harfman77

QUOTE (Username @ Jun 20, 2017 -> 09:57 AM) Interested to see where they assign him. I would think they would start him in Great Falls to get him acclimated and move him up when Remillard moves up to WS.

I would sure listen on offers on Avi, but you need to get a return equal to what his production is now and that is probably going to be hard to get. You certainly don't want to sell low if this is the new normal for Avi. He would not be the first guy to really come into his own at his age 26 season, given his track record of injuries it is understandable that his development may have been stifled. If you end up with Avi reverting back to what he was before, theres some risk there, but you aren't really out anything if that is what you are getting back in value in a trade. If this Avi is for real, you are talking about a MVP level player which would be really difficult to get back in any trade a prospect that will develop into that type of player. The risk is much greater to the team in that aspect.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jun 20, 2017 -> 09:36 AM) A guy just said a few posts ago that he is the best defensive 3B in the minors. Quite a swing. This is from the pipeline write up on him: "Despite his offensive potential, there's no question that Andujar's most impressive tool is his cannon of an arm. His hands and range are suited for third base, though he still lacks consistency there." http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017?list=nyy John Sickels minor league ball write up: "polarizing prospect; tools are obvious including 70-grade arm and 60-grade raw power but hitting approach is inconsistent, as is his fielding; on the right day he plays like a star but has trouble maintaining consistency with his approach" https://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/12/6/1...spects-for-2017 I believe he is the best the Yankees have, but Arroyo and Chapman easily rank in front of him defensively. It sounds like his issues are mostly related to being a bit raw still, so he still has the ability there to become a good defender. Its not like he is going to outgrow the position or lacks quickness or reflexes to play the position. I believe he has the best arm of any 3B in the minors, but sounds like he has had issues making the plays he should make.

QUOTE (daggins @ Jun 19, 2017 -> 10:45 PM) Guys who could be on the market competing with Robertson: Roberto Osuna Justin Wilson Colome (highly skeptical of the Rays as sellers tho) Britton? He hasn't been healthy but he's very good Doolittle Neshek Nicasio Jim Johnson Probably a lot I missed. Robertson is far from the Nats only option. It just happens to be a good fit. Osuna is young and controllable and not going anywhere. Doolittle can't stay healthy and Britton has hardly pitched at all this season. None of the rest have near the track record of Robertson. If a team is wanting a backend option, you call on Osuna, Colome, and Robertson. The rest either have injury riddled backgrounds or are journeyman relievers experiencing a year of above average production, not something you want to rest your playoff hopes on them being able to maintain.

QUOTE (kwill @ Jun 19, 2017 -> 10:29 PM) I agree with this as Fowler was a legit prospect coming into this year. He has only continued on his success this year. He is probably a Top 75 Prospect if not higher. Also, He plays centerfield which would be nice for the Sox. Something to note is Andujar did get promoted to AAA yesterday. He too would be a huge get as he is probably rated the best defensive 3B in the minors right now. Andujar has to prove that he can hit over a the course of a season. He has struggled and there was a lot of talk about moving him to the mound last fall due to how bad his bat was lagging. Scouting reports on him also say he is not a very good defender at 3B but his arm makes up for some of his deficiencies. Andujar would be an interesting second piece in a deal.

I think the Sox are wise to pull in the Dodgers, get Verdugo along with Lux and Keibert Ruiz plus a lottery ticket arm and you are in business. I am not much of a fan of Frazier, not sure he is going to make enough contact to really warrant being a centerpiece of a deal. He seems to be a right handed Matt Joyce, which while nice, isn't extremely valuable. Mateo's 30% K rate in A ball makes him a non factor in a deal. Kaprelian's TJS takes him out of the equation. I am sure the Sox would take Torres despite the TJS, but without him the Yanks really have to bring a lot of depth because the top of their system is not nearly as strong as some make it out to be.

I think one thing that has really hurt Q this year is not having Sale pitching in front of him. They are such completely different pitchers stylewise that it takes batters a bit to get a read on Q's stuff after coming off a game against Sale.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 16, 2017 -> 11:17 AM) They aren't going to move Acuna I don't think...maybe Albies and some arms...but I suspect Acuna will become "untouchable" as has been the theme in recent Q negotiations. I was thinking pretty much the opposite, they have Brandon Phillips on a one year deal to bridge the gap to Albies, they have Markakis through 2018, Kemp through 2019, and Inciarte through 2022. Acuna may be close to untouchable, but given the teams OF depth in the system and their need for controllable starting pitching with Dickey, Colon, and Garcia all hitting FA at the end of the season. Getting Albies back would probably necessitate moving Moncada off 2B, and I am not sure the Sox want to do that.

I still like what the Cards have to offer more than most. If the Sox can pull in Kelly, Sierra, and Perez, plus a lottery ticket arm, I would sign up for that. You have two guys in Sierra and Kelly who have ML floors, Sierra still has a pretty nice ceiling, Perez has a ton of ceiling and could be an all star level player at either SS or 3B. I don't really care that much for what Houston has, there pitchers can't find the strike zone enough and after Tucker they don't have much in the way of position players that are all that intriguing, especially with Fisher now in the majors. The Yankees could be an intriguing fit, but I am less impressed with their system than most people are. I was really hoping the Braves would find themselves in contention in July and be compelled to make a move with Fried and Acuna being great pieces to target.

Trade him for a max return while you can. Relievers are so fickle from year to year that you need to capitalize on their value while you can, the Sox have a system full of guys that can be high leverage relievers down the road.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 14, 2017 -> 03:14 PM) So I don't know who else is paying attention, but we are to round 30. We still have picked exactly 1 HS player. Not only that, but our last 11 straight picks are college seniors, or even a 5th year senior. Day 3 has given us exactly zero young lottery tickets. 12 of our 20 picks so far today are seniors. Yeah, definitely a low risk draft with lots of floors and some limited ceilings. I think the production is good and the results with a guy like Booker last season are promising. Its going to be really hard to get any HS kids to sign after round 10 anyway. I don't mind the approach this year, especially if you are looking at some younger guys in deals at the deadline. This at least provides some certainty with the upside you hope to get back in deadline deals.

I am warming to the idea of Kendall. I really wanted him in round 3 out of HS. If things click for him you have a superstar. If they don't you have a run of the mill #11 pick. Bukauskus seems like a reliever, which is good, but not enough upside at #11. Sounds like Lewis is slipping due to some predraft deals, would love to get him or Haseley.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 6, 2017 -> 09:47 AM) Wow. I'm hoping this is a prelude to him turning into a pitcher. A stern warning that you won't make it to the show as a hitter way and aren't close. Yes, I think its time to make the move if the Sox are going to salvage any value out of that pick. Hawkins is a prime example of why I am down on the Sox drafting guys with bat to ball issues like Jordon Adell. Your other tools may be off the charts, but if you can't hit those tools are going to do nothing for you.

QUOTE (rockren @ Jun 5, 2017 -> 04:58 AM) They wouldn't- not just because they love Brinson, but because the Brewers won't be buyers this year...at least not for as anyone as significant as Q. I live in the Milwaukee area and head down to spring training every year to catch the WSox, but see a lot of the Brewers behind the scenes at their practices w/my dad. Don't believe anything you may hear- the Brewers would still sell if they were in 1st at the deadline if they could. The Crew knows they're more than a Q away from actually hanging all year with the Cards & Cubs...not only does their rotation have future problems, but that bullpen has played above their heads at times (much like ours) and the Crew know this. With that being said, just for entertainment purposes...the Crew could totally get a deal done for Q w/o Brinson and probably even w/o Hader (although Hader has been terrible this year...hes still an arm you'd really want). Diaz, Ortiz, Phillips and a lottery ticket for me would work. I understand a lot of people here would want more for Q...but Isan Diaz is really underrated. I believe him to be a better prospect than Brinson is...at least with the stick...guy is a middle infielder and may have a middle o the order bat in the bigs. I can't believe that would come anywhere close to getting deal done based on the leaks from the winter that Hahn was looking for orgs top three prospects, especially with a Milwaukee system that is not all that good due to a pattern of reaching at high ceilings that haven't developed. Ray/Hader/Gatewood/ and Meideros. That provides a combination of proximity along with some high(ish) ceilings and doesn't affect Milwaukee's ability to compete over the short term as none of the players are in their immediate plans.

QUOTE (CyAcosta41 @ Jun 5, 2017 -> 02:22 PM) Prioritizing sensible development plans of the potentially valuable arms of the future is what matters the next couple of years. So, good pick-up for our "now." That said, this particular move is so quintessentially White Sox. So KW. He always gets his man. All those overhyped Mets pitching prospects of 2005-2010? Humber, Pelfrey, Parnell. The Sox won't quit until we get 'em all! This is a great move, former closer who if he can find his stuff again could be a valuable trade chip at a very low cost.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 2, 2017 -> 02:30 PM) It could have also been that Kendall was the only one who leaked to the media that he had met with the White Sox. Yeah, there are a lot of games that can be played with the leaks of who a team is in on and who they aren't. But with that news and the near unanimous pick of Kendall to the Sox in the most recent round of mock drafts, someone is feeding something to scouts that the White Sox are in on Kendall. Could be a distraction, but when there is a lot of consensus among industry scouts, it usually turns out to be true. Similar to what happened with Moniak in the week up to the draft last year and what is seemingly happening with Kyle Wright. Hahn could certainly have leaked it to get a team in front of them to bite and to try and get someone else to slide, or Kendall could be using it to signal the minimum he is willing to take from a bonus perspective we'll all find out soon enough.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jun 2, 2017 -> 01:19 PM) Kendall is not seemingly our first choice, but if he can improve his contact you could be looking at a really good player. He has solid pop, great speed, good arm and good defense. Nearly every prospect will carry a certain level of risk, but Kendall's potential upside is tough to pass on. Not Soxtalks, but as far as I know, he is the only prospect that has been reported to have met with Hahn.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 1, 2017 -> 08:49 PM) Guess at the 6: - Burger - Kendall -Haseley - Adell - Faedo - Lewis Beck Baz Haseley Faedo Kendall Bukauskus

QUOTE (NCsoxfan @ Jun 2, 2017 -> 11:00 AM) I really really like Austin Beck. Doesn't sound like he will be the guy, but love the upside. Fangraphs on Beck: "But he has among the loudest tools in the entire draft including the class' best bat speed, plus raw power projection and a plus arm. If he hits he's a star, but the risk is high." More on Beck: The extremely respected David Rawnsley at Perfect Game is not a person who falls victim to hype, yet he had this to say about Beck: “. . .the most impressive thing about Beck when I saw him was his bat and offensive profile. His hitting approach is outstanding, with a balanced set up and directional stride at the plate, ideal hand position with a calm and relaxed load and as good of lower half torque and whip as this scout has seen in a long time. The raw bat speed is extreme, absolute highest level. . .Beck hits to all fields due to his balance and ability to wait on the ball and very consistently squares the ball up. The popular comparison in the scouting community for North Carolina's fast-rising outfielder Austin Beck has been Mike Trout, which this scout has heard three different times in the last few weeks. It seemed a bit presumptuous to compare an 18-year old who has a short a resume as Beck to the game's best player, to be honest, but after seeing Beck play in person in late March this scout began to understand where those scouts were coming from." There was a rumor on one of the sites that the Braves were targeting Beck on an underslot deal. A lot of the same questions with Kendall, though there is even more risk in his hit tool as it sounds like he struggles with mediocre breaking stuff. Tough to know if that is because he lacks reps or if it is a legit concern.

Austin Jackson as a Kendall comp? Jackson was a highly rated prospect out of the Yankees system, flashed power, played + defense, and was pretty good for a while but Jacksons injuries have derailed him somewhat. K's a lot more than you would like for someone of his skillset.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 31, 2017 -> 01:14 PM) After seeing the reaction to Jeren Kendall and Jordon Adell, I'm convinced that if Luis Robert were in this class, Sox fans would want Jake Burger instead. But we already have Robert, we don't need to keep duplicating that player profile in the system. We also have Adolfo with similar contact issues despite having solid tools across the board. I get that Kendall is a high level defender, high level athlete, and has top line speed, but we need to get guys in this system with good bad to ball skills to bring balance with the athletes we already have. If we didn't have Robert I would be much more inclined to take Kendall, but since we have a guy with some contact risk already, I would like to get a guy with better baseball skills at the expense of some athleticism. The White Sox have really struggled as an organization to help their hitting prospects improve patience, pitch recognition, and contact skills so I prefer that the team draft players that already have those skills in place when they enter the organization.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 31, 2017 -> 01:08 PM) Dude almost made it to June before he gave up a run. Bad timing for Blake Hickman who was in line for the win in his first pro start.

QUOTE (NCsoxfan @ May 30, 2017 -> 09:16 AM) Very nice, thanks. And since that article was written, he still hasn't given up a run! Jinx

QUOTE (turnin' two @ May 31, 2017 -> 12:17 PM) And Rooker is 18 months older than Kendall. Wow, its almost like you're saying we should look at something other than a batters splits.

QUOTE (turnin' two @ May 31, 2017 -> 10:52 AM) In what world is .306/.380/.570 for an OPS of .950 not succeeding? In a world where an OF putting up .404/.505/.843 with an OPS of 1.348 and a 22% K rate in the same conference is considered a comp round pick.