max power

I like the speed, a lot. I don't know how practical your trades are. Not saying they are impractical, just saying I don't know.

Probably inconsistent play is the most common cause, you have one good month and everyone starts to think you are somebody, then you go back down to earth. That is if you want to believe that anyone is "overrated" which I don't. To paraphrase, 'People are who we think they are.' I'm sure there are other ways people get the title of overrated, like extra media coverage, bias, personal opinion based on intangibles.

All of them except paulie, ideally. I wouldn't be too pissed with trading paulie, either.

If they aren't going to resign crede and garland, I hope he trades them both.

Why not just sign him and trade him?

Haha, exactly.

Nice screen name. *has his changed to "guy who sells stuff on ebay and trades futures sometimes on the side and has a real estate liscense but doesn't really use it ever"* Is it long enough?

This sarcasm conversation sucks ass, yet I keep reading it.

QUOTE(Markbilliards @ Nov 2, 2007 -> 07:35 PM) I believe there were 3 josh fields in the organization this past season. So if one goes down we'll still be ok. Nice.

Hahaha, good post. I hate strawman arguments.

Yankees have any possible short stops? Obviously they'd be blocked by the asshat of a man, derek jeter, and robinson cano if they wanted to make him a 2nd basemen.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Nov 3, 2007 -> 03:32 PM) Just because the guy used to be a starter doesn't mean he's automatically a good benh option. There are guys who need to play everyday to keep their swing in line and focus on baseball or to stay in shape. There are DH's who prefer to play first base because it keeps their head in the game. In every full season of play, he's been at best average in fielding percentage for catchers. And YES, fielding percentage is a fair metric to use for catchers because it pretty much consists of throwing the ball. http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hallto02.shtml Yeah but I don't know if thats what we are seing or if toby is sucking for another reason, like the fact that he wasn't completely healthy.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Nov 3, 2007 -> 02:47 PM) Toby Hall was a below average starting catcher, and he does not have the characteristics to be a typical back-up catcher. He isn't good defensively, can't throw guys out, and doesn't handle pitchers well. I'm not sure that's true. Was it true before he got injured? Also, yeah, he isn't good enough to be a starter here, we aren't trying to make him one.

Difinitely? Holy hangover.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Nov 3, 2007 -> 01:37 PM) That's too bad. I wanted him as our back up before last year. Well we bought low, so it wouldn't be that much of a loss. There's a lot of garbage that needs to be thrown out from last year. If he's not getting surgery, he must be healthy. If he didn't get surgery late last year, he must have been healthy, and he SUCKED. He difinitely sucked. No argument there. I guess I just am not certain that the logic you are using to predict what he will be like next year is valid.

Dumping hall seems pretty dumb right now. Sell low, huh?

QUOTE(29andPoplar @ Nov 1, 2007 -> 05:32 PM) On one level I agree, it doesn't matter. On another level it does, and that's the notion the White Sox screw their players and purposely derail their careers. Some of that type of stuff has been said in this thread and it's nonsense. Some young players do everything they can to get better and use every tool available to help them improve. Some don't, and Anderson is in that group. I like guys on the team who will fight through adversity, work hard, and do their best to prepare. I don't think it was purposefully. I think it was because ozzie got a man crush. I think it was very shortsighted too, which you inevitably get when you want to win now. That borders on sounding stupid, but I think its accurate, unfortunately.

QUOTE(scenario @ Oct 31, 2007 -> 10:25 AM) Like I said... it's obvious you didn't watch the spring training games. Hot one week. Ice cold two weeks (which is when he opened the door for Erstad). And then hot at the end when he feasted on marginal pitchers teams were evaluating to determine if they'd make the final cut. It made his overall numbers look good, but you can't go into the tank for two weeks during spring training... and look bad doing it... and just expect management to anoint you the starter. Many of his at-bats in spring training were just BRUTAL. They illustrated the same problems he was having last year... hole in the swing... bad pitch selection. Sox management was hoping he'd show improvement in those areas. He didn't. His performance at Charlotte makes the whole 'poor Brian' argument moot anyway. When Erstad and Pods went down with injuries, the Sox needed help. Owens was batting .300 at Charlotte, Brian was batting in the low .200's. If it had been the other way around, Brian would gotten the call. (He was too busy throwing himself a pity party to focus on playing baseball.) Regardless of what you may think, the Sox management people are not stupid and they ARE trying to put a team out there that gives them the best chance to win. If Brian gets that through his thick ego and starts playing better baseball, rather than expecting things to be handed to him, he might get another shot here. But I doubt it will happen. I read an interview with him back in 2003, right after he was drafted, with Phil Rogers. In Brian's opinion, he was ready for MLB right away, but said he knew he 'probably would have to pay dues'. (Hello reality... I'd like to introduce you to Brian.) The fact is that his over-inflated opinion of himself, and sense of entitlement, are a HUGE part of the problem. I did watch the games. Well, not every game but quite a few of them. Its obvious that you base your argument on assumptions and false dilemmas, amoung other fallacies. Many of his at bats produced walks or hits, more walks than erstad, more hits as a percentage than erstad. He got injured at charlotte, shortly after getting there and after sitting on the bench, getting ice cold, and having his career stifled by ozzie. I never said sox management is stupid, but I think they made a terrible decision, and the results WERE terrible. I really don't see how you can argue on the side of this decision. Brian has since been humbled, this should be obvious to you by some of things he said in the article this thread is about. Example: having pity on himself, overcoming it.

QUOTE(scenario @ Oct 30, 2007 -> 09:11 PM) I get the impression you didn't watch any of the spring training games. Brian was given first shot and was VERY inconsistent. Hit well for a week... disappeared for two weeks... then started to hit well again. And you could have driven a Buick through the holes in his swing during the entire period. Erstad stepped in when Brian faltered and played well... consistently. So BA has no one to blame but himself. And then Brian went to Charlotte, couldn't hit triple A pitching, and sulked acting like he had been wronged. Sorry... His immaturity, poor play, and inconsistency are the reasons he is in his current situation. He needs to suck it up, grow up, and start playing better baseball if he wants another shot. How do you consider a guy who batted .308 and had an obp of like .380 get to be considered some one who has "faltered" in only 52 at bats? Oh, yeah bias.

QUOTE(TLAK @ Oct 30, 2007 -> 07:30 PM) I really think he's just too dumb to be a good major leaguer. Do you remember his 17 at bats? He was situationally terrible. Forget the numbers, there are many ways a player can help a team if he can field like Brian, even if he's not hitting for numbers. But he came up needing a lazy fly ball or even a ground ball to get a guy over and would strike out trying to put it on the moon. Then he'd come up with 2 out and nobody on and bunt. He was very frustrating for the fans to watch and must have driven the coaches nuts. A great athlete but a bad ball player. I don't see how its prudent to judge anything from 17 at bats, especially when they are as sporadic as his were and the fact that he is and was a developing player at the time, not some established vet.

The key I think, is that they are given a second year after that to continue. Brian wasn't, and worse, he deserved that opportunity, at that point. Now he is kinda f***ed. But hey, go ahead and call him s*** or think whatever you want, because you obviously know everything that could have happened, and will happen in the future.

I mean, do you actually need me too pull out some stats of some people that struggled their first full year, only to become everyday players/above average player/stars? I'm sure there are hundreds.

I'm not convinced that had ozzie taken off his man-love grindy glasses, that we wouldn't be in the free agent market for a CF right now. To say he can't hit major league pitching at this point of his career isn't very wise.

QUOTE(BMac Attack @ Oct 30, 2007 -> 07:18 PM) Ah, but Brian made one big mistake before 07 - that would be making an utter fiasco of his rookie year when he was finally given his chance and the full faith of the organization. Hence, it's gonna take a little time for "reward" to come back into this equation. In the mean time, it'd help to get healthy, get hitting, and keep his mouth shut unless he has something nice to say. He came on stronger in the second half of 06 and carried it to spring training 07, then got benched for someone who put up lesser stats but got a better chance at spring training success.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Oct 30, 2007 -> 07:12 PM) this argument is soo tired. Who gives a s*** about some prospect who can't hit MLB pitching? Tired because you don't have any reasonable counter argument?