caulfield12

First place or bust!!! Win or Dye Trying!!! 2023 372 .253 44 94 11 49 132 41 .327obp

https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds/fg/mlb Angels White Sox Rockies Nationals combined add up to be about HALF the odds of the 26th place Marlins making the playoffs... https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48639562/mlb-2026-new-york-mets-april-month-misery-soto-lindor-mendoza-lowest-moments 25. Chicago White Sox (Last: 30)Weakness: Outfield As a group, Chicago’s outfielders rank 28th in the league in fWAR (-0.3), with the fifth-lowest slugging percentage (.341). None of the team's three most often-used outfielders—Andrew Benintendi, Luisangel Acuña and Tristan Peters—has been close to league average offensively. The trio has combined for five extra-base hits, and while Benintendi has four of them, he’s also been one of the game’s worst defenders over the last four years. Manager: CWill Venable deserves a lot of credit for the culture he’s established and his rapport with the young players. His in-game decisions, however, have left a lot to be desired this season. There’s very little consistency in the White Sox lineup, which seems more focused on handedness than actual statistics often, and his management of the bullpen has frequently raised questions. Other things like seemingly not knowing the pitcher’s spot was coming up in a winnable game against the Athletics, simply haven’t helped the White Sox win more games this season. I’m not all the way out on Venable yet, and I think he has some good qualities, but I expected more from a manager who was supposedly in tune with the analytics and well-respected around the league at the time of his hire. Venable is just a second-year manager, so he’ll be learning how to do his job alongside his young core, and mistakes are bound to happen. We’ll see if more success and better processes come with more experience. Southside ShowdownGrading the Chicago White Sox’s performance after first f...The first full month of the 2026 MLB season has come to an end, and it’s been a mixed bag for the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox currently sit at 14-17, in th

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/mlb-fan-snatched-home-run-150718218.html

"Getz got rotten lemons, and he crafted a lemonade-cider invention that is going to redefine the industry." WestEddy April 30th, 2026 Signature worthy. But shouldn't lemonade take slightly less than 2 3/4th's years to stir up? With Robert Burger and Crochet to trade?

Just like third place and three games under .500 May 1st now feels like Mardi Gras compared to 2022-2025.

Even the Pirates' ownership these days would at least be having some preliminary discussions to flesh out a potential range of agreement if Mune were there (also pursued Okamoto). (fwiw Skenes feels like a real long shot to extend until they demonstrate they can make the postseason first.)

Still, they need to shoot for better than 100 or essentially league average ceilings from 2B or LF.

Any evidence of attendance spikes from Wisconsin?

You'll next have to convince everyone the Sox are actually good enough to compete and might even have a realistic shot in the Central. But that's likely an argument for down the line. Sweeping the Angels at home does not a season make. Even the pessimists would expect 2/3 at home against the LAA. Beating up Soriano was the real surprise.

Long live Ricketts family members!!!

Next the arguments will be that no matter where the Sox are in the Central standings, they’re not nearly as good as Detroit or Cleveland. Even if you had a first place Sox team, like 2012 until the final home stretch with the Tigers, you’ll still be reduced to Don Quixote waging war with windmills.

More faith in Sandlin lol. Which isn't much.

90% of small and mid market GMs would have 86'ed Robert. Like congratulating Hahn for letting Rodon go for nothing but QOing Kimbrel, which led to Pollock which led to the crippling Benintendi deal. One mistake was quickly transformed into three...Sox still dealing with the repercussions. (And the talent level on the roster still decreased exchanging Robert for Acuna. Also likely Hicks Newcomb Sandlin Hays and Dominguez might not create much added value in the end, either. But time will tell.)

That's definitely ONE unique way to redefine the industry. I guess the Cardinals can reference the same with Walker, Angels with Adell, Rockies with Moniak, Guardians and Rays with basically all their players.... Demonstrating patience with prospects like Colson and Schultz surely can't be replicated anywhere else. If you look at all the SD numbers outside Machado, there's just no way they should be anywhere close to first place. And just imagine if they had held onto Gore Wood Abrams?...but GMing is hard. Or pulling the trigger on Mason Miller for de Vries. That took some stones. But no World Series appearance even. (But tons of revenue production/entertainment value.)

Bregman was his key mentor. Every scout in baseball would still take him over Mayer or Campbell.

Wrigley or old Tiger?

"Getz got rotten lemons, and he crafted a lemonade-cider invention that is going to redefine the industry." How so? Shouldn't multiple mlb teams now be offering to poach him from the Sox with almost three years of unassailable track record?

Roof means another $500-750 million in costs added. See Minnesota.

If they got swept by let's say the Yankees and were 12-21 or whatever instead of 3 games under .500, the "anti-panickans" would be in full flight mode. Ron would be esconced on PCA-idolizing sites. Even expressing objective/realistic/pragmatic comments simply means "you don't love the Sox unconditionally," whatever that means.

As of right now, Murakami is still not a part of the "championship window." The majority of Sox fans in Japan are already hesitating to book flights for Chicago this summer. And there still hasn't been an appreciable attendance bump. Boyer has been reduced to leveraging the Cubs/Imanaga/Seiya to boost tourism. Still no marketing/sponsorship conversions from Japan.

And the overall quality of the AL Central compared to the rest of MLB? KC and Minnesota? If taking a chance with Murakami is redefining the industry, then ok. If they pony up $300 million combined for Itoh and Sato, I'll certainly start to agree with your cheerleadery hyperbole.

For me, it was StL SDP Rays or the Braves with all their injuries still getting off to such a fast start. Ofc the Mets and Phillies imploding simultaneously have something to do with that as well. Carlos Mendoza likely the next manager to lose his job at 10-21. Stearns and Breslow on hot seats along with Dombrowski.

Couldn't quite fit the Guardians in at .500 despite the lowest payroll in baseball because that hardly constitutes a surprise any more.

6. Cincinnati RedsRecord: 19-11 Previous ranking: 6 The Reds are in first place in the NL Central with the division's fourth-best run differential (minus-5), a 7-0 record in one-run games and two qualified hitters (Sal Stewart, de la Cruz) with above-average production at the plate. Conventional wisdom screams that those facts indicate an unsustainable level of luck over the course of a 162-game season. But wins are wins, and the Reds are banking them early under manager Terry Francona with encouraging developments. Nationals 15-17, Abrams and Wood are stars. Marlins took 2/3 from LAD at Chavez Ravine.

StL Cardinals about to be 18-13 with a bottom 5 payroll. Congrats! Same goes for the Tampa Bay Rays...out to a surprising start behind Caminero, Simpson and lots of contact on offense. And finally, also to Paul DePodesta and the Rockies...for assembling the youngest pitching staff with the most elite velo across the sport...and adding three savvy veteran starters to stabilize it all. "The three worst teams in baseball (Mets, Phillies, Astros) carry top 12 payrolls -- with two of them in the top five. In aggregate, the record of the top 12 is 185-179, which means the average of the dozen biggest payrolls in baseball is ... an 82-win team. As far as labor talking points for the MLB Players Association go, there are far worse than: If money spent matters enough that the league is intent on pursuing a salary cap, why are so many of the most expensive teams so bad?" Jeff Passan, ESPN (And that doesn't account for the Blue Jays and SFG, either.)