witesoxfan

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Apr 18, 2014 -> 08:42 AM) I think anyone who is blaming Robin for the loss just read the boxscore. If you actually stayed up and watched the game you know it's clearly all on the bullpen performance. It's surely not his fault that his guys walked 15 batters. I saw that and came to two possible non-mutually exclusive conclusions: 1) The pitchers were wild 2) The strike zone was small, erratic, and/or inconsistent. I didn't immediately think "hmm, Robin sure f'ed that one up."

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Apr 18, 2014 -> 08:00 AM) This thread is bonkers. This is like stuff from the White Sox Facebook Twitter account. I especially like all the "Robin is the worst," "Robin has no business managing," "Robin never does anything right why is he still here" when the last manager made just as many or more reprehensible moves, but because the Sox had an incredible year all around in 2005, he gets a free pass as a result. All managers will look bad when their players fail, and all managers will look good when their players succeed. There are questionable moves that have been made, but someone is going to have a coronary if they continue to analyze every single move he makes under a microscope.

QUOTE (The Mighty Mite @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 04:53 PM) Robin was not a good choice to begin with, he has shown no improvement in his OJT. The Sox made it worse by extending him. No way should you run out of pitchers in a 14 inning game. If he had managed that game like it was going to be a 14 inning game, it would have surely been over in 9.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 04:31 PM) Robin is one of the worst managers EVER in handling a bullpen! He has been clueless since day 1 on the job. It was not just about last night. Frankly, I don't think this could be further from the truth. I don't think he always has a great feel for his bullpen, but I don't think he mismanages it too badly.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 04:25 PM) Aside from the foolishness of ignoring a guy's recent history in judging him, before last night his BB/9 on the season was 5.9. Of the 206 pitchers to throw more than 50 innings in the majors last season, dead last in BB/9 was Yoervis Medina, at 5.29. In addition to this, Cleto had walked one of the two batters he had faced, bumping him up to over 7 walks per 9, before he was put back out to start the 9th inning in a one-run game. You are killing it. I like Cleto's arm, but I still feel that for as good as his stuff is, he does not strike out nearly enough guys. I'd really like to see him do that on a more consistent basis.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 03:06 PM) Yep. I've been all over Medeiros since December. Would love for him to be around at 44. I was wondering if this was the guy I remembered watching, and it was. Really hides the ball well. He was only around 87-90, maybe topping out at 92, but it was really deceptive and seemed to catch the hitters off guard. If I remember right, a nice slider that really had good horizontal movement, and a good change too. I'd endorse him in the 2nd.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 02:46 PM) No, only in August can you pull guys back from waivers, and even then it has to be before you DFA them. The Sox have 10 days to work out a trade, but nobody is going to offer anything. Since he's a lefty, I give it about a 50/50 chance whether or not he gets claimed. Lefty relievers, even mediocre ones, are hard to find. You can put and pull guys back from waivers all the time so long as it is the first time they've been on waivers during that fiscal year. If they clear waivers, they are free to be traded after August 1st and any time after that. However, if they are not in the organization by August 31st, they will not qualify for postseason play. DFA, as just explained, is actually removing them from the roster, so said player is automatically placed on irrevocable waivers. MLB and the MLBPA would much prefer having players already in the MLB remain in the MLB, so if they are DFA'd (forced to go to the minors or free agency), they would prefer giving teams a chance to add them to their MLB roster first.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 02:35 PM) I believe they can DFA him and pull him back if claimed. Can this be used for a fresh arm in the pen for a day or two. If he clears waivers he can then be sent down. Designating a player for assignment puts the player on irrevocable waivers for a 3 day period whereupon they are either assigned to a minor league based on the clubs discretion, released by the club outright, or (if they have accrued enough MLB service time, which Veal has not), they can opt for free agency. Come Sunday night, Donnie Veal will either be on Charlotte's roster or he will be in another organization.

QUOTE (MEANS @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 12:06 PM) Why does he include PK when saying "Their departures marked the end of an era for a franchise..." when he's talking about PK and AJ? It's sloppy writing grouping those two together, but I think he's basically implying that the departures of their production marked the end of an era.

Here's what I see with Viciedo An unsustainable .400 BABIP An improved eye at the plate A similar strike out rate A decreased LD% Better contact overall He's still swinging at too many pitches out of the zone, but thus far, the results have been positive. He's not looking like the player he was last year, but I don't think it's safe to say he's turned it around quite yet.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 10:55 AM) I get it and they are improved, but it's just such a strong bold statement for something that is obviously unsustainable in the least. I hadn't read it all the way through, and he does mention that it's a sample size issue and they won't be able to keep it up (with the 2014 Yankees and Nationals both on the list as well) while also suggesting that both Ramirez and Flowers will crash soon and crash hard, but that it's an improving team and they have, at the very least, two really nice pieces in Eaton and Abreu for a while.

It's funny, but as we discussed to a pretty good extent in the sabermetrics thread, pitching comes down to not walking guys, trying to strike guys out, and throwing ground balls when they do hit it. Sale is a little more prone to giving up homers, which is something he can improve over time, but the first 3 are things he does incredibly well, and it really is that simple.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 10:27 AM) The last time Webb started consistently was 2011. He also started a few games in 2012 and averaged 2 inning an appearance. On top of that, he threw 62.1 innings last year in 42 relief appearances. Going multiple innings is nothing new to him.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 10:25 AM) And I'm sure most teams have a 14-game stretch where a .810 OPS guy seems to bat every at-bat. Let's see what it looks like after 60 or 80 games, when 20% of their schedule wasn't played at Coors Field. Right, I understand that, just saying that was the context and the reasoning behind Keri's statements. The offense has been night and day from last year, but I really don't think it's the best offense in the league, which is where they are right now.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 09:58 AM) What? He explains it in the next paragraph. The Sox wRC+ last year was 83, which is absolutely dreadful (Paul Konerko was an embodiment of the Sox, much as he always has been, with his wRC+ of 82 and a line of .244/.313/.355). It's only 14 games, but as of right now, the Sox have a team wRC+ of 125, which is a 42 point improvement over last year (which, at this point in time, is the largest single season offensive swing in MLB history, but that is likely to change over the course of the season). A wRC+ of 125 as a team is basically like saying Prince Fielder or Ryan Zimmerman - .275/.350/.460 kinds of players - are coming up to to the plate all the time. It's early, but it's staggering how much better the offense has been.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 09:56 AM) I don't think this is for Ozzie to return to White Sox employment. It is for him to return to the park. Maybe visit the clubhouse. I think this is what he's talking about, but even if it's not, it would not be a prominent role with the White Sox organization. Someone mentioned as an ambassador. That would be fine.

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 09:19 AM) Very concerned to see how his arm responds to that. He pitched the night before as well. Webb was a starter in the minors for quite a while. I can't imagine this is something his arm isn't used to.

QUOTE (Jake @ Apr 15, 2014 -> 12:32 PM) Did you switch teams on us, greg? Royals spy!

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Apr 16, 2014 -> 11:25 AM) You know, there's a lot of talent on this club. The veterans are starting to play back to form, and the rookies are developing faster than I thought. There's two or three potential all-stars in there. I think we're a contender right now. Rachel Phelps would never allow that.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 08:24 AM) Tell me exactly what he could have done different to make his bullpen throw strikes. He literally used everyone, none of them were close to the zone You know who has good control? Dylan Axelrod. I say they bring him back and insert him at closer. But seriously, I don't know why Lindstrom is closing still. He performs much better in middle relief and set up. Move on with the inevitable and insert Webb into the role. He's going to be awesome.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 16, 2014 -> 11:35 AM) Good write up. I just want Rodon off the board when the Sox pick. Don't want to deal with that Boras factor along with his uneven performance this year. I really do agree. Not that I would be upset if they took him, but there's a lot going on with him that could cause potential headaches. I'm guessing the Sox top 3 right now is Hoffman, Kolek, and Rodon, though that's mere speculation on my part, so if Hoffman and Kolek go 1-2, they'll really have no choice but to go with Rodon, get him signed, and deal with any other potential headaches later on.

On the facebooks, I suggested 40 years, $1 billion. Thoughts?

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Apr 17, 2014 -> 07:58 AM) Fact: The White Sox bullpen walked over 400 batters while Soxtalk was down. I don't believe this, but with Soxtalk being down, I have no way of disproving this.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 16, 2014 -> 08:26 AM) Im not talking about tarring and feathering Dunn on the way out, I just in no way shape or form would be willing to negotiate a deal with him. Wite, on the other hand, is ready to make him Player-Manager with a blank check Yeah, 6 years, $72 million seems to be cutting him short. 7 years, $160 million?

I think a better idea would be to give him more money and more years. 6 years, $72 million. Plus they can buy him his own private island in the Caribbean too.