witesoxfan

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:25 AM) I have not read all the posts in this thread but here is what this team needs to do. As a practical fan I know this team has waaaaay too many holes to compete with Detroit this year or even next year with this current roster. The make up of this roster is average- to below average at best. The offense is pretty bad overall and the defense has been embarrassing this year. With that said, this team needs to seriously consider a complete roster overhaul- a true rebuild. I know White Sox management hate that word and I always have loved KW for his aggressive behavior on trying to compete for a title every season. Unfortunately, his aggressiveness has paved the way for a roster with very limited farm talent. We currently have a mix of veterans and some young talent sprinkled in the mix. Meanwhile, guys like Ramirez, Beckham and Flowers were simply overvalued by the organization. But honestly, they are average to below average players at best. Dunn and Konerko have been BAD this year and that trend will continue. Viciedo is the only position player that we need to allow to have more time. He is still pretty young. Rios is a solid player, but the fact that he is our best player tells you just how bad of a state this organization is in. This team needs to a distinct direction. No more of the whole sprinkle young with old and rebuild on the fly style. They have gone with this format the past two seasons and they almost caught lightning in a bottle last year. But this year, it truly has caught up with them. You can't do both... you either need to spend the money and attempt to compete with Detroit OR re-stock the farm and suffer 2-3 poor seasons to acquire high draft picks and re-establish a respectable farm system. I think for the most part, we are all on board with plan B. If a team is losing, at least we would all have the comfort in knowing players are developing down in the farm and at the MLB level. Guys I expect them to move this year: Peavy, Rios, Ramirez, Thorton, Crain, and De Aza. If they can package any of them, you can likely maximize a decent return from a buyer which would be essential. I would love them to get a SS, OF and P prospects in return. The time to move is now Hahn! The days for sitting on your hands are over.... The Sox currently have the 6th best ERA in the league and the 4th best starters ERA in the league with what is still a very young pitching staff. A full blown rebuild is absolutely irrational and brash. You make small moves - Crain and Thornton are unlikely to be brought back, so they can be dealt, and if a good package for Peavy or De Aza/Rios, you can make that as well - but tearing this thing apart would be about the worst possible thing this franchise could do right now. It would be worse than giving out a $100 million contract to a player right now, and they wouldn't do that either. They need to determine their two biggest holes offensively going into next season and address those in the offseason. If you can fix three of them, all the better. At the very minimum, the Sox will have a new 1B next year, and they could very well add 3-4 more new pieces on top of that too and it wouldn't hurt.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:31 AM) Relax. Again, watch the at bat. Two fastballs Bautista isn't touching to go 0 2. This followed by a slider well off the plate. Followed by, well, you know. It was bad pitch selection. Doesn't seem new for Flowers. A waste pitch slider isn't a bad call there, but you have to bury it. Reed does not bury it. If nothing else, I'm putting about 95% of the blame on Reed.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:20 AM) There are a lot of reasons. PK is one of them. Viciedo, Flowers, Ramirez, Keppinger, and yes Dunn. At least Dunn is going to hit 40 homers. It just does not fit when you have black holes in most other spots as well. It's been a rather disappointing season thus far with a lot of tough losses. I imagine Hahn is shopping parts right now. You give them through the ASB to go on a streak and get back to or above .500 (which I do not foresee) and then you start selling off parts you won't need next year. I do not believe you need Peavy to "compete" next year, but I'm not going to be upset if they keep him considering they have him under control for the next 2 years anyways, and they can just deal him next year if it ends up this poorly again.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:26 AM) I see what you mean. Would you say Gimenez has done poor on the major league considering his limited experience? He's done all that's been asked of him and has been a perfectly adequate backup catcher. The idea of playing him more is what's scary.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:19 AM) Again, at least watch the at bat before you comment. Are you being f***ing serious? Watch it. Reed hangs the f*** out of that slider. If he throws it in the right spot, it's a swing and a miss.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:15 AM) I'm confused. I just want to know people's definition of a MLB catcher versus a minor league one. Before Flowers' offensive explosion this month he was terrible at the plate... not saying Gimenez is superior in that regard but it from what I've seen, Gimenez can sac fly and get an RBI when he needs to. I specifically remember in the Seattle series that he blocked the plate so that Seager couldn't score when Rios gunned him out. Flowers has potential but until he grows a pair he needs reduced time. If anything, he'll maybe want to fight for his starting job back and play better because he has been god awful at this point. Do you know how many times he's tried to backhand s*** when he should be blocking it with his body and how many runs it has costed? It has happened way too many times this season for my liking. Prior to this season, Hector Gimenez had 19 plate appearances in the major leagues. He's 30 years old, meaning he's at the end of his "prime." He spent 10 seasons and amassed 3604 plate appearances in the minors for 5 different organizations. This is why I refer to Hector Gimenez as a minor leaguer, because that's all he's been. His career minor league OPS is .736. Oh, and Flowers is already fighting for his starting job. If you don't think he knows what Phegley's doing in the minors, you're crazy.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:14 AM) He was even worse with the pitch calling than usual, so yeah he has some of the responsibility. Really? You mean when he wants the slider slow and away and Reed leaves it up and out over the plate? Your browser does not support iframes. Let's be rational here.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:12 AM) Fair point. People seem to be getting awful defensive though when the team captain gets brought up. No, he's sucked this year and he's part of the reason they've been this bad. He looks really old this year.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:08 AM) I'm just going to chalk this post to not watching the game. Not that I blame you. Seriously though, did he give up the game tying homer?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 09:07 AM) Fuel for the fire on LeBron. His career finals PPG, FG%, 3pt% and TO/G rates are all the worst in the NBA final rounds when compared to any of the other playoff rounds averages or regular season averages. I know the best are supposed to step up and dominate and whatever, but to some degree, this makes sense. I mean, he's playing the best team in the Western Conference which, for the most part, is usually the best or second best team in the league at that current moment. They know how to win. He should struggle to some extent.

Throwing at Puig sucks, and headhunting in general sucks. I feel less bad about Greinke getting his head thrown at since he does quite a bit of it too.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 08:54 AM) I just cant believe how bad Flowers is. What a disappointment! He needs to be replaced ASAP. He is really making Hahn look bad these days. Taking a waiver on AJ to give this guy a chance seemed like a logical but not popular choice at the time. But it has truly backfired... I've seen enough- this dude cannot play baseball. Phegley has impressed so far down in the farm...although I would hate to see them rush him up, I'd say we have nothing to lose at this point. .923 OPS in June. It's only 9 games, but they aren't winning without him either, so maybe we should just settle down a little bit. Oh, and I do beg to differ on Flowers' ability to play baseball. You see, he is paid by the Chicago White Sox to do exactly that, so I'm pretty sure he can play baseball, and I think, generally speaking, he plays it pretty well.

Good god, the guy goes 2-4, has a .923 OPS in June, and because he apparently gets run over or something by Maicier Izturis (didn't see the game, shoot me), we get this thread bump (and 3 others). Must have been his fault Jose Bautista hit a game tying homer too. He shouldn't have been exhaling at that moment.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 08:50 AM) I am not really clamoring for Gimenez but I do think they should split 50/50 behind the plate at this point. Gimenez is a career minor leaguer and merely a warm body behind the plate. Tyler Flowers, as a young player in the minors, at least showed the ability to be a good player. There's no reason he shouldn't be getting the bulk of the playing time between those two. Put another way, the team is not likely to win or contend. They will not contend with Gimenez behind the plate because we know exactly what Hector Gimenez is at this point. They have a chance to contend with Tyler Flowers behind the plate because of his potential, but his struggles are doing the same amount of harm as playing Gimenez full time. At this point, you may as well play your lottery ticket, and if nothing comes of it, then you eventually throw it away and buy another.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jun 12, 2013 -> 08:32 AM) Yes, I think Paulie is getting off a bit lightly this year because of his past, but there is also the fact that Paulie's contract is up this year and the Sox are on the hook for $15M for Dunn for next year, so when looking at trying to make this team into a contender in 2014 and beyond, Dunn is the bigger obstacle. There's also the whole longevity thing and respecting guys who have done a lot for the franchise. Paulie gets off lightly because he's been with the organization like 15 years now, has put up a few MVP caliber seasons, and helped the Sox win a World Series.

Clamoring for Gimenez because of Flowers' poor defense is quite ironic given Gimenez's 4 in less than a third of the playing time. He'd be at 12 or 13 otherwise. Just be glad Hank White isn't the Sox backup, because 8 past balls in 13 games is not so good.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Jun 11, 2013 -> 10:53 PM) Cubs were number #2 on the waiver order so that would Miami passed and that was it. Supposedly Alec Antoupolus and Theo Epstein are major proponents of claiming as many players as possible. He wouldn't have gotten past Miami. Cheap, pen arms that throw 100 MPH don't last long on the waiver wire. The Cubs just outright acquired him from the Nats.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 11, 2013 -> 04:12 PM) Wasn't he a converted position player? I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to give him the opportunity. If he can learn to throw strikes he can help us. There's reason to let him try and work it out, because he has an incredible arm. Counting on him as anything more than a bad Damaso Marte is too much though. If he can figure it out in AAA, then he has a chance to be a really valuable reliever. I'm not holding my breath.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jun 11, 2013 -> 03:03 PM) Serious question. Has this EVER happened? I couldn't find my copy of Madden or NCAA '07 for the original XBox for the longest time. I freaked out, looked in all my cases, looked in places the game could never have possibly gotten. I almost got the point of buying a new one, but this was like 2009, after the 360 had come out, and GameStop still wanted like $12 for a used copy. I said, verbatim, "fudge you mothertruckers, I'm not fudging buying a sucking 2 year old sports game for effing $12, get the fudge real." I found it under my TV stand, between the base and the swivel top. Great success!

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 11, 2013 -> 03:41 PM) Hawkins may go to the developmental league in AZ in the fall - the AFL for lower level guys. But I doubt he goes to AFL proper. Next year is a distinct possibility. This year would be way, way too soon.

Only thing missing is a dick pic with Crocs

QUOTE (High Mileage @ Jun 11, 2013 -> 01:33 PM) Royals now winners of 6 straight and tied with Cleveland for 2nd place, at 5.5 games back. A week ago the Royals were in dead last and 6.5 games back. I think June will be make or break for KC, they are 7-2 so far, with this schedule coming up... 2 v. Detroit (Davis v. Scherzer, Mendoza v. Verlander) 4 @ Tampa 3 @ Cleveland 3 v. White Sox 2 v. Atlanta 4 @ Minnesota June and July are going to be make or break months for the Royals, Indians, and White Sox, and I think you could legitimately see all 3 teams pretty much fall out of the race.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 11, 2013 -> 10:58 AM) We're grasping at straws though, you know? Like Morel sucks, really. SO if he hits his ceiling he;ll be a serviceable backup on a mediocre team? I think we've already forgotten what it feels like to have a real offense. I mean just watching the Blue Jays this series -- like Bautista and Encarnacion are f***ing LEGIT bats. They are a threat to homer and double constantly. You just trust them to do it, and they do it. We've had those types of guys a lot, we just don't right now. We have Zombie Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn. We're a team right now where our "hero" in a win can be Dylan Axelrod or Connor Gillaspie solely for the reason that occasionally people do exceptional things in baseball. Success is the exception rather than the norm for nearly all of our guys. The resulting compromise between our brains and our hearts is projecting a ceiling that looks like that line you just typed for Morel. I agree, which is why I'm hoping for some sort of minor rebuild, just not a full implosion. There's talent in the minors that can come up and be useful hitters, but the only impact bat in the minors is 19 and still striking out 30% of the time. There's a need to try to find GOOD, young hitters throughout the minors, which is why trading guys like Crain and Peavy could be so important, especially with all the young pitching the Sox have. Assuming they don't have some semi-miraculous turn around and they remain in this s***ty position, the first three guys I look to move are Peavy, Thornton, and Crain. Then I look to move one of De Aza and Rios (if De Aza, Danks assumes CF; if Rios, De Aza flips to LF, Viciedo to RF, and Danks to CF). At that point, you try and get out of deadweight contracts like Dunn, Konerko, or Keppinger and see what you have in some of your minor league guys. Then, in the offseason, I'd throw everything I could at Granderson and McCann and sign a stopgap 1Bman - Morales, Napoli, or Morse would be good gets. This team just needs an infusion of talent offensively, and getting new players in here might be a nice spark - it's apparently worked for the Red Sox. It's still a far cry from the 2000 or 2006 White Sox, but it's a start at least.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jun 11, 2013 -> 09:45 AM) It's f***ing stupid. It's a dumb f***ing post. Morel is a terrible ballplayer and not an option for the White Sox, and Beckham has proven time and again to be completely useless with the bat. Hey, if Adam Dunn can just go 4-for-4 every night, our DH situation is set too! I'm willing to give Beckham the remainder of the year. It's cherry picking, but he was "good" (.744 OPS, .744 OPS, .792 OPS) in 3 months last year, decent (.678 OPS) in 1 month last year, and awful (.434, .501) in 2 months last year. He's a serviceable player who is obviously talented, and in a small amount of time this year, he's hit. Morel seems like his ceiling is about a .260/.320/.380 guy. Maybe a lefty platoon guy, but he needs to add versatility to his game to succeed in the majors.

If XBox can become a versatile and easy to use media center such that it can be used in business settings while also being a family gaming console and as a video projection device (ala a movie theatre) along with getting a partnership with major cable industries in populated areas, then I could see it having a viable life, but I don't foresee that happening. If/when I go next gen, it will also be with a PS4, and now I will get made fun of. I think it is quite clear that, for the gamer, PS4 is going to be the top system.