Lemon_44

Does it really matter who goes between Connor, Beckham, or Bonifacio? Heck, they could DFA all three of them, bring up youngsters, and it likely wouldn't affect the team's performance.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Jul 18, 2015 -> 04:13 PM) One for one the Sox might find that too tempting to resist. Over all though Sox management always talks about getting quality human beings also. Not that Puig is a criminal or anything like that but he does APPEAR to be somewhat self-centered. Frank Thomas was/is about as self-centered as any player around. Most guys are. I have no problem with Puig being self-centered.

I think the main point mentioned originally is that it said Abreu cant stand Puig. If that's truly the case, the deal would never be made. You don't alienate your best position player. Now, if Abreu is actually okay with Puig, I'd do that trade in a second. Maybe Abreu can keep Puig in check. The Sox desperately need offensive talent.

I'd love to see Robin Ventura in the booth next year

Much ado about nothing. I also don't think RV is over-using Sale. If Sale was throwing upwards of 125-130 pitches every start, then there could be a complaint. But 108-113 pitches is not overloading a SP.

Trading Garcia is a ridiculous statement. He hasn't even played a season and half worth of games at the MLB level. Let him develop. Not everyone comes in and hits like Abreu their first year(s). I'll bet KC is glad they didn't base the future of Gordon, Hosmer, and Moustakas on their first 214 games at the big league level. I wouldn't trade Shark either unless some team overpays. To me, I'd like to keep the little talent that is on the team and build on that.

If you kept the starting rotation, minus Danks, along with Avi, Abreu, and Eaton in the field, then brought all minor leaguers up to fill out the roster, would we be able to tell the difference, record-wise? I doubt it. Maybe Jerry and Ozzie can have a Steinbrenner/Billy Martin relationship.

I don't care what people say, players, people in general, respond to good leadership and the Sox don't have any. Whether it's a group of players or the manager/coaching staff, leadership makes a difference. Obviously, there are different leadership styles, and I'm not saying a guy has to be yelling all the time, but whatever the Sox currently have in place is not working. If leadership qualities didn't matter, there would be no good, or bad, managers/coaches. You can take any sport and there's a reason certain guys are winners, Bill Parcells, Urban Meyer, Tony LaRussa, et al, and have won in multiple locations. Granted, you need talented players but a good leader gets the most out of that talent.

I didn't think there would ever be a player I liked least watching play for the Sox than Adam Dunn. Well, I was wrong because I can't stand LaRoche. I'm not necessarily complaining about his production, which stinks, but his mannerisms in general. He walks around like he thinks he's some kind of bad ass and then tries to stare down the pitcher after every one of his numerous K's. The guy is a clown and I can't wait for him to be gone.

Had to laugh looking at the box score. Minny has 4 guys slugging under .400 and 3 of them bat 7-8-9. The Sox have 1 guy slugging OVER .400 in their entire lineup.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 18, 2015 -> 09:51 PM) So because Alvin Gentry he of the 2 winning seasons as a HC and well below .500 was on the staff, they won? Who other than Ozzie's 1 year had managerial experience on the 2005 staff? I know you don't think any coach could do any better than what RV has been doing and are perfectly happy with how he is handling things. That's fine if that's your opinion. That doesn't make mine, or anyone else's opinion less valid. What does Gentry's record as HC have to do with anything? Having been a HC for many years, he can offer insight to Kerr. I don't see how it's that tough to see where experience can help out. And nowhere did I say the won because of Gentry, just that he was part of a very successful year one staff that won it all with almost the same roster. Coaching staffs can and do make a difference. As for OG, there are examples to offset any explanations. Nothing is 100% and I think an experienced bench coach would have been good for RV.

I think a major flaw in the Sox coaching staff is that there isn't anyone on the staff that has/had previous MLB managerial experience. I guess you can say Cooper managed a couple games but many times a first time manager will have an experienced former manager, like a Gene Lamont or Don Zimmer, to act as a sounding board as their bench coach. I think having a veteran that has been in charge through the rigors of major league season and show RV the ropes until he got his feet wet, would be nothing but a good thing to have on the staff. The team has been poorly coached from day 1. Maybe an experienced manager could have helped RV establish a better baseline and then improve and develop over the years. Right now, it's pretty much a dumpster fire out there and there doesn't seem to be much promise in the offing. If you don't think a coach or staff makes a difference just look at Golden State. Mark Jackson was a 1st time HC that had a staff full less experienced guys that were never HC's and didn't threaten his authority. Thus, the team played below expectation. First time HC Steve Kerr was the right guy to lead but he also brought in a veteran staff that included former HC Alvin Gentry and they win it all.

I think he's going to sign a long term deal with the Sox and that it has always been the plan. This rough stretch is only hurting his bargaining power a bit. I don't think the Sox are thinking about giving up on him, nor should they. A top 4 of Sale, Jeff, Rodon, and Quintana is very appealing moving forward. Trading Shark does nothing but create a hole in the rotation.

QUOTE (reiks12 @ Jun 5, 2015 -> 11:42 PM) Good to see Robin shaking the lineup around. Overdue imo Very glad to see and past due. As I said in another thread, his resistance to make lineup changes has been my biggest pet peeve with him.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 2, 2015 -> 01:29 PM) The problem with that is, you didn't solve the problem. Milwaukee and Miami fired their managers. That probably satisfied some meatheads in their area, but the results remain the same. Firing the coaching staff does not address the problem, and KW thankfully said that and understands that. I agree with him that the players will start playing closer to their norms, which should mean many will do a lot better than usual for a while to get there. And if it doesn't work, they will change some players. I agree with you for the most part that it's mostly on the players but the manager and coaching staff have to take some responsibility also. Are they doing what's necessary to put the players in the best position to attain success? I usually agree that a coach/manager is only as good as his players but there are guys that are better managers than others. I don't get into micro-managing every move RV makes like some do. My biggest peeve with Ventura is his reluctance, or stubborn nature, when it comes to making changes in the batting order. I get that players want to settle into their perceived roes but, if something is not working after a while, try something else. I'm not saying overreact and make changes after every mini losing streak but Adam Dunn failed miserably for 3 years in the middle of the order, Melky has batted #2 for about 1/3 of the season with limited success, and it seems no matter how much he struggles, Adam Eaton is going to be in the 1 hole. Just sitting back and waiting for guys to return to norm is, to me, asking for trouble and not being a very pro-active manager.

I think Lucroy is being way overrated. There aren't many players that are going to pull 4 of the top 7 or 8 players from a team's farm system, no matter how bad the system is, and Lucroy is not one of those players. Justin Upton only pulled 2 of SD's top 10(#3 and #7) and 3(#14) of their top 20 plus an outside the top 20 Mallex Smith.

I wonder what LeMahieu from Colorado would cost once they are further out of it?

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jun 1, 2015 -> 11:32 AM) I would love for the Sox to pursue Todd Frazier and would be ok with them going hard for him. Funny, I just opened this thread with the purpose of posting the exact same thing.

Debating Beckham as a starter is just another sign of how terrible this season has gone.

I wasn't blaming the offensive struggles entirely on LaRoche. But, he's a focal point because he's hitting in a run producing spot and is sandwiched in between, probably, the club's 2 best hitters in Abreu and Garcia. I agree pretty much the entire offense has been brutal. It just kills me that RV will likely, if history holds true, continue to run him out there in the 4 hole regardless of his production. I know they like the lefty/righty bats broken up in the lineup but why not mix it up and try to get something going? If I was making the BO, I would like to see how an Eaton, Alexi, Garcia, Abreu, Melky, LaRoche, Gillapsie/Beckham, catcher, Sanchez lineup would do.

I was thinking the last position prospect I can remember coming through the Sox system that had an impact, offensively, at the MLB level is Magglio Orodnez. There could be someone I'm forgetting but why is their track record so abysmal at developing guys that can hit, even at an average level, in the big leagues. By sheer numbers alone, you would think a player, or two would emerge but something is not right. Maybe the Sox should change their approach of rushing these guys through the lower levels and let them develop and mature at their own pace. I don't know what the answer is but it's pretty amazing to go that long without having at least one legitimate hitting prospect make an impact in MLB. I'm trying to think of the next best player the Sox drafted after Magglio and am drawing a blank. Is it Beckham? Because if it is, that's pretty sad. Edit: Rowand and Crede just popped into my mind but it's still been awhile.

I didn't like the LaRoche signing back then and even less so now. They replaced one Adam that can't hit with another Adam that can't hit. Yet, they always seem to occupy a spot in the middle of the order.

Sox missed the boat by not going hard after Maddon. I liked what the Cubs did. They didn't care that they had a manager in place. A better guy became available and they swooped.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Apr 22, 2015 -> 07:54 AM) I think that the biggest flaw in this team remains what I have been complaining about for a couple of years: The lineup lacks a really potent left handed hitter, in the middle of the order. Adam Dunn was a total failure, in that role and I'm afraid that Adam La Roche will prove to be a similar disappointment. As many of us have pointed out, he cannot hit LHP. A clean up hitter, who is incapable of hitting left handed pitching represents a big liability. In the late innings, with the potential for a big inning, the opposition will simply go to the pen and bring in a lefty to face La Roche. Moreover, it makes it too easy for the pitcher to go around Abreu, knowing that La Roche is coming up behind him, and that he can be retired by bringing in a "LOOGY". Having a couple of guys in the lineup, who cannot hit lefties is acceptable, but not right in the heart of the order. This is why I advocated using Sanchez as the #2 hitter, which would allow Melky to hit behind Jose. He won't hit as many home runs as La Roche, but he is a switch hitter, he hits for average, and does not represent an automatic out vs. a lefty. La Roche probably has to hit behind Garcia. I'm hoping that Beckham can continue to have decent at bats, which would solve the similar problem that Gillaspie poses. Gordon could pinch hit for him, in the late innings, vs a tough left handed reliever. Those late innings are a time when having his superior defense at third, alone justifies removing Gillaspie, in favor of Beckham. If the Sox had been able to sign Victor Martinez, this lineup would look so much better. And, of course, it would have been a big blow to the Tigers. But, that's "water over the dam". I don't know how they are going to fix this problem, but I hope they figure out something soon, because I think we've all had enough, over the last several years, of watching an inept "Adam" at the cleanup spot, killing rallies, in the late innings. I agree about LaRoche. The problem is, I doubt he's going anywhere. If Ventura could have Dunn sitting in the middle of the lineup for 3 years, I don't know why it would be different with LaRoche.

QUOTE (black jack @ Apr 11, 2015 -> 12:26 AM) This team has taken the on the personality of their manager. Get used to emotionless beat downs. The whole AL Central is our Nolan Ryan. My thoughts exactly. F the sabremetrics, give me a guy with some gumption and leadership ability. Ventura has displayed neither as a manager. Hell, he batted Adam Dunn in the 3 hole for 2+ years. That right there tells me enough.