Lillian

He has the lowest walk rate of any player in the League, 5 in a 165 at bats. I don't understand the reasoning that it should improve, in the Big Leagues. That seems counter intuitive to me. MLB pitchers do indeed have better control, therefore unless he acquires better plate discipline, that weakness is likely to be exploited, to a greater degree. He is making contact at a terrific rate, right now. However, pitchers are going to start throwing him more pitches out of the zone, unless he can demonstrate that he can lay off of them. He may be getting base hits, but not many of them for extra bases. He did have that one stretch where he homered in 3 consecutive games, but outside of that, he hasn't hit a lot of doubles and triples. Maybe that's because it's hard to really drive balls, that aren't thrown in the strike zone. Moreover, his lack of patience at the plate is a very negative factor, for a leadoff hitter, which is where he supposedly best fits. He will need a much higher OBP, and work deeper into counts, if he bats at the top of the order. Where can one find the stats for number of pitches per at bat, for Minor League hitters? I can't seem to find it. I'm sorry guys, I just don't get why he is so highly ranked, as a prospect. I've heard the line about "athleticism" far too many times, when it comes to sox prospects. I prefer a baseball player with a high baseball accumen and baseball skills, not a great athlete. I'm not saying that he might not become a good player, but I don't get all of the hype. If the right trade comes along, and the price is our #2 prospect, I'd pull the trigger. Maybe the fact that he is our #2 prospect says more about the sorry state of our Farm system, than it does about how good he is. After all, he is still not even in the top 10 SS prospects in baseball.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 19, 2016 -> 08:44 AM) Then why was your first comment about him about his walk total? I expressed both concerns in the same thread. You may be attaching too much significance to the order in which I addressed those concerns. There was no intention to place anymore emphasis on his inability to take a walk than there was regarding his defense. His unwillingness to take a walk does indeed seem to be his greatest offensive shortcoming. Look at his OBP. The fact that he is not even close to an elite defender, at a key defensive position, is also a big negative, based upon what I consider important. Do you disagree with any of those assertions?

The spots which could really use an offensive upgrade are CF, SS and catcher. Those spots are all defensively too critical to downgrade the defense, in order to improve the offense. Anderson's bat has heated up at AAA but he is probably not ready to provide steady enough defense to consider him this early. Is there a good offensive shortstop, who can defend on a level somewhere between that of Rollins and Saladino, or better. Is there a good defensive centerfielder, who could be as good as Jackson, but hit better? I can't think of a single catcher who would be available, to upgrade that position. Conclusion: I don't know how Hahn is going to make this team better, unless he can get another SP.

I hope that you guys are right, regarding his ability to become a good defensive SS. It's not an easy position to learn, and too important to accept less than solid defense. For me, SS is a position that requires defense first, and offense secondarily.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 18, 2016 -> 01:52 PM) yes please. Lillian - when was that snippet from? It sounds like last year is when he made huge strides in defense. That quote on his defense was from the current scouting report on MLB.COM. It is the report on our #2 Prospect, under the "Top Prospects".

If they take Dakota Hudson instead of Zack Collins, I will be very surprised and disappointed.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ May 18, 2016 -> 09:02 AM) What questionable defense? What the hell do I know? I'm just going off of all of the scouting reports. This is typical: "Scouts are split on whether Anderson can play shortstop in the big leagues. He has the necessary actions and enough arm strength, but his hands aren't especially soft and his footwork is erratic, leading to 78 errors in his first 255 pro games. His tools would profile well in center field if he can't cut it in the infield." Many scouts question whether or not he will be a good enough defender to stick at SS, much less an elite defensive shortstop.

Is he ever going to learn to take an occassional walk? In 155 at bats, he has 5 walks!! That, and his questionable defense leaves me less than overwhelmed, in spite of the torrid pace, at which he has hit in his last 10 games. I'm afraid that I'm a little "old school," but I prefer an elite defender at SS. Unless he is going to become a better than .300 hitter, with an OBP north of .350, he is probably not going to be a top SS, because of his defense.

I agree with you, "Dizzy Sox".

Why are scouts so pessimistic about Collins being able to be a catcher? I don't read anything here that suggests he couldn't eventually develop into a decent catcher: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/5/10/1...f-miami-florida

Avi now has the highest Slugging Percentage and OPS on the team. His Slugging % is the same as Frazier's and his OPS is almost .100 points higher than Abreu's. And, remember that he is doing it batting 7TH in the order. It's always useful to compare stats with other players on the roster. They have all had to play under the same weather conditions, and against the same pitchers. For him to be doing this well, relative to his teammates, suggests that he has made significant strides to becoming the hitter, the front office envisions. As hard as he hits the ball, it's easy to see why management wants to give him every opportunity to succeed.

Well, this may put the scenario of a "baseball frenzy" in the City to a test. I speculated about such a scenario, but never dreamed that the Sox could get off to this kind of start. The Sox and Cubs could really capture the city, once hockey is over. What more could fans want?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 27, 2016 -> 03:57 PM) There was a really good article on John Farrell (can't find the link now) and how he needs an analytics/game-management bench coach, and how these "second managers" often don't necessarily have the requisite set of skills to be the head guy, but are often actually utilized for "managers in waiting/training" like Lovullo in Boston. With the White Sox, you'd have to at least partially attribute the return to 2012 style of play (defensively) to Rich Renteria. To me, the biggest one is Jackson/Eaton and then Melky at least being passable, which is 10X better than Avi last year (minus robbing a home run in July against the Yankees and a number of good throws). The most pleasantly surprising thing has been his arm strength and accuracy, which we rarely saw in CF for some reason. Frazier's clearly better, Rollins/Saladino a slight upgrade over Alexei last year, Lawrie's been better than expected (although still perhaps a notch below Sanchez, still much better than Micah, who pulled down overall positional numbers), Abreu's been mostly a non-issue (Sands has gotten more attention)....then we can argue pitch framing and Flowers vs. the veterans we have now, but at least both those guys tend to be stronger leaders, which is what we've been lacking in that clubhouse (of course, it's harder to be a leader if you're not playing well or hurt). Isn't the shoulder problem, for which Eaton had the surgery, the reason he didn't have the same arm last year?

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Apr 27, 2016 -> 12:13 PM) I do wonder what it would take to grab Kevin Kiermaier. LHH, god defensively in CF (pushes AJax to left and Melky to DH), he isn't the world's greatest hitter but he's average-to-above-average at the plate with pretty damn good baserunning. Sox would have to wait a couple months for the AL East to shake itself out because as of now the Rays have a chance and wont be sellers quite yet. With Jackson and Eaton, is improved outfield defense really the highest priority? An adequate left fielder would be fine, if he provided the bat they need. Or Melky could stay in left, and they could acquire a DH.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Apr 26, 2016 -> 09:40 PM) http://gfycat.com/SlimArcticGreatargus At the time, I missed Navarro's humorous response. He motioned to the stands, apparently telling Sale that it came from a fan. That's what cracked up the home plate umpire. LOL I wonder what he said, exactly. I wish I could read lips. Does anyone know? I can imagine that it was something like: (In his Spanish accented English) "Hey Bro, it wasn't me"

Currently, the highest winning % in the League, and they have played a game or 2 more than most teams. And they have played more games on the road. This is indeed remarkable. If you had predicted that they could be where they are, with Abreu having this terrible start, you would never believe it. Only in baseball!!!!

9 games over .500. If they can finish the month 10 games over, they would only need to be 2 games over, in each of the 5 remaining months of the season, to end up with 91 wins. That is the advantage of playing winning baseball in April, something that haven't done much of, in recent years. It sure beats digging yourself into a big hole, early in the season. If the pitching stays healthy, going 2 games over .500 every month shouldn't be that big of a challenge. I'm really hoping that Avi can get on track. The last 2 games, he has looked encouraging. What a difference it would make if he could be a respectable DH.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Apr 24, 2016 -> 09:35 AM) That is water under the bridge. Have to move on from that. I made it known I wanted Cespedes more than Gordon or Upton but the off season is over. Time to move on. Lillian is right. Maybe Hahn is working on it now. I still think if Morneau is available come June that is probably the earliest we can expect any front office moves and easily the best option . The only thing that bothers me is the deliberate nature of the front office.There is nothing wrong or panicky about making small moves now.How much more can Avi's confidence be shot by sending him down ? It actually might do him some good and in the long haul the team . Bottom line is we all want what's best for the team and shouldn't get caught up with personality conflicts. State your case ,make your arguments and counter arguments but for heavens sake let be mature enough to do all that with poise and grace. I will try to take my own advice as well. Very well said and it probably needed saying. Thank you, very much.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Apr 24, 2016 -> 09:13 AM) While a productive LH bat might seem ideal as the replacement for Garcia, Lillian, I wouldn't get too caught up on that idea. A RH like, oh, I don't know, someone like Yoenis Cespedes and hIS sparkling .991 OPS would look just fine in the clean-up spot in our lineup. Now where can you find someone just like him! You'll note that I did say "preferably" a LH bat. At this point, I agree and would settle for a decent hitter from either side of the plate. Someone like Cespedes is a little too ambitious. I'd be satisfied with a Matt Joyce type, with a decent OBP and a little pop. I don't know who, but am hoping.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Apr 24, 2016 -> 02:38 AM) Morneau will be ready some time in June apparently. He still seems like the best option pre trade deadline if you take cost ( cheap)need ( left handed with power, back up 1st base, decent fielder),and ability into consideration. I haven't seen any updates on how he is recovering from the elbow surgery. The original prognosis was that he could start swinging a bat in June. Have you seen anything further on his progress and scheduled return? A healthy Morneau would look great in the middle of the lineup.

I said it once, and I'll say it again. To those who find reading a thread entitled "Avi Has To Go," annoying: if you don't want to read anything negative, then don't read threads with titles like this one. The only thing more annoying than a negative thread, while the Sox are in first place, is wasting time and energy, having to refute some absurd argument which actually asserts that we shouldn't criticize anything, because the team is playing .650 ball. Just because some think that the winning results should simply be enjoyed, without critical analysis, does not preclude others from being interested in discussing ways to improve the team. Moreover, such discussions are not negative. A sense of urgency to fix whatever problems the team does have, precisely because it would be a shame not to, given how close this team is to being a real contender, shouldn't be considered negative. I, for one, am very positive about a team that can be in first place, with a couple glaring deficiencies. Just imagine what they could do, without those deficiencies. Replacing Avi with a productive left handed bat, in the middle of this lineup, would not only improve the offense, but it would afford the luxury of improving the critically important defense, as SS. If they had a solid 1 - 6, they could live with Saladino's questionable offense, in order to have a really tight left side of the infield. It is worth noting that, in his very brief career, he is a .247 hitter, when batting in the 2 hole. He can turn around a fast ball and would likely see plenty of them, hitting in front of the middle of the order, especially an improved one. He's also a decent bunter and a smart player. However, with no production out of DH, it's hard to carry a potentially weak bat at SS, which is just one more reason why replacing Avi is worth discussing. Look at this lineup, with a decent, productive bat, instead of Avi: RF Eaton SS Saladino (another option would be to flip Saladino and Jackson, in the order) 1B Abreu DH Solid Bat, preferably LH 3B Frazier LF Melky 2B Lawrie C Avila/Navaro CF Jackson If the productive replacement for Avi could play a solid defense in LF, that would further improve the defense by allowing Melky to DH. Is it any wonder that some of us attach such importance to finding a good replacement for the struggling Garcia?

To those of you who decry; "stop complaining. this team is 12 and 6": I'm quite confident that the front office is working very hard, trying to "improve" this team. Does anyone think that Hahn is sitting back, with his feet up on his desk, celebrating this start, and patting himself on the back, with complete confidence that his job is finished, and that he has successfully put together a roster, which will go deep into the Post Season? Trust me, he isn't and well he should not be.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 23, 2016 -> 05:05 PM) .366/.411/.522 Avi's career AAA splits. I don't know what he is going to learn down there. If he refuses to stop swinging at balls he can't hit from major league pitching, he is screwed. He has no problem hitting bad pitches from less talented pitchers. Maybe he should work on not hitting bad pitches, but rather taking them, and drawing some walks. He needs to improve his pitch recognition and plate discipline. He should be able to concentrate on that at any level. It doesn't have to be in the Big Leagues. He is clearly not ready to be a DH on this team. If the Sox didn't appear to be serious contenders, and were rebuilding, it would be acceptable. However, this team could go a long way, but they must have a productive DH. There are guys who are good bad ball hitters. If he is not going to exercise any discipline, he better learn how to make consistent contact on bad pitches. Maybe if he took the outside pitches to right field, he could have productive at bats, while still swinging at some pitches out of the zone. I don't presume to have the answers, but clearly, he doesn't either. Let him try to figure it out in AAA, and stop hurting the Big League clubs chances of having a good season.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 23, 2016 -> 04:43 PM) The Sox win again, so naturally we are talking about Avi. Well, that is the topic of this thread. Perhaps those who have no interest in the topic, shouldn't waste their time reading it. What do you think they should do with him? Does winning excuse every weakness, and should we all just conclude that since the Sox are 12 and 6, that they don't need to improve anything? Today's game didn't need to go extra innings. If Avi would contribute something, it would have been over in 9. Avi is vying to replace La Roche as the League's worst DH. Excuse us, if some of us aren't content to overlook his pathetic at bats, simply because the Sox are winning.

While there is no need to completely give up on him, he certainly does not deserve to be on the Big League squad. Send him to AAA and let him get his eye, mechanics and confidence back. There must be some left handed bat out there, who could at least get a hit and take a walk. What about Loney? He's playing on the Padres AAA team. The Sox should have taken him when he was released by the Rays, however it's not too late. We've discussed him before, but he's looking more appealing every day, given Avi's struggles. Loney also provides a back up first baseman. I realize that he hasn't hit much in his brief appearance at El Paso, but he has only struck twice in 45 at bats, so he's probably hitting into some bad luck. He has also driven in 8 runs, so he has been productive. He has always been a good contact hitter, who doesn't strike out much, and he hits RHP very well. Career stats vs. RHP: 296 .351 .432 He would be better than Ishikawa, and should be available at very little cost. I'd settle for him, over the black hole that Avi represents, at this point.