witesoxfan

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Feb 15, 2011 -> 09:21 PM) why is everyone saying PKs gonna have a down year? I dont think he'll have as good a season as last year but thats not really saying much seeing as he had an mvp season. I see him putting up a .280/36/97/.360 line Dunn hits 44 bombs and hits the longest HR ever at the cell, sorry borchard(or does thome have that title now) Beckham hits .300+ Pierre leads the league in sb by a wide margin Rios bats 3rd all season long and reaps the benefits of batting in front of Dunn and steals close to 40 Lexi wins another silver slugger CQ regains his TCQ name here on soxtalk, not quite 08 carlos but he hits 35 bombs morel has a solid rookie campaign batting .270ish AJ bats .290+ SAle win ROY saving 30+ games with a sub 3 era Jackson is an all star, danks get snubbed Peavy makes 25 starts wins 13 of those and has a sub 4 era Buehrle has a sub 4 era and wins 15 Floyd puts up the only era above 4, below 4.20 Sox win 96, win the division by 6 games, lose to Roy Halladay in game 7 of the WS If Rios is hitting 3rd and getting on in front of Dunn all year, he better not steal 40 bases. He really shouldn't even be trying to steal that much in that situation. Dunn does not hit for average, so if he gets on base, it's, more often than not, going to by by a walk or a home run. If he walks, Rios is going to advance no matter what. If he hits a homer, Rios is going to score no matter what. Now, if Viciedo were hitting cleanup, it would make a little more sense for Rios to be running.

Obviously can't read the BP article, but I do see that they have the Twins winning and suggest that the Twins bullpen could be just as good again. Now, I believe in the Twins philosophy as much as the next guy, but I just can't see how their bullpen doesn't take atleast a step back. I see 2 bullpen guys they can count on in Capps and Mijares, a wild card in Joe Nathan - so probably 3 relievers assured of being good - plus probably Duensing too (though he should really be in the rotation). If they end up going with Duensing in the rotation, which I think is the correct route to go, then they end up with probably Blackburn in the bullpen, and in there, he's Tony Pena at his best and a AAAA pitcher at his worst. I am never one to underestimate the Twins, but I thought much more highly of them going into last season than I did this one. I think their rotation is due for some regression - namely Pavano - and they lost what I figure to be about 2-3 wins in the middle infield..Hardy was 2.4, Hudson was 3.1, so they had a combined 5.5 WAR from their middle infield last season. I figure Alexi Casilla is probably a 1-1.5 WAR player, so if they are to replace that in the middle infield alone, they better hope that Nishioka does his best Ichiro impression. Valencia came up and tattooed the ball, so he is going to have to prove he can do it again. I think he's a solid hitter, but I was never incredibly impressed with him...quick bat, but that can be exploited. I'm not saying they aren't going to be a good team, but I do think the White Sox should win this division. If they play like they did last year with the improvements they've made to the lineup, they will win it.

For only the second time in the history of the franchise, the White Sox win 100 games. I generally have a really good feeling about this year. Perhaps I am misguided in my optimism, but what I see is a team that won 88 games last year and they always seemed like they had a lot of holes. Last year's team played above their talent level, but I really like the lineup this year and actually like the bench of this team too. Assuming Peavy is able to start games in mid to late April (or perhaps even early May), I think this team is set to make a lot of noise this year. I will also say that the Sox will have the lowest range of ERAs in the entire major leagues. I see Peavy around 3.50, Danks around 3.50, Floyd around 3.75, Jackson around 3.75, and Buehrle around 4.25. If that holds true, that is going to keep the Sox in a ton of ballgames, which bodes well for what should be a good offensive club.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Feb 15, 2011 -> 09:11 AM) Well, if I'm a team in need of a QB, I look at a guy who has all the raw talent to succeed at the position, and just put him in a room and have him learn mechanics for 3 years. Sadly, the NFL today rarely allows for the classic treatment of QBs where they learn on the bench for multiple seasons. Everyone is rushed, but when they aren't sometimes you get a God like Aaron Rodgers... My brother in law is a big 49ers fan, and he was talking about the what-if of the 49ers taking Rodgers instead of Smith. I basically dismissed it and said that Rodgers wouldn't be nearly as good as he is now because he would have been expected to man the ship right away. I would be really excited if the Bills took Cam Newton. Quite frankly, he has all of the intangibles of a Tim Tebow, he just wasn't as outspoken or as loved as Tebow. I also think he's more physically gifted than Tebow as well - seems to me that he is faster and has a stronger arm. The Bills can roll with Fitzpatrick for this year, let Cam learn on the sidelines for a year (or even two), and then let him start. I also really like the idea of Chan Gailey working with Cam Newton, as he really does a great job of getting the most out of all of his QBs.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 15, 2011 -> 01:47 PM) I don't even think Kenny would trade Morel and leave us with a 44-year old and the hot garbage that is Teahen as our only 3B. I will say the organization appears to be totally committed to Viciedo. Which is a good thing. Still, the lack of organizational depth is very troubling. I know you can say this about a lot of teams. But any injury to anyone from the big league roster and we're f***ed. I know it's with a caveat, but really, I think the main two spots where the Sox would be screwed if they suffered an injury are SS and CF. In both LF and RF, you going to get slightly less production via WAR, but you lose defense and speed with Pierre and a huge amount of power with Quentin. At 3B, Viciedo is not good defensively (but from what I saw, better than Teahen, which is like saying Blake Lively is hotter than Roseanne Barr) but is a better hitter than Morel, so I would say you probably lose a bit overall but, again, nothing significant. And, over a short time period, I think Viciedo can atleast help soften the blow of losing Konerko or Dunn. The backup situation for CF is very ugly (Danks or Milledge or De Aza? ugh) and it's even worse at SS (either hope Escobar can sling the leather like we've heard or hope Vizquel is solid). I'm on the fence regarding the catcher's position, as I think Flowers can be adequate offensively (meaning .220/.300/.380, though his power may be a bit better than that) but I have no idea what effect he would have on the pitching staff. If the Sox lose a starting pitcher, it gets pretty ugly too, so all you can do is hope someone in the minors steps up and pitches well enough that they can be decent in a fill-in appearance. I also fear losing a late inning reliever, but I honestly have enough faith in Crain/Thornton/Santos/Sale that I don't worry too much.

It's awesome that they're going for it this year, yet it was also the first winter where they didn't make a significant trade whatsoever (I know, Linebrink, whatever). Usually Williams is adding someone through a trade, or multiple people, but this year it was all free agent signings. I don't think it's an indication of how much they like the prospects in the system nor the lack of value of the prospects in the system (though I think both are true) but instead just that their needs lined up really well with the strengths of the free agent market this year. I do think it's a sign of progress that Morel is still in the organization, and quite frankly it's good that Viciedo is as well. Both of those two hold trade value and Williams could almost certainly have made the team better by trading them at some point, yet did not. I think there is a bit of a focus on building from within a bit more, but going outside the organization when you need something.

QUOTE (TomPickle @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 04:09 PM) One of those things is not like the others. Those exact words came out of my mouth when I saw the press conference. It's like introducing the Miami Heat and putting Mike Miller on the stage with Bosh, Wade, and LeBron.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 06:53 PM) I agree with most of this. The thing is, the mlb draft is 50 rounds. This isn't the nba or even the nfl. I don't look at just the first round as the basis of a successful draft. Yes, we've gotten better. But we were so bad for so long that there was nowhere to go but up. I look at the Braves and I get, I don't know, jealous? They're a player developmental machine. I have higher standards than most. I believe a good farm should yield both trade bait AND top-tier prospects or even competent major league contributors. In other words, the Philadelphia Phillies, under both Gillick and Amaro Jr. I think a point that gets overlooked all together is that the Phillies traded Gio Gonzalez and Gavin Floyd for Freddy Garcia. Freddy Garcia made like 11 starts for them, and he was terrible. And they still had the talent and eventually money to be able to put together the rotation they have now.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 06:15 PM) I predict that Phil Humber will get a start and DOMINATE, and you'll be able to hear the eyebrows raise around here. I'll bump this thread when it happens. If he had one start where he went 6 innings and only allowed 4 runs, I'd celebrate.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 05:31 PM) To be fair, I didn't read that entire article. I just kinda skimmed through it. But the criteria this guy uses is flawed to me. The Sox are flat bad at drafting. There's no way to mask that fact. That's all I'm saying. This article doesn't make KW and Co. look smarter. This is going to be the standard line that we've been using for a while, but really, if you are good enough at drafting that you can develop that talent into trade bait, then you are doing well enough. I agree that they need to draft and develop better, but it has improved monumentally over the past 3-5 years. Off the top of my head, I can think of Clayton Richard, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Sweeney, Chris Carter, Gordon Beckham, Brent Morel, and Chris Sale that have all been drafted and developed by the White Sox, and I'm sure there are a couple others in there too. The only two of the four in the group that I would want back - meaning I would want the trade to be done over again - are Gio and Sweeney, and that's more due to their value on the trade market than it is my fascination for them. Personally, I think quite a bit more highly of both Carter and Richard, but I'm not going to redo the Quentin and Peavy trades.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 01:08 PM) I wonder where Jared Mitchell would be on this list had he not gotten hurt... I guess a lot of that depends on how well he would have played. Really not a bad looking list for an MLB.com list. Not sure I like Ackley so high, but overall it's pretty fair. The Sox system is awful, and has been for a while, so it's not surprising that they only have one in the top 50.

I think that's the old "I'm not going to say he's fat directly, but I will indirectly call him a huge tubbo, so in essence, I am calling him fat, but just in a more polite manner."

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 12:10 PM) Problem is...isn't the top of the Yankees farm system at the Catching position? Edit: here's a version of a Yankees prospects list where 3 of their top 4 are catchers. From everything I understand, Montero's glove really doesn't translate that well to catcher, but his bat will translate anywhere, so if they can get Montero - they HAVE to get Montero if they were to trade Liriano to New York - I think they'll be OK.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Feb 13, 2011 -> 11:22 PM) Was there ever a reason why he was passed by every team 604 times in the draft? I'll never understand that Here is a quote from a Red Sox scout who liked him before the draft... http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/reds..._that_got_away/ Also seems like there were some signability issues to go along with that. He wanted a 6-figure bonus and there were some threats of him playing elsewhere. He actually spurned the Cardinals initial offer of $10k and said he was going to play elsewhere when they increased their offer to $60k. Not a bad investment for $60k.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 13, 2011 -> 08:37 PM) I mean there's bound to be good looking, single girls at a Bucks-Clippers game on valentines day, right? Suuuuure. Just make sure you've had enough to drink. Wouldn't want to ruin the experience by being sober!

I've seen people throw Toronto into the equation since getting rid of the Wells contract. I do have a few problems with that though. First and foremost, the Blue Jays, even if they are looking better, still look nothing like a contender and success in the near future is not guaranteed. Secondly, getting rid of a monstrosity of a contract for another monstrosity of a contract isn't exactly good practice. Finally, there is the whole aspect of going to Canada, which Pujols may or may not mind. The Blue Jays do have the ability to free up like $30 million after this year too, mostly through the expiring contracts of relievers, so they could conceivably sign him and then have some money left over to give raises and bring in a couple other players as well.

QUOTE (since56 @ Feb 13, 2011 -> 07:06 PM) If Morneau doesn't come back 100% look for them to move him and put Mauer at first in a year or two. A catcher is a foul tip away from a career ender at any moment. Just a little bit of hyperbole there. The most extreme it would be would be one foul tip away from having one testicle.

I haven't seen anything to indicate that he has a degenerative condition or anything along those lines. He jammed his knee in 2004 and had some stuff cleaned up this past offseason. It doesn't appear that there is anything that is serious at all with regards to his knee.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2011 -> 12:39 PM) Pointing it out to me is one thing...pointing it out to the guy making the lineups is another. He played 10 games in RF, 10 games at DH, and 3 games at 1B last year, and all of that was after he came back from injury. I don't think he played much 3B at all. Ozzie is more than willing to put him in the outfield.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 13, 2011 -> 11:37 AM) This actually kinda makes sense. Lilliputian is out of options, so he has to make the team. The bench with 4 looks like this: Castro Vizquel Teahen Lilliputian If you can add an extra guy, you get: Castro Vizquel Teahen Lilliputian De Aza/Milledge In the 2nd case, you have a legit backup OF. Mark Teahen is more than capable of playing LF and RF off the bench. I've pointed this out to you. Lillibridge is more than capable in CF, which I think is a well understood point.

I liked this one myself

QUOTE (WCSox @ Feb 12, 2011 -> 08:19 PM) By the time the years of wear and tear from playing catcher begin to affect his game, it'll be too late. I strongly doubt that.

QUOTE (since56 @ Feb 12, 2011 -> 03:17 PM) Can't take a pitcher. Dunn has never swung a bat for the Sox and his defense is under par. I went with Paulie after last year with Alexi a close second. I am OK with Dunn's defense not quite living up the mark of other DH's.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 12, 2011 -> 05:02 PM) Well, then put Dunn and Konerko at 1-2, or 2-3. I mean, the reason you put your best hitters at 3-5 is so you can give them a better chance at RBI's with good speed in front of them. I am much more confident in Rios scoring from 1st on a 2B by Dunn or Konerko than I am of Dunn or Konerko scoring on a 2B by Rios. If it ends of being Dunn-Konerko-Rios on April 1st, I won't be disappointed. I think any combination of those 3 will work out pretty well anyway, I just would prefer the speed was in front of the slow power bats, not behind them. You also have to consider their ability to get on base. Dunn and Konerko will have the opportunity to get thrown out at home far more often than Rios will simply because those two are also getting on base.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 12, 2011 -> 04:00 PM) You do when the ball is smashed into the gaps instead. And we all know how much Ozzie loves his L-R matchups. And I bet Beckham would score from 1st on a double too. I know Pierre would. You want to maximize the amount of ABs for your good hitters while properly utilizing their value. Having an OK hitter get more ABs than your two best hitters while limiting their own value doesn't do a lot of good for the lineup.