JUGGERNAUT

The numbers themselves are not as important as the separations are. The classes are not of equal value either. Rotation is far more important than the others. The lists give you an idea of where your team stands in comparison to the other contenders. With respect to MIN: 36% better rotation 55% worse workhorse relief 19% worse lineup 66% worse bench 1% better general relief That tells you we can make the best gains by improving our bench & workhorse relief. The addition of Thomas will have the dual effect of improving both the bench & the lineup. Referring to his 2002 RPG ranking of 22. The lineup will lag MIN by only 8% & the bench by 40% (addition of Everett). Which leaves workhorse relief as the biggest need for improvement. The addition of a top 20 player like Wagner would erase the deficit & give the CHW a 20% edge. That should get them the division crown.

Since Sag's has added OPS to both, there's no reason for me to go elsewhere http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/alp05.htm PITCHERS A class: 1-CHW 2, 4, 11, 15, 49 : 16.2 avg 2-BOS 6, 14, 40 : 20 avg 3-MIN 7, 19, 33, 41 : 25 avg 4-BAL 1, 16, 38, 39, 40 : 26.8 avg 5-NYY 12, 25, 46 : 28 avg 6-LAA 3, 35, 36, 50 : 31 avg 7-TEX 9, 18, 37, 47, 53 : 32.8 avg Only 3 teams with solid 5 men rotations. The NYY might be sitting home this year. BAL's staff is for real. B+ class: 1-MIN 2, 7, 18 : avg 9 2-LAA 10, 12, 23 : avg 15 3-CHW 5, 8, 46 : avg 20 4-BAL 13, 17, 33 : avg 21 5-NYY 16, 22, 26 : avg 21 6-BOS 25, 29, 36 : avg 30 7-TEX 1, 34, 59 : avg 31 We can see from this list the teams we will competing with for RP help. At least 4 contenders of all which have more $ to spend then we do. We can also see MIN dominance in this area. (Crain, Nathan, Romero). If we do get a top 20 guy (Wagner 15th) then the CHW get the edge. CHW 5, 8, 15 : avg 7 B- class: (incl SP on DL) CHW 67 : avg 67 BAL 58, 76 : avg 67 TEX 72 : avg 72 MIN 24, 44, 62, 64 : avg 49 NYY 43, 49, 63, 87 : avg 61 LAA 39, 54, 68, 85 : avg 62 BOS 55, 60, 78, 80, 82, 84 : avg 73 What matters most in this list is how many guys are on it. That's why I rank MIN 4th even though they have the lowest avg. This group comprises starters on DL, & middle to spot relief. Again you can see who the big contenders are & what they will be shopping for. With a Wagner-like trade the CHW avg is 56. That's decisively better than the rest keeping them at the top of this class. C+ class: Seldom used or AAA talent. CHW 10, 14, 21 : avg 15 TEX 4, 26, 27 : avg 19 NYY 9, 23, 37 : avg 23 LAA 3, 35, 42 : avg 27 BAL 15, 50 : avg : avg 33 MIN 22, 51 : avg 37 BOS 16, 39, 58 : avg 38 C- class: (struggling in relief) LAA BAL BOS MIN CHW 47 : avg 47 NYY 38, 41, 57 : avg 45 TEX 36, 43, 48, 55 : avg 46 The NYY don't look good. It seems all they have to use for trades is cash. I'd give the nod to BOS. Pitching-wise BAL looks better than both. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/alb05.htm HITTERS A class: BAL 1, 12, 22, 23, 38, 45 : avg 24 TEX 2, 14, 27, 30, 46 : avg 20 NYY 3, 8, 11, 24, 26, 31, 55, 60, 75, 77 : avg 37 BOS 5, 6, 9, 10, 17, 21, 51, 67, 83 : avg 30 MIN 19, 33, 35, 50, 64, 71 : avg 46 CHW 29, 34, 41, 43, 57, 59, 78, 81, 87 : avg 57 LAA 15, 61, 62, 73, 84 : avg 59 This is both a measure of your regulars & their production. With Vlad out either makes a move now or watches Texas pass them. The Yanks have the edge over BOS. MIN edge is not that big considering we have Thomas returning. If his 05 is anything like his 02 that's a 22 ranking. That drops the average down to 50. B+ class: Bench strength MIN 1, 4, 24 : avg 10 CHW 6, 31, 59 : avg 32 LAA 13, 39, 45 : avg 32 BAL 14, 21, 37 : avg 24 NYY 18, 32 : avg 25 TEX 28, 36, 44 : avg 36 BOS 58, 62 : avg 60 There are several contenders looking to shore up there bench strength as well. Polanco(3.94 RPG) has played enough to make A class with PHI. Surprisingly he's not doing much better than Crede (3.91 RPG). MIN just makes you sick. How deep is that organization? I hate that team. I loathe it's very existence. Why or why didn't they get contracted? Everybody was in up & arms over Montreal. Nobody cared about the Twins. B- class: Fill-in strength (DL replacements) CHW NYY BOS MIN 34, 35, 60, 69 : avg 50 LAA 50, 61, 65, 67 : avg 61 BAL 51, 55, 68 : avg 58 TEX 52, 54 : avg 53 Hitting wise you can see which contenders have enjoyed good health & which have not. MIN record is very impressive given their health problems. Pitching Summary: SP: CHW, BOS, MIN, BAL, NYY, LAA, TEX SRP: MIN, LAA, CHW, BAL, NYY, BOS, TEX (starting relief) ERP: CHW, BAL, TEX, MIN, NYY, LAA, BOS (emergency relief) AAARP: CHW, TEX, NYY, LAA, BAL, MIN, BOS MIN has the best 1-4 in RP, but they are not deep beyond that. Any injury to 1-4 & they could be in trouble. The CHW are deep in relief. They can withstand any injury in the pen better than any other team. Overall with the CHW expected to get a top 20 RP before the deadline they should move up to #2 in SRP which would insure them the best staff in AL. Hitting Summary: SH: BAL, TEX, NYY, BOS, MIN, CHW, LAA (starters) BH: MIN, CHW, LAA, BAL, NYY, TEX, BOS (bench) FH: CHW, NYY, BOS, TEX. MIN, BOS, LAA (fill-ins) MIN bench is awesome. There is a big gap between 1st & 2nd there. But the return of Frank Thomas will close some of that gap. Even without Frank, the WSox bench has performed better than most. Predictions: MIN has it all to beat out any ALE team for the WC (good SP, excellent RP, fair hitting, & excellent bench hitting). Lohse has been a dissapointment in the rotation & Mays has been less than good. That should give the WSox the edge for the division. BAL has stronger relief pitching than both NYY & BOS. That should give them the edge in ALE over both teams. The top two spenders are going to miss the dance. LAA received good news with Vlad's MRI. Their pitching & reserve hitting is good enough to withstand that temporary loss. They should win the ALW. CHW have such a decisive advantage in SP that they should win the ALC & compete for best record in the AL. Their RP is good enough to overcome weak hitting amongst their starters. Their reserve hitting is amongst the best in the AL & there is even greater help beyond the horizon. http://minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/st...id=milb&cid=494 23 yr old B Anderson - insurance if Everett goes down 29 yr old R Gload - soon to return to the bench 31 yr old F Martinez - surprising season at SS for the Knights. As good as MIN RP is it still has not greatly outperformed the WSox. CHW: SP 7L, RP 7L vs MINT: SP 12L, RP 6L If we add a top 20 guy before we face them we should beat them in the 2nd half.

I'm actually more interested in what he does @ Charlotte than on the road. I understand it's a hitter's ball park so I'd expect him to hit one out of it.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/alp05.htm http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/alp04.htm http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/nlp04.htm I like to view the NPERA rankings because you get a better feel for how good your team is when you view against the competition. WSox 2005 RP: B class: Hermanson 8th, Politte 5th, Marte 46th, Vizc 67th, C class: Cotts 10th, BMac 21st, Shingo 47th WSox 2004 RP: B class: Shingo 8th, Marte 17th, Cotts 54th, Schow 76th, Adkins 80th C class: Wunsch 32nd, Politte 41st, Jackson 69th, Diaz 98th, Grili 104th, etc. I don't know about Shingo. If he can't throw the frisbee for strikes this year then hitters will just continue to wait on his fastball. But Marte is NOT going to finish 46th. He finished 2nd in 03, & 4th in 02. Health-wise there is nothing wrong with him. I think his 46th ranking has more to do with the way the Oz has used him than anything else. He should finish in the top 15 which would put him in line with MIN Romero. The problem is that MIN just keeps finding ace's in relief. Crain 2nd, Nathan 7th, Romero 18th, Rincon 24th, Mullholand 44th. I hope Politte can keep it up but I doubt he will. To beat MIN we need to add a top 20 RP before Aug. As teams fall out of the contention there will be plenty of candidates to choose from. Wagner amongst them(15th in NL). This is where the decision to keep BMac up past the 21 day count get's dicey. He might not be on the roster in the 2nd half. Hitters: Koney, Guch, Uribe, Crede/Polanco, AJ, Pods, Row, Dye, Everett, Thomas, Gload, Harris, Widger, Ozuna/hot AAA bat Arms: Mark, Freddy, El Duque, Contreras, Garland, Herm, Wagner, Marte, Cotts, Politte, Shingo Harris is primarily a tool vs RH so you would like another bench player who can play middle IF & hit vs LH. That's why I think BMac won't likely be on the team when Thomas returns. If that's the case you just burned a yr of service for about a month's worth of starts.

31K in 66+ IP. Comparison's: Santana 04: 265K's, 228 IP Halladay 03: 204 K's, 266 IP Power-wise he resembles Arroyo (BOS). The 8-1 is impressive but it's a long season. Right now Buehrle is more likely to win the Cy Young than Garland. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/alp05.htm Buehrle, Mark CHW L 2.47npera(2nd in AL), 76.2ip(1st in AL), 3.05era, 46K, 7W(tied for 2nd in AL), 9.16MOB(2nd in AL), 5.24POWER, .590 OPSv(2nd in AL) His K's are right in line with Halladay & Colon this year.

Based on Uribe's expression I really do believe he thought it would be ruled foul. If he had known it to be fair he would have been in a better state of readliness for a throw since there likely would be a play at 2B. But I do find it interesting that in general Koney & Oz are at odds here. Oz seems to have a personality similar to Ty Cobb in that if it's not against the rules of baseball it's fair game. Koney has more of sportsmanship personality that says it may not be against the rules but it doesn't make it ethical.

There is a rule but as someone stated Frank probably has all of his options still giving that he was fast-tracked to the WSox when he started his career. That shouldn't be an issue. This makes sense if they feel he's not ready to come up this weekend. It would be nice to have him here to battle the AL teams before the NL road trip but .240 for Charlotte w/out a HR means he's not ready.

The problem with signing Konerko is that his value to other team's is worth much more than with the WSox. He's struggling right now. His 5.65 RPG is good for 29th in the AL. He finished w a 6.69 RPG in 2004 (good for 18th). His last contract was based on a 6.30 RPG (good for 16th) in 2002. So at worst he's a top 30 hitter & at best he's probably top 15. If he finishes 2005 in the top 20 then some team is going to offer him at least a 40M/5yr deal. I think he is a KW favorite & I think he is a solid & influential clubhouse player but I'm not sure he's an Ozzie favorite. But how much does Konerko really add in that respect? I've never read a quote suggesting Konerko helps players be better hitters or fielders. On the other hand I've read several quotes suggesting Thomas helps players hit better. The latest being Uribe. Thomas' absence in July in 2004 might explain why Uribe tanked that month & why he's struggling now. If Thomas on the 25 man roster means Uribe's a better hitter what's that worth? Finally numbers wise Gload got it done in 2004. His 6.18 RPG in 234 AB was good for 8th in AL among bench players. The fact he's a LH bat only increases his value to the WSox.

I don't know if it's been said yet but Josh Fields is the heir-apparent for 3B. That means the WSox only need a rent-a-player for that position. Polanco fits the bill & his play would determine his future with the WSox. Either offer him a multi-year deal, arbitration, or let him walk. He should qualify for Type A arbitration if the WSox play him everyday in the 2nd half. He was among the leaders for the Phils in win share. I really don't know why he fell out of favor with the manager there.

Polanco was among the leaders for the Phils in win share last year. I would definitely do this. He is a major upgrade over Ozuna because he's a proven slugger over time. Perez is expendable because Everett becomes the 4th OF when Thomas returns. Future wise this is a practical deal. Fields is the heir-apparent for 3B. At the end of the season you evaluate keeping Polanco vs starting Fields. You can either offer him a multi-year deal, arbitration, or let him walk. I had a feeling his situation would lead him to the WSox all year long.

I believe if you come up before Sep 1 & remain on the 25 man roster for more than 21 days it counts as a year of service. This is all about El Duque. The WSox want him ready to pitch his best stuff in Aug when they take on the Twins. If that means giving BMac 4-5 starts until then so be it. If that's the plan then they might as well keep him up. They likewise mentioned he could fill in for Contreras but I think Contreras is pitching much better of late. They don't need a long reliever. They need a setup guy. Of course if Marte pitches more like he did last night he might be the guy.

There is 1 club/player option left on Guardado's contract. He's a FA after 2006.

No sweat. A 2 out NON HR. We'll get it back.

It's way to early to believe that. Zamby was cooking as well until the 5th. There's plenty of time to get to Prior. If BMac gives us a quality start we should win it. I think he will. The Cubs suck.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ramirez (the highest paid Cub) flys out to LF. No damage.

That was funny. Deception by Uribe saved the WSox. Bmac can still get out of this.

There's no shame in walking Lee. Just get Burnitz.

This is a HUGE game for the Cubs. If they lose to BMac what is left for them to cling to? Their beloved Prior (the Cub Savior) beaten by White Sox best propsect. It will be a sad day in Cubbyville. An endless stream of tears. GO BMac!

The contenders: NYY have Rivera 1.23 WHIP, .193A BOS has Foulke 1.57 WHIP, .291A (Yikes!) MIN has Nathan 0.75 WHIP, .188A LAA has KRod 0.69 WHIP, .164A BAL has Ryan 1.17 WHIP, .212A CHI has Hermanson 0.89 WHIP, .179A http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/chw/stat...fied=0&sort=138 Right now Viz, Walker, & Shingo are less than good. Marte is so-so. Politte & Cotts look good but still shaky for setup. I think whether we trade for a dominate pen guy depends on Marte. He's been dominant in the past & there is still time for him to regain that before the deadline. To compete for a WS it's best to have two dominant pen guys. Right now we just have one & he's having a career year.

This makes a lot of sense. You need him much so in AL games than NL ones. If that means bringing him up a week or two earlier then do it. He can help you against Tex, LAA, & Cle & then rest him the next 7 days in NL parks. I hope he can do it because Everett's hamstring problem seems to be nagging. http://minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/st...milb&pid=123245 It's weird seeing Thomas on a ml roster. It's nothing to shout about but nothing to worry on either.

As for next year, I doubt very much the WSox will pay Thomas $10M. It's much more likely they work out a contract extension similar to his last contract only more health & performance driven with incentives. A higher payout if he reaches the incentives but lower base if he doesn't. Thomas is going to be much more reluctant to leave a WS contender & much more likely to accept the fairest deal the WSox will make. Untl someone proves otherwise, will be adding Cy in front of Garland's name with a Santana price tag. If he wins the Cy we can afford it. His marquee status will pay his salary. What do you think will be the avg attendance for Cy Garland home games?

If you look at Konerko's numbers over the past 4 yrs they are best when Thomas is hitting in front of him. Koney has stated it himself this off season. Thomas consumes a LOT of pitches over his ab's. This gives Koney the opportunity to see a lot more pitches before his ab & face a pitcher who is probably a little tired mentally & physically after facing Thomas. Even if it's for a short while. Simply put, Thomas weakens pitchers for Koney better than any one else has.

I think KW will land a closer so that he can use Hermanson as the setup man. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/stats/bypositi...fied=1&sort=106 I'm hoping it's Guardado as well. The ex-Twin factor speaks for itself. Look at AJ. The fact that the WSox have good relations with the M's on the trading front probably gives the WSox the edge over other teams. A bottom feeder team does not need a dominant closer. They have much greater needs. Guardado is a luxury for the M's.

Looking forward though the Oakland series might have been the best thing to happen to this team. It was one of those defeats were you can claim victory & yet learn valuable lessons for the future. If there was anything timid about this team it was eradicated after that series. It's one the best playing teams around with the balls to go toe-to-toe. Whether they win a WS or not, I am damn proud of this team & won't forget this season .. ever.