Dick Allen

I know he struggled in the minors last year, but does anyone know if Carlos Hernandez reinjured himself? If not, I think KW should try and bring him into spring training. Another year after surgery may be the ticket this guy needs to get back up to speed. Pun is intended.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 10:05 PM) I hope KW decides to keep Count (unless we get a great offer) I think we're gonna need him in the rotation and McCarthy out of the Pen. Even if he doesn't sign at the end of the year we still get his services for this years WS run (obviously). I don't buy the "just trade him so we don't end up getting nothing for him at the end of the season". That's why you're a genius.

QUOTE(maggsmaggs @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 09:51 PM) In the year 2004, he was in New York and plenty good pitcher have done poorly there because of the New York factor. In 2005, he was with Arizona and the thin air there causes the curve to lose its bite, look at how poorly pitchers do in spring training. Looking at his scouting report, he holds runners on and plays defense. He has dynamic stuff, is as durable as it comes, has a high strike out to walk ratio. This guy has it all and Coop has been known to maximize potential in pitchers (Gar, Loiaza, Count, even Burls to an extent.) What's not to like about Vazquez? Contreras with with the Sox a year before he turned it around. To expect Cooper to magically turn a guy into a stud is asking too much. If it were that easy Jon Adkins, Felix Diaz, Arnie Munoz etc. would be contending for a Cy Young year in year out. Vazquez obviously is durable and talented, but that doesn't always translate into success. Vazquez was brutal the second half of his one season with the Yankees with an ERA near 7, and had an ERA over 9.00 in 11 playoff innings that year. Although its a small sample size his ERA against Detroit was over 6.00, against Cleveland it was over 10.00 and against Detroit it was over 16.00. You say the New York factor, there are more than a couple people getting paid by MLB teams who think Vazquez can't handle the big stage. The 2006 White Sox will be the big stage. I agree with Fathom, Vazquez is a big question mark. The guy might win 20 or he might not be .500.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 09:19 PM) Ah yes, a good cf who could hit at the top of the order, a very good reliever, and a top prospect. Like I said, I don't want to trade JC at all but if we do that is definitely a package I'd look at. Astro fans at baseballthinktank.com have a different perspective on Taveras' defensive talents. They say he throws well but doesn't get good jumps or take good routes to balls. They said a lot of balls drop that shouldn't. The guy hit .291 but his only other plus was steals. His OBP was not too impressive. He could just as easily be the next Pat Listach or Jerome Walton. A prospect probably wouldn't help in 2006. Qualls is decent, but Contreras was arguably the best pitcher in baseball the second half of the season and he should net a bunch more than that package if he were to be traded. There is no impact player in there.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 08:53 PM) There is no doubt about that. I'm a fan of Taveras, I'd personally love him hitting 2nd. Anyways, I've said before I do not want to trade JC. If we do trade him however, Taveras, Qualls, and Hirsh is something I would like the Sox to look into. If KW made that trade, he should immediately be fired.

QUOTE(SEALgep @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 06:56 PM) Don't know if this was posted, but can Preston Wilson's signing be a way for them to play him in CF, making Tavarez expendable so to say? Maybe, but odds are that Bagwell is done and Berkman moves to first, opening an outfield spot for Wilson.

The White Sox had/have a policy that they didn't/don't go more than 3 years with a pitcher's contract. They were going to make an exception to that with Alex Fernandez because of his age, and what they considered excellent mechanics. They got f'd over by Boras as Alex went to Florida where he quickly blew out his arm. It probably cemented that policy even more. I believe just about every pitcher will eventually have problems with his shoulder or elbow.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 12:15 PM) Don't know if this has been posted, but the Astros are talking about signing Preston Wilson. Who has played CF for most of his career. This doesn't mean they will keep him in CF...but it's interesting since we've been talking about Taveras a lot here lately. Houston Chronicle Personally, I don't think the Astros are as sold on Taveras as WCSox. He was benched during the NLCS, and the Astros need a little more punch in their line-up, something Taveras most likely wouldn't provide even if he hired Jose Canseco as his personal trainer.

A lot of people seemed worried about losing Contreras and not getting anything in return. How about letting Contreras pitch out the season, and if he doesn't re-sign, take the money set aside for re-signing him and go after another free-agent, or take another financially challenged teams salary dump. Letting Contreras walk doesn't necessarily mean getting nothing for him.

Jeter is the better all around hitter. He also operates under a microscope in NY which makes his accomplishments more impressive. Uribe is a good SS. He just doesn't have the baseball IQ of a player like Jeter.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Jan 2, 2006 -> 12:23 PM) Despite what the Kool-Aid drinkers think, Jeter has always been a very good defensive SS. Certainly not on Ozzie Smith or Omar Vizquel's level, but still an excellent defensive player. The only thing that Uribe has over Jeter is youth. I think Uribe has a stronger arm, and probably a little more power. Jeter is not too quick defensively up the middle. Obviously Jeter is a better all around player, but certainly not as much as their salary differences would insinuate.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jan 2, 2006 -> 10:29 AM) Yeah, I watched the whole postseason and the parade. I also know how Williams and Reinsdorf like to run the franchise which is something you are still unable or unwilling to grasp. Tejada's postseason stats? Please, stop it. You can manipulate small samples any way you want. Tejada is arguably the top SS in the game. The point, which I will reiterate because you are unable to grasp it, is if Contreras indicates an unwillingness to sign an extension, the Sox will move him rather than lose him for nothing. If he signs, great, I love a deep pitching staff. If he won't sign, I want the best possible return. I suspect this is what Williams is thinking, again, I am trying to think along with him vs. what you do, which is throw out your opinion and ignore the way they do business. It appeared, and who really knows the whole story, like KW was more prepared to move Garland if he didn't sign than Contreras, who he said he would have to be overwhelmed to move. The White Sox appear to be leaking bad information, because the 2 guys who report on this situation the most, Levine and Cowley, and thus far been pretty wrong with their information. It could be KW thinks Contreras would be easier to sign if he played out the season with the Sox. Chances are other teams would be reluctant to give him a 5 year contract, whereas Garland, if he pitches in 2006 like he did in 2005 would have probably got 5. Personally, I think KW and JR are all about 2006 right now, and won't trade Contreras unless its a deal they feel makes the 2006 roster stronger.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Jan 1, 2006 -> 06:33 PM) I don't think Taveras is a bad player, but all this 'oh you evil stats people' is bs. Look at the stats or don't, I don't care, Taveras has zero power. I don't want 2 places in the lineup (in the outfield, no less) occupied by players with flyswatter bats. I agree that obp is more important than power at the top of the lineup, but I think it's absurd to jettison pop entirely. The other problem is if he were to bat ninth or second, he would be back to back with Pods. That's 2 guys back to back that are going to have a tough time driving in a run from third with less than two out. And before I get jumped on by people saying it wouldn't be his job to drive in runs, Iguchi drove home a lot from the 2 hole. Uribe and Crede drove home their fair share from the 9 hole. Having 2 guys in your line-up in the AL who would be hard pressed to drive home 35 runs a piece is not good.

If Taveras is such a great player, why was he benched for 2 games in the NLCS?

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:59 PM) Not to mention the fact that Taveras's 2005 season really wasn't all that great. Well, it was great if you only look at things like AVG and SB. Beat me.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:55 PM) But your argument is that Willy Taveras is a "proven player" because of his one good season (2005). Shingo was also good for only one season (2004). Couldn't Taveras very well suck in 2006 just like Shingo did in 2005? A "proven player" is a player who has put up more than one good season. And when you look at Taveras' one season, it isn't all that stellar. Its not like they are making room for him in Cooperstown.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:54 PM) They traded Shingo after only 31 appearances and a disasterous 5.91 ERA. And, IIRC, Hermanson was still the closer at that point. Comparing Shingo's performance to Taveras' is just silly. But Shingo's ERA in 2004 was stellar, so by your definition it shows he should still be far more effective than a guy like Jenks who replaced him who never pitched above AA.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:48 PM) If given the choice, yes, you should. Do you think that they would've gone with Jenks had Hermanson not had back problems? Jenks would have been called up, he probably wouldn't have closed, but it is another example of a guy with no major league track record getting the job done. Anderson can get the job done. If he doesn't KW will make a move and bring in someone far better than Willy Taveras.

How is Borchard a bust? The guy hit .417 last year. He has proven he can hit major league pitching.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:41 PM) I never said that they should. I do. Or is there some reason to rush Anderson? Let Taveras start for a year and then think about Anderson as your long-term plan. So the Sox wouldn't be trying to win in 2007 because Anderson would surely be ready by then wouldn't he? Basically what you are saying is you shouldn't rely on guys without major league track records if you are trying to win. Seems to me the White Sox won a World Series with a closer who never pitched higher than AA 3 months before the World Series.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:37 PM) Sure, but why not have a backup plan in place? Especially when said backup plan only costs the league minimum? If it means trading Jose Contreras it is stupid. You get a middle reliever, a back-up plan and a minor leaguer for someone who is ace material. For a team trying to win a championship, it makes absolutely zero sense.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:31 PM) No he wasn't. When was he drafted? 2000? 2001? He played 16 games each in '02 and '03. He wasn't rushed at all. He was simply a big, fat, freaking bust. Borchard didn't play a whole lot of baseball until he became a pro. He may be a bust, I hope he's not, but he has a lot of ability. He has a great attitude, and is supposed to be one of the nicest people to ever wear a White Sox uniform. He needs to relax and believe in himself. If he made the Sox or another ML team and got hot for a couple of weeks, I truely believe he could use that as a springboard to a pretty decent career.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:26 PM) (1) The Sox were rebuilding at the beginning of 1990 (2) For every Robin Ventura and Frank Thomas, there are several "prospects" who never hit well at the major-league level. How'd our last CF prospect (you know, the one that got the $5 million signing bonus) turn out? For all I know, Brian Anderson could be the next Griffey. Then again, he could be the next Joe Borchard. If the Sox are trying to win right now, it's preferable to go with a player who brings several positives (speed, defense) and isn't a liability at the plate than a guy who may or may not pan out. Of course, the price would have to be right to make such a move. Taveras got an opportunity to play with a team that was trying to win, he had 1 career at bat going into last season and his team made it to the WS. The White Sox have potentially a far better line-up in 2006 than the Astros had in 2005. Anderson will be hitting eighth or ninth, not much offense will be expected or needed from him. Its about as ideal of situation to break in with a World Champion as you could hope. I think the kid will do fine, if not you deal for a CF when he fails. Guys like Taveras are always available.

QUOTE(sayitaintso @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:24 PM) Are you serious? The word on the street was that his watch was stopped at 4:20.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 04:18 PM) ..and you know what, f*** Mike Caruso's 1998 season where he proved to be a .306 hitter. His OBP was a pathetic .331, but unlike Taveras he had a BB/K of 14/38 instead of 25/103. He also stole bases at a better rate than Taveras too. They appear to be very similar offensive players. I doubt Taveras flames out as quickly as Caruso, if I'm not mistaken Caruso spent too much time around a bong and not enough working on getting stronger and becoming a better baseball player. But I'm sure if you asked 100 scouts who they would rather have between Anderson and Taveras, a big majority would say Anderson.