scenario

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 15, 2008 -> 03:31 PM) I was a Richard hater during the season. I admit I was being kinda ignorant, as I didn't know a whole lot about him. But I've done my homework and I think the kid's got a future. Scenario, what do you think would be the most realistic, best-case scenario (no pun intended) for Richard in 2009? Best case? Tough call. I'd be very happy if he wins 10 games, wins more games than he loses, pitches >150 innings, has better than league average ERA (4.50ish), and consistently goes 6 innings or more. That would be good production for a #5 starter. (Think Glen Perkins). I think that's fairly realistic. But who knows? I will be reasonably happy if he just doesn't suck, pull a Boone Logan, and forget how to throw the ball across the plate without getting killed. That would be bad unless other guys really step up. My dream scenario is that he comes to camp with a cutter and better command of the changeup. If he does, he could be the #4 starter in the rotation rather than 5. In that case, I'd want to see 12 wins, 175+ innings, ERA in the low 4.00's (4.30 or lower). I think that is possible, but optimistic. (Think Nick Blackburn.) Of course, anything better than those numbers would be outstanding. But I think would be too much to hope for from a first year starter.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 15, 2008 -> 03:20 PM) Oh, I am familiar with the sample size. Since I have no idea where you found that stat, what was the BAA against lefties and also the at bats? I can only see the IP. One of my favorite sites... www.minorleaguesplits.com

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 15, 2008 -> 02:40 PM) How many sidearm lefty starters are in the league today? Randy Johnson and........ Clayton's biggest weapon is his arm angle and the deception in his delivery. That combination screams LOOGY to me. .274 BAA with lefties .320 BAA with Righties. All 5 HR he gave up were to righties. 1.70 WHIP against Righties. 41 hits in 29.1 IP. Put him in Boone's vacated spot and let him excel there. Gotta keep in mind the small sample size in his time with the Sox last year. In the minors in 2008, in 330 at-bats, righties batted only .202 against Richard. (Lefties batted .228 in 161 at-bats)

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Dec 15, 2008 -> 10:50 AM) I know the Dye/Bailey deal looks dead but found this about Bailey's mechanics http://www.drivelinemechanics.com/2008/12/...chanics-homer-b . In short his mechanics don't look so good. That's a very interesting article. Definitely something that would make me think twice before acquiring him. I was aware that part of the problem is the way he wraps he arm behind his back. But this article points out a couple more issues that would give me concern if I was a GM. It'll be interesting to see if the injury predictions come true.

The key to Richard's season is going to be how well he commands his changeup at the major league level. The other pitches were coming around. If he comes into camp with the changeup looking as good as it did in the minors last year, he's going to surprise some people. But if he struggles hitting his spots with it, he'll be in the pen.

QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Dec 15, 2008 -> 11:55 AM) Do the sox have a minor league team down in Gitmo? I think you're on to something here. We need to introduce baseball into the middle east. Give them something to spend their time on rather than killing each other. Although I could picture the crowds at an Israel vs. Iran game getting a little ugly.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 15, 2008 -> 07:22 AM) I am pretty sure someone else on here posted that it wasn't Tavares but the pitcher that the Rocks were getting back that failed a physical. IIRC, it was supposed to be Tim Redding for Willy Taveras, but Redding failed the physical.

Just what we need... Another soft-tosser with control issues.

QUOTE (rockren @ Dec 13, 2008 -> 01:45 PM) I've seen very very little of Getz. Can he bunt? If so, I'd like to see him get the chance. Yes. And he's fast. He had 25 bunt base hits in 37 bunt attempts in the minors.

QUOTE (sayitaintso @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 11:25 AM) Valido was taken Wow. Gives you an idea how thin the Orioles organization is in shortstop talent. The Barons dropped him off the roster before the season was over. Didn't even let him finish out the year.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 11:08 AM) It's actually a good deal from the White Sox's perspective also. A team that didn't need a closer acquired Putz, taking 1 less off the market, so the opportunity to shop Jenks is still there if KW wants to. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ And kept Putz from potentially ending up in Detroit. Thank you Mets!!

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 07:55 AM) KW has the best job in the world and he spends the afternoon watching tv. Ever been to Vegas? TVs are everywhere in the hotels/casinos. Makes perfect sense that he would be in one of the main seating areas downstairs that are organized around big screen TVs. That's where you would go if you wanted to be seen and make it easy for people to find you.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 09:44 PM) I don't give a crap what Larish did in AA in 07. I saw him play and he won't do s*** in the MLB. Anyone with any knowledge of hitting can see that Larish's approach and all around swing just won't cut it. Unless he changes what he does at the plate, he won't be any better then a bench player. You can quote me on this. Joyce will easily be a better player then Larish. The standard BearSox scouting report. "I saw him play... he'll never be any good... you can quote me on this."

For the Tribe... Not a bad deal. Moved an extra part for two extra parts. And they have a glut of 4th outfield types in their organization so Gutz was expendable. The Roogy could end up playing a useful role in their bullpen. The young 2B could end up in the lineup since it looks like the plan is to move Peralta to 3rd this year.

QUOTE (Cowch @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 10:13 AM) Anyone have some sort of list of the players that could be picked from the Sox farm? Here's a listing of White Sox players available from Baseball America. The article lists the players available from all teams. Player Position Age Bello, Juan RHS 24 Brooks, Richard RHS 24 Burdie, Charlis RHS 23 Carter, Anthony RHS 22 Castillo, Javier SS 25 Colina, Javier SS 29 Cook, David CF 27 Davis, Matt RHR 27 Day, Tim RHS 26 Fleisher, Mark 1B 25 Hernandez, Francisco C 22 Hernandez, Fernando RHS 24 Hollis, Eric C 26 Hudson, Robert 2B 25 Lucy, Donald C 26 Luis, Santo RHS 24 Lujan, John RHS 24 MacDougal, Mike RHR 31 Moreno, Juan RHR 21 Nanita, Ricardo OF 27 Negron, Miguel CF 26 Perez, Wander LHS 23 Price, Jared C 26 Rice, Jason RHS 22 Ricks, Adam C 26 Rodriguez, Derek RHS 25 Rodriguez, Noe LHS 24 Rosario, Frank RHS 23 Rote, Ryan RHR 26 Sanchez, Salvador OF 23 Sierra, Luis SS 21 Smith, Ryan C 29 Socolovich., Miguel RHS 22 Stephenson, Eric LHS 26 Terrero, Wandy C 27 Thon, Freddie 1B 24 Torres, Carlos RHS 26 Valido, Robert SS 23 Whisler, Wes LHS 25 Zaleski, Matt RHS 26

Talk about sick... How about the Blue Jays taking Ricky Romero with the 6th pick that year? Troy Tulowitski was picked next... has over 1000 MLB at-bats already... and Romero has been struggling the last 3 summers trying to keep his ERA below 5.00 in AA.

Hmmm... I may be wrong about this but.... I think Mike MacDougal is eligible for the Rule 5 draft. If so, it will be interesting to see if a team picks him up. Doubtful at his salary, but possible.

QUOTE (3E8 @ Nov 27, 2008 -> 10:00 AM) I know that's the title of the article, but did Ozzie actually say he won't be missed? From the quotes provided at that link Ozzie seemed a tad more diplomatic than that Ozzie was very diplomatic in the interviews right after the trade... yet most of the articles that came out made it sound like he threw Swisher under the bus and backed over his body a couple of times. Sports writers making **** up. That's about all it was. Dave VanDyke, Cowley, and others... trying to make it more 'interesting' than it was.

Cortes is a good prospect. It makes me sick we gave him up for MacDougal.

QUOTE (R.J. @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 12:32 PM) If we asked for Bailey from the Reds, we'll look for pitching, I'm assuming. Hanson isn't moving, so this is where you get your Jo-Jo Reyes and those other two guys whose names escape me and then I vomit. Two Sox scouts talked KW out of taking Reyes in the Vazquez deal. That's why we ended up with Jon Gilmore and Santos Rodriguez instead. So, I doubt Reyes would be part of a Dye deal. Who else then? The Braves system is pretty loaded. Here's their 2008 preseason Top 10 list... TOP TEN BRAVES PROSPECTS 1. Jordan Schafer, of 2. Jason Heyward, of 3. Jair Jurrjens, rhp 4. Brandon Jones, of 5. Gorkys Hernandez, of 6. Brent Lillibridge, ss 7. Cole Rohrbough, lhp 8. Jeff Locke, lhp 9. Tommy Hanson, rhp 10. Julio Teheran, rhp The top 3 performance-wise in the 2008 season were: - Jason Heyward - Freddie Freeman (1B in A-ball this year) - Tommy Hanson (who is 'untouchable')

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 10:16 PM) ... but Viciedo, Flowers and possibly Fields would be the best internal candidates to replace Thome in 2010. Toss Brandon Allen into that mix if he has a good 2009.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 09:44 PM) So his 2008 trainwreck should be ignored. OK. Just a hiccup. No. Of course not. But when good prospects have bad years that doesn't suggest that they're garbage. Does it? Look at the great "bad-year-bounce" pickups the Sox have had during the KW era... Jenks, Quentin, Thornton, and Floyd are all good examples. Am I implying that he'll pan out as well as those guys? Again... no. But what's the hurry to put a fork in a guy whose only had one bad year? And only one year ago was considered one of the top 100 prospects in baseball??

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 09:25 PM) What were his numbers in 2007? Here's a 2007 year-end analysis when he was selected one of the top 10 prospects in the International League and one of the top 100 prospects in baseball. (Keep in mind that 2007 was his second full season in the minors. He started the year in AA after tearing up two levels of A-ball in 2006. He got promoted to AAA in June.) Though he had to wait until June—and Yunel Escobar's big league callup—for his chance with Richmond, Lillibridge opened eyes around the league with his well-rounded game. He reminded one opposing manager of Khalil Greene, as a 5-foot-11 shortstop with excellent leverage in his swing. Unlike Greene, Lillibridge offers above-average speed and baserunning ability (he was 28-of-33 stealing bases) and a chance to be an above-average hitter. Lillibridge takes his hands to the ball quickly and cleanly and is adept at using all fields. His game power is fringe-average, but he has enough snap in his bat to hit 10-15 homers annually in the big leagues. Defensively, Lillibridge offers slightly above-average range at short with a great feel for the ball off the bat, good hands and above-average arm strength. An energetic player with instincts for the game, Lillibridge profiles as a No. 2 hitter in the major leagues. Working against Lillibridge are questions about endurance because of his size. AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG 321 47 92 14 2 10 41 20 59 28 5 .287 .331 .436 The stats above are just his AAA numbers. He had a .352 OBP in AA before he got promoted (approximately 200 at-bats). And he had 14 SBs in AA, giving him 42 between the two levels in 2007. This following up 52 stolen bases in 2006.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 09:09 PM) This is a classic example of the grass is always greener on the other side argument. Lillibridge hit .220 with 4 homers and struck out at a higher clip than Juan Uribe ever did with the White Sox in AAA last year. Uribe was hated. He needed to be released. Yet this guy who also pounded out 4 homers has people excited. I will never understand. Because except for his 2008 hiccup, Lillibridge has been thought of as an excellent prospect.

QUOTE (AWhiteSoxinNJ @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 08:01 PM) It's too quiet on the Kenny Williams front. I saw reports that say he didn't get into Vegas until this afternoon. So he and Ozzie, who were scheduled to meet with the media Monday afternoon, pushed it back until Tuesday.