caulfield12

Did you by any chance catch Plandemic?

https://theathletic.com/1968050/2020/08/02/luis-robert-goes-to-the-top-of-the-order-for-white-sox-and-looks-right-at-home/?source=dailyemail

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/white-sox/white-sox-talk-podcast-nick-madrigals-college-coach-says-guy-going-be-superstar Well worth another listen... After the White Sox drafted Oregon State's Nick Madrigal in the first round Monday night, we called up Pat Casey, Madrigal's head coach at Oregon State, who came on the podcast and raved about the newest star of the White Sox rebuild. Casey spoke about why Madrigal is the only sole captain he's ever had on his team, why his 5-foot-8 frame doesn't matter and where he thinks Madrigal is actually better than Dustin Pedroia. He also talks about Madrigal's hitting, defense and if he can play shortstop in the big leagues. Finally, he told the story of how he offered Madrigal a scholarship to Oregon State when he was in eighth grade. It's all below — and at this link — on the latest edition of the White Sox Talk Podcast. 2007 Red Sox 139 581 8 86 50 7 8.1% 7.2% .125 .333 .317 .380 .442 .364 117 0.0 12.8 5.3 3.7 2008 Red Sox 157 726 17 118 83 20 6.9% 7.2% .167 .331 .326 .376 .493 .377 127 2.3 26.4 12.1 6.4 2009 Red Sox 154 714 15 115 72 20 10.4% 6.3% .152 .297 .296 .371 .447 .359 112 0.6 11.1 10.7 4.7 2010 Red Sox 75 351 12 53 41 9 10.5% 10.8% .205 .291 .288 .367 .493 .373 128 1.6 13.3 5.5 3.2 2011 Red Sox 159 731 21 102 91 26 11.8% 11.6% .167 .325 .307 .387 .474 .375 133 2.1 30.0 20.5 7.9 2012 Red Sox 141 623 15 81 65 20 7.7% 9.6% .160 .300 .290 .347 .449 .344 114 0.1 10.1 10.1 4.3 2013 Red Sox 160 724 9 91 84 17 10.1% 10.4% .114 .326 .301 .372 .415 .347 114 -0.7 11.1 10.4 4.9 2014 Red Sox 135 609 7 72 53 6 8.4% 12.3% .098 .307 .278 .337 .376 .318 98 -1.0 -2.2 17.7 3.8 2015 Red Sox 93 425 12 46 42 2 8.9% 12.0% .150 .308 .291 .356 .441 .347 117 -0.9 7.3 0.6 2.3 2016 Red Sox 154 698 15 105 74 7 8.7% 10.5% .131 .339 .318 .376 .449 .358 121 -4.3 13.2 11.1 4.9

He's pretty much average around a 2 fWAR for his big league career. Just the last three seasons, it's 7.3, so closer to 2.4. How easy is it going to be for Jimenez to break 3 with his woeful defense?

https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/batvspitch/_/id/30041/teamId/4 Sox hitters 5/31 lifetime against Anderson with ZERO extra base hits Woodruff and Houser, while both throw 94-97 and Woodruff occasionally in upper 90's, are much better match-ups in Games 2/3. Anderson hasn't pitched yet this season, so should limit his pitch count to the 60-75 range, hopefully.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Virus-success-story-Vietnam-braces-for-new-wave-of-COVID-19 https://www.businessinsider.com/vietnam-coronavirus-spike-new-strain-3-times-more-infectious-2020-8 Vietnam says the new strain of coronavirus behind its recent spike in cases is three times more infectious. Each patient has been found to infect between five and six people on average, compared to a rate of 1.8 to 2.2 infections per patient as seen before, health minister Nguyen Thanh Long said Sunday. The strain is new to Vietnam, but has been seen in the British Isles and Bangladesh before. The latest outbreak, first found in Da Nang on July 25, ended the country's 99-day streak of no new cases. Two hundred new cases have been found since, along with all six of the country's deaths. Vietnam has previously admitted that its health system could not cope with a mass outbreak.

Brett Anderson, Brandon Woodruff and Adrian Houser for the Brewers. Woodruff and Houser are classic power pitchers, so we should do quite well with them, hopefully. Rodon/Giolito/Keuchel for the White Sox.

See Brady Aiken, Tyler Kolek and Carlos Rodon...or Gordon Beckham's draft class.

Trying to figure out how to go back to school in less than 2 weeks with roughly 40% of our teaching staff unable to return to China until at least 2-3 weeks into the new semester...and, even then, still lost 13-14 teachers, 4 waiting to return and 16 back, 3 new hires, it's going to be incredibly crazy/hectic/chaotic/disorganized. AT BEST. With pictures of the social distancing rooms, it would double the number of classes we need to cover or students could only be in school half-time, which parents will definitely balk at since no cases here over the last couple of months. Even when to first movie in theatre since January, JoJo Rabbit, 1917 is coming out Friday and "Deadshot" (whatever the film with Vin Diesel where he comes back as AI-enhanced robo-soldier) is another top choice, lol. They're even re-showing Interstellar.

No signs Trump has pandemic plan despite chilling warnings from administration's top doctors Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN Updated 12:12 AM ET, Mon August 3, 2020 (CNN)Donald Trump's top government experts now say that the pandemic is entering a new phase as it invades the rural heartland -- and they can't say how long it will last. With millions of kids nowhere near going back to school and the economy reeling from a 32.9% annualized contraction in the second quarter, the months ahead are stretching into what looks like an endless crisis as Trump tweets "Make America Great Again" and spends his weekends on the golf course. Top administration officials in recent days have repeatedly delivered information and warnings that directly contradict Trump's upbeat messaging on Friday on the virus: "We'll get rid of it, we'll beat it, and it will be soon." Amid this grim outlook, the administration and Capitol Hill Democrats are deadlocked on a plan to extend federal unemployment payments to millions of Americans who lost their jobs in lockdowns. Dr. Deborah Birx delivered a series of stunning warnings on CNN's "State of the Union" five months into a pandemic that the President once said posed no threat to Americans but has now killed more than 150,000 of them. "What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It's into the rural as equal urban areas," Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, told CNN's Dana Bash. Birx even suggested that some Americans in multi-generational families should start wearing masks in their home and assume that they already have the disease. She did not reject a warning by former Federal Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb that there could be 300,000 coronavirus deaths by the end of the year, saying, "Anything is possible." "To everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus," Birx said. Her comments came after her colleague, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told a House committee on Friday it was "unclear" how long the crisis will last. But the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Americans to brace for an average of 1,000 deaths a day for the next 30 days.

The Angels have gone from AL playoff favorite to on the outside looking in now with Trout/Ohtani situations. Pretty cursed organization the last decade. Of course, the Mariners/Marlins/Padres/White Sox take the cake in that regard.

White Sox fans will definitely argue Jimenez over Rosario, but it's not even close on fWAR. Rosario's a better all-around player, for sure, but Jimenez is going to end up the much more impactful hitter. Donaldson's a HoF 3B, in all probability, and 90% of Twins' fans would pick him over Moncada, but arguably only for 2020 (at most) and not beyond.

Probably because it's 140 p.m. Monday afternoon in Wuhan, China, lol...

The Twins and White Sox line-ups aren't that far apart anymore. If you can run out a Max Kepler or Nomar Mazara at #8, or Madrigal at #9, that's a STOUT line-up. Donaldson <<< Moncada Polanco === Anderson (both need to have repeats to prove success wasn't fluky) Arraez >>> Madrigal (at least for now) Sano === Abreu Garver <<< Grandal/McCann (don't believe he can repeat his monster 2019) Rosario === Jimenez Buxton <<< Robert Kepler >>> whoever we have in RF N. Cruz >>> EE Of course, then you have to factor in Vaughn/Kopech. Eventually, Minnesota will have Lewis, Kiriloff and Fathom's favorite Trevor Larnach. Buxton and Berrios will be gone after 2022 season...then the division shifts completely towards CHW, DET, KCR

Cardinals/MLB aren't going to update until tmrw. ONE encouraging piece of news is the possibility of some false positives. MILWAUKEE — With another confirmed positive test Saturday for a player, additional inconclusive tests pending, and an increasing understanding of the virus’ spread through their roster, the Cardinals did more than separate and isolate for an entire weekend in Milwaukee. They removed themselves from baseball’s schedule. The entirety of their series against the Brewers, including Sunday’s doubleheader, was officially postponed Saturday, and the Cardinals are taking a pause from games to put distance between them and the positive tests, reassess, and rewrite their schedule for the next week. The team intends to travel to Detroit on Monday and play a four-game series against the Tigers, all at Comerica Park, instead of split between Motown and St. Louis. A sense of “anxiety” persists within the team, but the altered schedule and more rounds of tests give them direction. I think the No. 1 priority is the safety of the players and the personnel on the club, and to that extent we have been taking every step necessary,” chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. “This is a new experience for us all, and we are learning what to do, what protocols to follow to mitigate the risk. Given the current situation, I think we can provide the necessary precaution and by taking a moment, stepping back, and then we can be confident we’ll be able to continue play.” As of Saturday evening and their latest round of test results, the Cardinals have four members of the 58-person traveling party who are confirmed positive for COVID-19: three players and one staff member. That includes the two players who learned of their positive tests Thursday and were sent back to their St. Louis-area homes, via car, to separate them from the team. Another player and three members of the traveling staff have inconclusive tests that required another round of exams Saturday. The team expects to have those results by Sunday. stltoday.com/sports

The last time the Sox had this kind of power top to bottom in a line-up was the 2000 team, but 2000, 2002-2005 and 2006.

So basically he's going to be worse than Carlos Sanchez and Avisail Garcia. Amazing prediction based on the first two games of his big league career.

It's not wrong at all, if you're solely measuring by WAR, you might take offense. Besides defense and baserunning, he's going to be like a captain on the field, along with Timmy Anderson. He's instantly our brightest baseball PLAYER before the first week of the season is over, and that's going to rub off on the rest of his teammates. Battling in his at-bats and not striking out. Always knowing the situation, where to throw the ball, correct fundamentals....imagining the potential players before they even happen. Otherwise, without players like that, we're just a collection of really talented players throw together, but he's going to be the glue that holds everything together. He has been a winner/around winning organizations (like Oregon State and Team USA) every since his middle teens. Best bunter and situational hitter. Capable of getting 15-25 steals per season, roughly, mostly through getting great reads/breaks on the pitchers. Not all of these can easily be captured by traditional metrics, but they will be measured in wins and losses just as accurately as analytics. 163 628 101 194 34 5 4 71 43 19 51 21 16 2 8 2 14 .309 .371 .398 .769 Those are his minor league totals...in 2021, 25-30 doubles, 4-6 triples, 3-5 homers....everything but the 43 stolen bases are realistic projections. As long as he's in the 725-775 OPS range, he'll be an above average major league player for all the reasons I listed above.

I know some are down on Madrigal, just like the year of his draft when he didn't destroy the minors that first half season, but you're talking a Carlos Sanchez ceiling at only a 2ish fWAR per season. That's setting the bar intentionally low IMO.

Just keep the games with the Tigers (no Mize recall please), Royals and Pirates coming on that schedule. And we've accomplished this without Mazara in the line-up and Jimenez/Anderson missing a few games as well. Rodon/Giolito/Keuchel the next three up against the Brewers, who are missing Cain and have Yelich struggling mightily out of the gate.

Well, the bar is set pretty darned low with both Bevington and Ventura over the last 30 years. Manuel was more known for his off the field non-violent pacifism than his managerial process...basically, his ability to work with and manage younger players. But he was hardly considered a "baseball savant." Torborg and Ozzie (2004-2010) were the best that I remember clearly. Obviously, LaRussa/Leyland/Francona are/were the three that got away.

The Reds earlier had the 3 players with symptoms, so Votto isn't or at least shouldn't be a surprise. We're getting a real-time case study in how contact tracing was SUPPOSED to work, but imagine expanding it to 320+ million people, or, in the case of China, 1.3-1.5 billion, give or take a few hundred million. This thing is a monster, and it's not easily going away, even in the places MOST experienced in dealing with Covid as well as SARs. Hong Kong to prioritise new round of Covid-19 testing as Chinese experts arrive to help Teams from across the border will help local authorities carry out wider screening and construct a makeshift hospital. Assistance comes as city reports 115 new cases and another two deaths.

As with Giolito, let's just enjoy the success of one game without worrying too much about the next one. He's been the best hitter in his class ever since the last two years of high school/Team USA, the best pure college hitter at Oregon State, he's a smart hitter and will make the adjustments he needs to. He's the last player I'm really worried about of the young core going forward.

50 runs through 9 games. 53 was MLB lead coming into today (Braves/Padres.) 5.6 per game.

Was really expecting Madrigal to dive for the bag, but getting crushed by Perez in that situation would have been idiotic.