witesoxfan

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 08:47 AM) It might not be reasonable, but if you don't ask, it definitely won't happen. While this is true, I can also say the Sox should ask for Matt Davidson and Chris Owings for Alejandro De Aza. I mean, really, if I don't ask, it's not going to happen. Samardzija is not that good.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 08:43 AM) Jake Peavy---Cy Young award winner, considered one of the better pitchers in baseball---------------shut up and pitch. Adam Eaton--AAA star, hasn't accomplished much on the major league level-----------------------you have to love his confidence. To clarify, I was never one to get on Peavy. Still, the dude was was seemingly always injured and underperforming. I think Sox fans have the right to be frustrated with him. If Eaton is doing the same thing while he's hitting .230 and out with his 3rd injury of the year, Sox fans will get on him too.

QUOTE (floridafan @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 08:53 AM) Not really seeing that "Hitch" in his swing... unfortunately (LOL). And I love players that are grinders and not prima donnas. Play hard and get dirty. It's far more noticeable in the second homer. There is a relatively long pause and delay during the load process. Anyways, I like guys that play hard too, but I also like talent more than anything else.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 04:16 PM) That would be like Rienzo, Veal, Leesman, and Snodgress. I would say more like Leesman (Richard), Heath (Russell), Cose (Carter), and Santos Rodriguez (Poreda). It was a package almost entirely void of talent. QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 09:56 PM) Speaking of the Cubs, there's a report on mlbtraderumors that they asked for Stroman, Sanchez and another player for Samardzija. I could ask for gold flecks on a sundae while eating it off Kate Upton's stomach, but that doesn't seem very reasonable either, does it?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 04:36 AM) That would be the lightest hitting infield in the majors... Don't tell me how you hit, tell me when you hit it

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 10:42 PM) His enthusiasm and drive came through with absolute gusto in that interview. Nobody will confuse him with Alex Rios. A young player exuding confidence? No, we can't have such things.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 03:29 PM) Money + players. Sox don't have the prospects to trade. I'm sure they'd have no problem dealing the 2014 versions of Brent Lillibridge, Zach Stewart, Pedro Hernandez, Eduardo Escobar, Blair Walters, and Matt Heidenreich again. The only one of those guys who would have some sort of equivalent in the system that I'd even think twice about dealing at this point is Eduardo Escobar.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 03:20 PM) Was Bledsoe healthy enough to come back that season? Its been so long, but I thought his chest injury was pretty severe. He played in, nay, WON the AFC Championship, and was then replaced by Tom Brady in the Superbowl.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 03:23 PM) ^Also maybe the Sox don't like dealing with Rizzo in general. Maybe they'd rather just take a player than dick around in negotiations. Rizzo is kind of a jerkwad.

I don't care if guys play through pain. What I don't want them doing is playing through pain that severely affects their overall game.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 02:59 PM) How many quality free agents are available in July? They traded Clayton Richard, Adam Russell, Dexter Carter, and Aaron Poreda for Jake Peavy and his remaining contract. Richard was a mid to back of the rotation starter for a couple years and then he blew out his labrum. Russell has been a AAAA reliever his entire career. Carter was released by the Padres, picked up by the White Sox, and then released by the White Sox. Poreda was out of baseball last year and was just recently signed to a minor league deal by the Rangers. Talent wise, Peavy should have commanded much more, but because the Sox were willing to assume a very large remaining contract, even if over the short-term, they were able to pick up an extremely talented pitcher (who was also on the mend) for 4 marginal pitchers. That's where money can be spent.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 02:54 PM) I agree, I'd rather have someone better, and Phegley in AAA is not the end of the world. But, if they can't acquire legit starter, I'd rather give Phegley a try than Flowers. Best approach if they don't get someone, to me, is to give Phlowers and Nieto equal time in ST to see what you have, and go from there. My inclination is to go Phegley as a starter with Nieto backing up if he shows he can handle that. But really, I wouldn't have picked up Nieto in the Rule V to begin with, I'd rather have done a prospect-for-prospect trade for him. He could have been had for a relatively marginal guy, and then you can put him in the minors to further develop. Had they planned for this and done it during the season or come mid October, I agree, that would have been the right course of action. Unfortunately, all the resources the Sox had were likely busy trying to find worthy prospects for the veterans on the roster. Come October and November, they're come up with plans for what to do with the MLB team and guys they want to target. I don't know that they had enough time prior to the deadline to protect players to make that sort of move, at which point Nieto is subject to to the Rule 5 anyways, and some other team may have grabbed him. It could also be that they didn't see or even know about this guy until they got the list of Rule 5 eligible players and then saw some things that they really liked in his game, enough to give at least give him a shot in the spring.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 02:32 PM) You could also say after getting time in the bigs last year and being brought back to AAA could hurt his confidence especially after thinking he has a shot of making it.. Or we could just start him at 3B but I don't think that would be the right thing to do for him I don't view this as the case at all. He was a September call up and wasn't one of the top 25 players on the roster. They wanted to get a look at him in September to gauge where he was compared to major league pitching. He was then sent back to the AFL to compete against other minor leaguers. I honestly think the only way he should really make the opening day roster is if he absolutely tears it up this Spring. If you send him down to start the year, it's not as big of a deal. If you start him in the majors and he struggles, you begin with question whether he was really ready or if you stick with him through the struggles, which can sometimes complicate matters.

http://regressing.deadspin.com/does-more-b...53704/@reubenfb

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 12:57 PM) Kind of related, but if you can only do a few reps with 50 lbs, I would stick to the 30s anyways. I prefer to do higher rep sets (15-20) when working shoulders. It's very easy to lose good form when working shoulders, and consequently very easy to injure them. Of all the muscle groups, it's probably the one you want to push the least. And if you mess up your shoulders, more than a lot of other muscle groups, you lose a lot of ability to get functional workouts.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 01:45 PM) But do they start enforcing the rule that catchers can't block the plate before having the ball? If not, this creates a huge double standard. The catcher can stand right in the way with impunity, knowing that the runner will have to go out of his way or be penalized. Frankly, I think they should take blocking the plate out of the equation entirely. You can, say, shield it, but if the base runner doesn't have a clear path to the base, then it's completely unfair for them too.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 01:53 PM) If you believe what RV said, that Beckham never was healthy last season, I think you would want to roll the dice to see if you can get more in July, which would also allow Semien to get a little more seasoning. I agree. I want Semien to get an extended trial at AAA. What would happen if Beckham were traded and Semien (predictably) started the first 2 months of the year putting up something like .230/.270/.300? We'd be calling for him to get demoted and his confidence is shot. If you keep him at AAA, not only do I think he's more likely to succeed and possibly even force his way up, but if he struggles, he can work it out down there rather than facing the stress and rigors of an MLB atmosphere.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 01:37 PM) You really can't be serious can you? Now you can blow off minor league track records, age, and anything else and call players similar by how they start out the first couple hundred major league ABs? Besides, the OBP is nowhere near similar. No, I'm really not serious, though Phegley was having a phenomenal year at AAA before being recalled. The question being posed was "would you trade Quintana for Castro?" I'm saying that it wasn't long ago that Castro looked like a similar player to Phegley. I have no idea what the future holds for Phegley at all, but trading the second best starting pitcher on the roster for Jason Castro does not make a lot of sense. Given the current state of the team and what they have at catcher compared to what's available, I have no problem with them going into the year as is, unless something becomes available for a fair price.

Holy s*** that LA Tech team scored 618 points in 12 games, 51.5 PPG

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 12:17 PM) Sounds like a great strategy. Hold payroll down and fill the roster with high potential cost controlled players and then have the ability to spend eventually to add a missing piece. The Sox will be in great shape next season to bid on Headley or Sandoval if they feel the rest of the roster is in order. Could not agree more. Let it ride this year, see where you are at developmentally on all of these players. Right now, I'm hopeful for about 75-80 wins while getting extended looks at Semien, Sanchez, and L. Garcia.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 11:53 AM) We traded the most humbled pro athlete out there for one cocky dude. I want my athletes to believe they can run through brick walls and to set high goals. It will motivate them to further succeed.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 11:35 AM) He also raised his SLG% from .287 to .401 to .485 in his 3 seasons in the bigs, with last year being his first full season. The K's going up along with it IMO is probably just normal development, him becoming more aggressive in the right counts/situations. I'd say that if the power stays pretty close then the Ks probably go down a bit if that's the case & he's just learning how & when to hit. His splits are quality too, last year .286/.358/.506 vs. RHP & .242/.324/.414 vs. LHP. How wonderful it would be to have a starting catcher that you don't have to automatically sit against same-handed pitching, because your backup probably sucks balls anyway if you're most teams in most seasons. Yeah, I actually would deal Q for him if I absolutely had to. I'd prefer to build around Johnson or Beck but if it can't be done then I go Q. First taste of big league action Castro - .205/.286/.287 Phegley - .206/.223/.299 Why should we not assume that we already have Jason Castro on the roster, except that his name is Josh Phegley? There is no need to spend that much on a catcher at this point. I think you are very, very wrong on this one.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 11:42 AM) Guys have been hurt running into OF walls. BAN OUTFIELDS. Guys have been hurt pitching. BAN PITCHING. Guys have been hurt running to 1st base. BAN FIRST BASE. If your career is in pro sports there's an inherent risk that injury will f*** up your career. Its not the games' job to put big fluffy pillows on everything and ban any contact between players and the outside world. Its surely not the fans responsibility to see the game's integrity and entertainment value compromised. None of those are related to guys intentionally going to to cause bodily harm. If an ump believes a guy is throwing at another intentionally, that person is warned or thrown out and then fined. If it's done unintentionally, there is no consequence. It's all about intent. You may accidentally step on someone's ankle and crush it running to first (see Tim Hudson) or you may accidentally run head first into another player (see Beltran/Cameron from about 7 years ago), or whatever other accidents you can think of. You aren't going to accidentally try and destroy a catcher by colliding with him. Catchers take enough abuse. There's no need to subject them to getting blindsided by a 220 pound dude comprised entirely of muscle barreling in at full speed.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 11:22 AM) While I am hoping for the Tank and the high pick, I just cannot watch it. There is no enjoyment in it for me, the team looks defeated out there at all times, Thibs has that "Yea, i know what is going on" look on his face, the rookies arent looking like they are learning so much as they are being thrown into the fire. It just isnt fun. You hope Garpax is smart enough to know that Thibs can only do so much and they don't fire him.

It's good to wear blue and orange this year in the NFL