Dick Allen

Here's his stellar 2013 class Top signing: OF Hanleth Otano, Dominican Republic, $550,000. Six-figure signings: 3B Luis Castillo (Dominican Republic), SS Johan Cruz (Dominican Republic), OF Antonio Rodriguez (Dominican Republic), RHP Victor Done (Dominican Republic), RHP Yelmison Peralta (Dominican Republic). The problem is, it's a real tough way to acquire and expect a lot of talent. You have to wait a really long time. 7 or 8 years. Last year at Soxfest, Hahn and Hostetler were talking about how Paddy's guys were poised for breakouts. It didn't happen.

I'm sure there are. You go ahead and make excuses for the White Sox. Hostetler was here before, then came back, and as far as I can tell didn't exactly recommend future HOFers. Paddy has been around a while and his record is so thin,you are giving himhim credit for injured A ball players. Hahn and KW have been here forever and are a big reason the team is where it is.

All I know is the White Sox call up guys every year and every year it seems to be the same thing. Strikeouts, hardly any walks, low batting average, low on base percentage, baserunning mistakes the few times they get on, mostly poor defense, and overall baseball stupidity. It hasn't changed the last couple of years, that's for sure. It would be nice if they acquired from another organization or developed one themselves that actually gets called up and looks like he didn't just start playing baseball a few months ago.

Well worth the gamble, if it really was a gamble.

But that's the problem. So far, you and I have had as much major league success as these 3.

His job is actually the biggest crapshoot of them all. It's easy to identify Luis Robert and if your team is willing to pony up the $50 million, you're a genius. Projecting 15 and 16 year olds, who have never been to the US, as major leaguers is a pretty tough task.

Hostetler got his role for some reason, and judging by the Sox drafts before he took over, it apparently wasn't draft recommendations.

Hostetler and Paddy have been around for a while.

Yolmer Sanchez is a success story, but he's an average major league player. It looks better because he far exceeded what most thought Carlos Sanchez would be, and there are so many failures, anyone making a contribution is probably a bit overappriated. But we need to call a spade a spade. Yolmer's a good guy and could have a role on a good team, but more than likely not full time. The Sox need success stories with players who won't be average. Hopefully it happens. I really doubt all these guys will fail.

While everyone looks at the rebuilds of the Astros and the Cubs, the 2 very different approaches are both of those teams concentrated on bats, and picked up pitching later. The other difference is both of those teams had a regime change for their rebuild. They realized getting in the position to have to do what was being done without a history of really good teams meant you probably have a problem with your talent evaluation. I don't know how anyone can assume guys with questionable ability identifying major league talent, would have no problem identifying minor league players who will be future stars. Don't the Sox drafts sort of give that away. This either works really well, or RH and KW need to be shown the door. Probably a door they should have been shown a while ago.

What he was throwing those first few starts, he could tip them all he wanted and they weren't going to hit it. It was hard, and moving. He started off pretty well last night, but really faded once he had to go to the stretch.

To me, there always seems to be an injury of the year league wide. One that seems to occur more often than others. Many years ago, it was torn labrums. Now it happens, but it's rare. This year, there seems to be a ton of hamstring injuries. My theory is that these guys are all on some kind of program in the offseason and during the season, and I believe, for whatever reason, perhaps these training programs cause these particular injuries or leave it open to it happening It wouldn't surprise me if next year, the programs get adjusted, and there are hardly any hamstring injuries, but it could mean the problems will move somewhere else like ab strains or something like that.

I've been saying this for a couple of years. Way back when Dan Berstein wrote on the Score's website how the Sox were going to take on all this bad money, have a payroll by the luxury tax, he called it the salary cap, and gain all these great prospects because of it. It doesn't work that way. For one thing, like it or not, prospects for the most part, are highly overvalued. Add that most of these teams are making money, they would rather just pay the bad money now and take their chances they can get production for minimum for a few years.

And that was still bad money for bad money, just a different payout schedule.

11 teams right now will be able to offer a max deal next summer.

Trump couldn't believe all the judicial openings he got to fill. He thought, because he doesn't know any better, , that Obama was too lazy to fill them.

I agree. Everyone has busts, and there will be busts. You just have to hope your top guys have a lower rate than the guys with lower ceilings. I had the farm rankings from 4 years ago on here a while ago. They had a little write up for each organization. Top guys, breakout candidates....Most of them, unless you play in a very deep fantasy league, you would have to look up to find out where and if they play anymore.

He is interesting in that he had a hard time catching up to fastballs earlier this season. Obviously it's corrected, but you have to wonder how much he'd really be worth with a couple of more years on him.

So does anyone else like the Bulls chances: The good news (well, for some): We're set for another unprecedented July in 2019. The cap is projected to rise from $101.8 million to $109 million -- and then reach $116 million in 2020-21. At least 15 teams should have room north of $20 million.

If you commit a crime and get sent to prison, have your attorney get a letter to Trump letting him know you voted for him. Get pardoned. Plead guilty? Very unfair.

At some point Avi would have to sprint. Maybe they had him playing too soon, who knows. But again, with Avi, it's just a matter of time before he would have had some sort of leg issue again. He's always limping.

Between Giolito, Kopech, and Hansen, the first half hasn't gone according to plan.

I don't think so, but the poor guy always has some kind of leg issue. It's very rare he doesn't look to be in pain when he legs out extra bases.

Avi's legs are always screwed up. It's amazing he can still run well. I think his speed will fall of a cliff in a couple of years.

I'm sure that is the plan if Avi is out. I don't think they claimed this guy to play every day. He's pushing 30. It's not like he is going to breakout.