Dick Allen

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:49 PM) Even if it's around .350, he might be a .250 hitter, which I'd be fine with. But you have to realize that luck is not a skill. The chances of Flowers replicating his high BABIP in following years is pretty unlikely. I agree with that. He is still fanning a lot and not walking at all, but we might as well take whatever we can get out of him. If it's jam shot loopers to RF at a .360 clip, that is far better than what the Sox have ever gotten out of him before.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:44 PM) It's not annoying, it's just the law of averages. Over the course of 2000 some plate appearances, no hitters are going to have half of their balls in play turn into hits. Many would be extremely lucky to have 35% of those fall. It's just not plausible to have half of them turn into hits. Flowers isn't going to have a .567 BABIP for the rest of the year. What he's doing now just isn't sustainable. There's nothing annoying about it, it's just reality. The longer it goes on, the better the chance he will finish pretty high above normal.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:41 PM) For the purposes of the game, yes. For the likelihood of it continuing throughout the year, no. No but is shows the flaw in sabermetrics attitude towards strikeouts. You don't have to hit the ball on the screws every time to reach base and ultimately score runs. Many of Flowers hits were hit poorly. More poorly than many outs he has made in his career, but you give yourself a chance putting it in play.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:39 PM) The Tyler Flowers BABIP Tour continues. Hit is a hit.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:20 PM) They are 2 games out of first...and 4th in their division, 0.5 games out of last. Wow. They should just pack it in.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:35 PM) Which was another reason why it made no sense to me to platoon them. If he takes a while to get started...sticking him on the bench or as part of a platoon would probably make his numbers by the trade deadline look even worse. That isn't a problem anymore. But it is nice that you put yourself on both sides and which ever comes up, pat yourself on the back for your knowledge.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:32 PM) How can you not throw your fastball for a strike?!?! Pretty easy, especially if he is down a couple of ticks. He gets a little worried it will be hammered.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:32 PM) He got off to a really bad start last year too and it took until May for him to find a groove. That's one of the reasons why I thought "Oh we'll platoon him and then trade him mid-season" sounded like a poor plan. Yet when he played game 2 this season you were b****ing Viciedo wasn't playing instead.

These walks are getting ridiculous.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:07 PM) Ervin Santana has gotten off to one of the best starts in baseball. If the White Sox replaced Felipe Paulino, one of the worst starters in baseball, with Ervin Santana, one of the best for the first few times out...their team ERA would go fromm 29th to about 25th in MLB. Clearly that's the kind of move that would have put them over the top. Maybe not, but they are 2 games out of first. A little less wear and tear on the bullpen might go a long way, and if you signed him to a multiyear deal, he would already be in place for next year.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 02:05 PM) I guess the good news is that Marcus has stepped up to earn that leadoff spot the leadoff spot isn't all that important we're sending a strong sign that we care about getting swept the Rangers aren't all that good It's a beautiful day. While I am not on the Marcus Semien is already stud bandwagon, who would have been a better choice to lead off today?

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Apr 20, 2014 -> 12:15 PM) Are you talking about World Series 2015 or World Series 2016-2018? Because that's probably what we're looking at here, optimistically. You can look at it either way, but it behooves the White Sox to speed up the pace. Sale and Q are a great 1/2 punch, but the way pitchers have been dropping, the longer they pitch pretty much meaningless games, the bigger the waste and actual cost is. Danks has been pretty good himself. One big reason why I wanted them to go after Jimenez or Santana was the price in dollars and in draft picks. If the Sox aren't horrible again, it is going to cost a first round draft pick.

If the Sox are successful in the least, signing a guy like Santana will cost a first round pick. It is funny how Jimenez's start is mentioned a lot, but no one mentions Santana. If your goal is not to have the best pitching staff, just some run of the mill 4th or 5th starter, there is a lot on that list to at least have some interest. If your goal is World Series, the guys on that list that you really would be interested in are going to cost close to 9 figures, if not 9 figures.

The Cubs risked $6 million with Feldman. They wound up paying him $3 million and turned him into Arrieta and Strop. If that is upside, I think the Sox wojld be better using the $6 million on international free agents and the penalty for going over their allocation.

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 11:00 PM) Semien camp. Get your s*** together for 2015. Remember, only hitter with promise that K-Dub ever drafted. And of course I'm checking Courtney's fangraphs page every other day. 190 wRC+ in 60 plate appearances aiiiight. I'm down on my knees, son. Make it two. What was Jeremy Reed's wRC in 2003?

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 08:50 PM) Poreda up in Texas pen.............bring him in. He isn't afraid to walk hitters. He would fit right in with Downs. Maybe Hahn should make s phone call.

Whatever that was called, it wouldn't have been changed on a challenged.

I thought he was safe.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 06:26 PM) Maybe he rushed back and caused the cuff injury? Maybe once it's calmed down he will return and do well. Pitchers have been known to try to come back too quickly to prove themselves. It doesn't look good now but I wouldn't totally write it off yet. In his interview after the game, he gave no indication of being hurt, just saying he has to stick with it. I think this is an injury of convenience. http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/438/...o/p2p-79959050/

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 05:23 PM) A guy with a 97 mph fastball and tons of movement on everything isn't high reward? Take your own advice on common sense. If he has a 97 mph fastball with tons of movement, how come he gave up 35 hits in 18 innings and why would his career ERA be over 5.20? Disregard he wasn't all that good before, and hadn't pitched in the major leagues in almost 2 years. This was an easy one to predict. I figured he would be a bust, just not to the extreme. Mike MacDougal threw 97 with a ton of moment. Maybe they should bring him back. It won't cost much, and the reward, oh the reward. The reward went to Paulino. To think a guy with command issues to begin with wouldn't at least initially struggle with command after surgery and a very long layoff, is hysterical. I'm all for risk/reward type of deals. But it has to be realistic. There was a lot of fantasy when it came to Paulino's capabilities.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 03:48 PM) Danks playing in LF tonight for ADA. Nice to see Eaton's healthy enough to start. I doubt he would have left last night's game if it wasn't out of hand.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 04:11 PM) You get to choose...same cost per year for the next 2, Tanaka or Buehrle. Pick one? That said, I didn't think Tanaka was a good buy for the White Sox at this point in time, not at all. Not even close. Buehrle makes $18 million this year and $19 million next. Tanaka makes $22 million each of the next 2 years, and there is that $20 million posting fee that has to be paid off by next season as well. Not taking interest into account, that is $37 million vs. $64 million the next 2 years.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 04:07 PM) Well, it wasn't me who told you that. You must be tickled the Sox didn't sign Tanaka. They apparently wouldn't have been able to add to the team for years.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 04:03 PM) Absolutely. He's paid nearly $40 million this year and next. Add him and that's literally the only roster addition you get next year other than guys from our minors. Our bullpen is ready to go as-is, right? I have been told bullpens are the easiest things to build on a baseball team and you should use very little coin doing it. But Toronto wouldn't make that deal.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 19, 2014 -> 04:02 PM) That's why there's a 2015 option on him. If he pulled off a couple solid months, you can decide wehther to move him or whether you think he could contribute to a team that cared in 2015. Still, no high reward. And that is another $4 million for a mediocre at best pitcher.