witesoxfan

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ May 25, 2011 -> 07:48 AM) Not to hijack the thread but... I wish Walk would get Beckham back to this swing: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=5277447 Can you do a breakdown on this swing (2009) versus his current one? I mean, this swing was just SO SWEET. Short, quick, and seemingly he could cover anything that anyone threw at him. I legitimately thought we had a star within the first month of watching Gordo. Why can't Walker get him back to this place? Edit: here is another AWESOME shot of that great swing GB had in 2009: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=6428277 Now he looks totally different up there....total joke. The biggest difference I can see between Beckham in 2009 and Beckham this year is that he appears to bring his leg up about 3 inches higher now than he did in 2009. Some guys will use that to generate power, but Beckham really doesn't need to do so because he creates tremendous bat swing as it is. He's also starting the load process about half a second sooner (but this varies from time to time, which is a bad, bad thing), while the ball is halfway through the windup as opposed to the second the ball leaves the pitcher's hand. I don't like that simply because his body is moving and he is actually starting his swing while the pitcher is going through his windup when that should be a time that he is following the ball out of the pitcher's hand. A swing should be a reactive measure used by the hitter against the pitcher, and getting the body moving like that early in the motion makes the hitter the aggressive one which is something the pitcher will exploit. Not sure if this is the video you posted but here is Beckham's final homer of the 2009 season. http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/video/play...tent_id=6843277 Note how he is a little extra closed at that plate - you can see his right heel peek out just behind his left - he starts the load process just as the ball is about to leave Bonine's hand, and he has a quick, short, compact swing which allows him to turn on a 2-seam fastball on the inner half of the plate. Here is video of his sac fly against McCarthy. http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/video/play...ent_id=14777581 This isn't a bad pitch by McCarthy, but it's not a great pitch either - he hits his general spot, but appears to get the ball up just a bit and catches a bit too much of the plate. Still, any fastball at this point in time to Beckham is going to be a good pitch simply because that load process takes too long which is obviously a huge problem. Because this ball catches so much of the plate, it really could be hit with authority somewhere, and I think a good, strong hitter can get around on this ball. But because Beckham takes so long to load, he can barely get around on this ball and puts a bit of a defensive swing on the ball. He gets good enough wood on it to get it deep enough score a run, but this ball could have easily been a double in 2009 with his quicker approach. One more example, a 2 run homer against Ted Lilly http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/video/play...ent_id=14997991 Lilly throws him a lollipop curveball here. Beckham starts his load later than against McCarthy, but sooner than against Bonine. At the same time, because this pitch is soooo slow, Beckham's foot comes way up and the entire load takes quite a bit longer...that's OK because if he can recognize the pitch out of the hand, he's going to be able to make that adjustment during the swing process. The biggest thing is finding some consistency as to when he starts the swing process. I think he needs to get it down to the point where he is starting it the second the ball is leaving the pitcher's hand, as he simply does become a relatively reactive hitter at that point which is where I think he's the best. When he starts it early, he is looking for certain pitches and cheating, and pitchers will take advantage of that all day long.

Just as an addendum, it's very easy to me to see why hitters can find a zone for a while and then lose it from year to year. I personally think Quentin looks really awkward at the plate in his 3 homer game, like he is almost physically uncomfortable with that single foot tap then plant and it's mostly because it's something he hasn't done in 3 years (and may not have really ever done in his life). He looks very, very comfortable with the 2-tap approach, but it is simply not very effective. If he can retain that approach and continue to use it, he will become more comfortable with it after each passing day and it will eventually become second nature to him. As an aside to that point, it also makes sense to me why some players really struggle and can't take that next step. They are so ingrained into their current methods that when they stop working, they can't cut out bad habits and even when they know what they're doing, they still do it. This is another reason I believe Bautista to be a clean player because he has not only been able to continue the leg lift early in his swing, but he has become very, very comfortable with that approach and it has helped him an incredible amount. I honestly believe that Quentin could see similar results and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him garner MVP votes in both of the next two years, assuming he stays healthy and retains this approach at the plate. That timing mechanism isn't quite as good as Bautista's, but it's pretty close and it could certainly become as good as he gets used to it again and actually fine tunes it to the point Bautista has done with his.

I make this thread not because Quentin hit 3 home runs and was the main reason the White Sox won yesterday/today's game, but instead because of a mechanical adjustment I've noticed in his swing that has been generally absent since that season. Quentin has always had a bit of a jerky swing and he tends to dance a bit at the plate and he's always reminded me a lot of Jose Canseco (without the use of performance enhancers, in all likelihood). He's gone through a number of different stances and approaches throughout the years with mixed results throughout. He was obviously most successful in 2008 and I saw a lot of similarities in his swing tonight to the one he had in 2008. In 2008, Quentin used a crouched, open stance and only used a single foot tap to time the pitcher. He also kept his bat relatively parallel to the ground. 2008 Video In 2009, he retained the crouch, but closed up a bit and added an additional foot tap to his swing. He also increased the angle at which he held the bat. Other than the crouch, I don't like any of those adjustments. 2009 Video In 2010, he stood up a bit more at the plate, but stayed closed at the plate and kept the double foot tap. I don't really care for any of those either. He had a 16 game stretch where his OPS was about 1.700 or something along those lines - no real exaggeration - but was otherwise pretty terrible. Further, he was also standing straighter as the year went on, which is easy to see when comparing the video in July to the video in September. However, he was again holding the bat relatively parallel to the ground, which I think is where he should be holding it. I'll explain later. July 5, 2010 September 29, 2010 And then, here he is yesterday/today. He's once again in the crouched stance, slightly open, holding the bat parallel to the ground, and he has gone back to the single foot tap. With regards to his stance at the plate, I think the crouched position allows him to drive the ball better and even get a little bit of lift when coming through the ball largely because it involves his legs much more and increases the power of the lever within the swing. As you crouch at the plate and swing, you are increasing the distance which the bat travels because you increase the size of the semi-circular path which the bat travels through, so you have to turn your hips faster to get around. So long as the bat speed is sufficient, which Quentin's is, this is preferred. It also allows you to get to low pitches better, though leaves you more prone than usual to missing high fastballs. However, considering most pitchers pitch down in the zone, you should do what will give you the best chance of making good contact. Considering that point, it makes sense that he set a career high in FB% last year while standing virtually straight up - he has an extreme upper cut when he swings, so those pitches low in the zone were hit off the end of the bat and usually into the left fielder's glove (though a lot of time, he hit them into infielders' gloves too, as shown by his 14.1% IFFB% last year). I think he prefers crouching too, which is why he's generally done it 3 of the past 4 years, which leads me to believe that he was, to some extent, injured last year and couldn't get into his crouch without aggravating his injury. I think this is evidenced by the fact that he is standing even straighter as the year went on. He could have also been tinkering with his swing a bit too because the Sox had long been eliminated by that point in time last year. I like that he is holding the bat parallel as opposed to angled up, as he did in 2009. It would seem to me that holding the bat at that high of an angle would increase the likelihood of hitting a very, very high flyball, which most of the time end up in outfielders' gloves (or sometimes even infielders' gloves). Quentin's always been a flyball hitter, but his FB% of 47.2 and IsoFB% (subtracting IFFB from FB) was 37.3% were the second highest and highest of his career (though his current ratios blow those away, though it's extremely unlikely they remain). He did hit a ton of line drives that year, so some of his struggles that year were due to tough luck. Again, I wonder if he was holding the bat so high in 2009 due to pain or discomfort in his wrist. I am a big believer in being open as you stand at the plate, as it gives you a better view of the pitcher. The problem is that, to create the power, you either have to increase the torque with which you rotate your hips, ala Jose Bautista, or you have to bring your foot back over, which Quentin does. This can cause some head movement, which will also cause you to simply lose sight of the ball and miss. The best example I can think of is Tony Batista, and the fact that he was an overly anxious hitter didn't help him at all. So, because it causes head movement, you need something by which you can time the pitcher. That leads me to the single foot tap, which I honestly think is the most important change he's made. Having the single foot tap actually appears to keep him on the ball longer, as he plants the foot and waits for the pitch. In 2009 and 2010, with the double foot tap, he would plant the second foot and would swing almost immediately, which, a lot of times, either leaves him out in front or behind pitches. By simply cutting out that additional foot tap, he makes him a more patient hitter and allows him to time the pitcher more. This is clearly evidenced by his first and second homers tonight...last year, he would have been way out in front of that first breaking ball Holland threw and would have hooked it into the stands, and Hawk would talk about right size, wrong shape. But, by only having the single foot tap and waiting for it, he was able to keep it fair and hook it over the fence. On the second homer, he was again able to allow the ball to get deep into the zone before pulling the trigger and by doing so, was again able to keep the ball fair...the previous 2 seasons, that ball would have either been fought off or simply missed because the second tap would have slowed him way, way down and gotten him behind the pitch. His third homer would have been gone in any of the previous 4 seasons, mostly because it was a hanging breaking pitch from a bad pitcher. Quentin looked really good at the plate tonight and he needs to continue to be physically patient because that will allow him to be "baseball" patient at the plate, drawing walks and working counts and it will continue to allow him the ability to let the ball get deep into the zone before swinging, which will result in a lot of home runs. He's on pace to hit like 35 homers after yesterday/today's game, that is an extremely attainable goal, and it will help the Sox win a lot of games. Without that single foot tap, the Sox lose the game and the series and would be hoping to avoid a sweep today. If the Sox do get back into the race, he's going to be a big reason why.

QUOTE (Bighurt52235 @ May 25, 2011 -> 02:43 AM) And lol at Tony Pena getting the win. Baseball should really just stop keeping track of that statistic.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 24, 2011 -> 05:11 PM) Keith law in today's podcast continues to expect regression from a lot of Cleveland players. Also some comments on the NL still being weaker than the AL. And that should be expected. FanGraphs actually ran a really cool article a few weeks ago about regression to the mean. Most people assume that as the season goes on, players' overall numbers will even out towards their season numbers, but that's not exactly the case - all the article clarifies is that they are expected to put up their career numbers from today onward, which will actually leave their overall numbers slightly inflated compared to their career numbers. Of course, it should also not be unexpected that they do end up slumping and have their numbers end up closer to the career norms. Basically, regression towards some mean will happen. I do not believe for one second that the Indians have the second best offense in the American League, nor do I believe they have a top 3 pitching staff in the American League.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ May 25, 2011 -> 12:03 AM) I'd rather deal with a young kid that has shown flashes of brilliance and CAN dominate at times rather than an old mop-up pitcher who can't do anything right and has no chance. Tony Pena is 29. He's not old. He just sucks.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ May 24, 2011 -> 07:02 PM) To be fair, the Cubs and Mets have been pretty awful considering their payrolls too. Atleast the Cubs can point at the Pujols led Cards, and the Mets can blame having to compete vs. the Braves and the lately stellar Phillies. But the White Sox can't point at the Twins having Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Johan Santana? That doesn't make a lot of sense.

Thankfully, Brett Tomko is also f***ing bad

Tony Pena is so f***ing bad

QUOTE (Heads22 @ May 22, 2011 -> 09:41 PM) Buehrle is going to get more than 8mil a year, so if that's really the case, he's gone. That's the starting point in negotiations. I'm sure they only wanted to give Konerko $6-8 mill too, but caved and went to $12 per. They'll probably go to $10 with Buehrle.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 22, 2011 -> 07:38 PM) Has Bautista ever been tested for HGH? It does suck that it's the first thing I think of, but blame Bud Selig. I've seen too many players put up crazy numbers out of nowhere to automatically think it's just a slight swing adjustment. I just personally don't believe that HGH could have this type of an effect on any hitter simply due to the nature of the product. It doesn't seem to drastically increase the strength of a person. If there is any effect, it's simply improving vision. It (apparently) leans you out and will help with day to day recovery, but there is no real indication of that. And it wasn't a slight swing adjustment either, it's a very drastic change that he has made and it's basically been a complete overhaul of his swing.

QUOTE (Real @ May 22, 2011 -> 07:01 PM) when they can beat the twins, and not s*** the bed in september, come let me know meanwhile i'm gonna curb my enthusiasm, you can feel free to be giddy though It sure as hell doesn't look like their going to have to beat the Twins this year, and they've handled the Indians really well thus far.

QUOTE (BearSox @ May 22, 2011 -> 06:28 PM) I would guess you haven't watched any games lately because thanks to Juan's little "hot streak" this past week, he might have passed up Dunn on the list of who sucks more. But hey, right now we got 3 really short midgets in Dunn, Juan, and Rios. What's the point of arguing who is the tallest, they all f***ing suck right now. But hey, I don't know who pissed in your cheerios but don't f***ing come at me like I'm a little boy and you are the grand wizard of baseball. One week won't make up for a month and a half long complete suckfest. Atleast Dunn hits for power and walks. Oh, and I'm not the grand wizard of baseball yet, but Ozzie Smith did call to tell me that he is passing the torch on to me later this summer. I can't wait!

QUOTE (chw42 @ May 21, 2011 -> 07:11 PM) Jose Bautista with another two homers today. f***ing boner jams QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 22, 2011 -> 02:43 AM) HGH is a hell of a drug I read something that suggested that basically, HGH is hit or miss with people and it simply can't have that drastic of an effect. I also saw someone finally make a point I was thinking about but it was so out there that I didn't want to make it - this jump is simply too big for it to be PEDs alone. When there is clear video evidence of a mechanical adjustment, I'm going to assume that, but I think other people can acknowledge that the dude has changed too while convicting him of PED use as well. (I still think it's a f***ing joke that the first thing people say about Jose Bautista is "STEROIDS/HGH/PIGS FEET/WHATEVER"...it's insulting)

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 22, 2011 -> 11:57 AM) Clearly end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine). I know. Joking.

QUOTE (oldsox @ May 22, 2011 -> 12:13 AM) When we get close to the trading deadline, GM's from all over will be lining up to trade with us, becasue they know they can get the best of Kenny. That Geoff Blum for Ryan Meaux trade still stings. And losing Anthony Webster, Frank Francisco, and Royce Ring....s***, what am I going to do with myself? Oh, and Nick Masset? s***, Ken Griffey Junior...he wasn't s*** but a ho (because he certainly wasn't a trick). Man, all I can think of when I go to sleep is "what if the Sox STILL TO THIS DAY had Nick Masset?" (I hope I spelled his name wrong or forgot that he had a second brother in the system that was GOING to be a top prospect until his f***ing BROTHER GOT TRADED and now he's terrible or won't sign with the Sox because his "MARGINALLY TALENTED BROTHER" had success in AAAA) Oh, and Dan Hudson would be nice. Wish I would have been able to watch a couple of his starts just to make sure that he was good. I bet Ken Williams and Ozzie Guillen would have been able to watch a couple of his starts too. Surely, their minds would have been swayed.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 20, 2011 -> 08:32 PM) Down a pint of blood, drinking a bottle of red, typing on a iPhone, playing REM (you know which song). Ready for the rapture here! Losing My Religion? --- I do love being drunk. It makes it so much funnier when you try to mess with people and you know that you sucked and failed at messing with people, but you still think you did mess with people hardcore and that you were hilarious, but really, you were just drunk. I may have done it on here tonight, but I don't think so; instead, it's much more of a nostalgic reflection upon college life. I wish I were 19 again. BUT THEN I'D BE A "VIRGIN" (if you don't count my left hand, WHICH I TOTALLY DO, WOOOOOOOO)

QUOTE (BearSox @ May 21, 2011 -> 08:49 PM) With the amount of money Dunn is being paid with the fact he is out of shape, and might be the worst offensive player in baseball thus far, he should get booed until he gets his s*** together. Adam Dunn is a f***ing square, so you should probably "shape" him up and get him into the proper "form" so he can do his normal home run stuff. Perhaps that's a triangle or the even more rare heptagon. Oh, and if you think Dunn even "might" be the worst offensive player in baseball, I would also "guess" that you haven't been "watching" the Chicago "White" Sox play baseball because "Juan" Pierre has been the worst "offensive" player in the "entire" game. He "is" so f***ing bad that "I" would be a better "player" than he would "be" by standing at the plate and going all "Eddie" Gaedel.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 20, 2011 -> 05:48 AM) So how does a major franchise wind up with a manager and a GM who 2/3 or more of the amateurs can outperform them at their jobs? Managers work 10 hours a day. The work to which you and everyone else here is referring to is 3 of those 10 hours. So these guys can be better than him 30% of the time. Ask yourself this...when the s*** gets thick, do you think Paul Konerko is going to care what you or anybody else on here says? Or what do you say to the media when you've lost 6 straight? What do you do when, no matter what change you make to the lineup, you still lose and players fail to execute? I'm not envious of Ozzie.

QUOTE (cws0591 @ May 21, 2011 -> 12:50 PM) and i bet if Ozzie put pena or sale out in the tenth you would b**** that he conceded the loss. there is no winning Sale is good. I don't care what his ERA or WHIP are right now, Sale is an extremely talented and good pitcher. Tony Pena is very bad.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ May 20, 2011 -> 02:53 PM) Nevermind, Zaleski was promoted to Charlotte, Brandon Hynick was traded to the Reds. Noooooooooooooooooo

But could you imagine being married to her? You'd be out mowing the lawn and then she'd want you mowing her lawn and you'd be like "but the actual grass is really, really long" and she wouldn't care. You would be totally numb and immune to sex. Yardwork would be fun and sex would be the chore.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 20, 2011 -> 07:06 PM) Is Lester hurt? His velocity seems way down. It's amazing to me the production the Cubs have gotten from Baker and Reed Johnson this year. Velocities - last year, this year Fastball - 93.3, 92.4 Cutter - 89.7, 88.9 Curveball - 77.6, 75.7 Changeup - 85.4, 84.6 It's down, but not by much, and it's down across the board. I think he's fine.

QUOTE (3E8 @ May 20, 2011 -> 09:34 AM) Of games Indians have remaining that aren't against us, over 60% of them are against teams above .500. If a lot of their players don't continue to play ahead of their career averages, they will have a tough time holding on to first place. This was my gut instinct. If I had to guess, I would say that Cleveland is going to play about .450 ball from here on out, which leaves them right around .500 for the year. I think Detroit is probably the favorite to win the division, but neither the Sox nor Twins can be ruled out. Nobody can really.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ May 20, 2011 -> 08:30 AM) You are seriously correcting someone over, what I consider, a p**** drink? God damn your ass is going on my ignore feature. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED