scenario

A few age related notes... Sheffield is almost 2 years older than Thome. Carlos Guillen is 6 months older than Konerko. Magglio is the exact same age (born on the same day) as Dye. So... why is it that our old guys are supposed to have age-related performance decreases, but Detroit's older guys won't? Plus... Polanco is 32; Renteria is 32; Jacque Jones is turning 33; Pudge is 36; Wilson - their backup catcher is 35; Kenny Rogers is 43; and this spring Todd Jones will turn 40.... And OUR team is 'old'? LOL.

IMO, we shoulda seen if we coulda flipped him back to the Cubs for Neal Cotts... then had Cotts compete with Thornton and Logan for a bullpen spot.... but that's just me.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 15, 2008 -> 06:48 PM) Does Great Falls have a lot of UFO sightings or something? Being in the Pioneer League, I think Voyaguers would have made a lot more sense. Yeah, but when you're out in the hinterlands, you have to think about your audience. You're better off going with a phonetic spelling.

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Jan 14, 2008 -> 03:27 PM) I'm not saying this isn't true, but BA routinely seems to inflate gun readings. Still, if this means his fastball sits at 95, that's not bad IMO. He could be the next 2006 Thornton which would be OK. I listened to most of Poreda's starts on internet radio... and if the stadium radar-guns are accurate... he was pretty routinely hitting 97-98.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 14, 2008 -> 12:58 PM) How is Miranda not in that Top 10? And I have a really hard time putting a 16-year-old in the Top 10. I wonder how much BA actually knows about the kid. Good points. I really question how much Phil Rogers knows about our prospects. And not just because of this article.

I just finished re-reading Moneyball over Christmas. The concept has been interpreted in many different ways, but basically there are three main points: (1) The analyses of stats developed by Bill James and the sabermetric community suggest different measures of individual and team success than those used by 'traditional' thinkers in major league baseball. (2) Teams that are aware of these measures can use them to their strategic advantage to win more games than other teams. For example, (a.) runs scored is the strongest predictor of wins; (b.) OBP correlates to runs scored stronger than any other baseball statistic. In fact, depending on who you listen to, OBP is somewhere between a 1.5-3X better predictor of runs than the next closest stat, which is slugging percentage; (c.) many other strategies team use (for example, steals) are relatively weak predictors of runs scored and therefore less likely to produce wins. (3) The differences between sabermetric and traditional analysis also create market inefficiencies around what teams value that can be exploited by teams to save money, particularly when it comes to player evaluations. (ex. a moneyball team may value a particular type of player differently than a market full of non-moneyball teams and therefore save money in acquiring the players they want). So... moneyball is not just about taking advantage of inefficiencies (point 3). It is also about introducing different and better ways of identifying what measures in baseball are relevant and important (point 1); and understanding what strategies are more/less likely to produce wins (point 2). The strength of the OBP-Runs-Wins connection is why moneyball continues to focus on OBP. Other factors may provide inefficiencies that can be taken advantage of. But if they don't correlate strongly to wins, what's the point?

I read somewhere recently that the Dodgers have had 18 third baseman since Adrian Beltre left after the 2004 season. Maybe Crede ends up in Dodger blue?

You mean like Duane Schaffer? They trusted him with the entire draft and then fired him quickly afterwards, didn't they? And his firing was obviously political... a conflict of styles and philosophies between DS and KW who have been knocking heads ever since Kenny was hired. Schaffer was here for 35 years. If performance was the main cause of concern he would have been fired before the draft. And when you replace the head guy just after the draft for political reasons, and then replace a few of his handpicked guys soon after, you really don't have to look too far for reasons. What I think would clear up alot of misconceptions is a description of the draft process... how many people are involved in the selection of picks... their roles... how draft selections actually go down... who makes the final call, etc. I've seen descriptions of it for other organizations. And I'm having a real hard time imagining the Sox are much different. Are you suggesting the Sox just handed the responsibility for the #1 pick to a scout and cross-checker... and didn't do thorough due diligence on the player until AFTER the draft pick was made? If so, I would be absolutely stunned. THAT would be the definition of irresponsible management and just-cause to clear out the front office. NO successful businesses run that way. And Jerry Reinsdorf is an extremely successful businessman who would never tolerate a management team running that way. So can anyone clarify or verify how it really happens here? I'm sure it's not double-secret probation type info.

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Jan 12, 2008 -> 10:08 AM) I think the Sox fired the West Coast scout responsible for recommending Poreda as draft pick. Bureau mentioned that in a previous post I believe. In a related note, I also read elsewhere that the Sox scout who looked at the Rangers high minors (read Danks & Masset) is no longer scouting for the Sox either. Most firings like this are 'political', not performance-based. When KW replaced Duane Schaffer, it became inevitable that some of Schaffer's hand-picked guys would be sent packing too. It doesn't mean that somebody was fired for recommending a player.

Notes below about one of our front office guys... I think it's a given he would have been involved in the decision to draft Poreda, isn't it? And if so, it pretty much undermines the "clueless Sox scouts who picked Poreda because they didn't understand pitching mechanics" theory, doesn't it? If not, someone please explain. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Larry Monroe is in his 34th year with the White Sox as a player, scout, minor-league instructor, coach, special assistant to the general manager, club executive and major-league scout. In his current position as advisor to the baseball department, Monroe enhances the club's scouting efforts during the season, and his experience allows him to advise the baseball department on potential player moves. A former right-hander with the White Sox, Monroe has served in a variety of capacities with the club, including vice president of scouting and minor league operations (1990-94) and vice president of free agent and major league scouting (1994-2006). In December 2003, Monroe's book, "Best-Kept Secrets of Major League Pitching", was published by Coaches Choice. The book, filled with tips, drills and photographs illustrating proper pitching mechanics, is intended to help teach coaches, parents and pitchers of any age the keys to avoiding injuries and maximizing their personal potential.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Bourgeois make the major league roster as a reserve, with the Sox sending Alexei Ramirez to Charlotte to give him full-time at-bats. Ramirez is likely to need experience against better pitching than he faced in Cuba before making a serious contribution at the major league level.

QUOTE(Greg The Bull Luzinski @ Jan 11, 2008 -> 03:41 PM) I was thinking Ozzie needed a colonoscopy. A Colon-oscopy eh? Funny. Thinking maybe that KW told Ozzie to go scope out Colon and he misinterpreted?

QUOTE(BaseballNick @ Jan 11, 2008 -> 01:44 PM) Ken Rosenthal's take: This would be the perfect team to take a flier on Bartolo Colon or another pitcher coming off an injury. Jose Contreras, who posted a career-high 5.57 ERA last season, is the No. 3 starter, and the unproven John Danks and Gavin Floyd occupy the Nos. 4 and 5 spots. The White Sox need better to compete with the Indians and Tigers. Two of the 2007 annointed starters for the Tribe (Lee and Sowers) pitched much worse than Contreras. And who bailed them out when those guys failed? (1) A pitcher who had a 1-10 record, a 5.42 ERA, and a 1.59 WHIP in 2006 and wasn't even a candidate for the rotation in spring training. (Carmona). His stepping up this year and pitching like he did was the baseball equivalent of finding a winning lotto ticket in the street. (2) A pitcher who just turned 37 and has had 2 consecutive years of .300+ BAA, high WHIP, about a 4.70 ERA and really has no 'stuff' to speak of (Byrd). I think the odds of Contreras significantly outpitching Byrd this year are very good. Sorry... outside of CC, I'm really not that impressed with the Tribe's rotation. If Carmona comes back and has another Cy Young - type year, I'll be very surprised. And the other guys... nothing special. IMO, the gap between these two staffs is ALOT smaller than people who only look at last summer think.

QUOTE(Whitewashed in '05 @ Jan 9, 2008 -> 04:19 PM) I feel dumb. I guess I should have read. That's alright. The more times you post, the more times I get to look at your avatar.

Saw this on Scott Reifert's blog... thought it was interesting. "Here is a list of minor-league pitchers traded by the White Sox since October 2000:" (any missing?) 2000 Mark Roberts Brian Schmack Aaron Myette 2001 Gary Majewski Mike Williams Orlando Rodriguez Andre Simpson Matt Dewitt Derek Hasselhoff Daniel Mozingo Josh Fogg 2002 Matt Guerrier Joe Valentine 2003 Eddi Candelario Jason Aspito Delvis Lantigua Edwin Almonte Royce Ring Frankie Francisco Josh Rupe Tim Bittner Scott Dunn Jake Meyer 2005 Ryan Meaux Daniel Haigwood Gio Gonzalez 2006 Jeff Bajenaru Javier Lopez B.J. LaMura Daniel Cortes Tyler Lumsden 2007 Dwayne Pollock 2008 Gio Gonzalez Fautino De Los Santos

Young's minor league stats: Young GMS AtBats Runs Hits 2B's 3B's HR's RBIs SB's BB's SO's AVG OBP SLG OPS 17 yrs. 1712 5999 1067 1673 300 29 327 1151 119 837 1584 .279 .371 .502 .873

The only 'official' story I've seen about it is on the Angels mlb.com page. There was a story mid-afternoon Saturday. It suggests that the deal being discussed was Konerko for 2 of Kendrick, Santana, and Figgins.... not all three of them... and it didn't mention any other players involved (Crede, etc.).

Here's an interesting comparison (2007 numbers) Player G A-B Hits 2B HR RBI BBs SOs AVG OBP SLG OPS One 162 628 174 34 24 78 101 155 .277 .390 .462 .852 Two 150 539 141 36 22 78 100 131 .262 .381 .455 .836 Player One = Grady Sizemore Player Two = Nick Swisher

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 3, 2008 -> 05:06 PM) Am I the only one who finds it very odd that the White Sox drafting, development, and minor league system absolutely sucks and KW should be fired, while Billy Beane is a God amongst GM's, and yet Beane has spent his offseason collecting guys we drafted? Nope. You're not the only one.

I always enjoy seeing these numbers, but... what a bunch of crap. In 7 full season in MLB, Mark Buehrle has had a sub-4.00 ERA five times. So, how's he going to do next year? Oh... he'll have a 4.32 ERA and the second worst season of his career. Yeah. Sure. Alright.

Thanks. I'd like to learn more about this. Is there anywhere I can get additional information? A website, articles, or a phone number of someone I can call?

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 31, 2007 -> 11:54 PM) Didn't the McCarthy trade happen in that window? December 23rd.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Dec 31, 2007 -> 04:46 PM) Isn't it funny Marte in Cleveland is now being written off as a bust by their fans and White Sox fans are clinging to hope Richar develops into something good, when Richar is actually the older player of the 2? Well... Marte has had two bad years in AAA back-to-back... his major league stats are worse than Brian Anderson's... and he's out of options. Meanwhile, Richar is only 5 months older (Danny turned 24 in June; Marte turned 24 in November). And Richar has had three very good minor league seasons back-to-back including absolutely tearing up the league Marte has been struggling in. That could have something to do with it.

QUOTE(The Beast @ Dec 31, 2007 -> 04:29 PM) Is there a reason that there's been no activity as of late? Tell me if I'm wrong, but do the Sox have two shortstops, a gap in the rotation left by Garland, no leadoff hitter, no centerfielder, and no confirmation of this Ramirez deal, while Crede is still here. "What's the dilio?" On Scott Reifert's blog, he says the baseball industry is 'closed' between Christmas eve (December 21st for the Sox offices) and January 3rd.

Kazmir's days in Tampa are numbered. The number is 365 X 3