Lillian

Didn't Ynoa perfect a split finger this season?

QUOTE (flavum @ Oct 1, 2017 -> 10:09 AM) Volstad vs Tomlin Sanchez 3B Moncada 2B Abreu DH Davidson 1B Brantly C Anderson SS Liriano LF Hanson RF Engel CF No Avi. So, he finishes the year with a .330 average.

To what should we attribute his suddenly acquired effectiveness? I would have said the cutter, which is a new pitch for him, and one that he learned from Coop. However, he had it in Spring Training, and it didn't seem to help him that much at Charlotte.

Someone may have answered this question: If there is a tie in the standings, how is it decided?

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Sep 30, 2017 -> 07:48 PM) I think he said that the Avi trade may be the best in Sox history . Even Hawk isn't silly enough to suggest Avi will be better than Big Hurt. Yes, you're right. That is what he said. Sorry, I misspoke. Nevertheless, that is quite a statement.

It was interesting to hear Hawk's take on Avi, in last night's broadcast, with "Whimpy". For what it's worth, and I know for some of you, not much, he was very positive. He said "You ain't seen nothin' yet" and that "he is just beginning to mature into the kind of player that he can be". He even stated that Avi was the "Closest thing to a legitimate 5 tool player, we've ever had". The craziest comment was that he still stands by his initial assessment, that he believes "Avi will ultimately become the greatest player in White Sox history!!" It was really "over the top". It's pretty clear that Hawk loves him.

Yolmer has put together a very solid season, and he continues to hit RHP very well. He's also a lot stronger than people think. Some of his homers have gone a long way. His arm is stronger than most of us thought, too.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 28, 2017 -> 10:31 PM) Man this is bad bad news. He could be out til summertime. It's sad how pitchers nowadays just can't avoid surgery. This game is brutal on the pitchers' arms. PTATC why all the injuries compared to the 60s and 70s and 80s? Isn't part of the increasing number of injuries to pitchers, due to the lowering of the seams, on the ball? It now requires more of an effort to get rotation on the breaking pitches.

Just as a reference point of information. Here are the League Leaders in Batting Average, so far this decade: Year National League BA American League BA 2017 (NL AL) Charlie Blackmon* (COL) .328 Jose Altuve (HOU) .350 2016 (NL AL) DJ LeMahieu (COL) .348 Jose Altuve (HOU) .338 2015 (NL AL) Dee Gordon* (MIA) .333 Miguel Cabrera (DET) .338 2014 (NL AL) Justin Morneau* (COL) .319 Jose Altuve (HOU) .341 2013 (NL AL) Michael Cuddyer (COL) .331 Miguel Cabrera (DET) .348 2012 (NL AL) Buster Posey (SFG) .336 Miguel Cabrera (DET) .330 2011 (NL AL) Jose Reyes# (NYM) .337 Miguel Cabrera (DET) .344 2010 (NL AL) Carlos Gonzalez* (COL) .336 Josh Hamilton* (TEX) .359 2009 (NL AL) Hanley Ramirez (FLA) .342 Joe Mauer* (MIN) .365 2008 (NL AL) Chipper Jones# (ATL) .364 Joe Mauer* (MIN) .328 2007 (NL AL) Matt Holliday (COL) .340 Magglio Ordonez (DET) .363 2006 (NL AL) Freddy Sanchez (PIT) .344 Joe Mauer* (MIN) .347 2005 (NL AL) Derrek Lee (CHC) .335 Michael Young (TEX) .331 2004 (NL AL) Barry Bonds* (SFG) .362 Ichiro Suzuki* (SEA) .372 2003 (NL AL) Albert Pujols (STL) .359 Bill Mueller# (BOS) .326 2002 (NL AL) Barry Bonds* (SFG) .370 Manny Ramirez (BOS) .349 2001 (NL AL) Larry Walker* (COL) .350 Ichiro Suzuki* (SEA) .350 2000 (NL AL) Todd Helton* (COL) .372 Nomar Garciaparra (BOS) .372

How does the surgery affect the bursitis? What is the long term prognosis for that condition?

One way to look at it is that the Draft could be divided into 4 categories: Best H. S. pitcher, best H.S. position player and the same for the Top College prospects. So, even picking 4TH, you have the best of one of those categories, at a minimum. That should console those who are so disappointed that the Sox Draft position is slipping. Moreover, there is no consensus #1, 2 or 3. Hey, those who want Beer may get your wish. He could be a reasonable pick at around #5.

Avi has only played in 130 games, which is 80% of a complete season. If you project his numbers out, to a full season, he ends up with 30 doubles, 21 homers and 96 RBI's. For a guy hitting .330, 2ND in the entire Major Leagues, that's a lot of production to replace. Perhaps we just think that he should have more home runs, because we know how big and strong he is. If he had a physical stature something like your average corner outfielder, I think we'd be more than satisfied with that kind of year, for a 26 year old. So if you trade him for an outfield prospect, how confident do you have to be that the player you acquire can match that production, in order to justify trading him? I understand that you gain more years of control, at a nominal amount, but money really is not going to be much of an issue, for J. R., given all of the young prospects, who are expected to fill the roster. Then too, there are those intangibles, to which I alluded in a previous post. In addition to the afore mentioned veteran leadership, fan allegiance and camaraderie of this core group, which seems to be meshing with very good team chemistry, there is the Latin factor. The next two big contributors, who are expected to join this young core, are Robert and Jimenez. That will add 2 more Latin players to a growing Latin key group of guys. It might be nice to have both Abreu and Avi there to guide, mentor and inspire the likes of Moncada, Jimenez and Robert. Add in Leury and Yolmar and their manager, Renteria and you have a very strong cultural bond. I love seeing how they interact. I already miss Melky, who was a big part of that. Yesterday's "reunion," at third base, with Moncada and Sanchez was fun. At any rate, it just doesn't seem to be necessary to press the issue of trading Avi. That's the kind of move which could really come back to bite a GM. Why not let him play out his contract and consider making a qualified offer, when he reaches free agency? If he accepts, you get one more year, and if he opts to sign a long term contract, you make a fair offer, which he could accept, or he goes elsewhere and the Sox get another Draft pick.

Just as an aside; has anyone noticed that Moncada does not look like his listed height of 6' 2"? I have doubted it, since the first time I saw him. I'm always watching, when he is standing next to other players, and I'd swear he is no more that 6'.

According to Baseball Reference splits, Tim is batting over .300 leading off an inning, but only .262 with an OBP of .278, batting 1ST in the lineup.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Sep 23, 2017 -> 02:26 PM) I personally think he'd be better as a #2 hitter due to his power, but we'll see if it improves as he progresses. He seems ill-suited for a "2 hole" hitter, who is normally tasked with taking pitches to allow a baserunner to attempt a steal, or hitting behind a runner, on a hit and run. Moreover, that would minimize his speed, as he would not have an open second base to steal, if the leadoff guy got on, ahead of his having reached first, himself.

I mentioned this idea, in the thread about Moncada, but somehow it seemed to get buried by a lot of discussion about other things, including things unrelated to Yoan. The thought of having a switch hitting, high OBP, leadoff hitter, whp possesses great speed and power, is very intriguing. Tim Raines and Ricky Henderson were perhaps the two best players, in that mold, although Henderson was not a switch hitter. Those guys dominated the game, in their primes. Moncada has the tools to be that kind of player. Whether, or not, he can realize that potential, is of course the big question. His recent performance suggests that he may ultimately live up to the hype, which would put him in that elite catagory. We haven't yet seen him display any extraordinary base stealing skills, but he certainly has both the speed, and the acceleration. Technique can be learned. He has demonstrated the ability to take pitches, and work the count, to draw bases on balls. Hitting at the top of the order would maximize his tools. Some of us had hoped for Anderson to fill that spot, but he continues to fail to draw walks, which renders him unsuitable for that spot. The future Sox lineup could be deep enough to afford placing Moncada's bat at the top of the order, with many productive, run producers behind him. If the team can field enough good hitters, there will still be plenty of opportunities for Yoan to drive in runs. It's not hard to imagine the bottom 1/3 of the order producing enough chances for him to pile up the RBI's. What do you gentlemen think of Moncada, as the leadoff hitter?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 22, 2017 -> 10:52 PM) So weird. I had the opposite sensation. I was so mad KC was about to tie it then I saw Avi with this amazing throw, a great tag and great throw to first and incredible throw by Jose and tag by Anderson and fistbump by Anderson so happy to win a meaningless game. I screamed in delight. Damn I was so frickin happy to beat the Royals. And happy for the fans who seemed into it at the Cell. Just a minor point, but it was Moncada, covering first, who made the throw to Anderson.

Moncada and the "Magic Bats," courtesy of Señor Abreu.

And, I agree with Renteria. That was my point. He is indeed a work in progress, which is what "the possibilities" infers.

Do those "Outs Above Average" account for his having not played the whole year? I assume that those are the actual numbers, not projections. If so, to have 11 is pretty good, for a guy who has really only played about 1/2 of a season.

The problem with waiting is that he could get too expensive. There are obviously 3 possible directions for his career path: 1) He regresses and is not worthy of a spot on the roster 2) He progresses and adds more power to his offense 3) He remains pretty much what he was, this season. If you believe that outcomes 2 and 3 are the most probable, you try to sign him to a medium term, perhaps 5 or 6 year extension, at a cost commenserate with this year's performance. If he is not willing to accept that kind of deal, you pass, let him reach free agency, make him a qualifying offer and take the draft pick, if he declines it. If he you get either outcome 2 or 3, going forward, you are fine. The only risk is outcome #1. I'd rather take that gamble, than wait till he can command a big free agent contract, where the risk would be too great. Remember, once he reaches free agency, management can no longer offer the enticement of increasing a player's salary, over what he would earn in arbitration, and they have lost control. Therefore, it's as simple as "to the highest bidder". It's no wonder many owners are so reluctant to sign expensive free agents. They know what all of us know, that you are paying for past performance, just when a player is entering the years when he will start to regress. Ultimately, it is up to the coaches and the organization to make an astute and realistic evaluation of a player and his performance, in order to make a reasonable assumption regarding whether he will regress, improve or stay the same. So many factors enter into that assessment. They should know most about a player's physical tools, mental toughness, dedication, work ethic and all of the other intangible, as well as tangible aspects of his make up. We have to trust that they will make a reasonably wise and prudent decision.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Sep 15, 2017 -> 08:46 AM) Haven't you figure it out? Advanced metrics has made everyone an expert. Players don't improve or make adjustments. That metrics say what they are, end of story. LMAO. But seriously, I try to keep an open mind, even if these kinds of metrics are not part of my long experience as a baseball fan.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 15, 2017 -> 07:57 AM) Because he has already started to hit more. He's missed many games. Health is never a guarantee, but if he was healthy for this entire season, 25 homers isn't very crazy. Last homestand they had listed some of his homers on the scoreboard. He has hit 8 up until then that went at least 423 feet. He has enormous power. A slight tweak to his launch angle and who knows what happens. I was reading an article about Justin Turner and his turnaround from nothing to all star. They said he spent a winter with Marlon Byrd. The first thing I thought about after reading that was he was juicing, but it all was about launch angle. Avi hits the ball hard as often as just about anyone. If he ever becomes a flyball hitter, he will be a star. I assume that this was the article: http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-s...snap-story.html

Now you guys have gone beyond where I feel qualified to make an assertion. This entire business of launch angles, and BABIP is a nuance, about which I claim no expertise. Please enlighten me, from an objective perspective, if that's possible. Just how realistic is it, for a guy who has demonstrated his ability to barrel up the ball, to alter his approach, in an attempt elevate his hits, and thus hit more home runs? Can it be significantly accomplished and at what expense? Isn't it logical that a player's batting average will suffer? There does not seem to be a consensus on this subject, at least not on this board.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 15, 2017 -> 07:39 AM) Avi's BABIP may regress, but I also think he will be hitting more homers. I don't think anyone expects him to hit .333. But if he hits .285-.300 and hits 25-30 homers, he's a lot better than anyone thought coming into this year when people were upset the Sox gave him $3 million and weren't giving Rymer Liriano a shot at playing. I think you are exactly correct. He has obviously made a concerted effort to be a line drive hitter. If he alters his launch angle, he could even surpass that 25 - 30 homer mark, in which case, a .285 to .300 average would be fine. Either way, he should be able to remain a productive middle of the order hitter.