom, but it still doesn't confirm anything, definitive. I suppose that we will get an official report, today.

It's not even mentioned in the "recap" of the game, on the Baron's website. This is all that this normally good source had to say about it, an hour ago: https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan

Why can't I find any official "report," regarding Dunning's injury?

I was going to ask the same question, which "Donaldo" asked: How good is he defensively? How is his arm, in terms of both strength and accuracy? He has played CF, more than any other outfield position. Does he get good reads and take good routes? Or, perhaps he has simply gotten by, because of his speed. In reading more about him, apparently he made some pretty significant adjustments with his swing and approach, over the winter. Given his age, he'll turn 25 in November, I'd like to see him fast tracked, in an effort to see what the Sox really have, in him. The Best CF candidates, in the organization are Robert and Basabe, but they are both probably too young to be counted upon, for a couple more years. Could Booker provide an alternative to Engel, Cordell and Leury, as early as next season? He has been pretty consistent, all year, and this promotion to AA is off to a fantastic start. I'm intrigued!!!!

I agree and would expect at least .100 above his batting average. A more realistic expectation would be a .250 AVG and a .375 OBP, or higher.

And just how would Jackie Bradley Jr. fit into the Sox' coming window of contention? It makes no sense, to me. I'm not buying it.

I don't disagree, but it remains a priority, whether through free agency, a trade, or the draft.

Where do you think Walker will rank on our prospect list, especially the list of outfielders? He will obviously be behind Eloy and Robert, and probably Rutherford, but could he be above Adolfo and Basabe?

Excuse me. but batting where Tilson does, in the line up, renders his being left handed, of little value. My insistence on the need for a left handed bat is focused upon balance, in the middle of the order. I have long wanted a power bat, from the left side.

His defense rarely gets discussed, however I'd really like to see him play more fundamentally sound second base. He seem a little too flashy, at times. I give him a "10" on style, and a "5" on results.

At this point, I'm pretty resigned to the losses. My only interest is in the emergence and development of individual players. I'd like to be able to realistically muse about a competitive team, in a couple of years. However, unless some of our core players can demonstrate that they are legitimate pieces of that future, it will be difficult to sustain much hope. So, I'll continue to check the guys, down on the farm, as well as watch for Anderson, Moncada, Yolmer, Matt, Palka and anyone else, who could establish himself as part of that core, for 2020 and beyond. The biggest focus, for me, is my dream of a pitching staff filled with 5, or 6 young, affordable, top of the rotation arms. If that happens, I think the offense will be there, or can be obtained through trades or free agent acquisitions.

Regarding Moncada, but not exclusively; What ever happened to the old rule that states; with 2 strikes, a hitter should swing at anything close to a strike? It is a shame to see him go down, with the bat on his shoulder. Why not shorten up his swing, try to make contact and maybe foul the pitch off? It also wouldn't hurt to choke up, on the bat, with 2 strikes. I understand the idea of being selective, early in the count and looking for your pitch, but not with 2 strikes.

Backing off the plate could work, providing that he is willing to take those pitches on the outside corner, to left field, rather than insisting on trying to pull them. That approach would also be a way to counter the shift.

The Quintana trade is beginning to look like it will have brought back a better package than the Sale deal. Eloy and Cease have out performed Moncada and Kopech.