witesoxfan

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 22, 2011 -> 04:44 PM) Wow, I'm somewhat surprised that the advanced stats rate Cuddyer as a below average OF. Most of the announcers seem to have argued the opposite when I've watched games involving the Twins. That's because announcers are dumb and like to sugar coat things. Cuddyer has never been a good outfielder. He has an extremely strong and pretty accurate arm, but he doesn't have a very good feel for playing the outfield.

QUOTE (Papa Tru @ Aug 22, 2011 -> 04:08 PM) Joke? They got lucky last year, they are still a poorly run organization that has burned countless top picks on people who could have been had a few rounds later.. they aren't going 6-0 in the division again I've suggested to a couple Raiders fans that the best thing for that franchise would be for Al Davis to die. I don't know if there is a Rocky Wirtz waiting in the wings, but simply getting out from under his control would do wonders for that team.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 22, 2011 -> 03:20 PM) Viciedo/DeAza/Milledge/Danks?Lilly? I am assuming you are starting Rios? Milledge is nothing. My outfield of Viciedo/DeAza/Cuddyer with Rios as No. 4 at least on paper gives us a fighting chance at a playoff caliber outfield. As much as I like Juan, if he gets resigned, that's a poor decision. That might be the worst defensive outfield in the majors. On top of that, you are going into the season with a player making like less than $1 mill starting in CF, a player making $2.5 mill starting in LF (when he has never really played LF), a player making, saya, $8-10 million in RF, and a player making $12 million on the bench. That is not a very good use of resources. At the very least, you may as well play Rios to try and salvage his trade value so that he can be dealt at some point in or after 2012. --- I really hope the White Sox sign Nick Punto in the offseason. He's not a very good player - in fact, he's terrible - but he use to play for the Twins, so he would be a really good addition for the Sox.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 22, 2011 -> 02:40 PM) I truly don't think there's a chance the Cubs will go cheap and hire Hahn. Ricketts is going to try and bring in a big name GM. Given the state of the Cubs, it would not be a good first job for Hahn to take either because he'd probably never get another chance again.

There are a lot of places Cuddyer makes sense. There are a lot of places a lot of players make sense. I wouldn't automatically assume Cuddyer to either Boston or New York, especially since I'm not even sure he's the best free agent on the market.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 15, 2011 -> 10:20 AM) Adam Dunn is looking at the worst batting average in history. Here's to hoping he stays "hot." Rob Deer's .179 isn't far off right now. Assuming 540 plate appearances (which might be a stretch at this point) and a constant walk rate, Dunn will have to hit go 28 for 105 to reach a .190 batting average. That's a .267 average. Given the same parameters, he'd have to get an extra 5 hits to reach .200, which would be a .314 average from here on out. Buuuut to just squeak by Rob Deer, he only has to go 23 for his next 105, which is a .220 average. There's a reason I don't care too much for average - 11 hits in his next 105 at bats could be the difference between going down in history as the worst average ever or breaking the Mendoza Line. Dunn's season has been poor because he hasn't hit for power. Hopefully he puts a few good swings on the ball from here on out. QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 20, 2011 -> 02:27 AM) He's single handedly ruined our season. Can't win a division with that horrid of a hitting DH. Or saved the franchise? His poor season could lead to the removal of both Williams and Guillen.

I would prefer to go with younger, more innovative GMs than older, experienced ones. New ideas and theories can be good for a team and can disrupt the status quo of the organization, which is a good thing. For the past 10 years, the Sox have been using their minor league system to acquire other players to fill the major league roster, but as this year has already proven, they need that minor league system to not only deal with injury but to also deal with ineffectiveness. I believe Hahn would place a greater emphasis on developing from within the organization itself and not misallocating resources by spending too much for too little of a return. Williams put together good XBox teams but it has cost the Sox quite a bit over the past few years. Instead, I think Hahn would go with something similar - though I can't imagine nearly as effective - as the Tampa Bay model, which is to say there will be more turnover and more minor sell-offs, but with the intention of always keeping some pieces in the minors in case some sort of replacement is needed. There are times where an experienced GM is a good thing - Melvin was great for both Texas and Milwaukee, Gillick has helped create a powerhouse in Philadelphia, Towers has seen an incredible turnaround in Arizona, and Jocketty has built a pretty good organization in Cincinnati. There are other times it backfires - Hart didn't really do anything in Texas, Bowden was a disaster in Washington, Minaya got the Mets to the playoffs and then subsequently destroyed them with ridiculous contracts (Madoff didn't help), Wade has been expectedly awful in Houston, and Andy MacPhail still has yet to see the Orioles win 80 games. At the end of the day, it's a matter of getting the right guy in place and surrounding him with the right people.

It's amazing that the Rockies got 4 prospects, including 2 very good prospects, for Jimenez when his career has really been defined by that 14 game stretch to start last season. In his first 14 starts, he went 13-1 with an ERA of 1.15, and he threw 101.1 innings over that span. That's the equivalent of 7.1 IP a start. The only game he lost, he gave up 2 runs - 1 of them unearned - and the Rockies were shutout by the Dodgers. In his next 19 starts, he went 6-7 with an ERA of 4.34 over 120 IP. He was averaging a full inning less per start over that stretch. Throughout the entirety of his career, he's been a pitcher with exceptional talent and, aside from that 14 game stretch, the output of a guy you'd prefer to be your 2nd best starting pitcher. I think this could very well be Exhibit A as to why you don't go for it all unless you are either certain of a playoff spot or are very close to getting there. Pomeranz and White could very well be Exhibits B and C as to why you don't as well.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 22, 2011 -> 01:38 AM) I didn't say it would happen. I said some of our nemesis Twins are available and I wouldn't mind Cuddyer. We need some new blood. We're .500 now. Next year with the same personnel, we'll be worse. Or they'll be better. Or they'll be about the same. Those are the 3 possible outcomes. Cuddyer is an OK player. He's not going to be enough of an upgrade to spend the necessary amount to bring him in, especially with the relative depth that the White Sox have on their roster. Answer me this: if guaranteeing gigantic sums of money to Dunn, Rios, and Peavy didn't work, and, assuming there is no possible way for them to improve next year (which is absurd and almost certainly quite the opposite of what will actually happen), why do you think throwing more money at it would solve the problem? Considering the contributions the Sox have gotten from their young, or at the very least, cost controlled players - Lillibridge, Santos, De Aza, Humber, and, to lesser extents, Flowers, Beckham (0.8 WAR), and Morel (0.2 WAR and .280/.300/.400 thus far in the second half) - wouldn't it make sense to turn to them instead of bringing in expensive free agents? Instead of signing Michael Cuddyer, why not use Dayan Viciedo who is going to cost 1/10th that of Michael Cuddyer? Instead of bringing in Joe Nathan or Matt Capps (who have both been pretty bad this year), why not give Gregory Infante or Addison Reed a shot at a bullpen spot? It's almost certain that is, in fact, what the Sox will do.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 21, 2011 -> 11:52 PM) My idea wouldn't cost us money. Add Cuddyer, trade CQ, CQ will get us something very good. Rios hit a very nice bomb today but he isn't an everyday starter anymore. Not after this season IMO. I like the OF of Viciedo, DeAza, Cuddyer very much. Rios is super sub. The White Sox can't afford a $125 million payroll again. Costs will be cut in the offseason as younger players are brought in. On top of that, Viciedo is probably a superior player and is most definitely a superior talent to Cuddyer right now, and he's going to cost $6-10 million less. And you can like Viciedo, De Aza, Cuddyer all you want - it's not going to happen. It's (probably) going to be Viciedo, Rios, De Aza, and Lillibridge, and if they like Milledge enough, they may bring him back as well. The only one of that group who really can't play CF is Viciedo.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 21, 2011 -> 02:44 PM) I didn't know Boston and the Yankees had solid rotations either? It should be all about the offense in the AL postseason, as there's some fantastic offensive talent in the Yanks/Red Sox/Rangers/Tigers The Tigers team ERA is 4.17, which usually isn't all that bad, except this year, when offense is down all over the game, and it's tied for 7th worst in the majors. The Yankees are at 3.59 and the Red Sox at 3.91. Both of those teams are also better offensively than Detroit is. Detroit has the best pitcher on the planet right now, and they have a fantastic hitter in Cabrera. Just having those two alone will give them a chance in any series. But Boston has Beckett (who has been absurdly good this year) and New York has Sabathia, and both teams have more than enough on offense to cover the difference between them and Detroit. And quite frankly, Detroit still has to win the division too. The playoffs do appear to be shaping up to be incredible though. As boring as this season has been - at least for me - there are some incredibly intriguing postseason matchups on the horizon.

QUOTE (Real @ Aug 19, 2011 -> 10:52 PM) Co-worker of mine's fiancee is close to Thome and his family, he said that Jim is retiring after this year Take it FWIW I would believe it. I don't think he has a lot left in the tank and he got to 600 homers. The only reason he would have to continue playing is to get a ring and to do that at this point, he would have to be a situational player because he can't hold up over the course of a season. I doubt any player who has done as much as he has is going to want to essentially sit on the bench and get maybe 200 PAs just to get a ring. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see the Twins do what the Sox did in 2009. It's only a 2 month thing for him so really it's just a matter of living in a hotel for 2 months instead of having a home. And then when his season is done, he hangs it up. And, as much as I'd love to see him on the Sox again, I don't think he'd accept a claim or trade here simply because the Sox aren't guaranteed a playoff birth.

I did ServSafe through the US Foodservice recently. I'm not going to be cooking for much longer but it was an opportunity to get reacclimated with a classroom setting since I'm hoping to take the GMAT in the next month or so as well as simply adding a certification to my resume, even if it's meaningless to any other job I'd apply to. I didn't sleep well at all the night before, stayed awake for the first part of the session, and slept just fine through the second part of the course. Naturally, I missed questions from the first part of the class and got 100% on the second part. Moral of the story: Sleeping through class leads to better grades.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 21, 2011 -> 09:53 PM) Do you guys want to trade CQ, bring up Viciedo and add Cuddyer this offseason? We could have Viciedo in left; DeAza center and Cuddyer in right with albatross Rios (ugh) the utility outfielder. That seems to me like a decent outfield. That potentially has a lot more pop than our current outfield. Slappy Juan is gone (his .285 average deserves praise though) and Rios where he belongs, as reserve OF. Cuddyer will be fired up with new team. I like my proposed outfield and what we can get for CQ. We get a decent starting pitcher for CQ or the fabled prospects to help build up our system. Also would you want to sign Nathan, Capps or Kubel?? We have a chance to add some of the dreaded Twins roster if we want to. I think we should add some Twins. The same Twins that are currently 4 games out of last place. You sure you want to add players from the Twins? I have to imagine that the Sox are going to have a relatively quiet offseason. A trade here or there, perhaps a resigning here or there, but they aren't going to be uber aggressive as they were this past offseason. Oh, and Alex Rios is not going to be a bench player going into the season. If they were going to do that, they'd be better eating 75% of his salary and trading him elsewhere and going with someone who is more acclimated towards being a bench player. I wouldn't be surprised to see Lillibridge, Viciedo, Rios, and De Aza all getting significant ABs from the outfield next year with Quentin traded and Pierre let go.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 21, 2011 -> 02:25 PM) Verlander, Scherzer, Fister would be their top 3, and I bet they'd go with Penny over Porcello if needed. Doug Fister is not a good pitcher. Brad Penny isn't either. I don't think they'd stand a chance in hell getting past Boston.

I haven't read much of the thread...just shortly past Milk's post. So much of what I will say has probably been said. Just take it from a generally optimistic point of view. I want this team to win the division. It's the idealist in me, but I truly believe this team has the capability and firepower to win a World Series. They have a fantastic pitching staff, and underachieving yet improving offense, great defense, and a manager who has won one before. At the same time, I realize that Guillen and Williams are generally in need of replacing. Guillen because his act has grown sour and Williams because this team needs reinforcements from the minors, those of which he seemingly inevitably trades. I can expand on this, but generally, the Sox are in a Catch~22 that works both ways. I will be satisfied regardless of the outcome.

This goddamn team is going to win the division.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Aug 16, 2011 -> 10:34 PM) His minor league numbers are terrific, so he definitely profiles as a starting MLB pitcher. However, his mediocre stuff would indicate he is a back-of-the-rotation starter. But all he has done in the minors is dominate, so some guys production simple belie their talents. Maybe he is one of them. Greg Maddux never overwhelmed anyone with stuff. Not saying Axelrod is Maddux, but others have proven that production isn't always about talent. Late in his career, Greg Maddux never overwhelmed with his stuff. He was phenomenal early in his career. You don't put up an ERA of 1.60 in more than 400 innings if you have underwhelming stuff.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 15, 2011 -> 07:50 AM) No scoop. Not like the Gonzalez trade. Just something I was told that definitely has been talked about by those in the know. Clearly, you don't know how the White Sox work. Sure, one guy makes the decision, but there are many who would be privy to these types of discussions. Personally, I can't believe Chairman Reinsdorf would go another year with this payroll which would almost be a requirement for a TLR hiring. So it's been talked about. I'm sure they talk about what they are going to have for lunch that day and eventually change their minds. There is a lot of season left, and a lot would have to fall into place for all 4 of those things to fall into place. I can see it happening. I do not expect it to happen.

Naturally, Gammons is the one that gets it. There's no way the MLBPA allows for a hard slotting system, and Bud will cave. I think it's about time Bud Selig retires.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 15, 2011 -> 08:16 AM) espnchijon jon greenberg “@Buster_ESPN: SPs who have cleared waivers: Capuano, Vargas, Gorzelanny, Lopez, Arroyo, Zambrano, Chen, Wang, Lilly.” KW's time of year. Yeah except that trading for a starting pitcher right now would be hugely counter productive. Quite frankly, trading for anything right now would be counter productive on either front. Just let it ride.

There are 28 players with 3000 or more hits and 50 with 2762 hits or more (though that number will continue to go up as that player is Alex Rodriguez). Of the 28, only 4 are not in the Hall of Fame. Two of them are not eligible - Jeter and Biggio - one is banned - Rose - and one is essentially banned - Palmeiro. Of the remaining 22, 6 are not in the Hall of Fame. The only one who is eligible to be elected to the Hall of Fame is Harold Baines (and he may be ineligible now due to a lack of votes, which is unfortunate if true...I'm simply too lazy to look it up). Bonds and Vizquel are going to be the interesting cases in that, but I believe both will be in eventually (that is, if Bonds is not banned from the game himself at some point in the next few years). Of the next 50, 24 are in the Hall and there are anywhere from 4-5 players who could be in from that group. I say "4-5" and not simply just "4" (those being Tim Raines, Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, and Frank Thomas) because I believe you guys have missed the boat on the the most interesting player. Amongst that group is a player with a career OPS+ of 104, 45 fWAR, 50.8 bWAR, and, oh, 4 years in Boston and 4 years in New York, winning a World Series at both stops. He should not be a Hall of Famer - it is not the Hall of Slightly Above Average Who Was One Time Underrated But Is Now Very Much Overrated By Most Modern Members of the Media - but he probably will be, 5-7 years into his eligibility, which will cost someone else some votes, which is sad. Of course, I'm talking about Johnny Damon. Here's a funny one for you. Two players, both played, for the most part, in the previous 20 years. Both were CFers, though one was viewed as good enough to remain in CF for pretty much the entirety of his career. Here are their career splits, OPS+, hits, homers, fWARs, and bWARs. One of them is Damon, and he was obviously not good enough to play CF his entire career. John Doe - .271.332/.442/.775, 104 OPS+, 2548 H, 304 HR, 44.3 fWAR, 40.5 bWAR J. Damon - .286/.353/.434/.788, 104 OPS+ 2686 H, 225 HR, 45 fWAR, 50.8 bWAR

Women.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 15, 2011 -> 01:00 AM) IMO we are gonna have to be 10 over 500, maybe even 12 to win this division. That will be very difficult to do. Time to start piling up victories. 26-16 or 27-15 are not unfathomable. It's when they would have to go 30-12 that it would become a much bigger problem.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Aug 14, 2011 -> 09:11 PM) I don't understand the fascination with Larussa on this board. I would honestly rather keep Ozzie. Kenny Williams is not going anywhere. The only way he leaves is if he volunteers to step down because feels that he can't work with Ozzie any longer. I think that the best scenario would be for Ozzie to step down and to TV for a year before going to an NL team and for Kenny to hire Sandy Alomar Jr. or Dave Martinez. Hahn can move on to another team if he wants. I would rather the Sox simply fire Williams before letting Hahn go, and I tend to like Williams. I believe Hahn has a very bright future as a GM and the White Sox need to do everything in their power to retain him. I also have no problem with LaRussa for 2-3 years if it means Duncan comes over. He is really about the only pitching coach in the entire game that I think is absolutely better than Cooper.