witesoxfan

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 18, 2013 -> 01:37 PM) Not a flame, but why do some people think Kepp is "having an outlier of a year" and can bounce back and they think Paulie can't? Paulie is hitting just under .250, it's not like he's hitting .140 or something. I know, age. I don't care if Paulie comes back or not at this point, but I don't see why some players get the benefit of the doubt. Paulie actually is hitting almost identically to Beckham, isn't he? About .250. #1) Jeff Keppinger IS having an outlier year. He has a career OPS of .711 and his career worst OPS is .657. He's hit .202 against left handed pitching this year compared to .317 for his career (and it was at about .325 prior to this season). #2) Konerko struggled from June on last year and has been pretty brutal for about 10 months of playing time now. He is quick enough to get around on lefties, but doesn't do much at all against right handed pitching. This is also not the worst year of his career by far - that honor lies with the 2003 season. #3) Keppinger is going to be 34 next year and his game primarily depends upon him hitting left handed pitching as a utility player. Konerko is going to be 38 and if he were brought back, he'd almost assuredly be giving a significant amount of the at bats as a starting player when all he can do any more is hit left handed pitching. #4) I don't know where Beckham came in from, but Beckham plays decent defense at an up the middle position. You don't need as much offensively from him. Konerko plays 1B or DH, meaning you NEED him to be effective offensively. He is not and has not been for quite some time. #5) Why ARE you comparing Konerko to Keppinger and Beckham? If he could play all over the infield or strictly at 2B, nobody would have a problem with him. He can't. Compare him to his contemporaries (as high as Chris Davis and his 51 homers or as low as Dunn and his walk, strike out, and homer approach - Konerko can't hold a candle to either of them)

Glad everyone's a critic. Perhaps I should have pointed out this part and how accurate and spot on I felt it was Yes, there are some details in that paragraph that are surely incorrect, but it's pretty spot on and fits the Sox.

http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post...g-run-rocky-ii/

The first thing anybody does when I meet them for the first time and mention I'm a White Sox fan is yell "HE GONE" Undeniably, he belongs in the Hall of Fame

Good god is that refreshing

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 18, 2013 -> 10:01 AM) Wasn't Grilli a mid 90's guy back then? Either way the drafted him as a starter, not reliever. Yes he was, or at the very least, low 90s (91-93) and reports were that he had a good to great slider. We never saw that slider.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 18, 2013 -> 09:21 AM) Relievers who get picked in the Rule V draft are guys with spectacular stuff who haven't been able to control it yet. Guys who throw 90 out of the pen don't get picked in Rule V. As a matter of a fact pitchers who throw 90 don't get picked, let alone relievers. Some of them get picked, especially lefties. I'd say bout 95% of those guys get returned to their original teams. You're right though, you don't take relievers if their long-term upside is mediocre reliever or ROOGY with more likelihood being long reliever or AAAA player. You pick guys who can be dynamite players. It happened like 10 years ago already, but the Sox saw something in Jason Grilli and gave him a shot. He failed miserably and bounced around for a few years and then found that slider death grip.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Sep 18, 2013 -> 09:46 AM) Ohh the Deuce Deuce...haven't been there myself, but I've heard plenty of stories. It actually was pretty fun, especially for an early afternoon. Our dancer was really nice and open to doing a lot of the things to the bachelor that we asked. All things considered, that was probably the 2nd best one we went to. The manager/bartender was a bit of a goofy looking guy, but he was cool though too. BJ's kind of sucked

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Sep 18, 2013 -> 09:24 AM) The buttslide is epic http://deadspin.com/every-glorious-angle-o...lide-1340747499 That's awesome. Also lost in the transition is that I think he was safe

QUOTE (farmteam @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 10:59 AM) My phone decided to die today, and I was going to get a new one soon anyway. Any suggestions for a new droid? QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 14, 2013 -> 01:55 PM) HTC One If you have some specific preferences as far as features/strengths/carrier we might be able to point you towards a particular phone. I second the One. I actually promised myself I wouldn't buy another HTC after my last phone, got talked into the One at the last second, and I've been in love ever since.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Sep 18, 2013 -> 08:23 AM) So parents should only be held responsible for their children's' minor indiscretions? Explain please. Where is the line, and why? This seems off the point for a 34 year old shooter.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 11:18 PM) Hah, where'd you guys go downtown? I was out Friday, and then picked some people up Saturday. Friday night we went to Brit's and got kicked out because one of the guys knocked over some glasses and broke them and another put a cigarette out on someone's head. From there we went to the Choice and pretty much hung out the rest of the night. Saturday morning we ate breakfast at the Local, in the afternoon we went to Deuce Deuce and BJ's (and tried Augies and Rick's), and then Saturday at night we went to Augies (which is where I met the love of my life...and yes, Augies), went to SE7EN to watch the fight (wouldn't let me in), and then proved a point and went back to Brit's to end the night.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 04:07 PM) I think Kepp/Gillaspie would be one of the worst 3B combos in baseball, befitting our 60-win team. You know what Greg, it probably would be. Sometimes you have to take chances in this game. If that's what they go out with next year, it probably would be bad. There's also a possibility that Gillaspie actually takes a step forward against RHP and is an .800 OPS guy, Keppinger reverts to the guy he was before this abomination and fluke of a season, and the Sox get top 10 production out of 2 guys who are completely unexpected. I mean Christ, lighten up dude. I think I've said that to you 20 times this season. For starters, we have an exciting offseason coming up. Next, it IS probably going to be a long, mediocre year. Don't stress if they suck. Take solace in the fact that they are improving and focusing on getting young, good players into the system. Relax and crack a beer dude.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 12:34 PM) Most of his points about the Sox were dead-on accurate I must say. This was why I posted it. A lot of it really did seem to hit a lot of the points we talk about here on the ball. The 2,000 people thing, that seems to be exaggeration more than anything else but I can't imagine it was a big crowd for that game.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 12:16 PM) i know you 2 either said no or haven't touched on Gomez but Headley is only 5 months older than Gomez...I'd get him and try to give him a 2 or 3 year extension before the season. Carlos Gomez is also, at minimum, 40x more athletic than Chase Headley (**not scientific fact**). There have also been studies indicating athletic players are more likely to age better. On top of that, Gomez is already signed for the next 2 years, so if absolutely everything falls apart next year, you can trade him at midseason for a haul. If not, you keep him for all of 2015 in hopes that you can either sign him to another 2-3 year extension, trade him for a haul at the deadline, or make a qualifying offer (probably worth $15 million at that point) and either play out the next year or collect a draft pick. Gomez really is a far, far more attractive player to acquire. Headley won a gold glove 1 time and he really isn't much more than an above average fielder (this is the same sample size as Gomez you are talking about). 3B is also a far less important position defensively than CF. Given keeping Santiago for, minimum, the next 4 years or getting Headley for 1, I'm keeping Santiago every single time. QUOTE (scs787 @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 12:59 PM) That's why I included the word "try" as I too am not sure he'd do that either, and thinking about it more, you're probably right. I still like Headley though and if he hits FA next season I'd be all about signing him. I guess for next year I'd be cool with giving Conor another chance. If you look at what he did against RHP the numbers he put up are similar to what Pablo put up..... Pablo- .278/.334/.441 12 HRs Conor- .274/.333/.430 12 HRs And Conor was just a rookie. Pick up a platoon player and call it a day at 3B. Pablo Sandoval is also only 1 year older and has put up top 10 MVP seasons in the past. Conor Gillaspie simply won't do that - there's nothing in his past minor league performance that would indicate any sort of spike would be expected. And your platoon player is Keppinger. Struggles versus lefties one year is far, far, far more likely to be an outlier than an .825-.850 career OPS against lefties is.

http://deadspin.com/meaningless-meaningful...-bas-1331509794 Posting in here because it is mostly about the White Sox. It really is a pretty accurate portrayal of all and everything there is to the White Sox organization, and there's a lot worth thinking about from it too.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 12:07 PM) I wonder if SD would even be willing to go the well of our minor league pitching again. #1) Rienzo is a better prospect than any included in the Peavy deal, and Snodgress is a better wild card. #2) The Padres knew what they were getting themselves into with that Peavy deal. They wanted salary cap relief and a few of the so-called "lottery tickets." That they got some production out of Clayton Richard is more than they could have asked for. #3) Even if #2 weren't true, not dealing with a team because of a trade that didn't work out in the past is going to limit your avenues to improve your team, which in turn limits your ability to improve your team. They'll still trade with the White Sox. #4) Most of this is just fun talk on a slow day because I think there is a 0.01% chance that the White Sox will trade for Chase Headley.

Those starters that have proven their capabilities as more than just a serviceable starting pitching are off limits for me in a proposed Headley trade. So is Erik Johnson. Rienzo is not. I've said it otherwise, but Rienzo and Snodgress for Headley would be fine with me. That's about the most I could trade.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 11:13 AM) Are the Steelers in salary limbo? How was it okay to send Big Ben out there with absolutely nothing. Who is their biggest tool on offense? Emmanuel Sanders? Felix Jones? Heath Miller? Terrible. Antonio Brown too Anyways, the Steelers have $1.5 million in cap room. Just might have a few cap related issues for that roster.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 10:30 AM) Unfortunately we're probably still talking prospects if we're considering moving Santiago/Quintana. I actually don't think the Brewers would even move Gomez for one of those two guys, but I agree the thought makes sense on paper. And Bourjos wouldn't be a bad get, and he would really help solidify the outfield defense. You just hope that he can improve with the bat. Another interesting case to consider is Alexei. I think Leury can be the SS of the future for the White Sox, but do you want him to start getting experience this year while also getting value, or do you really think you have an outside chance of competing and you want to keep Leury on the bench next year? Personally, I'm dealing Alexei (preferably to the Cardinals for one of those young pitchers), but that will be interesting to see the team's choice regarding that matter as well.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 10:28 AM) Weeden's hurt, so playing Cleveland receivers is probably a bad idea. It's not like they're any worse of a play with Campbell in the lineup compared to Weeden. FUN FACT: Jason Campbell is less then 2 years older than Brandon Weeden. He's got 7 more years of experience.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 10:12 AM) Yeah, I think that is the real question. Since we have no offense even in our corners, I feel like we need to save our bullets for a true impact bat, even if it's a lumbering first baseman. I'd swap busts for Bourjos and try to get a stick with Santiago. Angels are supposedly going to try to deal Kendrick in the offseason, think they might want Beckham as a stopgap replacement? Assuming they were to get rid of Kendrick, I think they'd have interest in Beckham, but whether they'd give up Bourjos for him is something I'd question just due to cost and service time alone. Trying to think of impact bats that could be available is a bit more difficult. Are we talking about impact bats like Jose Bautista or perhaps other smaller bats instead?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 09:37 AM) But you must factor that we have pitching and desperately need hitting. I don't like Gomez, but that's because I think he played over his head this year and won't reach this height again, not because I don't think his 2013 has been incredibly valuable. If I thought Gomez was for real, I'd give up Santiago + Thompson + a third piece without thinking twice. 27 year old 6-7WAR CF? Sign me up. But is he really a +20 defender? Is anyone really a +20 defender? Do we really need another 25% K, 6% BB kind of guy? The .339 OBP is fine from him if he stays there, but the components don't add up and his history screams otherwise. Maybe he can sustain a .351 BABIP, but that would put him up there with the greatest of all-time. This looks a lot like his career year to me, and his batting line looks a lot like Alex Rios. Don't get me wrong, Rios' bat + elite CF defense is a helluva player, but it doesn't sit in the middle of the order for a contender, and it doesn't come with any upside, IMO. I like the idea, just not the player. I like Gomez, and while I agree he's not a +20, I also think he's better than the +5 he showed last year. I think he's legitimately a +10-12 defender in CF, which is still incredibly valuable. I think the power is for real, I think he is about a 115 wRC+ offensively, and I still think there's room to grow. The question is: do you want to pay a premium for a marginal upgrade offensively, or perhaps deal for someone like Bourjos while taking a hit offensively?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 09:29 AM) I don't see why Milwaukee would trade Carlos Gomez unless you gave them a ton more than is being mentioned. Between the two of you and Balta, I am more apt to agree with you. Honestly, I think you can say that Gomez is a borderline superstar at this point and he really could still be getting better overall. If he is available at all, I think you are giving up a lot to get him.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 17, 2013 -> 09:10 AM) For comparison though, Quintana is on his way to a 4 fWAR season and has 2 more years remaining where he's pre-arb. Carlos Gomez is paid $7 million next year whereas Quintana is paid $500k unless we extend him. if 1 WAR = $6 million, then when you factor in the contracts Carlos Gomez right now is only worth ~1 WAR more than Quintana/$6 million more right now, and Quintana is younger and has every reason based on this season to think he can continue to improve next year. Given all those things I'd take the slightly younger player, but then if you throw in the fact that there should be a major premium on cost-controlled, left-handed pitching, Quintana alone might well be an overpay for him. Santiago I'd be more willing to consider because the Sox have jerked him around and blew a year of pre-arb time for him out of the bullpen these last 2 seasons. This is what I would prefer too. I like Santiago, and I think he has a high ceiling, but I also don't think he's likely to get there and that he'll peak out as an inconsistent #3-4 starter (which still has value). Still, the names themselves aren't important. Even if the Sox dealt Quintana instead of Santiago, I don't think there would be a huge difference at the end of the year.