scenario

Let's just hope Tyler Flowers knocks the cover off the ball in spring training and leaves Ozzie no choice except to insert him at DH.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 04:51 PM) You will get no argument from me that it is not ideal. I agree with that. I'm simply saying that the fate of this lineup does not necessarily hinge on the DH, especially if the big boys do their job. The Rays scored the 5th most runs in the league last year (7th overall) and Pat Burrell had an OPS of around .680 as their full-time DH. It's not ideal, but it doesn't mean it won't be good enough...especially in the Central. It's much easier to overcome a hole like Burrell created when you have 4 guys in the lineup with an OPS over .875 like the Rays. Just for comparison purposes... Only one player on the Sox had an OPS over .850 in 2009... Thome. Three players did in 2008... Quentin, Dye, and Thome. Only one player did in 2007... Thome. Three players did it in 2006... Konerko, Dye, and Thome. (BTW - Alex Rios has done it twice in his 6 year career... the last time was 3 years ago.) So... take Thome and Dye out of the equation... replace Thome with sub-standard DH production... and if other guys do their jobs we should be OK? I'm just struggling to see how we'll score enough runs to be competitive.... which would be a damn shame given the pitching staff we have.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 04:32 PM) There really is no use repeating myself, because I thought it was pretty clear. If the lineup as a whole does its job, it is irrelevant if the Sox' DH is weaker than everyone else's. Let me make this even clearer for those that may think I wouldn't like a better hitter there: I would. For the sake of piece-of-mind alone, I would find it more comforting if they had a better option right now. However, I just don't believe that one spot will end up making the difference. It will probably be inconsequential in comparison to the trio I mentioned in my previous post. Chris, you're right. You are being clear. I simply don't agree with you. Planning around a hole in the lineup, especially at a premier offensive position, simply doesn't make sense IMO, regardless of whether other players 'do their job'.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 04:25 PM) "Goode enough" means just that: good enough for the team, as a whole, to win. Yes... but... The statistical correlation between runs scored and wins is very very clear. And the correlation between OPS and runs scored is very clear. And in the AL, DH is a premier offensive position. So, why should we handicap ourselves by choice? I can buy the argument that we might not have many other choices... But I simply can't buy the idea that intentionally rotating sub-standard offensive players through the DH position is an acceptable idea for a team that wants to compete. I'd be happier if they scrapped the idea and just said "Tyler Flowers will be our DH unless he struggles to hit at the major league level"... and then let the current 'plan' be the backup plan.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 04:16 PM) In all reality, what's the likelihood it all comes down to one game, or even two? I understand it's happened in two straight seasons but, really, that is highly unusual. You can do this "what if?" game with everyone in the lineup. They wouldn't have even been in position to play that 163rd game if Konerko hadn't been non-existent for the first 4 months or if Swisher hadn't underachieved by about 100 OPS points that season. The truth is, they were in that position because of lineup-wide underachievement. It's not that I don't believe one guy can't carry a lineup for a time, because that can happen. Quentin did it two years ago and Thome did it in 2006, for example. But Thome's days of carrying a lineup are probably over. Sorry, but I struggle with the argument that it's OK to accept a glaring weakness on the team because 'one player/position probably won't make that much of a difference'." Depending on who Detroit trots out there, we're likely to have THE worst production at DH of any team in the division. Why is that acceptable for a team that says it wants to compete for the division title?

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 03:55 PM) I don't think the odds are that heavily in favor of the DH sucking. I think there is a good chance, but I don't think it's that strong. I also think there's a pretty good chance that the DH isn't necessarily good, but that it's good enough. I also believe it's a mistake to put this much weight on the designated hitter. The Sox will not win, or lose, the division just because of it. While a real, good hitter would make the lineup better, it's going to be up to the lineup as a whole to get it done this year. The DH appears to be a weakness, but it's probably not going to be the one thing that makes or breaks them. That's too much emphasis to place on one guy in the lineup. Good enough for what? Hoping other players step up to compensate for a potential hole in our lineup isn't a strategy that inspires much confidence. There were only 4 DH's in the AL last year with an OPS under .750. Only one of those on a competitive team. And in our division, the teams we're competing against have pretty good DH's. Why put ourselves at a competitive disadvantage right out of the gate? Just seems ridiculous to me.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 03:35 PM) Sadly, this seems like a situation where Ozzie wants to show he's smarter than everyone. I'm fine with that, as long as he's held accountable. The scary part is... that if the oddball one-in-hundred type thing happens and the guys DH'ing don't suck, Ozzie will be absolutely insufferable. Then, we'll have to put up with even more oddball ideas... like “I’d rather have Rios steal 50 bases than hit 50 home runs. I want production.”

QUOTE (knightni @ Jan 23, 2010 -> 05:44 PM) Hudson would make KW and Ozzie's defensive plans awkward. He only wants to play 2B full time. Period. Of course, he is currently unemployed... so he might not be so picky.

If Ozzie is all fired up about playing the flexibility and small ball game... then why not sign Orlando Hudson to be DH? If you're not going to at power to the lineup Ozzie/Kenny, why not add a decent table-setter who can also be used in the field on occasion? And he wouldn't add dead weight to the roster, because he would take Nix's spot, which would allow us to carry an extra pitcher. Just a thought.

Dear Ozzie and Kenny, The Twins have a much better offense than we do. It's not even close. Yes we appreciate the very nice pitching staff you put together. Please don't make us suffer through a summer watching a team with great pitching that ends up out of the running because we can't score enough runs to be competitive. You can't seriously believe that cycling a series of substandard offensive players through the DH position is a good idea... can you? Please wake up.

QUOTE (PeavyTime @ Jan 22, 2010 -> 01:24 PM) Kotsay @ 34>>>>>>>>>Thome @ 39/40 and its not even close in my opinion Not on this planet, but... Whatever you say Ozzie.

QUOTE (PeavyTime @ Jan 22, 2010 -> 01:06 PM) This would be the best thing ever! First the Sox wouldn't get him, thank god. Then, he would waste a roster spot for the Twins considering they have Kubel. Then, when he does play, he will only be a detriment to the team!! Make it happen baby! Yeah, you're right. Rotating Jones and Kotsay is a much better idea.

A's prospect Grant Desme retiring from baseball to join the priesthood? I'm sure that has probably happened before, but I can't remember anybody getting as far as he has and then escaping to the cloth. "Desme is leaving baseball at a time when his fortunes seemed to be rising fast. He batted .288 with 31 home runs and 89 RBIs in 131 games last year. Then he starred in the Arizona Fall League, where some of the game’s top prospects compete each year." Well.... he'll make a helluva church league player.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jan 20, 2010 -> 03:11 PM) I like how this organization is actively recruiting lefties for the minor league system. Hopefully, gone are the days where Wes Whistler was the only crutch to fall back upon. I still think we pull a Rick Ankiel with Whisler. Not much chance he's going to be a major league pitcher.

QUOTE (Markbilliards @ Dec 9, 2009 -> 10:12 PM) Project Prospect posted a review of players' speed in the AFL. Personally I always thought Danks had good speed, but according to this review, he's barely above average. I hope their small sample size is a bit off. http://projectprospect.com/article/2009/12/08/afl-speed-data The speed number itself (average time = 4.15 seconds going from home to first) based on very small sample (2 at-bats?) tells us very little. Especially when you consider that the difference between "average" and "above average" is only 1/10th of a second. I think it's more significant that out of the 45 players evaluated, only 10 had a higher scouting grade than Danks' 55. The scouting grades that surprised me were: Starlin Castro (40) and Josh Vitters (20). Looks like the Cubs may have to hire a surgeon to remove the lead from their a**es.

QUOTE (chisoxfan09 @ Jan 17, 2010 -> 05:25 AM) Late post- is anyone on the forum aware of any recent "Pitcher Reclamation Projects" who suffered extreme wildness but were tweaked by a new coach and wound up developing some level of control?? Matt Thornton

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jan 15, 2010 -> 08:08 PM) any guesses on who might be a surprise to break camp with the big league team? my long shot = Jordan Danks kyle bellamy

QUOTE (Cubano @ Jan 11, 2010 -> 03:05 PM) salary + bonus = ? How many years? Thanks, Alexei Ramirez inf 4 years/$4.75M (2008-11) * 4 years/$4.75M (2008-11) o signed by White Sox 12/21/07 as a free agent from Cuba (via the Dominican Republic) o $0.5M signing bonus o 08:$0.95M, 09:$1.1M, 10:$1.1M, 11:$1.1M * agent: Jaime Torres * ML service: 1.000

Royals in Haiku... One hundred losses A Kansas City birthright Futility lives

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 7, 2010 -> 01:46 AM) It's funny that Bell says the Sox will be slower with Mitchell than they would most No. 1s, yet they started him at Kanny. Not a very conservative start. Would they think about having him play there again? I don't think so. I think they could move him quickly... but they just wanted to temper expectations that he would move as quickly as Beckham. IMO, I see him playing two more years in the minors.

Several interesting notes in that article. Thanks for posting it.

QUOTE (MattZakrowski @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 12:39 PM) Why would you do that? If Konerko (and most other 1st basemen for that matter) could play anywhere else on the field, they most likely would. A 1st baseman is held to a higher offensive standard than other positions because of the high amount of players who can play it adequately. Why? Think about it. If you get rid of one of the top-3 players in your lineup OPS-wise, you have to replace that production... regardless of what position he plays. The fact that there are alot of highly productive 1Bs in MLB doesn't justify getting rid of one of our most productive hitters and creating another hole in our lineup. It's not like we can get rid of Paulie and go get Pujols to replace him. The best 1B's in MLB aren't usually put on the block. Most of the available 1B options have had injury issues or inconsistent histories. I simply don't see any reason to assume we'd be better off making a change.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jan 2, 2010 -> 04:27 PM) I'm not sure what you don't understand. Look at Konerko's production in the last three years. In comparison to other first basemen in baseball, those numbers seem rather mediocre or maybe worse. The problem is comparing him to other first basemen... because 1Bs tend to be the best hitters on most MLB teams. Instead, compare him to all hitters / position players. I took a look to see where he would fit on most MLB rosters. Bottom line is he'd still be one of the top 3 hitters (OPS-wise) in almost any MLB lineup.

Gavin got married in Clearwater, Florida today. Congrats and best wishes Gavin.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Jan 2, 2010 -> 01:04 PM) Don't know if this has been posted yet. Article It was posted in PHT along with the article about Torres. http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=75825 So... MiLB pitcher of the year (Hudson)... AAA pitcher of the year (Torres)... and MiLB player of the year (Chris Carter)... all drafted by the WhiteSox. I like it.