Dick Allen

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ May 5, 2015 -> 02:50 PM) Am I the only one who doesn't see it as an adventure when the ball is hit towards Micah? I think he has been doing just fine at 2B (granted I wasn't able to watch this weekend) but I don't think he is the issue on defense. Gillaspie, Flowers, Avi, and Abreu are worse, IMO. I must be one of the only ones who have been happy with the play of Micah so far. I think if the other guys (vets) were hitting better, Micah would be hitting better as well. He also hasn't had a lot of AB's so far, he will only get better. He's only had one error, but he got away with a couple more. And as much as people hate Beckham, I think they even see a few that were DPs when he was playing 2B, that aren't DPs anymore. I think he will improve but he is shaky with the glove. But I don't understand the call to replace him. Rookies go through things. It would be one thing to replace him with someone who has had success at the major league level, but another rookie.......Micah hasn't played anywhere near poorly enough for that.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 5, 2015 -> 02:34 PM) IMO you don't have to be a great fielder to not make mental mistakes. You don't have to be a great fielder to do things like hit the cutoff man, perform a rundown properly, not throw the ball past your infielders all the time a-la what Danks is doing right now. I understand if a guy doesn't have great range he's not going to be a great fielder, I'm ok with that. There's a difference between "these guys are lousy defenders" and "these guys are clowns". Right now our team is clowns. For the most part, they have been hitting cut off men. Eaton airmailed one, but OFs throwing the ball home usually have no shot if you try to hit the cutoff man, unless the 3B coach is sending a guy just to send him. If it is going to be close, throwing it at the cutoff man is a concession. So airmailing it really isn't as bad as it looks as long as the chance is legit. It is bad if there is really not a legit chance of throwing out the runner. Rundowns.........every single team has trouble with rundowns. They also have been really unlucky with some short hops. Gillaspie has booted balls, Abreu, Micah, Avi, it is always going to be an adventure when it is hit towards these guys.

I still don't understand White Sox fans' fascination with trying to be the first to declare the White Sox season dead. It's not even warm yet. There is so much excitement and so much overblown when someone gets 2 hits the first week of spring training, but now the team has a horrific week in more ways than one, and that's that. Season is over. Everyone must be fired. They were 0-5 last week. If they were 2-3, they would be 10-12 and while not very good, not season is over material. So that is 2 freaking games, and there are 140 left to play.

QUOTE (flavum @ May 5, 2015 -> 02:09 PM) The 5/27 game in Toronto has been changed to 11:37am because the White Sox are traveling to Baltimore after the game. Not sure if that's a scheduling rule, or if the Jays are being cool. Either way, that's a good thing for the Sox. Canadians are known to be polite.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ May 5, 2015 -> 01:45 PM) I think Carlos Sanchez is probably a 1 to 1.5 WAR player. I don't think he's any great shakes. What I do know is that he will catch the ball and occasionally save a run with his glove. Sounds pretty damn good to me after this s*** show defense the past few years. He's booted the ball around in Charlotte, but I would agree he is better defensively than Micah, at least now. But the guy has a .507 BABIP, and that is what is causing the cries for his call up. Micah will adjust and get better. The problem with most rookies is they struggle at times. His ceiling is much higher than Sanchez's, which I am sure is why he is here and Carlos is in Charlotte. If Sanchez was up and the same Sanchez we saw last September, and Micah was in Charlotte with a .507 BABIP, you and everyone else who wants Sanchez starting, would want Micah starting. There would be nothing about how much he has played above A ball. Sanchez's offensive numbers are out of whack and not sustainable. He is, by almost every evaluation out there, a future utility infielder.

If Rick Hahn found another GM as high on Carlos Sanchez as a few here, he would be insane not to trade him.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ May 5, 2015 -> 01:21 PM) The difference is that Sanchez put up, in a full AAA season, a 111 wRC+ -- as one of the youngest players in the league. Micah Johnson, at 2 full year years ahead of Micah in age, struggled majorly in AAA at the dish. This doesn't even mention the huge defensive upgrade that Sanchez brings over Micah. Sanchez is two years younger than Micah. I'm really not sure why that hardly ever gets mentioned. It's a clear point in Sanchez' favor. I will ask this question: would any other org other than the Sox have promoted Micah this spring over Sanchez? I imagine the Royals wouldn't even have had a decision to make. The Sox don't value defense and they over value raw speed. It's been obvious for almost a decade. The White Sox have overvalued raw speed for almost a decade? Now that is funny.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 5, 2015 -> 01:15 PM) Combine that with errors / runs added and how much does that change our record. I said it all off-season, the lil things were going to play a significant factor in the outcome of this season and thus far, the Sox have stunk up the joint in those areas. Most of us knew, and you obviously mentioned it, defense was going to be a problem. I think most of us bought the Vince Coleman kool aid and figured the baserunning would be better, but it's been a bad decision after another bad decision, by baserunners and 3rd base coaches. Hopefully, it is because they were struggling and it was an ill-fated attempt to make things happen, and when things get more normalized and 2 runs a game isn't standard, they can relax a bit and make better decisions. There is no question this team is wound tight, and people can put that on Robin, but there is only so much you can do. They know the record. They see their stats on the board at games. Adam Eaton seems to try to hit the ball 600 feet at times. Hopefully a couple of decent games in a row can end all of that.

QUOTE (Lillian @ May 5, 2015 -> 01:17 PM) As I said; Sanchez is not going to be the savior. The point is that there should be an open competition for that job, and Carlos has done all he can to win it. Of course, one of the two is going to be disappointed. That's tough. Get over it. Micah can spend some time in AAA, where he has not yet had a full season, and reward Carlos for his outstanding effort. It shouldn't be that hard for Micah to appreciate that his teammate has earned a shot. Here is another thing to consider. Johnson's role is to bat 9TH and try to get on and steal some bases. He isn't getting on base often enough to be the difference maker, that he will hopefully become. Sanchez can play a much important role, as the number 2 hitter, where he has been most of the time. There, his switch hitting, offensive production can make more of an impact than a 9TH place hitter. He has demonstrated his ability to put the bat on the ball, from both sides of the plate. And, to reiterate, it would afford the Sox an opportunity to try to get more run production out of Melky. That is something that they sorely need. Carlos Sanchez, like Jake Elmore, is not going to be the White Sox #2 hitter.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ May 5, 2015 -> 01:14 PM) The cherries you pick are so sweet. 120 PA at above average median age for the league (23) How about a much larger sample in "never been farther away from MLB" AAA: 275 .314 .370 / .684, .968 fielding percentage. Which also means AAA has never been closer to AA. And when someone says he hasn't done jack s*** above A ball, then points out Sanchez this season who has less plate appearances Micah had in what you erroneously termed cherry picking, it is easy to see why your posts can only be laughed at.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 5, 2015 -> 01:04 PM) Dan Hirsch ‏@DanHirsch 5m5 minutes ago #White Sox have also made 14 outs on the bases (2nd most in MLB). @fangraphs has them at -4.1 runs via Ultimate Base Running Most of them are stupid, but at least a couple have probably been the result of trying to score against the odds because you really can't count on another hit. The one encouraging sign is the White Sox seem to be starting to get hits. Driving in runs is the next issue they need to tackle.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ May 5, 2015 -> 01:01 PM) Micah Johnson is below replacement and made a critical error in the last ball game. He certainly isn't part of the solution. You have an above average defensive 2B that has done nothing but earn a spot on this 25 man roster and instead they handed it to a guy that hasn't done jack s*** above A ball. And they wonder why guys always under perform. Maybe make them prove something in AAA first. Oh wait, Sanchez is doing just that and can't get a roster spot. s*** is f***ed up and bulls*** man. .317/.393/.830 in AA. I guess that is either jack s*** production or your knowledge is what you described his production above A ball.

It is funny the Sox are constantly criticized for rushing players, but a young guy whose OBP and OPS last year in a September call up was actually lower than Micah's ,needs to be called up, and be a difference maker.

Last night was the first time a LeBron James team never led a home playoff game.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 5, 2015 -> 11:18 AM) It's not this way as much anymore. Kenny Williams wanted to draft high upside athletes and Jerry Reinsdorf didn't want to spend $$ in the draft. What ends up happening is drafting the Jared Mitchell's and Keenyn Walker's of the world. The White Sox never maximized their opportunities via the draft in the mid to late 2000's and their system paid for it. But hey, they always had the cash laying around to sign guys like Juan Pierre. The White Sox gave Joe Borchard at the time, the biggest bonus in baseball history. He put up big numbers in the minors, was at one time I believe a top 15 prospect, but had as hard of a time making contact as many of the White Sox recent and current minor leaguers, and thus busted. Frankly, I have a real problem with these guys they draft or trade for that strikeout so freaking much. It's one thing to fan 100 times, but these guys are fanning against many pitchers who will never sniff the major leagues at ridiculous rates. I really think guys with 35% k rates against minor league pitching are basically telling you the future. There are exceptions, but IMO very rare. That's the reason I personally feel Hawkins and Davidson have little chance of actually ever helping the White Sox win games.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ May 5, 2015 -> 10:45 AM) I dont think its the only reason the players respect him, but its part of it. The guy works his ass off to an extent that is crazy even for coaches and the track record he has of maximizing every ounce of defense out of every player gets a lot of guys paid. Plus, and Thibs has said this much, there's been a lot of adversity around the Bulls for the last 3 years and he's handled like a pro every step of the way. I have heard it mentioned many times that Thibs loves his players. When they know that, you will get it right back.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2015 -> 09:29 AM) Gee, that's probably because Frank Thomas was out with an achilles' problem, Wells was out for nearly the whole season....Jose Canseco was playing regularly and we were breaking in like 8 rookie or 2nd year pitchers. But totally similar situation with 2015...if you consider it wasn't anything alike. And the example given was a team that didn't come close to making the playoffs. The Indians that year were starting to show their age and the Twins were the huge surprise out of the gate. You didn't have a four time AL Central Division team with a huge payroll and the best hitter in baseball, as well as the team that came one out and Madison Bumgarner away from winning the World Series. Gee, guess what, they came back without Frank Thomas and without David Wells. They were 15 games out on May 25th. 4 weeks later they were 8 out. I guess Detroit is in no danger of showing its age. And for all the Madison Bumgarner away from a WS, they were also an unlikely 4 run come back in the 8th inning of the wild card game from us ever having to hear how a team that had not made the playoffs for 30 years is now the model all teams should follow. The Royals haven't won squat. And the example was a team that finished 2 games out of the playoffs if they were determined like they are today. And the example was 14-29 vs. 8-14. That would be another 6-15 stretch to tie. There is no doubt in my mind you prefer White Sox losses to wins.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 5, 2015 -> 09:13 AM) Basically all of this does the exact same error you said you can't do a moment ago. And no, neither Coop nor Steverson are good candidates to replace this manager and I am genuinely starting to wonder based on the starting rotation if Coop's methods are tiring out in this city. However, how can you put heat on the pitching coach? As you said, "the bullpen is nails and that's 100% not going to change" so that's clearly a huge success for the pitching coach right? I am not suggesting firing anybody. I have suggested the White Sox ride out the storm. I am actually one of the dopes that thinks 140 games is enough to get things turned around. I pointed out the 2001 White Sox .They started out 8-19, and at one point were 14-29. They still won 83 games. Jerry Manuel didn't get fired.

I think the layoff hurt the Cavs a bit. Is it just me or does LeBron seem a bit sluggish on the court these days? Obviously he is bigger and stronger than most, but I think his athleticism has fallen off a bit. MJ was able to weather that storm for quite a while. Maybe it was just Butler's defense.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 5, 2015 -> 08:50 AM) Um...So based on your statement, declaring that the bullpen is "nails" is a very dicey statement as well because all it takes is 1 bad outing for that to no longer be true? No, the bullpen is nails. When Scott Carroll gets lit up pitching as the long man his 3rd game in about a week, that really doesn't count in a 13-3 game. The bullpen is beyond fine. I know, White Sox fans are supposed to say everything and everyone suck. I think the focus should be why does Chris Sale and Jeff Samardizasaaa give up a combined 17 runs in their last starts? And why is scoring 3 runs considered an offensive explosion? Soxtalk gets its targets and never lets go. If the offense was this bad 4 years ago, it wasn't the manager who had to get fired, it wasn't the front office that was so stupid, it was clearly the hitting coach being bad at his job. Now, the starters all suck. Any heat on the pitching coach? The offense is as bad as it's been for decades. Any heat on the hitting coach? In fact, I have seen both mentioned as replacements for the current manager. The White Sox will get better. Some won't agree, but that's OK. Many of them prefer losing anyway.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2015 -> 08:33 AM) Just like fangraphs is currently saying the odds of winning the division are 2% and odds of making it as a wildcard are 3%. (On the plus side, we're still rated ahead of Minnesota somehow, despite this past weekend, and Texas). You have Dave Cameron and sportswriters/media now speculating about Ventura's job status and dealing Samardzija and Ramirez. If the season isn't close to being over, you're not very familiar with poor White Sox starts that ended in the playoffs outside of 1983, when there were fewer teams to pass in the AL West (3 versus 4). You also said "this bullpen is nails!" Which one is closer to being accurate, the White Sox will miss the playoffs for the 8th consecutive season or the bullpen will finish in the Top 3-5 in the AL in any statistical category you care to choose (ERA, WHIP, FIP, etc.) When will you ever realize, Dave Cameron's opinion, and sportswriters opinions, and message board posters opinions don't factor into personnel and managerial decisons. The bullpen is nails. You get so caught up in stats 22 games in, where one or 2 outings, especially in games that have already been decided, warp overall numbers. If the season is over like you proclaimed weeks ago, whoever is managing doesn't matter. So quit crying about it. They don't listen to you anyway or they would have traded for Homer Bailey by now.

Figures it will be about 50 degrees tonight, but the Sox have their top 3 going. A sweep would be great, but 2 out of 3 real nice.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 5, 2015 -> 04:36 AM) http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/...stand-white-sox On Monday, fans already were calling for a managerial change. The Sox’ front office was not a happy place Monday, but firing Ventura isn’t likely under chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s watch, the big-league executive said. ‘‘[Adam] LaRoche, [Alexei] Ramirez, Eaton, [Jose] Abreu, [John] Danks, Sale and Samardzija need to pick it up,’’ he said. ‘‘There is no way Jerry Reinsdorf is going to fire Robin Ventura. He’s too loyal.’’ Great, we're probably headed for a "lame duck," lost season. If nothing else, a new manager when the team is psychologically out of the race could at least give the front office a better read on how the team will perform going forward...how much of it is lack of talent/aging veterans and how much of it is attributable to some other variable or "human factor." LOL. You said the season was over 3 weeks ago.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 4, 2015 -> 02:57 PM) Better question is what has Hahn put on the field to not show that he sucks at his job? I absolutely don't think he sucks, but so far, the results under his tenure have been terrible with very little progress being shown in multiple areas. 63-99 73-89 8-14 since he was named GM. Yet, for some reason, with no inside knowledge, he can do no wrong, and everyone else can do nothing right. I absolutely agree with you.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 4, 2015 -> 02:49 PM) What has KW done since 2005 that makes him NOT SUCK? I am no fan of KW, but there was the drafting of Chris Sale, and the signing of Jose Abreu. Alexei Ramirez. They did make the playoff in 2008. When you get rattled, your hyperbole machine goes full blast and gets even more inaccurate than usual.