beck72

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Apr 20, 2009 -> 07:57 PM) How could you state that you trust KW in determining who's a good fit for us when he traded for Swisher in the first place? It's not like Swisher had a Thome-like personality in Oakland. The trade blew. No doubt about that. No one gets every trade right. But Kenny deserves credit for cutting his losses and getting rid of a guy who didn't fit, after learning first hand what Swisher the man and player was all about. If KW wanted to put his ego ahead of making the sox better, he could have easily held onto Swisher and talk about how he'd likely post better numbers in 2009 and beyond. Maybe it was Ozzie or the players who put the bug in KW's ears--who knows. But KW listened. But, IIRC, the talk was that Swisher was a gamer who could get on base, hit with power from both sides of the plate, and improve upon his .260 avg. I don't think Swisher was a "cancer" there or here.

Ozzie likes to push back at guys who run their mouths. Esp. those who Ozzie thinks are bad mouthing his players in any way. What I like about Ozzie is that he takes heat away from his players and puts the bullseye/ media glare on him. Swisher was seemingly all smiles for far too long--despite his slump that lasted nearly the entire year. Swisher didn't do what was expected of him and the sox didn't want him around and made sure he was gone. I trust Ozzie and KW in determining who is a good fit for the Sox. With guys like Dye, Thome, Buehrle and PK around--all professionals from the get go--the sox mgmnt/ coaching staff know who fits and who doesn't.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 19, 2009 -> 02:46 PM) I think we're all giving up way too quickly on Fields. His swing has just gotten a little too big, but, by and large, he's been an effective player for us so far this season. I am much more concerned about Thome and Ramirez at this point. Figgins? I could see a one or two year contract, but committing long-term to a player who should be at the point in his career where his speed is declining and he's more injury prone than before is dubious when we have Shelby and Jordan Danks in the pipeline as well. I really see our bigger concern going forward as filling out the rotation after Contreras and Colon are gone. Out of the group of Broadway, Egbert, Marquez, Richard and Poreda, we MIGHT get one so-so/serviceable starter. Poreda just doesn't have the look and feel of a top of the rotation starter, maybe he'll magically discover his secondary arsenal but we can't be counting on it. We have some better arms in A ball, but they're at least 1 1/2 - 2 years away from Chicago...we have that huge gap in pitching talent (only a few with upsides as relievers mostly) at the upper levels. The Angels are in a division where they almost have to wait and see before they go about trading any of their core players...the M's will be improved, but projecting them to win 90+ games at this point is a little foolhardy. I'm not giving up on Fields. I really like what I see early on. But if he posts decent numbers like a .250/.330/.470 line, the sox have other guys who project higher than him who also hit for power from the right side-Viciedo, Beckham, Flowers- to go along with RH's Quentin and Alexei. He may not be a cornerstone type player the sox build around. If Beckham can play 3b and be ready for opening day 2010, and Ramirez hits like he did last year, and Getz continues his solid play for the entire 2009 season, the sox have plenty of trading options. That's a lot of "ifs". But one of the options would be to trade Fields for pitching. But we'll know after an entire season in the high levels of AA, AAA and majors what the "ceilings" of guys like Fields, Getz, Alexei, Beckham, Flowers, Allen, and Viceido etc are. Maybe Beckham can only play SS, Alexei's sophomore slump lasts all year, Viceido's ceiling is lower than we think and Fields steps up, showing him as the long term answer at 3b. I agree with you on the sox needing to get a top of the rotation SP, or one who projects as one. But in order to trade for one, the sox may have to give up a player of Fields'/ Alexei's/ Viciedo's caliber. I just don't see Alexei in CF, which I was the main point of this thread. But I see CF for 2010 filled by a guy like Figgins with a 2 yr deal, 3rd yr option. Shelby best case in the bigs is prob. 1 1/2 yrs, and Danks more like 2 1/2. That Figgins can also be 3b insurance if the sox traded a 3b man also makes sense.

One wildcard in all this, [at least after 2009-but I could see them making a play for him at the ASB if the Angels are really tanking and unloading contracts, which seems unlikely], do the sox go after Chone Figgins in free agency for CF? He'd be a likely target, esp. as he'd be a great fit for the sox, one of the few teams who'd offer him both years [say 3 yrs] and decent money. Though, if the sox got Figgins for CF, Getz could be moved so Alexei or Gordon could play 2b. I personally see an IF of Beckham at 3b, Alexei at SS and Getz at 2b for 2010.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 19, 2009 -> 12:11 PM) Its too soon to really see, athough concern about Alexei should start pretty soon if he doesn't start hitting. I'm thinking he starts slow as he did last year, but since Aug 25 of last year he is 29 for 154 which is a .188 average. Maybe the league has figured something out. It was probably the cold weather, which he's certainly not used to playing in. I think we all are assuming Alexei will start hitting soon, but if he doesn't and Beckham continues to tear up AA pitching, do you make a change and when? That's a good question. We are all assuming that Alexei will turn it around. If he doesn't, prob. by June, I could see a platoon type situation at 2b with Getz getting most AB's vs RHP. Alexei would be a better option as a UTL guy than Lillibridge. Though if Alexei is so messed up mechanically, a stint in AAA might not be out of the question. The good thing is with the versatility of the middle IFer's [with the exception of Getz at 2b], the sox have plenty of options to move players around.

Alexei should stay at SS [unless of course, he doesn't rebound to hit like he did last year]. He's in a bad funk now, but has shown he can adjust. If Alexei hits like he did last year, his glove is too valuable to move to CF. Getz should stick at 2b, as his lefty bat, patience, glove, speed and approach to the game such as situational hitting, baseball smarts, is what the sox need more of. Beckham may best help the sox at 3b. Depending on how well Fields does over the course of the year, he may be moved for pitching in the offseason. Say he winds up hitting .250, with a .330 OBP with his power, does he project to be a hitter like Beckham, who can hit near .300 with power, and have an above avg. OBP? Or can even Viciedo replace Fields numbers? Now if Fields hits close to .300, with an above avg. OBP, and plays solid defense, he'd be a building block like Quentin. The jury is still out on Fields, but I don't see him as a guy the sox will build around, like Quentin or Beckham. If he has a decent year, other teams may view him as a cornerstone and his value via trade may be too good to pass up. Most likely, the sox won't have to make a move with Beckham unless an injury occurs that forces the sox to move the IF around. The sox won't put Alexei in CF mid year. Once the year ends, the sox can make a deal to clear a space for Beckham. If the sox don't have anyone playing CF at a decent level come late June, the sox should be able to make a move to add someone. Teams will be looking to cut costs, and the sox should be able to make an upgrade without sacrificing key talent.

QUOTE (bmags @ Apr 14, 2009 -> 08:28 PM) I'm not saying I don't want to see BA in CF, I'm saying that signing Pods was not to supplant Brian. It is to upgrade our 4th OF, whom Ozzie uses quite a bit. That's if the sox put Pods in LF, Brian in CF and CQ in RF, for late inning defensive purposes. But I'm not sure if the Sox want to move CQ around and take the chance on him getting hurt. I know he's played a lot of RF, but not lately.

What bringing back Pods shows is how thin the sox are in the OF. And to think some thought signing Willy Taveras was a bad idea.

Mac Dougal should be sent packing and Egbert brought up--within a week.

For a playoff team, Wise can't hit leadoff and see more than 1/4 of a team's games. Wise is in at leadoff so that Getz doesn't come into the year with the extra pressure and burden of leading off. Ozzie and the coaching staff no doubt agreed on that route, so that Getz can work himself up to it. Getz sure looks like he's ready for the bigs, from today's games and in spring training. Getz will probably replace Wise in the leadoff spot with BA seeing 3/4 of the time in CF. I give it a few weeks. BA hitting .250 and playing solid defense would be fine for 2009. Yet BA has to prove he can even do that. This should be the year the sox give BA extended time to prove himself, provided Getz can hit leadoff.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 3, 2009 -> 10:02 PM) Ummm....it's hard to call Fields a "rookie" at this point in his career. It's even harder to put the tag "vet" on him, though, at this point in his career. And, seeing how Fields worked in the offseason, it sounds like he practiced more like a rookie/ "young player not established in the league" who knew he needed to work on key aspects of his fielding in order to improve. My larger point is, defensively, we don't know what we'll get from either Fields or Getz. Alexei is the key, esp. if he can range to his right [and make plays that Fields moving to his left may not] and if alexei can move to his left and get some balls Getz may not be able to catch.

QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Apr 3, 2009 -> 06:27 PM) If you're saying that Cowley predicts Alexei to win the GG at short this season based on his write-up in today's Sun-Times, I think you're looking too deeply into this. He assigned all of the major awards to Sox players including the MVP to Josh Fields. I'm pretty sure this was based entirely on the players' ST performances. It was just some filler to hold us over until Monday. Exactly, I think Cowley was just talking about who played the best on the sox, and making league wide predictions. I personally don't care if Alexei wins a GG. I just care that he plays above avg. defense [which he should]. The sox sure need him to, with rookies on both sides of him.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 03:45 PM) According to the Trib, Jack Egbert is going to the pen in Charlotte. Interesting. I wonder what they are planning for him? Long reliever? Closer? With his solid spring, I would think the sox could be grooming Egbert as a 7th, 8th inning guy ala Linebrink. Or, more of a Scot Shields guy, who could go more than 1 inning. It'll be interesting to see how they use him in AAA.

2008 showed that Linebrink can be effective in the AL and at the Cell, which were the two biggest concerns. A lot of people thougth he'd get lit up. He had always been healthy, and I don't know of any red flags to suggest he'd be hurt [except pitching a lot of innings]. I'd agree a 3 yr deal might have been the best deal for the sox. Though who knows what other teams were offering him. The sox don't overpay often. This may have been one of those rare times. Hopefully he stays healthy the next 3 years, because when he's out there, he's been able to get the job done.

Lillibridge being on the team does not concern me in the least. As a utility guy, he's a better defensive option at SS than Betemit, and can give Getz some time off at 2b [which he'll need to keep him fresh]. If Alexei went down, he'd likely be the first option to replace him [then that would be concerning]. Though Beckham would be ready probably mid-year. Brent is also available for pinch running, and backup CF. Those last two factors will allow the sox to say goodbye to Owens.

Pitching should decide how far the sox can go in 2009. Both the SP's and the bullpen. *Danks and Floyd need to come near their breakthrough years of last season. The vets need to stay healthy, so the sox can add to the bullpen with the young guys. If the vets are hurt, then the sox have to add the young guys to the rotation. That means taxing the bullpen, with the young guys likely not going deep into games. And it means taking out options to add to the bullpen. *If Jenks, Linebrink, Thornton and Dotel can also pitch full seasons, the bullpen may be the difference maker in the division. The bullpens in the AL Central aren't that strong. The sox have enough solid arms they could add to the pen like Richard, Marquez, Broadway, Poreda, Link that someone should be able to surprise and possibly be able to throw in the 7th and 8th innings.

It sounds like the sox will have a CF platoon of Wise and Anderson. Goodbye Mr. Owens. If Getz can hit in the leadoff spot, I'd rather the sox play Anderson 3/4 of the time, and have Wise play 1/4 vs. tough RHP's. I don't think Anderson can hit to his potential playing a more limited role. His bat would be fine in the 8th spot, if he can hit .260 + with a .330+ OBP.

I like the blend of LH [Getz, Allen, Jor. Danks] and RH hitters [beckham, Viciedo, Flowers, Shelby]. With Kenny talking about adding a leadoff type hitter in this year's draft [preferably a switch hitter for the OF], the sox should beef up their pitching. I know they added arms in last year's draft. But if they can't add a leadoff guy with their top pick, they should target arms with most of their remaining picks. Also, the sox could use another lefty power hitter or two, either from 1b or the OF.

I voted Getz. While he'll likely start the year hitting 8 or 9, he'll probably end up leading off by the end of the year. I wouldn't be surprised with Getz playing solid defense, and hitting a .280 avg with a .345 OBP.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 15, 2009 -> 01:58 PM) I don't know how anyone could say BA cannot hit major league pitching. He's been given one chance to do it, really. In 2006, playing on a defending World Champion he was thrown into the role. He didn't hit, but a lot of guys don't hit initially. He started to hit a little bit that year. He hit about .300 in July/August, and then KW made one of his worst moves in stunting his growth in bringing in a washed up Erstad. Since then, BA hasn't been given consistent time. 2007, with the team as bad as it was, would have been a great opportunity to get him consistent major league ABs, but for some reason Erstad had to play as did Owens and Pods, who was certainly on the way out. BA has a ton of talent. With the other options being Wise and Owens, giving him a legitimate shot at playing everyday, now that he has adjusted his attitude a bit should be a no brainer IMO. Unless KW goes outside the organization for a CF or moves Ramirez to CF and plays Beckham at SS, BA behind Wise and/or Owens is just dumb. Agreed. Wise and Owens, are, at best, part of a platoon situation. Anderson could be an everyday CFer. The Sox shouldn't try to shoehorn Wise or Owens into the lineup just to find someone to hit leadoff. BA looks like he's putting it together this spring, just at the right time as Owens and Wise are showing their flaws. Think how much satisfaction it would be for both Anderson, and the Sox, to have him earn the CF job through putting in the extra work and displaying the right kind of attitude.

Brian Anderson does have some power, esp. for a CFer. Yet the sox don't need him for that. The sox need BA to hit .260+, with a .330+ OBP. If he can do that, the sox could live with a .440 SLG from him. Most people thought Kenny was trying to up Anderson's trade value when early in the offseason when he stated BA could hit 20 HR's and drive in 80. They might not be far off if he could play everyday say on a non-contending team, that could live with his struggles. IMO, those power numbers are less important than BA hitting for a decent avg. and getting on base with a decent OBP.

I don't see Edmonds being a fit. IMO, it all boils down to whether Getz [provided he's the starter] can hit and get on base enough to hit leadoff after a few months. The Sox are going to keep him hitting down in the order to start the year. But like the Twins did with Span, they switched him mid year after starting the year with Carlos Gomez. Having Getz hit .280 with a .350 OBP isn't that big of a stretch. If the sox have to make a move by the deadline for someone to play CF and hit leadoff, after all the options haven't panned out, some guys will be available as teams look to shed payroll. What I think will happen is the sox will be fine with Getz/ Alexei/ AJ in the top two spots in May or June, and Anderson will be playing the majority of time in CF hitting 8th.

QUOTE (lakervin @ Mar 14, 2009 -> 09:24 PM) i like alexei batting second in the order Welcome aboard It looks like the are trying Alexei #2. I haven't seen him bunt much or move runners over. We'll see how it goes. At least we know he's going to make contact.

At least for 2009, I see Alexei hitting leadoff vs LHP. He hit .312 with a .340 OBP in 2008 vs LHP. With Wise probably playing CF and hitting leadoff vs RHP, Alexei might be the next best option for the sox. They shouldn't put pressure on either Getz or Beckham by having them hit near the top of the order. Vs. RHP, I see Alexei hitting 6th.

I have no problem with Kenny talking about looking for leadoff type hitters. The Sox need guys who can hit for a high avg., get on base, and run. If the guys they draft can hit leadoff or #2, they can also hit near the bottom of the order. The sox don't have any sure fire stud leadoff type hitters in their system. Might as well look to add a few who could hit near the top of the order.