caulfield12

At this point, Beltran and Bruce are probably the best options for DH (and wouldn't require giving up prospects in the Top 60-75)...meaning Carson Fulmer would be off the table. Bruce shouldn't be out in the field anymore, but that's fine as long as Austin Jackson comes back after the ASB and is close to 100%. There's an option for 2017, so they could decide over the next 3 months if they wanted to exercise it. Another pitcher Hahn should have targeted, and is in the last year of his contract...Jeremy Hellickson of the Phillies. That would have been the much smarter move than James Shields, IMO. Of course, one of the reasons Shields was brought on board was uncertainty about filling out the rotation in 2017 and 2018 (beyond Fulmer and Hansen), and the upcoming weak free agent class.

At this point, Beltran and Bruce are probably the best options for DH (and wouldn't require giving up prospects in the Top 60-75)...meaning Carson Fulmer would be off the table. Bruce shouldn't be out in the field anymore, but that's fine as long as Austin Jackson comes back after the ASB and is close to 100%. There's an option for 2017, so they could decide over the next 3 months if they wanted to exercise it. Another pitcher Hahn should have targeted, and is in the last year of his contract...Jeremy Hellickson of the Phillies. That would have been the much smarter move than James Shields, IMO. Of course, one of the reasons Shields was brought on board was uncertainty about filling out the rotation in 2017 and 2018 (beyond Fulmer and Hansen), and the upcoming weak free agent class.

Don't forget about the Branster. That was simply an incredible episode...especially everyone pledging their loyalty and the title song starting to kick in there at the end...reminded me of some of the best elements of Gladiator, gets your blood flowing and emotions going. What will Sansa do? Will she be content to take a role in the shadows or see the spotlight? Will we get a water/naval battle before they reach Westeros with the King of the Iron Islands? Would it even be plausible those forces would stand a chance, with any strategy on the water completely nullified by the dragons lighting all their ships afire? Will Jamie and Lady Brienne reconnect? Where do Clegane and Arya fit into all of this? Will the Red Witch be seen again (and in what capacity?)...you could tell Jon didn't have the heart to hang the woman who brought him back from the dead. Hard to imagine she would ever align against him at any point in the future. Is the next military battle for what's left of the Frey legacy, or does it simply crumble quietly aside in terms of the overall story? Next, do Jon and Danaerys unite and turn north against the White Walkers or take out King's Landing/Casterly Rock first? Will Jaimie stay on as military commander...? Will he mercifully put Cersei down or will she live on to see the great battle? Will someone from the House of Dorne or Lady Tyrell be the one to end her life? Suicide? Will Jamie end up in the presumed endgame fighting with Jon/Danaerys and Lady Brienne in that massive battle against the White Walkers?

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jun 26, 2016 -> 09:29 PM) I'm not sure it happens, but wouldn't it be fun for the Sox to just live with Collins defense next year and add him and a guy like Encarncion to DH. That lineup would have so much firepower. Anderson SS Eaton RF Abreu 1B Encarnacion DH Collins C Frazier 3B Cabrera LF Lawrie 2B Jackson/May/Engel? CF The potential of that is scary Considering his age, but also past production (which is no guarantee of future production for 30+ players)....what contract would you offer Encarnacion that would be enticing enough for him to leave Toronto (I'm assuming they will end up keeping 1 of him or Bautista, but not losing both).

When's the last time a collegiate catcher jumped from the draft to the majors the following season? Just curious. Charles Johnson with the Marlins, maybe? I think he also played at Univ of Miami if I recall correctly. I think it would be mistake, though, primarily because all of the mental aspects of catching are going to have a completely negative effect on his hitting if he's just totally overwhelmed. Do you really want to take a college catcher whose future position isn't even 100% clear yet and throw him into the fire of another "all in" season? You seemingly owe him the rest of this season, the entire offseason, spring training and probably 2-3 months next year in the minors. Of course, if he just completely lights up Winston-Salem and then Birmingham in August, you can THINK about giving him some more tutoring/mentoring time in Chicago in September. That would be invaluable for him. Then probably the Arizona Fall League as well. It might almost make just as much sense to have him be the DH for the Sox next year...if they're really hoping to rush to Chicago in 2017. Of course, the obvious problem there is you've wasted a year of development time in terms of honing his catching craft. Not an easy position to be in. Someone like Wilson Ramos will get a HUGE contract because of the dearth of catching on the market...perhaps the same with Matt Wieters if he can stay healthy this year.

I suppose we can't completely discount the possibility of riding Avila's currently hot bat for awhile at DH...the problem is that forces Navarro into the line-up too. If you catch Avila, you'll probably wear down his offensive ability over time. Catch Navarro, the defense/pitch-framing/throwing sucks.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/stats/batting/...eveland-indians The Indians currently have 3 regulars over an 800 OPS. The key difference is in that 750-800 OPS range, which is where the majority of the team sit. http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/stats/batting/...S/texas-rangers The Rangers also have 3, not including Choo, who has been injured, and role players. Can also see that grouping of 750-800, minus the struggles from Fielder and Moreland to a lesser extent.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jun 26, 2016 -> 05:46 PM) Tor 41-36 -- KC 39-35 0.5 Hou 39-37 1.5 Sea 38-38 2.5 Sox 38-38 2.5 Det 38-38 2.5 NY 37-37 2.5 This week: Blue Jays - 3 at Col, 4 vs Cle Royals - 2 vs StL, 2 at StL, 3 at Phi Astros - 3 at LAA, 3 vs Chi Mariners - 2 vs Pit, 4 vs Bal White Sox - 3 vs Min, 3 at Hou Tigers - 2 vs Mia, 4 at TB Yankees - 4 vs Tex, 3 at SD Need NL teams to help us out, and the Sox to win 5 games this week. 5 of 6 with Sale only starting one of those games is really pushing it. Would just be happy with 4-2, with 3-3 the most likely scenario.

A/A+ based on the position he was thrust into...to be the spark of the offense as a rookie, AND hitting leadoff, AND playing the most important position on the field other than catcher B+/A- based on actual performance, defense a lot better than advertised but the walks and inability (so far) to adjust to breaking balls and pitches out of the zone are the only significant concerns at the moment

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 26, 2016 -> 05:31 PM) Someone posted an article in another thread showing that he has changed his swing. He now swings with more of an upper cut. This would cause the increased pop up rate and decreased line drives. I still think there is something about Comiskey that gets these guys to try to lift everything for a HR and really messes with them. Yeah, the Washington Post had a detailed article about it maybe 2-3 weeks ago. Can't remember where I posted it now. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-s...en-a-nose-dive/ Here it is again.

QUOTE (soxforlife05 @ Jun 26, 2016 -> 05:33 PM) That was a big part of the reason why I was ok with trading Trayce for Frazier in the offseason. Late season callup who likely wasn't paid attention to much by scouts until the very end of the season. He's been a little better than advertised this season, but I think it would be a stretch to expect him to outperform his AAA numbers unless he miraculously figures things out. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/pro...Trayce-Thompson A 748 career minor league OPS and those K numbers over an extended number of minor league seasons...pretty doubtful you'd find many historical examples of someone out OPSing their MILB totals by 150 basis points, although that's what has happened for roughly one half of a full MLB season now. Jose Iglesias did it with DET for one year, but has since returned back to earth.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 26, 2016 -> 05:26 PM) Hecor Santiago 5,27 ERA and loves to give up the long ball, not a good match with the White Sox. A genius Hahn trade. You can read the current Paul Sullivan article at the Chicago Tribune and write in a letter to the editor to defend his true "genuis" if you like. In some ways, they were fortunate to have acquired Jackson, because we never would have found out Eaton is one of the top 3 RFers in baseball without that move. I think most everyone has been shocked by how good his throwing arm plays from there, as compared to center.

They were just talking about it on the Astros' broadcast, about how Tyler White was Rookie of the Month in April and then the rest of the league adjusted and he couldn't adjust back. The book on Anderson is quickly becoming he can hit a fastball...but surely he will start seeing a steady diet of breaking pitches, even when ahead in the count. We're also seeing that readjustment period with Trayce...the pattern (twice now) has been a white hot month, followed by a 500ish OPS. Extremely streaky.

The problem with the WC equation now is the Astros...they are on a 22-9 run right now, and have a plentiful minor league system to draw from to make more moves at the deadline. So that leaves Boston/Balt/Toronto/NYY...KC/DET/CHW...and then the Astros and Mariners fighting for two spots. It certainly doesn't feel like we have a 2/8 chance of making it right now, more like 1/2 that, maybe 12.5%. With Cleveland playing the Braves, the division lead is likely to widen even further this week. Theoretically, we should take 2/3 from the Twins, but then we've got the Astros. Royals and Cardinals play 2 and 2, home and away.

What are you willing to give up for Reddick and Vogt? That's putting a lot of eggs in one basket, but at least it's a direction....not just standing pat. If Hahn wants to save his job, he's going to have to argue for a move like that or there's no way they're going to compete for a wild card spot.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jun 26, 2016 -> 09:34 AM) Why do we have such s*** luck with these farm boys? If Adam Dunn could've consistently hit .240, he'd have been great. Frazier has 21 bombs which is awesome, but hitting .199 is unacceptable. It just feels like the Sox are snake bitten lately. No one needs Todd to hit .320, but .199? Dammit what the f***!! Joe Crede and Mark Buehrle were farm boys, as well. So was Jim Thome. Don't think that's the common thread, unless we want to start arguing Mike Trout came from a farm, too.

Yeah, Anderson still doesn't have a walk but has a pretty decent OPS considering all of it is coming from BA and XBH. Chris Devenski has a 2.26 ERA for the suddenly white-hot Astros, now pitching out of their pen. He would definitely be a help to the current Sox struggles in middle relief. Don Cooper also doesn't get much credit for Hector Santiago (ironically, gave up Semien's 14th homer today as I was writing), but he was one of his biggest advocates in the beginning, particularly about being a successful starter at the MLB level. But yeah, it has been a long time since the days of Reed/Santos/Nate Jones or even Marte/Thornton/Jenks. 2012 was the last season IMO that Cooper was a really good pitching coach (especially the pen that year), extracting the most from all of those rookie pitchers. Addison Reed, somewhat surprisingly after AZ, has become a mainstay and 8th inning set-up guy for the Mets.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/colum...625-column.html Paul Sullivan one of the first local Chicago media members to turn the accusing finger at Hahn.

Independence Day wasn't quite terrible, would put it in Batman vs. Superman territory. Really missed Will Smith and Randy Quaid, the younger actors were capable but nothing really stood out. Obviously, it was mostly about the special effects/CGI we've seen about 50 times now in disaster movies, going back to the original ID in the 90's. Nice to see Jeff Boldblum and Judd Hirsch again. And that damn spaceship was so out of scale huge that it just was TOO much.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 25, 2016 -> 08:27 PM) This is Bogelite investing 101. I agree with it to a degree, but I disagree about not being able to win via individual stocks. While I wouldn't put all my money on one, I've done really well picking safe bargain plays over the years with a high number of individual stocks. I've missed on some that I never bought because their fundamentals didn't add up too me, but it's not like I lost money since I never bought them. I've lost on a few, don't get me wrong, but I've made far more than I've lost. I also know what I'm doing, and that being said, I'm not an insider...I just didn't chase the million dollar dream when I was fine with making thousands. And that's the mistake most make...they chase dreams and turn investing into gambling. I think another mistake people in their 20's and 30's make it thinking they HAVE to discover the "next big thing," some tech company in Silicon Valley that's going to change the world and the way in which we live. Like Theranos, although that's obviously a privately-held one. Instead, it would have been easier just to have picked a blue chip company like Johnson & Johnson that manufactures products everyone understands (another Buffet idea, don't invest in something you can't explain in one minute or less) and has had a great rate of return for the last 20-25 years or so.

Haha...well, I'm not even sure how to feel about it. On one hand, we were hoping against hope that Trayce would prove immune somehow to being dragged back into alignment with his minor league numbers...that, just magically, something had clicked and he'd taken his game to the next level. If the White Sox could have produced an All-Star position player, even with another team in another league, it would almost have been heartening. It would have sucked, too, knowing another team was enjoying the benefit of his cheap, cost-controlled services, but it would have been a huge positive sign for the farm system, some type of indicator things were "ticking" up. Obviously, Hahn wasn't GM when Trayce was picked, it was part of a KW drafting athletic trend (Mitchell/Walker, Mike Jacobs from th Red Sox, etc.) Montas out another 4-8 weeks after missing three months (February-April)...PTAC alarmed http://www.truebluela.com/2016/6/24/120265...odgers-4-8-weks

And ultimately, the problem lies with the timing. Market's not developed yet, and we've got three teams ahead of us in the standings all equally or more motivated to make moves to improve themselves, the Royals in particular with their starting pitching at the back end (easier fix than an 800+ OPS hitter or a solid 7th/8th inning set-up guy). That doesn't even count Boston, Toronto, NY Yankees, Baltimore, the Rangers (need starting pitching with Colby Lewis out and two other pitchers with uncertain status, including Darvish) and Mariners and POSSIBLY the Angels, although we're close to the point where they can be called "dead in the water" with all their issues. If it's NOT the Rangers or the Red Sox, the Astros might be the best team in the AL right now and they're also looking to improve their weaknesses. Finally, Tim Lincecum, two days ago, went 3 IP, 7 hits, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's and took a loss against the A's (high pitch count victim). Marcus Semien hit his 13th homer for the winning side and is hovering around the batting average we expected out of Todd Frazier in the AL.

Thompson has finally fallen below the mythical 800 OPS number this year, and his average is nearing the .230's. Career OPS still of 839, but the real Trayce is returning, PROBABLY. Plus with Puig back from DL/Pederson/Van Slyke/Hernandez/Venable and eventually Ethier...he's going to fall back to a bench/PH/spot starter role. And, according to DA, Montas broke some more ribs/had a setback.

In terms of winning on individual stocks vs. insiders/institutional investors, there's no way Joe the Plumber can win. It's like Las Vegas or Macau. If we're talking about no-load mutual funds, like Vanguard/Oakmark/Legg Mason/Fidelity, etc., that's fine. Simple rules, 100 minus your age should be in stocks/mutual funds/equities, the rest in bonds. No more than 10% of your money in any one stock/company. Hedge your investments with a small amount of gold/precious metals. No more than 25-30% (tops) going into real estate/mortgage. Living here in China, there's no way in hell I would trust Alibaba, Baidu or any of the SOE's in terms of their numbers...no numbers can be trusted by banks, the government or individual companies. I invested in 500 shares of Tencent and 300 into Taiwan Semiconductor, but that's it, having lived here five years. Everything else is in a basket of mutual funds and individual companies that pay higher dividends, like phone/utility and energy companies...with some gold (Gold Line is a total ripoff, that's one company my father got tricked by) coins, stamps, baseball cards, but mostly in mutual funds (75%) and 25% in individual stocks through Edward Jones (I make all the trades, never have let them buy a single thing, I make all the stock picking and selling decisions).

It's almost an exact "Interstellar" ending moment... May 6th, White Sox 23-10 and up 6-7-8 games on the Indians, Royals and Tigers. Here we are, six weeks later, everything's inverted (maybe upside down Inception influence, too)....Cleveland up 5-6-7 on the Royals, Tigers and White Sox. 13 games lost in the standings. Almost the exact same as the 2005 White Sox in August/Sept 2005, except those White Sox were still above .500 and the Indians were just on an ungodly tear of almost .800 baseball. Royals have to trade for another 4th starter or they're toast. Chris Young is simply killing them. Volquez was rocked the night before. Tigers also can't afford to stand pat while waiting for JD Martinez to return.