JUGGERNAUT

Iguchi's splits: Versus Year PA AB H 2B 3B HR TB SH SF SO BB HBP GIDP CI AVG OBP SLG Left 2002 129 114 31 5 0 5 51 1 2 23 10 2 2 \N 0.272 0.336 0.447 Left 2003 132 105 32 6 0 6 56 0 1 16 25 1 2 \N 0.305 0.439 0.533 Left 2004 127 116 33 7 0 3 49 0 2 24 9 0 2 \N 0.284 0.331 0.422 Right 2002 343 314 80 9 1 13 130 4 0 61 17 8 6 \N 0.255 0.31 0.414 Right 2003 485 410 143 31 1 21 239 1 5 65 56 13 8 \N 0.349 0.438 0.583 Right 2004 447 394 137 27 2 21 231 0 6 66 38 9 12 \N 0.348 0.412 0.586 Castillo's NL splits: vs. L .308 .369 .448 .817, vs R .285 .374 .314 .687 I'm giving up 2% in OBP for a 10-20% gain in SLG. If Pods fails (and that's a big IF) I move Rowand to lead off. Rowand's AL splits: vs. L .302 .371 .575 .947, vs. R .315 .355 .526 .881 It's a big IF because if you look at his batter vs pitcher splits he's obvious something changed in his approach in 04. We have one of the best hitting coaches there is & he will benefit from the Cell. So there's a greater probability that he will have a better year in 05 than 04.

05 Total: -43r, -73rbi (822r,750rbi) - Harris (68, 27) + Iguchi : (90, 82) : +22r, +55rbi Iguchi: https://www.japanesebaseball.com/players/pl...sp?PlayerID=970 05 Total: -21r, -18rbi (844r, 805rbi) Wow!

Definitely 11 arms & 14 bats (4 bench) Rotation: Buehrle Garcia Hernandez Contreras Garland Ozzie's rotation No skipped starts. No need for 12 arms w all the goofy off-days. Bullpen: Shingo Marte Hermanson Vizcaino Politte Adkins - or the best performer in ST. I don't think he's guaranteed a spot. Catchers: Pierzynski Bench - Davis Infielders: Konerko Crede Iguchi Uribe Bench - Harris, Ozuna, Valdez, FA - I don't think any one is guaranteed a spot here. Outfielders: Dye Rowand Podsednik Bench - Gload - guranteed. Bench - Perez - not guaranteed. DH: Everett Despite the $ spent, Perez is not guaranteed a spot. KW has to evaluate the team's need for a solid UIF vs the luxury of keeping Perez or Harris on the 25 man roster. Perez is tradeable has a LH bat who plays OF. Harris is tradeable as well. If the Sox sign a legitimate UIF FA who has shown their worth in ST one of these guys is likely gone. Which means Escobar would have to beat out Gload to get on this team. Doubtful.

Let's make a signature bet. Your dream boy Castillo ranked 58th in the NL in RPG in 04. I will bet you that Iguchi will beat Castillo's ranking in 05. Assuming the Sox sign Iggy, if I win all of you have to update your signatures attesting to the fact that you lost this bet. If you win I will do the same. Statistically Iguchi beats Castillo in every category. Feel free to look it up. The only argument is that Castillo did it in the NL & Iguchi did it in Japan. So let's think about this. In Japan Iguchi probably ranks in the top 10 in RPG in the PL. I doubt very much he's going to fall from top 10 to bottom 50.

I voted for Dye. Before the A's trade we was the hottest thing out there. He's put up respectable numbers despite severe injuries. He's said to be in good health. Nearly as good as the year of that trade. Dye could be the MVP for the Sox in 05.

How many Iguchi threads do we need? Anyways, the Stark rumor has it at 5.85M/2yr & a team option for a 3rd yr. The Stark rumor has him in Chicago for a physical. I'd have to believe this is going to break in Chicago print this week. Best timing if you ask me. Cubfest was dominated by the cloud that is ShamME & now the Sox will present their newest asian addition: Iguchi. What he is that many of you are overlooking is a post-season force. His post-season numbers in Japan overshadow his regular season. His game winning home run in 2002 helped his team win the Japan Series. Yes it's Japan, but it's still post-season. There's 120M people in Japan & they play against 40K plus fans in the post-season every night. He's used to that pressure. The biggest risk is his shoulder. When he's healthy he can steal 40+ SB. When he's not he's still good for 20 SB. In 02 he was not healthy, 03 he was healthy, & 04 he was mixed. I have to believe he's healthy for 05. With this move & a 73M payroll I have to take my hat off now to KW. I'm sure he will get us the best UIF available before the start of the season. Either home grown or bought. Way to go Kenny W!

I think some of you need to stop drinking Castillo cool-aid. Yes he's an all-star, but he's never cracked the top 40 offensively in the NL. So I call that a borderline all-star at best. Money-wise the Sox are looking at a commitment of Iguchi for 2 yrs for about the avg price of Castillo for 1 yr over his 3 yr deal. The Sox scouts obviously think Iguchi can play more than some of you do so from the perspective of the Sox mind's at work here this is a no-brainer. Iguchi all the way. Marketing-wise it makes much more sense. Consider the best case scenario's: Iguchi has an all-star season vs Castillo having an all-star season. Which is going to grab more buzz & generate more sales? Iguchi. The Sox still need a UIF but there are bound to be some available throughout ST & before the season starts when teams have to cut from 40 to 25. I think the Sox will be in a better position than most other teams to sign the pick of the litter from that crop. Assuming of course Ozuna & Valdez don't show us even more.

<< 40%. Roughly speaking cm's to inches is 40%. 176/10 =17.6 * 4 = 40+28+2.4 = 70 in. If you have a science or engineering related job the metric system is a way of life, but I agree with you though. The old ways are cooler.

Wow! It's the 5.85M/2yr + 3M/1yr that gives this credibility. We know that Iggy earned 2.4M in Japan in 04. Considering 04 was one of his best yrs & he performed well in the post-season for his team you have to figure he was due for a raise. It's no where near the level of MLB so figure 20%. That put's him just under 6M pretty much in line with the CWS. The other part that gives this credibility is his agent proposing 6M/2yr. Combining the two & I think it's going to happen. Iguchi is an upgrade over Harris. Of this there is no doubt. I posted his splits in the other thread & Iguchi looks to be a solid hitting everyday player. More importantly if Iggy succeeds he's a much more valuable marketing tool than Harris. It's just the whole asian connection thing. That will make him more tradeable if the Sox should find something better. This signing makes sense. Sure there's the risk he doesn't pan out, but I think it's a reasonable risk. What this team lacks is players with solid post-season success. Signing a guy who's bat has played a major role for his team when the games count the most addresses that.

If they do this they will without a doubt be known as the cheapest SOB's in all of MLB. Pohlad is a billionaire. That puts him in the elite class of MLB owners. If this is there answer to having to spend 3M to secure Santana, Lohse, & Silva .. very sad. I for one will be glad to see Hunter go to the Astros & I will root for him every time I see him play (especially vs the Cubs) but you really have to question whether MLB should have just let the Twins fold when Pohlad pretty much had a deal in place to do just that. Are the Twins unsellable? Is there no rich guy out there who wants to buy the Twins? Why does Pohlad remain the owner after he tried to contract his team? I certainly won't weep over this move but knowing what a cheap bastard their owner is I wouldn't put it past them.

Scary numbers: 92W-70L 04 MIN : RPG 4.815, RBIG 4.537 04 OPP: RPG 4.414, RBIG 4.204 04 diff : RPG 0.401, RBIG 0.333 -Guzman 84r, 46rbi; Koskie 68r, 71rbi I would be shocked if they could maintain either or both of those diffs. Surprising odd-ball numbers: Close & Late 04 pitching MIN 90r, 108gm .833r/gm Sox 75r, 94gm .798r/gm Scoring position 04: Sox 608r, Opp 399r +209 Min 581r. Opp 391r +190 Inning 1-6 04: Sox 605r, Opp 604r +1 Min 533r, Opp 475r +58 I believe KW has given us the adv here in 05. Inning 7+ 04: Min 247r, Opp 240r +7 Sox 260r, Opp 227r +33 Nathan, Rincon, & Romero might be the best trio in the AL. But the rest of their pen & the ineffectiveness of their starters to go long hurts them. I believe KW has helped us stretch our adv here in 05. But the numbers also explain why the Sox lost the division. Min +57 +7/2 = 60 runs. Divide that by 9 & it's a little less than 7. With a team era of 4.09 those are wins. Sox +1 +33/2 = 17 runs. Divide that by 9 & it's less than 2. With a team era of 4.91 those are losses. I would be shocked if the Sox do not lead Min in these categories in 05. If El-D can pitch more than 20 starts & Thomas can stay healthy 4/5 mo we should win the division.

Some might argue it's not fair to compare MJ & Cotts projected out to the same IP as Vizc + Herm. But I disagree. MJ's projection incl's Koch + Munoz who were far worse than MJ. Cotts projection incls Wright, Rauch, Grili, Diaz who were all far worse than Cotts. I'm definitely given the edge to the opposition with these projections. If I used the individual players the gains for the SOX would be even greater. But I figure that will even out with an expected decline in Vizc & Herm. I also want to point out I used Pods rbi totals from 04. Even if he hits 244 those should improve with the SOX. He's not in the NL any more. We have real 6-9 hitters in the AL. Realistically speaking that expected gain should make up the difference in RBIG for the SOX. When you factor that in it should be expected that the SOX will increase both their RPG & RBIG differentials this year. All things considered, I'm surprised at how much the pitching has improved even with forecast EL-D to only 20 starts.

Ok all this arse-kissing for the Twinkies aside let's try to view this like the AP views top 25 rankings before the season starts. Those are based more on current rosters than past team success. The SOX have the better rotation but MIN has the better pen. Pitching & defense wise MIN has a slght edge over the SOX. IF wise SOX have the edge in the stick. Crede+Uribe+Harris/?+Koney should beat Morneau+Cuddyear+?+?. C wise MIN has a slight edge w Mauer over AJP. OF wise SOX have the edge in the stick as well. Rowand+Pods+Dye beats Ford+Hunter+Jones. So stick wise the SOX should have a solid edge. Basically the SOX upgraded their pitching & D w/out giving up their edge w the stick. That gives them the edge overall.

I agree. It doesn't matter what spot Garland pitches in. He puts pressure on himself by digging himself an early hole with hitters. A little more mental discipline & he'd be much better than a 5th.

I agree. It doesn't matter what spot Garland pitches in. He puts pressure on himself by digging himself an early hole with hitters. A little more mental disciplined & he'd be much better than a 5th.

Likewise the Sox just might be hoping to get some trade value out of these C's. There are many teams in need of an upgrade at that position.

WH v LH: Not enough to go on? 2001 2ab .000 .000 .000 .000 2002 38ab .237A .293O .237 .530 2003 19ab .105A .150O .105 .255 2004 72ab .181A .224O .264 .488 Some minor league notes: http://www.orioleshangout.com/minors02/Willie_Harris01.htm vs ml LH: 192ab 302A, 333ab 306A So what happened? Team splits might give us a clue: vs. ANA 32AB .375A .412O .438S - good vs. ATL 11AB .091A .286O .091S - bad vs. BAL 18AB .333A .400O .389S - good vs. BOS 19AB .211A .250O .211S - bad vs. CHC 18AB .111A .158O .111S - bad vs. CLE 35AB .286A .359O .314S - good vs. DET 47AB .149A .226O .255S - bad vs. KAN 43AB .326A .383O .465S - good vs. MIN 30AB .200A .400O .200S - can hit Lohse but no other vs. NYY 28AB .179A .250O .250S - bad vs. OAK 15AB .133A .278O .200S - bad vs. SEA 22AB .318A .400O .455S - good vs. TAM 24AB .375A .400O .458S - good vs. TEX 29AB .276A .364O .310S - good vs. TOR 17AB .588A .600O .647S - good It looks like Harris can hit weak pitching real well but strong pitching real bad. That's yet another sign he is not an everyday player.

The Philly fans seem to think he'll be dumped for next to nothing. Harris + PTBNL for Polanco seems to be reasonable. They just need an adequate backup for Utley. Harris fits that bill.

Polanco 04: cost in 05: about $5M vs LH: 147ab .327A .354O .503S, vs RH: 356ab .287A .341O .416S RorRBI gms/mo vs ab: 8/83, 9/29, 12/80, 13/91, 15/101, 21/119 Tot: 78/503 projects to 93/600. He started off slow with injuries, but then became a consistent offensive force. A substantial upgrade over Harris.

http://sports-boards.net/forums/showthread.php?t=19677 This thread's got some funny spite in it. BTW the Phils payroll? 95M If Polanco indeed is going to be a salary dump then KW is right to sit pat. Being able to get Polanco w/out giving up Marte or Garland would be better than any other options out there.

The MLB fantasy take likes Pods: -You can pencil Pods in for another 60-75 thefts. -Pods got carried away after an early season power surge -Pods should get avg back to high 200's. -With double-dig HR power, you want to grab him quickly. Damn! I hope they're right. All the media sites have scored this trade to the Brewers. But if Pods can do that I give it to the Sox.

Damn. Enrique was scrapping the bottom of the barrel too. I was just looking for him to provide a little better stick over Harris v LH. Nothing more than that. Well I guess Graff is all that's left as a solid UIF. But is he healthy? Right now if I'm KW I have to look to the Phils & Polanco. He seems like the odd man out there.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n...1534EST0307.DTL Rollins in 05 for 4M. I like that. That's about 1.5M less than Castillo. I wonder what the Phils would want. I don't think we can rule out Polanco either. A 5.1M backup IF doesn't sound practical for the Phils. Especially when the Sox are in need of a starting 2B. Here's a situation where the player can't possibly be happy so the Sox are at better strength in working a trade. If I'm KW I'm on the phone with the Phils over Polanco. Getting him should cost less than Marte.

I would love to have Rollins though. Even if it meant giving up Garland. Rollins at SS, & Uribe at 2B give us one of the best scoring IF's in the AL. I still can't believe his either scored a R or drove in an RBI in 98 gms for the Phils last year. That's amazing. They wouldn't give up a talent like that for just Marte. They'd want Garland.

I agree that depth wise we're not as bad as 2004. When Maggs went down the team was still competitive with Gload, Timo, etc. taking over RF. But when Frank went down the team tanked badly. They were 5+ gms under 500 in Jul & Aug. Uggh. This year if Dye goes down we still have Gload+Timo so we can survive. Plus we have a healthy Everett. So we can even absorb a loss of Rowand or Pods. Since Thomas will be starting late it's unlikely he'll go down. At least that's been his career history when coming off an injury. The stuff coming out on Pablo Ozuna is great to read. If he continues that in ST he's got a decent shot at winning both a bench spot & possibly 2B.