caulfield12

https://www.milb.com/gameday/mudcats-vs-das...ab=,game=506809 Collins with another walk, Barnum homered...Basabe sinking. http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?s...mp;ymd=20170520 Jordan Guerrero for the Barons, irrelevant Volstad start for Knights. That means following Booker (Iowa grad, along with Hickman), Fisher, Zavala and Adolfo becomes somewhat interesting compared to the rest of the action.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ May 20, 2017 -> 05:32 PM) You wanna protect the latter 3 from jinxes yet put our 2 most promising prospects and our second best hitter after Avi in the full jinx mode? Okay, Avi, Davidson, Yolmer, Leury, Kahnle. Who can we not jinx? Kevan Smith and Minaya? Swarzak won't be around long enough.

QUOTE (Scoots @ May 20, 2017 -> 05:25 PM) Why not do the whole Cuban Club??? Moncada, Abreu, Robert, Alexei, Viciedo, Minoso, Contreras, anyone I miss? El Duque for sure. Jose Canseco from 2001. Rodon's family is from Cuba.

The problem with that argument is Shark at least looked like a solid #3 guy on paper. The wheels were already coming off for Shields with that atrocious start prior to the deal and he looked like he was going to struggle as a 4/5 back end guy due to reduced velocity and movement/spin rate.

It better be Robert, Moncada and Abreu...protect Anderson, Rodon and Q from jinxes.

QUOTE (GermanSock @ May 20, 2017 -> 05:10 PM) Isn't there now a hard cap for international signing? I read articles that otani can't sign in mlb because teams now can't offer more than 5M. What can they give him 25 now? But anyway great signing no matter what the penalty is. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/sports/b...ajors.html?_r=0

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/231416474/lu...te-sox-rebuild/ Phil Rogers absolutely gushing...almost thought he would cry in that final 1/4th of the article. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/231405228/lu...te-sox-rebuild/ Merkin doing the same. Great day to be a Sox fan.

QUOTE (ypres @ May 20, 2017 -> 12:40 PM) Do the Sox have a year they're hypothetically going for it? And if so do they target prospects who project to be in the majors around that time? Or do they go for best prospect regardless of their level? If the Sox aim is 2020 do they target players in R or A league hoping they'll be in the Chicago by 2020/2021? If the Sox aim is 2019 do they target players in AA/AAA or even ML players under control for 5 years, or whatever, like what Eaton was? Or, is it just best player regardless of where they are? 2018, .500ish second half 2019, playoff contender but fall short (but could be similar to Cubs in 2015) 2020 should be expected to compete for playoffs and wild card from get go Tanaka has a mid 6's era now and Pomeranz is close to 5 for a Boston, Porcello also scuffling...David Price struggled mightily in first rehab start.

QUOTE (2005thxfrthmmrs @ May 20, 2017 -> 04:42 PM) If Giolito, Collins and Fulmer were having great seasons there is a strong case for #1. But they aren't so I'd say around top 5. Collins' average is down, but the walks, OPS and especially defensive accolades to stick at catcher lift him overall. Dunning flew up the rankings but has hit a wall now. Nevertheless, his stock has risen. Fulmer was already out of the Top 100 and if not for that rough last start would be a sub 3 ERA guy. We could also argue that Hansen's rise has balanced any descent from Giolito. Moncada has answered most of the doubts from the end of last year and is consensus #1.

http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-white-so...ion-luis-robert Can anyone get that video? One of the coolest parts of this entire story is how the White Sox and their fans treated Minnie Minoso all those years...led to Abreu and now to Robert. Not the financial investment in guys like Skowron, Pierce and Minoso, but the emotional one. It's one thing you can never fault Reinsdorf for as an owner, that sense of loyalty that also has played out with his coaching staff through the years which is littered with predominantly ex-Sox connections.

Seems 50/50 between DSL (tax reasons) and Kanny. They better send down Hector Santiago's bro to watch after him (and start teaching him English) if he stays in the Dominican this summer.

Badler/BA. This will gnaw at Fathom, but all the scouts rave about his hand speed so it seems correctable, compared to guys like Beckham and Viciedo who struggled with this. While Robert has consistently performed at a high level, one of his biggest risk factors is his tendency to swing-and-miss. Robert isn’t a free-swinger, though at international tournaments and in Cuba, he has shown a vulnerability toward chasing fastballs above the strike zone, swinging through even below-average velocity. He’s also expanded the strike zone against breaking balls off the plate, though at other times he’s been able to lay off those pitches. He’s at his best when he stays through the ball and uses right-center field, though he’s often pull-oriented and tries to hook too many pitches on the outer third rather than driving them the opposite way. Robert moves well for his size and came up through the Cuban junior leagues as a center fielder, though when he got to Ciego de Avila’s top team in Serie Nacional, he mostly played left field. When Robert was in Cuba, he clocked at 4.2 to 4.25 seconds from home to first at his best, which indicates 55 to 60 speed on the 20-80 scale. Since arriving in the Dominican Republic, multiple scouts said he has run the 60-yard dash in times that indicate he may have significantly increased his speed. He should develop in the minor leagues as a center fielder with a chance to stay there, though he has the power and offensive upside to move to a corner if necessary. Read more at http://www.baseballamerica.com/internation...PYQL4SbtFLEM.99

Might as well trade Q for Jimenez and Happ. Except they would probably offer Jimenez, Clifton (AA) and Schwarber instead at this point. And Cubs' fans would still be pissed, while Sox fans would argue we got robbed. #1 with a bullet!!!

Can we follow up on why Jesse SANCHEZ is reporting he might start in the Dominican Summer League for "tax purposes"?

http://gatewayredbirds.com/forum/viewtopic...20&start=80 Read pages 6-9 to get a chuckle out of Cardinals' fans being angry the White Sox beat them with a lower bid. That city has an inferiority complex despite Cardinal Nation and years of NL Championship baseball. From scout.com/The Cardinal Nation The Cardinals have a billion dollar TV contract coming in. Saying the team could better use the money elsewhere is just asinine. You add a 19-year old with superstar talent and lose nothing but some money in a league with no salary cap or restrictions. If you can buy talent, go buy talent. You want to know how the Yankees compiled 27 championships, they bought talent. From Ruth to DiMaggio to Mickey Mantle to Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams. Teams who win scout, develop and sign talent. That is why the league has continued to play with the draft and international rules to attempt to balance competition. Two points: Teams will be tiered based on market size. The top tier has $5.75 million bonus pool. Teams can trade for up to 75% more of their allotted bonus pool. Given the failure rates of even Cuban prospects, it probably would have made more sense to outbid the Padres and Braves for some of their prospects in the most recent signing period. The Cardinals spent approximately $22 million (with taxes) on their entire international class. Robert alone was more than everyone they acquired. Meanwhile, the Braves spent approximately $40 million and the Padres spent approximately $80 million. The Cardinals would have been better off going after some of those top talents earlier in the process before they finalized agreements with those teams (Kevin Maitan's deal with the Braves was reported a full year before the current signing period started, the Cardinals tried unsuccessfully to outbid Atlanta once they decided to go over, which was evidently after Maitan's deal had already been reached).

QUOTE (PolishPrince34 @ May 20, 2017 -> 02:05 PM) I know it's early, but losing status will haunt us. Big mistake giving him up in the Shields deal If he is able to stick at 3b, yeah, a bit. (He has already made 13 errors at SS, but that's typical for the low minors, see Jeter in Greensboro, 1993) Tatis was autocorrected to status, haha. If we don't get a Tatis replacement out of Robertson, Frazier, Nate Jones, Swarzak, Holland, etc., it will be pretty surprising. 3b might be the weakest individual position in the system now that Collins is slotted at catcher.

Wouldn't be shocked if they did sign another Cuban to pair him with in Kanny. Then he comes up together with Adolfo, Hansen, Basabe....should be ready at some point in mid to late 2019, but that might be conservative. Just behind Dunning and Collins. That's assuming he plays at least half the minor league season and potentially AFL this year. Might have to wait for 2018 AFL, we'll see.

He promised better care, cheaper and covering everyone (at least those already with the ACA). Then he realized it was much more complicated to do so than he previously thought.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ May 20, 2017 -> 09:26 AM) Gallo does not have more value than Odor. Rising in value compared to a year ago. Probably toss up with Mazara and Odor at this point. Gallo clearly third for now.

Yankees have to interested again with Tanaka seemingly falling apart.

https://mobile.twitter.com/neal0220/status/...9806336/photo/1

Why at Ben BadLAR? More hoaxes? 4 followers? What?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0223-story.html He can't sign with White Sox as Buerhle's #56 will be retired soon.

https://mobile.twitter.com/dgoold/status/865962436486189056 Cardinals' beat writer Derrick Goold seems to have no clue or hint

Also surprised this guy hasn't been interviewed recently on Robert. http://www.bjarkman.com