Dick Allen

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 02:06 PM) Jesse Crain experiencing a little more than normal soreness. Light catch today. Will try catch again in next few days. Takes OD off table. https://twitter.com/CSNHayes/status/578989755553075200 Opening Day was never on the table. If it is the middle of March and the best you have done in 20 months is throw in a simulated game or BP, there is no way you are going to be ready for opening day.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 12:50 PM) Yep he is. A good chunk of his WAR comes from his outstanding defense at 1B. I don't think KB will be a plus defender anywhere, but time will tell. His OPS was over .900. The only players higher were Victor, Abreu, McCutchen,Stanton,Trout and Joey Bats. The Cubs are going to have a really good offense. It's whether they get the pitching is the question IMO.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 12:30 PM) Yep, he should be outstanding, but the tiny sample size and not-truly-competitive ST numbers aren't really a part of it for me. I don't think he'll be at 3B for too long, and he's not Schmidt defensively, even if he unexpectedly sticks. Could be every bit of him offensively, or even Jimmy Foxx-good. But maybe not. The hype machine says yes, but the hype machine always says yes. And, ya know, just few years ago, Anthony Rizzo was actually better than Bryant in a similar Iowa stint. They're completely different players, and Rizzo is very good. But, probably not great. Anthony Rizzo is pretty good. Put up a 5.6 WAR last year as a 24 year old.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 12:07 PM) sometimes things happen, that is why there is word called upsets. There is but if you are removing Thibs, it can't be because of his regular season record. And if it is about playing time, this year he has been stuck with minutes limits for a lot of players, so they can't get him for killing the players. The only thing they can use as a reason is lack of playoff success. Moving on from him and hiring a guy whose 3 seed team lost to a 14 seed in the round of 64, and using that excuse, would be sort of insane. Of course I am assuming Hoiberg would be the coach, and there are those that probably know more than me that think he wouldn't leave Ames. But if a lack of postseason success is the reason they use to move on from Thibs, since GarPax has pretty much been denying any rift even though the entire world knows, they are going to have to hire someone with a track record of postseason success to at least look a little truthful at the press conference. For once, I hope Cowley is right. Losing Thibs over pettiness and/or ego would be a huge mistake.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 10:44 AM) Can't disagree, chances are, but will just remind all that we're looking at ST performance here, and a lot of straight fastballs from pitchers getting their "work " in. He's been incredibly impressive at all levels, but the K rate has been borderline, and that's a giant bugaboo for players making a leap to the better-than-ever pitching of MLB. And, before too long, he probably won't be the biggest, tallest, 3B in the history of the game, he'll be playing in the OF, who knows how well? 1000+ OPS for a 22 year old in the PCL is awesome, but it's not Haley's Comet. I think he'll be great. He may only be good. It's not like we haven't seen a hype machine spin out of control a bit in the past, and set an impossible expectation. As a 22 year old in AA .355/.458/1.160 As a 22 year old in AAA .295/.418/1.036 Spring training this year .435/.500/1.804 We would be going nuts if Kris Bryant did this in a Birmingham and Charlotte and Camelback Ranch. Frank Thomas as a 22 year old in AA .323/.487/1.068 And when you are playing half the time in Iowa the PCL numbers aren't as exhaggerated. Bryant does strikeout too much, but he gets on base. One reason why he is probably a tick or 2 below Frank as a hitter. There is nothing to suggest he is going to be anything but great unfortunately.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 11:41 AM) ok, i am ready for round 2. as it has been mention, maturity and development. just b/c, lets say with his age comes maturity, which is true, there is a different maturity with ball players. some calls it being hard on one self, and as you say the game is designed for failure. (btw, i like this thought processes) so the only way i can think of to overcome it is to help recognize it and reps. the kind of reps that can work in the minors as a educational tool. not in the majors where the game is so more serious, adding to that pressure to continue to succeed. That IMO is where it becomes a little complicated. Veterans have track records and when things fall of the rails, there is a reasonable expectation that the ship will get righted and they should do around what they normally do. With a rookie, no track record. Combine that with a team trying to win, the leash has to be shorter than normal, but it has to be fair. Robin Ventura went 0-41 in 1990, although I think he had 10 walks, and the team won 94 games or so. Would the Sox now have the patience to let Micah do the same? It is pretty hard to do. The other important thing is the alternative. If Sanchez is playing well and Micah has been bad, the decision is made for the White Sox.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 09:14 AM) would that not also hurt his confidence?? but the coaches will know if he needs to work on his development, not the player, fans or the press. i think MJ knows this as well. If it is going to ruin him to be sent down if he isn't performing, he isn't going to be a very good player anyway. I know some people still use the excuse for Davidson last season, but if he feels so sorry for himself he is a below .200 hitting strikeout machine in a place where he thinks he is too good to be (and I don't think that was the case) , he isn't going to be a building block for the organization. The game is designed for failure. If you can't handle it, you wind up sucking.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 08:56 AM) very good points...... i like it my response in base on 2 things 1. he is hitting great and may be talented enuf to go north based on that, but how bout his defense?? 2. the proverbial wall that all players hit, would he be better for another yr in the minors to work on his overall game and gain another yr of maturity?? If he was 21 or 22, I think a case could be made he goes to Charlotte no matter what he does in Spring Training. He's 24, and seems mature beyond his years. If they do take him north, we ultimately will see, it is tougher than it would have been if the Sox weren't expected to win, so the leash has to be shorter, but if he looks ready, I don't see at this point what good a few months of AAA will do for him. Maybe on May 1st, he shows he needs AAA, but as long as he is holding his own, I don't think future progress will be damaged even if the promotion proves to be too aggressive.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 08:43 AM) here is the really hard question to consider. would it best serve to send MJ down to the minors to continue his development, esp in positional situation at 2b or go with the hot hand at 2b and keep him up? You let him make the decision for you. There are still a couple of weeks left. If he continues to play well, you give him a shot. There are a lot of players that never played AAA. There are some that played very little. When Gordon Beckham came up, he had 7 games in AAA, and was a star like performer. The one thing you have to consider is how he will deal with failure, which occurs with everyone. It ate Beckham up. Micah is supposed to be hard on himself. There could be an argument that Beckham should have spent more time in AAA, but he certainly looked ready the first 100 games on the major league level, so I don't know how those games being in AAA would have made him better. I don't think Micah necessarily needs to play more in AAA if he continues to do what he's doing. But I do think the big test is going to be when things aren't going his way. And that happens to everyone.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 08:41 AM) the right pick now, would really solidify the farm. pitching or hitting???? which to pick. They can use some pitching, but always take the best player on your board, no matter what sport. See Trailblazers, Portland, Bowie, Sam.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 07:17 AM) Kris Bryant? 2 for 30? Haven't you been watching the news? That's un-possible. If Kris Bryant was a White Sox prospect, I think there would be a lot of posts here mentioing a clearing some space in the summer of 2035 for his HOF induction. The guy is a great prospect. I was watching Baseball Tonight last night. Surprisingly, they have a lot of people who think the White Sox will win the Central. Pedro Gomez was talking to a scout that pegged Bryant the second coming of Mike Schmidt. Chances are, he is going to be a monster. And I mentioned this in another thread. Schilling was on and said there is no way Sale will pitch April 12th. Then Gomez who reported the White Sox were targeting that day said they do plan to be careful and Cooper said it could be late April before he returns, which lined up perfectly with what Schilling said. Schilling may be an idiot, but he does know how long it takes pitchers to be ready.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 09:54 PM) Why will they need a 5th starter? Monday April 6th at KC Samardzija/Quintana Wednesday April 8th at KC Samardzija/Quintana Thursday April 9th at KC John Danks Friday April 10th Home vs Twins Hector Noesi Saturday April 11th- Quintana/Samardzija (on regular rest) Sunday April 12th-Sale. I'm not really understanding why they need a 5th starter if Sale pitches on the 12th. ESPN quoted Cooper as saying Sale could be late April. They think he will be ready on the 12th but want to be careful.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 04:44 PM) It was a foot to the right, unless there was some angels in the outfield situation it was a miss I think that was the worst call of the season.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 05:22 PM) Who do you want getting the 5th starter spot while Sale is out, DA? I would go with Carroll or Johnson.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 05:01 PM) Alexi Ogando, Paul Maholm, Chad Billingsley, Dana Eveland, Chris Volstad, Ross Ohlendorf, Scott Baker, Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Stauffer are all guys that signed for anywhere between minor league deal and $4m. Obviously none of those guys are awesome, but we needed more s*** to throw at the wall from a rotation perspective than we ended up getting (obviously since we're talking about going north with Penny), and I'm just not convinced we need another bench IF. No, I don't have any information specifically to suggest that Beckham was signed instead of any of those guys, but that's where the statement, "I'd rather have put that money toward some rotation depth" comes from. If they can afford $4 million, why are you complaining about Beckham's $2 million. Then they still should have a couple million to burn. You are moving the goalposts here. You have stated time and time again that the 2 million Beckham is getting pretty much is what they had left, because according to you they picked Beckham instead of anyone else, , which one of these guys would you have signed? They obviously couldn't have signed them all. And can you explain to me how guys who sign minor league contracts were blocked from signing with the White Sox because the Sox signed Beckham?

QUOTE (chw42 @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 04:51 PM) Humber was never good. He wasn't 37.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 04:45 PM) If he doesn't have the option to opt out, $100,000 is nothing to keep a lottery ticket around. The problem is his odds really making him a lottery ticket.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 04:27 PM) The roster spot is as important as the $2m bucks. We needed pitching depth and OF depth, did not need IF depth. raBBit's list is good -- even if don't like those guys, they filled holes for us while Beckham is just another guy on a pile of guys we already had. You also have to wonder if a couple of those relievers would even sign if they really have no shot at closing.i don't think Ogando or Jim Johnson would sign with the Sox due to that. I also think after the Sox signed Melky, Ichiro wouldn't be guaranteed enough playing time to sign. I think if you think 2 million is the limit and trying to be realistic on the list, Badenhop, Breslow, Joba, and Frnklin Morales are the realistic guys they had a shot at with Beckham's money.and Breslow signed several weeks before Beckham so the money was available when he was available.and I wouldn't think Beckham's comtract could prevent a minor league deal so scratch Franklin Morales, and that list suddenly becomes Badenhop and Joba.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 04:27 PM) The roster spot is as important as the $2m bucks. We needed pitching depth and OF depth, did not need IF depth. raBBit's list is good -- even if don't like those guys, they filled holes for us while Beckham is just another guy on a pile of guys we already had. Who was the guy you were thinking of when you told me the only reason Brad Penny would ever have to start a game for the 2015 White Sox was because they signed Gordon Beckham?

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 04:17 PM) Penny is the "clubhouse leader", though, for a start or 2 in the 5th spot, til Sale returns, is he not? I'm hopeful, but not optimistic, that it won't be ugly. I don't see Carroll, Johnson, Beck or anyone else on the radar getting it, so I guess we're going to find out. Been a long while since BP was any good at all. Maybe Carroll has a chance, but that's not too exciting either. Who knows if RH won't still be bargain shopping for a waived stopgap or 2 to improve the depth? On April 1, the Sox either need to add him to the roster, cut him, or give him a $100,000 bonus to report to the minor leagues. I think he will be cut.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 04:11 PM) Burke Badenhop 1 million Craig Breslow 2 million Joba Chamberlain 1 million Chris Denorifa 2.6 million Jim Johnson 1.6 million Alexi Ogando 1.5 million Josh Johnson 1 million Franklin Morales MiLB deal Ichiro 2 million Rickie Weeks 2 million Chris B. Young 2.5 million Yes, Chris B. Young and Denorfia make more than two million but it's negligible. Ichiro and Weeks also have incentives. I think Josh Johnson does as well. It is a nice list. Something we can come back to at the end of the year.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 03:39 PM) The issue isn't whether or not Gordon Beckham can adequately be a backup 2nd/3rd baseman, it's that a backup 2nd/3rd baseman was literally the last thing we needed to spend our limited resources on. Why don't you provide some examples of players who would have signed for 2 million that would have made more sense. All the examples so far unless they played terribly are more than that amount.

I wonder how GarPax is going to spin replacing Thibs because they didn't advance in the playoffs enough, with a guy who coached a 3 seed that lost to a 14 seed in their tourney opener . Maybe this exit keeps Thibs on the Bulls sidelines and Hoiberg in Ames. Everyone except GarPax winds up happy.

All the 3 seeds getting played tough. Is this the Mayor's last game coaching ISU?

QUOTE (chw42 @ Mar 19, 2015 -> 10:37 AM) I hope J4L shows up in this thread and says how awful Penny will be. Then we'll have Phillip Humber part II! Keep in mind Brad Penny hasn't been good since Gordon Beckham was in college, and will be 37 years old in a couple of months. If he starts games for the White Sox, chances are they will lose and the bullpen will get a workout.