Dick Allen

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 01:39 PM) I've never been a fan of bunting, because the majority of the time you are conceding an out. Baseball is a game of outs and why make things any easier for the other team? In the National league it might make more sense with most pitchers being awful at the plate. The hitter has to be awful, and the k-rate has to be up there (although I would never have Matt Davidson bunt), and he would have had to have shown you either in spring training or BP or somewhere, he was up to the task. Too many times the White Sox hitters have shown they have no chance getting a bunt down. Stop after the first attempt. At least stop after the second attempt. Thankfully, he didn't have Moncada try it with 2 strikes like he has a couple times previously, when everyone in the park knew what would happen.

QUOTE (Yoda @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 01:18 PM) Any guess on what the score will be? 4-1

QUOTE (Yoda @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 01:10 PM) No one has predicted the score yet. I'm thinking 9-2 Cubs. Wind should be blowing in. That could keep it close.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 12:50 PM) Timely article on exact this topic. He isn't really worried about the situation as much as the skill. Translation: He knows this year, and these games don't matter, so he is using these games as extended spring training to teach skills and evaluation what players can and can't do. http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-white-so...ria-and-bunting Most of this roster won't be around when the Sox are good again. Even if Moncada was a good bunter, bunting in that situation was dumb if you are trying to win a game. Why not get him prepared to do something you would want him to do to win the game? The problem here is Renteria is in absolute love with the bunt. I'm not one of these don't bunt ever guys. I do think there is a time and place for them. He should use those times if he has this urgency to bunt. I've yet to ever see a good player have some polish taken off his abilities because he wasn't a good bunter. It seems Renteria cares about this skill way too much.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 12:43 PM) I wonder if the front office is just letting Renteria do whatever he wants this year, and then after the season they'll talk about situations that came up that they would like to see differently next season. Early inning bunting has to stop. .Working on Yoan Moncada's sacrifice bunting seems to be something that shouldn't be on any agenda whether you are trying to win or just worried about development. If they are going to talk to Ricky about it, the sooner the better. Let the kid experience the situations the team will need him to come through in future seasons.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 12:32 PM) Yes, but he is now a major league baseball player and should know how to bunt. First off, one of your better run producers should be Moncada. Secondly, he's bunting to move runners along for the Yolmer Sanchez. Thirdly, he is up 2-0 with a crappy bullpen, Swarzak unavailable and Pelfrey with 96 pitches, and isn't playing for the big inning. Lastly, Moncada had never bunted in his life. If he took one off the finger and broke it, that would have just added to the stupidity. Maybe major leaguers should know how to bunt. That's a separate argument. But not all do, and Moncada is one of them.

QUOTE (Soha @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 12:27 PM) I don't know how they could possibly be worse next year than they are now. I mean, we have 5 bad starters right now and a gutted bullpen. Even if a few of these guys come up and struggle badly, how much worse can they be than the garbage we're watching now? You won't have the decency of the dearly departed. Robertson, Kahnle, Swarzak, Q.....without those guys, this team would be even worse, and no one would worry about draft pick position. It would be etched in stone. The team hasn't won a game since the 2 trades.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 12:20 PM) Either a whole lot of shady/questionably legal financial dealings or it shows he's not nearly as wealthy as he claims which, based on how he's acted in the past, is the most important thing to him. Probably all of the above.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 12:11 PM) Once Swarzak is gone our bullpen will be totally gutted. That, coupled with a weak rotation will have other teams feasting on our thin pitching staff. We are very much headed towards a top three draft pick, with a real chance at #1 overall. Exactly. Maybe Rodon finds a groove after a while, but after that the Sox should be favored to lose all of their remaining games. Obviously there will be some wins sprinkled in here or there, but top 3 seems like a lock, and depending how bad Philly and SF make themselves, at least pick 2 seems probable.

I hope the Sox sweep, but just win at least a couple of these. There are plenty of losses coming for those who want the Sox to lose all the time. And thank God they didn't lose more a couple of years ago and drafted Benetendi. They would win more games this year, and maybe even last, and most likely next. Screws up 3 drafts vs. 1.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 10:26 AM) This discussion was about batting, and my OPS remark is about batting, so this was not a discussion about all-around game. I am saying I don't want a hitter to emulate Fox. I agree. The Sox need better. Louie Aparicio was a HOFer. Hawk said he wouldn't be upper half now. I would imagine the same with Nellie. Nellie was great for his time, but the game is played differently now. .710 OPS great defense is fine, but Yolmer Sanchez this season .701 OPS, great defense. Yolmer seems like he's a good kid, but he's a back up.

QUOTE (Quin @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 11:18 AM) Keep him for now. A new AG can fire Mueller, Sessions can't. If he uncovers something or is getting really close, Mueller is going to be fired anyway. Obviously I could be wrong, but I think there is no way he survives long enough to see Trump's taxes. But if Mueller ever gets fired, all hell is going to break loose. If Trump has done nothing wrong, I don't know why he is so worried.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 10:43 AM) Unless Moncada goes 0-18 with 16 ks and 2 GIDP They would still be the prettiest strikeouts and greatest GIDPs probably ever.

Trump now referring to Sessions as "beleaguered". Can't understand why he isn't going after Hillary. He does realize he was the one who hired him, I would think. What happened to all the dogs Trump promised to put on crooked Hillary after he won the election? For a guy so concerned with "fake news", it's actually been his specialty for over 30 years. Why not fire Sessions? I don't think democrats would make a stink this time.

Pelfrey has the lowest ERA in the Sox rotation. Couple that with the bullpen, add subtracting Swarzak, there is no hope of this team even if you want them to win of not getting a top 3 pick in the draft. The losing mission is already accomplished. 2 or 3 game winning streaks will almost be miracles.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 01:05 AM) I just think we all need to pray that the US always remains in charge so we can always print the money. That's the only way the assistance programs don't end up killing our very way of life. Isn't it really that simple? IF it is that simple, you'd think the liberal people would want the biggest mightiest military with shark lasers to protect the off-the-rails spending. But that goes against peace and love and globalism. Tough situation, stuck in a bit of hypocrisy. Fortunatley for them, that issue isn't in the public realm...yet. What's clearing dragging down America is making the filthy rich pay taxes, and making sure the poor have health care. The best way to build up the middle class and lower class is instead of giving them breaks directly, give them to the rich so they can pass them down. It works really well.

Why not beat the Cubs? What's the deal with the draft picks? The Sox don't have to finish 25 games behind the second worst record. Beat the Cubs, help them not make the playoffs. The losses will continue, but they will win some games. Look at the roster. Besides, if the second or third pick isn't good enough to pick an impact player, then losing for draft picks makes very little sense.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jul 23, 2017 -> 05:15 PM) To avoid the s*** talking from Cubs fans at work.. I agree with you. Not only that but make it harder for them to get to the postseason. That and keeping the cup.

They are on a 64.8 win pace and will win some games along the way. Might as well be against the Cubs. I think they probably already have guaranteed Seth Beer being available when they next draft.

Bad baserunning cost the Sox a run. I can't wait until the Sox have smarter players.

More bad baserunning.

I hope they trade Swarzak before his arm falls off.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jul 23, 2017 -> 10:33 AM) Madrigal is the "poster child" for my "pet peeve," regarding choking up. Why a player his size would want to have his hands, way down on the knob of the bat, makes no sense to me. He is not going to hit much for power, so why not just become an elite contact hitter. He obviously has talent and is highly regarded, but a guy like that could probably be significantly better, with the enhanced bat control, which choking up affords. Hardly anyone ever does it anymore, not even with 2 strikes on them. Aluminum bats are a bit different and he did hit .380.

He still makes some great plays. The ability is there. It seems to me he is trying to make every play look spectacular. Even when he has plenty of time to set himself and make a throw he seems to be throwing on the run from a crazy angle. This is a guy with the physical ability to make tough plays look routine, I don't know if it is his friends death, trying to live up to the contract, or just some sort of slump, but I think it can be corrected. All the tools are there for him to be successful. Whether he ultimately uses them properly is the question IMO. There are going to be bumps along the road for most, if not all of these prospects.

This guy is a lock to be a Sox target. 4 bunt hits in a game. Right up Ricky's alley. He does look like Pedroia at the plate. http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ss...bunting_to.html