Texsox

Make a bobblehead and host his retirement party.

Announcing the #1 draft pick on his own network. The man has been playing chess and the rest of us checkers. Brilliant.

Agreed. What team couldn't use them? The real challenge is get them (and a couple others of similar pedigree) plus have championship caliber replacements available if they get hurt.

This year how many teams do you believe if things went right for them could win the AL? 15? 10? 5? How many can survive major injuries? I'm think there are two teams that remain competitive with major injuries, and three or four that could win but key injuries would end their chances, and nine that don't have a chance. I think elite franchise are what you call winners, winning franchises keep giving themselves chances in that second tier, and finally there are the worst of the worst franchises like the Sox that occasionally get to winning chances but never elite. You more than anyone has proven to me what a horrible franchise this is. I've grown to absolutely loath them. I no longer innocently just cheer for whomever is out there.

Yep, then overcoming injuries is the difference between winning and losing. And 2/3 rds of the teams don't win.

How are you defining winning team?

Yes, some clubs can overcome injuries. Most cannot.

I think he's an average GM in a really bad organization that experiences the worst luck imaginable. He built a roster that everyone (fans, Vegas, baseball insiders) thought would contend for several years and watched it implode from injuries and the worst managing imaginable. He's the figurehead and needs to go. But without a wholesale clearing the systemic problems will always be there.

Trading for MLB ready talent doesn't bother me. I wouldn't be bothered trading picks or younger players for MLB ready talent. But we suck at that also.

Imagine the Sox announcing they took a guy that was projected to be a mid to late first round in the four spot. Lol.

Go back and look at the draft projections. Nick was a safe pick at the time. Many considered him the best player in college baseball. Easily one of the top five players in the draft. I'm not debating Bill as an owner. I'm just pointing out that we love everything he did and hate everything the current ownership does.

Fitting Fitting that this picture is in the fire Hahn thread. It would have been another reason to fire everyone. No plan! This team has become a laughing stock!

In general thinking outside the box and experimenting in practice is a solid strategy. For all we know Burger has been asking for an opportunity to work out at 2nd and find more playing time. I doubt the plan back in March was to wait until June and have him be the everyday guy at second. But adapting during the season is a necessity.

Wasn't he moved to 3rd when we drafted Madrigal?

I'm all for giving guys opportunities to improve their versatility and ultimately their paychecks.

Hahn should have known as soon as Vaughn was moved he'd turn to crap.

Really. It seemed like he cared that baseball was increasingly becoming a money driven sport and realized without lots of money teams would struggle to compete. At least publicly he seemed to care about money and how to be competitive without it. To not care about money would make someone a disaster as an owner in the age of free agency. If "all he cared about is money" is a lie, then he wasn't a very good owner.

Just for fun I found the 2018 draft thread. The board was 100% behind Madrigal. It's in the former sox drawer thread. The board was really upset that Kenny wanted Singer over Nick. @southsider2k5 predicted the future for Nicky as a bust.

If anyone wants to take a trip down memory lane. There are a couple threads. By the way in a thread I didn't link @caulfield12exposed concern about Nicky before the draft. Page 13 starts the cheering.

Nick Madrigal, Oregon State In a sense, the Reds have the easiest decision in the draft. Bart, Bohm, Madrigal, Mize, and Singer are the top five players on the board, and they're all expected to be taken within the first five picks. The Reds will simply take whichever one of those players is still available, and in our mock draft, that's Madrigal, an undersized hitting machine and one of the "safest" players in the draft class.

Before and after the draft baseball experts loved the guy. He was a safe pick that didn't pan out.

From just after the draft 2B Nick Madrigal, Oregon State University Madrigal is the best player in college baseball, and he's the best pure hitter in this Draft, hitting a cool .406 this year for the Beavers with 13 walks and just five strikeouts. He may be only 5-foot-8, but size isn't an issue because he can hit, he can really run and he can really play second base. The Jose Altuve comparisons are a bit much because Madrigal doesn't have that kind of power, but he's not a slap-hitter, either

Anyone want to look at a draft projection from that year? https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2779285-2018-mlb-mock-draft-brs-final-round-1-picks

We need to take more chances on guys with histories of never playing a full season because of injuries.

Occam's Razor Injuries