Dick Allen

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ May 16, 2014 -> 09:41 AM) I said it during the first round that only SA, MIA and OKC really have a legit shot at the title and there they are. So basically what everybody knew when DRose got hurt.

The one question I have is about Davidson. It seems several are convinced his problem was the letdown of not making the team. If that is even slightly true, how can his fast start then be explained? The fact that he is striking out almost every other AB on average at this point in AAA is beyond alarming. In fact, scary. If this were a one or two week thing, that would be one thing, but it is out of control right now. And if he is feeling sorry for himself (which I don't buy) and this is happening, the Sox made the correct move sending him down. MLB pitchers would have him feeling even more sorry for himself.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ May 15, 2014 -> 05:17 PM) Say JR got the commissioner job, who would take over the White Sox then? That isn 't going to happen. He is pushing 80.

White Sox Sign Abreu, But Why? -Keith Law

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 15, 2014 -> 03:09 PM) This isn't the NBA/NFL. If the Cubs hear the Sox like Kolek what does that matter? If the Jays (#9) hear the Twins like Gordon (#5) what difference does it make? It's not like if the NFL where if #12 hears the Bears are picking Joe Smith at #8 then they could trade up and pick him. If the Sox for some strange reason came out with press release the day before the draft saying they were drafting Kolek do you think the Marlins would draft him to spite the Sox? No, they would still take whoever they deem to be the best player or financial option available. Without trades, please show me how it matters. It matters because if someone is torn who to take, thinking another team really likes or dislikes one of the players they are considering theoretically could influence one of their decision makers. If this stuff is so accurate, how come his final mocks are not? Even at the top where they should be pretty close to 100%. Why are his mock drafts no more accurate than anyone else's. And what difference does it make when he says the Sox really like Kolek and he's on the board and they don't take him? You will forget he ever said it and be intrigued by his BS next season. It's just like NBA deadline day. Laws inside info is like NBA rumors, fun to read, but really no substance. Everyone knows the top 3 guys in the draft are Rodon, Aiken and Kolek, so if Kolek is left and the Sox take him, hey Law said they loved him, this proves it. It's nothing more than that.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 15, 2014 -> 01:56 PM) The reason Keith Law is important is that he's a reporter that actually has connections. I'm less interested in his opinions as I am in his inside information. That's why I love his mocks so much -- he saves his favorites for his top draft prospects list, but when it comes to mocks, it's all about what he's hearing from his sources as to what teams will do. Using his connections, he got the #1 pick wrong in the 2012 draft on his final mock. He also got it wrong in 2013.

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 15, 2014 -> 02:38 PM) Exactly. Everyone should read his chat from today. All he did was talk about what he's hearing. It wasn't the "White Sox have been known to draft athletic college arms so they'll take Nola here" bulls*** we get from other mocks. He said things like "I'm hearing the White Sox love Kolek." "I know that Rodon won't fall past four." "I'm hearing Philadelphia is looking to go college/more ready prospects if Gordon doesn't fall to them." "I hear Houston is seeing if they can shave 1 or 2 million off their first pick with a certain guy so they can put that money towards their second rounder." "Every year it's hard to get info from Seattle and their pick." Right, and these leaks are going to make sure they tell him things with 100% accuracy because it benefits everyone that each team knows exactly what the other is thinking. C'mon man. His information is for entertainment purposes only. He is the Chris Broussard of baseball.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 15, 2014 -> 01:54 PM) This is the thing ^ Dick Allen calls people "Beckham-hating mouth-breathers," but the reality is he's been s*** for five years. I'm not rooting against him, I'm just tired of watching him suck. What is it about him that makes people want to defend him? He's been bad for you for so long. Why hate Keppinger or Flowers or De Aza and then defend Beckham? I was specifically referring to the guy who blasts redundant threads and actually calls people mouthbreathers, and this guy can't go a week without telling us Gordon Beckham sucks and has a little head and is ugly.... Beckham has struggled, but he has also shown flashes. People think Gillaspie can improve. Beckham is less than a year older. Gordon had 2 really bad years in 2011 and 2012. 2009 he was great. 2010 he was horrible in the first half, outstanding in the second half when he got hurt. 2013 he was hitting well, but with zapped power from a broken wrist. No one wants to give him any slack for that, and then played with a really bad quad, and his numbers suffered. I have said if he stays healthy, and that is a big if, he is very talented and will put up numbers that will shut at least the reasonable people up. I know there are quite a bit of people too invested in their Beckham sucks beliefs not to acknowledge any good that he will do, but if he stays healthy, you all will see. He started off this year hurt again, but seems to have his stroke back after a slow start, where he was still hitting the ball hard. It wouldn't be the first time in MLB history a 27 year old turned it around. Haven't you posted how you are bothered the Sox didn't sign Salty? His first above average offense season happened when he was 28.

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 15, 2014 -> 01:01 PM) Kind of like how Hahn signed Keppinger for three years and then backed out before he stepped on the field for his second year? Hahn is a leader because he owns his mistake and pulls the cord on it but Law is a dumbass because he recanted his initial Abreu opinion... This industry isn't an easy one that's east to project. It's not as if Chris Sale went #1, he went #13 and twelve other teams passed on him. Praise Law all you want. Just keep in mind, if the White Sox did what he thinks they should have done, they would not have their 2 best players. It's one thing to make a mistake on Jeff Keppinger, quite another to make one on Chris Sale (who even after he had success in the major leagues, Law refused to admit mistake) and Jose Abreu. Keith Law is not the baseball guru he's cracked himself up to be. He should concentrate on his cooking.

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 15, 2014 -> 12:49 PM) Keith Law's take. Sean (Chicago) What did you think of Rick Hahn's decision to "eat" two years of Keppinger's salary versus bringing him back? Rarely do we see a GM admit their mistake and then cut the player. Klaw (1:07 PM) One of many reasons I'm impressed with Hahn's tenure so far. That and the screaming bargain he may have gotten on Abreu, too. Law is already in reverse. He previously said the Sox signing of Abreu made no sense. So with the Sox best players, Abreu and Sale, that genius is 0 for 2.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 15, 2014 -> 12:31 PM) The UC is STILL a worse neighborhood than USCF is. It really isn't even close. Wrigley Field is in a more crime-ridden area than USCF. Yet people instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano.

Learning to play the OF isn't all that complicated. Let him play 2B. If they need him in the OF he could pick it up pretty quickly. If he were an OF you were thinking of moving to the infield, that would be a different story, but even then, the Indians make Carlos Santana a 3B this past offseason...it's not like you are learning how to operate on brains.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ May 15, 2014 -> 08:45 AM) Does anyone know what was with Gillaspie being one of the few players ever drafted then called up the same year? Was it just something in his contract to make sure he could always say he played in the bigs? How did that affect his pay? Kind of surprised it didn't set a precedent if it was contractual. It was in his contract, I remember that tidbit.

Beardless Alexei back to looking like Grace Jones.

Hawk called it Big Bertha LOL

QUOTE (robinventura23 @ May 14, 2014 -> 02:41 PM) Could this be the year Gordon turns it around If Beckham didn't have the wrist injury which zapped his power last year, he would have put up some numbers that shut people up. He hit a lot of warning track homers and still was well over .300 with about a month and a half to go in the season until his quad got real bad. It boggles my mind how many just want him to fail. Anything good he does it minimized. Any mistake or out he makes, blown out of proportion.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 14, 2014 -> 02:11 PM) And you can take all of the little one way roads and worry less about getting killed every second. Lawrence and Irving Park are terrifying, lol. One good thing Rahm has done is put bike lanes on a lot of streets. Even then, it seems people driving cars get more than a little frustrated when a bike is making better time than them and try to do something about it. I don't know how many times cars have weaved into the bike lanes right in front of me. I swear they all can't be unintentional.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 14, 2014 -> 01:36 PM) I personally wanted to believe Semien was great thanks to his clutch hits. It's partly from being jaded for so many years with the lousy hitting of Beckham. I wouldn't lose any sleep if Semien is sent down or stinks. In fact, I kind of expect him to also be a bust. Compared to Beckham though, yes, I'd rather Semien take all Gordo's at bats. He's very fortunate as to where he was drafted. If Luke Hochevar hadn't gotten hurt he also would never have had trouble finding a job. High draft picks. It's like a top quarterback pick in the draft. It takes a while for teams to finally kick him out of football for good even if he's rotten. I mean, Dick Allen, tell me why anybody would pay Beckham more than 3-4 million a year down the road? His defense? Fine it's pretty good, but as they say, you can always find a second baseman somewhere. Even now in his 80 at bats he has six RBIs and is hitting .240 with a lousy on base percentage. He's average at best so I guess yes he'll always have a job. Beckham started off slow, but has picked it up. $3-4 million is nothing in today's game. If he stays healthy, IMO his numbers will more than warrant that kind of deal if the White Sox want to go another direction.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 14, 2014 -> 01:29 PM) Kolek is a beast but I've read stuff lately (maybe DA posted it) about how doctors are saying that the adolescent ligament is simply not designed to handle consistently throwing in the upper 90's. The fact that this guy is the hardest thrower of the draft era means he's at a singular risk of injury. Idk, I'd take him if he falls probably, but I'd be terrified. If it's him left at 3 and the Sox choose a hitter, I'll understand. If they choose Nola or something, I'll be disappointed. He scares me, and the only reason is because he throws too hard. It seems crazy. If he is the one left standing when the Sox pick, it will make me wish you could trade picks and move down several slots and maybe add other prospects. You could then take Hoffman, a guy they loved, and he's already had the surgery, and get a couple of decent minor league prospects. Maybe like the chat says, the Sox are the perfect organization for him. That doesn't mean the damage hasn't already been done, and it's not like White Sox pitchers are immune to injury.

QUOTE (Bruce_Blixton @ May 14, 2014 -> 01:29 PM) 40 years ago... There was a time the White Sox actually doled out some cash in the draft. It wasn't big money, but in 1982 KW got the highest bonus of any player. He also got the exact same bonus Junior Griffey received as the #1 overall player taken in 1987. Jack McDowell got $5k more than him in the same draft. And Joe Borchard was given the biggest bonus ever at the point he was drafted in 2002. It lasted as a record for several years.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 14, 2014 -> 01:23 PM) I did not know that. That must be weird to have to take the bus anywhere you need to go. Trains are better than buses, and if the weather is OK, a bike is better than a bus. If I take the bus to work, even with bus tracker which will tell me when the bus will be at my stop, it takes about 20 minutes from the time I step on the bus to the time I sit at my desk. It's about 12 minutes from the time I walk out my door until the time I sit at my desk if I take a bike. If I take a bus to work, I will walk home. I don't own a car anymore. I use car sharing. Zipcar. The other thing is, when you are used to it, you walk a lot. Walking a mile or 2, I think nothing of it. When I was younger and lived in the suburbs, I would drive to go half a mile.

QUOTE (Bruce_Blixton @ May 14, 2014 -> 01:13 PM) Past performance does not predict future results. All of those previous picks were mid-round picks where the talent level tends to level out amongst the available prospects, this situation is completely different since we have the 3rd overall pick. If Aiken is there at #3 then we should be completely ecstatic, I don't think the Kershaw comps are that far off with him. There were 3 or 4 top 10.

It is a little strange a DUI can get you suspended for a game or a half of a game, but do a bong in your dorm room, you may have to sit out a season.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 14, 2014 -> 12:32 PM) Could have sworn if a player is DFA, they have to pass through waivers unless they have options Not necessarily. It's possible Hahn has tried to trade him and sees no possibility so they may have put him on release waivers today, but technically DFA gets them off the roster and buys a team time (10 days) to do something with him, like a trade.

The White Sox have selected 10 HS pitchers in their history in the first round and supplemental first round. The best of all of them was Gio Gonzalez a #38 pick, although he is one of the 7 out of 10 who never won a game in a White Sox uniform. The other 2 are Steve Trout with 37 wins and Chris Knapp with 15, and Joel Davis with 8.