scenario

Corky Miller? Please dear God, no....

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Dec 4, 2008 -> 02:21 PM) Did you watch his scouting video? He looks really awkward in the field. He was a 19 year old learning a new position. Let's see how he looks in another year or two.

QUOTE (NCsoxfan @ Dec 4, 2008 -> 01:48 PM) Gilmore seems to be overlooked in the trade analysis. Does the BA website have an analysis of the trade? They have a short one with some comments on the players... not much detail yet. They say he's got good pull and gap power, but that he needs to work on pitch recognition, plate discipline, and his throws to 1B. Also it points out that he was 3rd in batting average in the Appalachian league this year at .337. And that he lead the league in both hits (87) and doubles (23).

I find the comments above quoted scouting comments "interesting". He struggled this year as a 19 year old in the South Atlantic League. Then played very well in the Appalachian League after being demoted. Let's put that in perspective... we only had one player on the Kannapolis roster younger than Gilmore.... Eduardo Escobar. In fact, we only had 4 players on the BRISTOL roster younger than Gilmore. And despite being a 6'3" 195lb 1st round selection as a shortstop with 25 homerun power, he doesn't 'project' as a major league 3B??? Well... Baseball America's Jim Callis had Gilmore pencilled in as Atlanta's starting 3B in 2011. Here's a clip from an article this summer about him which provides some additional info... Jon Gilmore, perhaps the best prospect on the Danville Braves, is making the transition from shortstop to third base quite nicely. The 19-year-old first-round supplemental draft pick was taken directly out of high school in June 2007 with the 33rd overall selection, the highest spot ever for an Iowa high school player to be drafted, and was promptly switched from shortstop to third base. “Last year was a tough transition, definitely,” Gilmore said. “I struggled a little bit, mostly throwing the ball. It’s a different angle, and it’s been a work in progress, but I’m improving every day. I feel pretty comfortable at third base right now.”

QUOTE (daa84 @ Dec 4, 2008 -> 12:29 PM) heh...the cards absolutely love rasmus...i seriously doubt we even have enough minor league pitching to get him, the cards want him playing everyday by the end of this year Stoney also said that as a result of our last two drafts and recent deals that the Sox had quite a bit of nice young pitching. I think we're going to hear more people saying that soon too. Outside of Poreda, there aren't any high ceiling guys at upper levels, but we're starting to stockpile some talent at lower levels.

Later in his conversation with Holmes/Hampton, he said he thought the likelihood of a Dye-Jenks deal with the Mets was not high. In fact, he questioned where the rumor even came from. Then he introduced a rumor of his own... said he wouldn't be surprised to see the Sox talking to St. Louis... offering minor league pitching prospects for Colby Rasmus.

One of my favorite pieces of Keith Law "wisdom"... from an interview last spring... Interviewer: "Gavin Floyd - Will he win 10-15 games for the White Sox this season (2008)?" Law: "No. Saw him this spring - the plus-plus curveball he had as an amateur appears to be gone. Fastball is very true, and he’s in the league’s most HR-friendly ballpark. Get a good chiropractor, Gavin." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In his article today.... "In the six-player trade, Atlanta also gets Boone Logan, a low-slot lefty specialist who almost shotputs the ball to the plate. He tops out at 91 mph and his slider doesn't have great tilt, so he's limited to platoon duty and is going to be prone to the longball." Since when did Boone "top out at 91"? Sometimes I think Law writes opinions without even watching guys play.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 4, 2008 -> 10:22 AM) 14 less hits and 6 less homers in 34 more AB. So blow that .220 off in AAA, once in the majors to stay playing against even better players, he will do much better? Doesn't seem logical to me. He also struck out 31 more times. There's nothing there to show he's ready to contribute on the major league level yet. I'm not saying he's ready to walk in and start in spring training. I think it's very likely he'll start in Charlotte next year. But I see some people saying he's a no-talent bust with a Pablo Ozuna ceiling because of this year... and I just think that's sort of ridiculous.

Before people start sticking a fork in Lillibridge because of his one bad season... Take a look at the comparison of his 2007 and 2008 AAA stats. GM A-B R Hits 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SB CS SB% 87 321 47 92 14 2 10 41 20 59 .287 .331 .436 .767 28 5 85% 90 355 46 78 18 7 04 39 33 90 .220 .294 .344 .638 23 7 77% Surprising similar seasons... Roughly the same number of games, at bats, etc... What's the biggest difference that drives most of the numbers? 14 less hits in 2008... And 6 less homeruns.... Those two figures account for almost all the difference in his average, OBP, and SLG. That's the problem with using averages from small samples. It's pretty easy to envision a guy who is getting shuttled between AAA and the majors pressing and having his timing thrown off to result in getting 14 less hits over 355 at-bats... isn't it? So, I'm inclined to think 2008 may just turn out to be an off-year for him. In 2007, he was considered a better prospect than Escobar. Could turn out to be a classic KW value pickup.

Trade completed Javier Vazquez's tenure with the White Sox has come to an end. The six-player trade that will send the pitcher to the Braves was finalized Thursday morning after those involved passed their physicals. The Braves are expected to introduce their new pitcher to the local media in a press conference at Turner Field at 10 a.m. CT.

When I take a look at that steaming pile of pitching mediocrity (list of available pitchers)... I'm inspired to give a couple of young guys a chance instead.

Gillette Fusion Power I used to use a Mach 3... made the switch... won't go back. Great shave and haven't cut myself once in over a year. Also, I use shaving gels rather than shaving cream.

I bought a Canon Powershot A1000 recently and I've been very pleased with it. I took the pictures I posted from the Arizona Fall League with it. I'm not sure about the video output format. I'll take a look and see what I can find more info. Edit: I made a couple of short videos and they transferred to my computer in AVI format. So, it's pretty simple to view and edit them in most popular players and editors.

QUOTE (Markbilliards @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 05:12 PM) Does anyone know anything about Santos other than the fact that he pitched well in the GCL for the braves? I have no idea what his age is, left or right? Velocity? Secondary? Santos Angel Rodriguez Born: Jan. 2, 1988 in Sanchez, Dominican Republic Ht.: 6-5 Wt.: 180 Bats: L Throws: L Here's a few stats from baseballreference.com's minor league site. Still looking for more info.

Just saw one of Cowley's twitter posts from last night. Made me laugh. "Reports are now that Boone Logan is also gone. Like the end of The Godfather, Ken Williams is whacking all that have failed him."

QUOTE (joesaiditstrue @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 10:27 AM) I guess it's weird that I feel kind of sad that Uribe is going to be playing somewhere else Nah... you're allowed to feel that way... for a few minutes. Beyond that is weird though.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 09:49 AM) I think the ideal scenario with Poreda is starting at AAA, refining his slider (which AFL scouts are saying is pretty good and improving), getting his change to be useful, and maybe picking up a cutter or modified FB. Or alternately, doing the same in the pen in Chicago. Then in 2010, you can think about starting him in the majors. Yep. Word out of the AFL is that people were pretty impressed with the development of his slider. Enough so to put him on the top 20 AFL prospects list.

QUOTE (Fotop @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 09:32 AM) Oakland doesn't necessarily thrill me as much. Who would we get? Duchscher? Hardcore White Sox fan's loverboy, Gio Gonzalez? I really don't think they have anyone of note that's ready to have a huge, guaranteed impact for us. Yeah, but they have a bunch of arms near ready... quality arms too. Another target would be Tampa. They have 8 pitchers who could compete for starter positions in 2009. Likely that they will move one or two of them during the offseason.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 09:28 AM) I will definitely share my experience with the board, whether it be in the forms of pictures, info, etc. One thing I do have going for me is I know the person who controls the reservations at one of the restaurant/bars in the Bellagio. She has asked me to give her a list of names and she will alert me when a reservation is made or when she finds out they are at the restaurant. She will also get me any table in the place I want (within reason), so I might be able to get close to some of the action... I think you ought to buy one of those things they show on late night TV so you can hear people talking at a distance. Hell... I would. In Vegas, you might pick up some really interesting conversations.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 09:20 AM) Can't wait for the Winter Meetings. Bellagio, here I come! Alright!! Enjoy! Are you going to post via text message? Send us a few 'live' tidbits and pictures?

QUOTE (Fotop @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 09:19 AM) Matt Cain is another good idea, and he's a bit younger and more cost-controlled...yes? Sanchez wouldn't be a bad idea either. I could see the Giants having interest in Fields. It looks like they matchup well with us. Oakland is another team that comes to mind. Tons of pitching... hurting at SS and 3B.

I like the idea (flipping position players/prospects for pitching)... just not sure that Peavy would be the guy coming back. I could imagine KW looking for a similar deal with another club that is pitching rich and position poor. Remember the fairly serious rumors a month ago about Delmon Young to the Giants for Jonathan Cain? The Giants are hurting for position talent and power... and have reasonable young pitching depth. I'm sure Kenny has a couple things like that on his radar.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:01 AM) 1. Beckham 2. Flowers 3. Poreda 4.Viciedo 5. Lillibridge 6. Getz 7. Gilmore 8. Allen 9. Shelby 10. Danks id say we are now probably near 20th in terms of farm systems Nah... No way there are 20 teams with a better top group than us right now. I think we're in the top 15... possibly close to #10.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:57 AM) Beckham can play 3b and SS as well. Ramirez can play CF. When Beckham is ready, the White Sox are going to play him. He's not Jerry Owens or Danny Richar or even Josh Fields. He is light years above them as a prospect. Here's a quote from a mlb.com article yesterday I found interesting... "I would doubt that I would start on [or] make the [Major League] club (in 2009)," Beckham said on a conference call Tuesday afternoon. "[The White Sox] said as soon as I go back to Minor League ball I will be playing shortstop every day until they want to bring me up."

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 01:14 AM) This seems about right minus the top 4. I just dont think Poreda is a top 50 prospect while Viciedo, Beckham and Flowers probably are. But... Poreda was picked as one of the top 20 players in the AFL... and one of the top 2 left-handed pitchers. So... I think he'd have a decent shot at making a top 50 list.