witesoxfan

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 03:32 PM) "Why your team sucks: Green Bay Packers" is pretty funny The part directly after that is awesome too.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 02:34 PM) His career 0-3 mark and 7.20 ERA in the World Series suggests that he might actually have some of those problems. It was a boner joke

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 02:02 PM) It would be worth paying Upton whatever it takes to get her. After all, she knows how to hit Verlander. Problem is, Verlander has no problem rising to the occasion.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 12:43 PM) That we can agree on, but he's only hitting .263 on the season in AAA. Yeah he's only 22 and those are his first 200 at bats at AAA, but let's not rush this one. On top of that, 10 errors in 43 games isn't great either. Give him some at bats in winterball and at AAA to start next season, and if he earns the slot, then we call ourselves very successful. I think we're on the same page here

If Garcia shows the capability to hit .250 or so and shows elite defensive ability, I want Semien at 2B or 3B. If you are going to have Semien in the hypothetical lineup anyways, you are comparing Gillaspie to Garcia, and I want .650 OPS at elite defensive at SS as opposed to a .700 OPS and good defense at 3B.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 12:09 PM) Those K's are my big concern, and why I think he can't sustain his minor league BA's... yet. And his appearance in the majors, albeit brief, was not encouraging. I think right now, he can be a solid and useful utility player... but I think, if you want him to be able to start later, you keep him in AAA next season. Just my view. At the very least, this year, he needs to play every day in Charlotte and then bring him up and play him a bit down the stretch. He needs to play winter ball in a big way. Evaluate where he his next spring. If they trade Alexei this offseason, which wouldn't be a bad idea, then you can just have a competition within camp for the position.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 11:56 AM) I have serious concerns that he will struggle to hit much better than .200, with almost no power. And he doesn't walk a whole bunch. So I am still thinking his likely end game is a utility guy - and he'd be good for that role. I hope I'm wrong of course. And he is still just 22, so he can certainly stay in AAA another year and maybe the bat will develop further. Not much better than .200? His career batting average in the minors is .261, and that's with a .225 BA in his first 405 at bats in the US at the ages of 17 and 18. If cough those years up to transitionary periods, his career average in the minors jumps to .271, and he hit .292 last year. The biggest key with Garcia will be keeping his K rate below 20%. If he can stick around 18% or so, he'll be fine. The 25.8% he's at this year is a much graver concern.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 11:42 AM) Right but there are still like 40 games. So if Garcia just hits like Simmons, he'll be a 3 win player. EDIT: which is 240/284/360 Thing is, Simmons put up .300/.350/.400 in the minors, and he really doesn't strike out, and he's at a 1.7 LD+GB/FB, so that .241 BABIP is totally unsustainable. And he's 23. If that defense is for real, and he lucks his way into a .330 average or something, he could be an MVP candidate. It's the same thing with Iglesias, except that Simmons is way better than that.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 11:27 AM) Doesn't take much for a high-end defender at shortstop to get to 3 wins. Just needs like an 80 wRC+ or so. Andrelton Simmons ALREADY has 3 WAR this year with a .283 wOBA. He is going to be freakin good

QUOTE (bmags @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 11:13 AM) Whoa. So long as reports of his defense are correct, he can get you at least 1 win there. Simply by being a shortstop, he gets you another 1.75 wins. Then if we assume smart and effective baserunning, and a .675-.700 OPS, you are quite quickly approaching about 3.5 wins. The biggest concern is the defense. If he can show range and consistency with the glove, he's going to play a lot. If he's merely average or has mental lapses in the field (both with errors and getting to balls), he's going to be Eduardo Escobar.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 10:09 AM) From a BP feature today: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article....articleid=21529 I still really, really like Garcia and I don't think the Eduardo Escobar comparisons do him justice because he's a better player than that. I think, ceiling wise, you are looking at a 3-4 win player.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 10:14 AM) In a trade, they could do exactly this. If a team claimed him on waivers, I believe they would be stuck with all of his future obligations, as he comes as-is with his current deal. If accurate, that means a team would owe PK about $10 million for the 2 months of play they would get from him. Some of that was done to move payroll around. I'm also guessing part of it is because Konerko is an ambassador to the Sox, and I'm also guessing that part of it is used as a poison pill of sorts so that, had Konerko been putting up a .330/.400/.550 sort of season this year and the Sox were where they are at, teams would still be leery of claiming him.

QUOTE (Jillian Michaels' Abs @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 09:56 AM) Isn't half of Konerko's final year salary deferred over the next 6 seasons ($1m per year until 2019)? I seem to remember this when he re-signed. I wonder how that impacts any trade, since he is likely only making like 10 million this season with roughly 1/5th due for the team that acquires him. EDIT... just saw this. I was asking the same question. I would imagine the Sox pay the six year deferral and the acquiring team pays the balance of 2013. Need a contract lawyer to give his/her opinion

What's Tom Berenger up to now a days? I think he's just famous enough that he'd be good, but not so famous as to attract too much media attention and becoming a circus in the locker room. Plus, it's JAKE TAYLOR. I mean, you guys, COME ON!

QUOTE (Tex @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 09:05 AM) Isn't the last 6 years negotiable as part of any trade terms? Teams eat salary from players they trade all the time, why would this be different? Trading him is completely different. If you claim someone on waivers, you are at the mercy of assuming the entirety of the contract. Also, if the Astros claimed Konerko on waivers, he could simply reject that move as his 10/5 rights apply to waivers as well.

But seriously, did you guys forget that TEBOW won a game IN THE PLAYOFFS?

QUOTE (oldsox @ Aug 14, 2013 -> 08:32 PM) Does Bristol have the worst record in baseball? Again? No and, in fact, they have a ways to go. The DSL Yankees 2 are 13-50. If they played 162 games, they'd go 33-129

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Aug 14, 2013 -> 07:36 PM) Wasn't the deadline to claim today? No word yet if Konerko passed waivers. I would bet about anything that he did.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 07:54 AM) I think KLaw also disputed the notion of his 70/70 grades. He basically said that means he would hit .320 with 30 HRs right away. For comparison sake, here are the guys in that ballpark last year: Miguel Cabrera (.333/44) Ryan Braun (.319/41) Adrian Beltre (.321/36) Robinson Cano (.313/33) Andrew McCutchen (.327/31) Prince Fielder (.313/30) Mike Trout (.326/30) Billy Butler (.313/29) I think that is why Law doubts the Abreu hype machine. Alex Rios (.304/25)

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Aug 15, 2013 -> 12:43 AM) Huh? Alexei Ramirez? walks? Career walk rate of 5% and has been around 2.8% over the past two seasons. Surprised you were the first to call me on that. I misread that statement badly. I thought he was complaining about the Cubans in general and didn't see the walk thing.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 14, 2013 -> 08:40 PM) Bad when NOBODY claims you on a $500K deal... HE's been with what, 5 teams in the past 4 seasons? Of course, he'll end up with the rebuilding bullpen next year, another version of Riske or Frasor but less expensive. It's a bare minimum of $1 mill. The buyout is merely $500k. And he has a WHIP of 1.48 this year, a mediocre K rate, and a mediocre walk rate. This really isn't that surprising. QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 14, 2013 -> 09:03 PM) What we're learning is the Sox don't have many desirable players. Not a shock. They've traded away Thornton, Crain (while DL'd), Peavy, and Rios. Teams inquired about De Aza, Ramirez, Beckham, Keppinger, and Sale for sure. But, in regards to a guy like Matt Lindstrom, what kind of reponse do you actually expect? QUOTE (Jake @ Aug 14, 2013 -> 09:15 PM) I think teams are sometimes just careless with the waiver process I think it's entirely the opposite...I think teams let a lot of these marginal guys go through waivers because it allows for more options later on. Why claim a guy like this when I can let him go through waivers when, if I let him go (and 28 others do too), I can go back out and get him later on? What possible benefit is there for claiming him? I'm leveraging against myself, and if I really wanted the guy, I have to actually pay MORE now, even if incrementally. If I let him go, the Sox will likely take any young guy I throw at them later this month in return for him. Really, the only time you should ever claim a player on waivers is, if after all options are weighed, you simply can't afford NOT to have that player. Those thresholds vary by team, but they will hold true all the same.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 14, 2013 -> 06:36 PM) I'm not sure pitch recognition can be taught. So you are telling me that Frank Thomas exited his mother's womb and that very second knew what an 86 MPH slider looked like? Obviously, I kid. But beyond my over exaggeration, of course you can teach it - to some extent. It's the same as bat speed as is the same with running the bases - you can teach certain things and train certain ways to improve, but at some point in time, natural talent is necessary and some guys simple don't possess it.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 14, 2013 -> 04:34 PM) I doubt they'd be stupid enough to try. They'd run something similar to what Denver ran, an ultra-conservative, running-led attack. I think that team would be absolutely terrible

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 14, 2013 -> 04:40 PM) Were the rumors ever turned into facts? This Alexei story mentioned the specific problem. Dunn never wanted to talk about it. That's his right considering it's his personal and private life. I think if we hear "personal problems" or "off the field issues," we as fans should probably give the benefit of the doubt.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 14, 2013 -> 04:37 PM) True, but I also would prefer we sign Jose Abreu and Grandy and AJ and voila, we gots a very good team decent again (on paper). And that's not even talking about the MLB Draft.