caulfield12

Mazara is a lesser version of Eloy Jimenez, essentially. Much better throwing arm, but about 60% of the offensive firepower needed on a corner (typically). Of course, with the Sox, Robert's immense power can compensate to an extent for someone like a Leury Garcia or Adam Eaton or whoever we can name (DeAza, for example) that's not going to hit more than 12-15 dingers. The problem is that he has to at least put up a 775-825 OPS in a platoon to have value at that position because of his defensive limitations, overall.

How many of those teams would have been in the Top 3-5 of that particular conference? Hard to compare MLB and NBA playoff scenarios, amirite? 2006 team definitely qualifies if not for great Twins/Tigers' runs, 2008 made the last week, 2010 and 2012 teams would have made the NBA playoffs if we imposed those standards on MLB. Obviously 2012 was Ventura, but if Ozzie and Buehrle stayed...very easy to extrapolate those numbers out and project. That gives you 2005/2006/2008/2010/2012 (five playoff teams) and 2007, 2009, 2011 (Dunn's debacle season) missing. 5/8=62.5% You're also talking one of the most unlimited budget teams in the NBA, and most valuable franchises historically. Not exactly fair to compare to the Little Sisters of the Poor Chicago White Sox/Bill Veeck, almost relocated to Trop Dome team.

It's finally time for the Little Big League managing approach, hire from the Twins/Piranhas.

Personal favorite was Hostetler on Trout, hadn't seen that particular quote before...

I highly doubt Super Joe McEwing would do much better...but hey, why not? Id take Omar Vizquel back at this point. Justin Jirschele is the one everyone is pointing to internally.

https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/news/luis-robert-eloy-jimenez-homer-in-loss-to-cardinals Jimenez after G2 loss. “We’re going to fight.”

"That's just the game of baseball, folks." Predictably will be uttered post-game by RR. "Don't know what happened with the pen today, we have a lot of faith in our guys coming through, didn't get 'er done. Need to get on the road and bounce back quickly tomorrow." Oh, and we still haven't even faced their far and away BEST pitcher in Jack Flaherty, Giolito's high school teammate at Harvard Westlake.

2-2. The tide has completely reversed again. WHERE'S OUR VERY OWN NICHOLAS CASTELLANOS????????????????????????????????? Instead we get washed up and overpaid Parrot Guy, Grandal and Mazara Margarine...every ball just slides into open spaces in RF in patented Daniel Palka fashion.

So wonderful have the Sox scouts have been (choked out in distinctive Yoda voice) in identifying veteran players ONE YEAR LATE in their 30's instead of pulling the plug one year EARLY. Almost every single time, we're wrong. It's almost uncanny. And it makes you wonder when the next shoe to drop will be Dallas Keuchel...? Not even going to be happy the Cubs lost to the Brewers, as you can almost already pencil them into the playoffs, and surely that will be the case after going 4-2 or 5-1 against the White Sox. Seems we have to win at least one, right? But you just KNOW David Ross would love nothing more than to run over the White Sox like a runaway locomotive with no brakes. He's certainly taken notice of all the hype on the South Side and in the Chicago and even national media with Luis Robert early this year.

First plate appearance the White Sox have had with a RISP this entire game. Glad I slept through the first 2/3rd's of it. That's brutal. Ticketbuyers would have been issued refunds/rain checks in the Bill Veeck years after a shitty-ass performance for the one just witnessed.

Had Robert off balance and reaching, still poked it out to the warning track... "Wouldn't this be something if the Cardinals came out and swept the doubleheader after being out of action for 17 consecutive days..."??? Cards' announcers NOT wrong, that's a testament to their unity and Schildt's leadership of that team after they finally managed to jettison Matheny.

Rodon as the next Andrew Miller, NOT happening...

Technically, we're only one game behind the Cardinals if we were in the same division, but it feels like we are 5-10 GB at the current moment.

Robert just saved MORE runs there....that's a play maybe 15-20% of big leaguers make, and definitely not nearly as smoothly as he just managed to accomplish it.

Even Yermin, for god's sake...won't go as far as to count SEBY Zavala, but Collins represents yet one of many notable institutional failures, from draft/evaluation to development/progression. Carson Fulmer, Example B. At this rate, Cishek doesn't even make it through the year. Put a fork in him. They might give it a go of hiding him on the IL just to see if he can rediscover his magic touch, but it's unlikely to reverse itself in the middle of this short season.

Hahn has been RIGHT ONCE in the last 2-3 years. On James McCann. And then he signed Grandal and undid 50-75 of the good that McCann represented, such as catching all of Giolito's starts, for one example.

Absolutely zero chance right now at any of the Top 6...that team definitely would be Cleveland, now without Clevinger and Plesac. Logically the Indians would be the team to fall, but it's not going to be to the White Sox this year. And "banishing" those two guys to their training camp will probably end up reuniting the big league roster together in a way that actually works out better than anyone expected.

We're going to be lucky to finish 3rd ahead of the Tigers...it will be a real battle if DET brings up their top 3-4 prospects. And don't trade Trumbull and Boyd but attempt to compete on the fly.

Which teams desperately need McCann and/or Colome right now?

That's where the D-Backs are most assuredly NOT hitting him. At the rate things are currently going, Yonder Alonso's going to outhomer Mazara this season...

Wouldn't have been a homer in a phone booth... Yet again. Making every White Sox history looking like "Breaking Bad" version of Adam Engel when he's OPSing in the mid 500's and barely clinging on to MLB life and with a swing plane that looks awkwardly constructed with baling wire and duct tape.

Even then, Mazara was good for a homer every 8 games or so, at least. And Grandal suddenly has had one of the greatest power outages of any hitter to sign for $73 million, the biggest contract in team history. Meanwhile, we're giving our best catcher away and getting nothing in return unless we decide to convert this season into another "development" one of Let's Make a Deal with our big league roster again. Want a closer in Alex Colome, come on down!

And smokeless tobacco would certainly be banned on the field and in the clubhouse, an important step forward...

Whereas Nelson Cruz, or CJ Cron...or pretty much everyone the Twins have signed plays like they've had magic pixie dust sprinkled on their cleats.

What's most embarrassing is that they were staying in the comfort of their own homes....whereas the Cardinals had to fight through endless hours on Interstate 57 or 55 or whatever the one that connects StL and SW Chicago. They just want it more, that much is obvious. Cardinals always a well-managed organization, other than a dubious choice in favorite son Mike Matheny. Have come out and been the team that wasn't overmatched after 2 1/2 weeks off, timing-wise. "This has gone about as well as you could hope." Cards' announcers.