caulfield12

Weird to see Dodgers, Nationals, Cubs and Yankees on the wrong side of the cut line.

Mostly deck chairs on the Titanic. Maybe J. Gomez instead of Infante...but they went with Infante twice now. I think Giolito and Fulmer both get at least 3-5 more starts before getting sent down unless they continue to absolutely get blasted like last night. Fulmer might as well go right into the pen this year if they pull the plug on him starting. Santiago gets first shot at starting, then Volstad. Start Thompson pretty much every day and send Engel down. Cordell’s injury limits options here, and Charlotte is filled with corner of/1B/DH guys, unfortunately. Leury going back to starting everyday in CF feels unlikely with no backup infielder now that Saladino’s gone. Not close to ready (yet) to see 300+ Skole or Palka at-bats in RF. Not sure what to do with Avi besides moving him down in the lineup. Theoretically, he was supposed to get more fastballs with Moncada (and now Anderson) getting on base in front of him. We still have to let Delmonico play mearly every day to see how well he can hit lefties and if his defense shows any signs of improvement. Bringing Kopech up before he’s 100% ready to hit the ground running makes absolutely no sense and will only lead to more fan frustration if he gets hit around instead of dominating from the getgo.

Oops, I meant the White Sox were now 27th, ahead of TB, Pitt and Miami. Another article on this topic... https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2018/03/13/inside-the-numbers-why-mlbs-attendance-could-be-down-in-2018/

White Sox almost drew 24,000 last night...Rays had 10,106 for a weekend game against the Twins. 16,258 average. Would be about 1.3 million for a full season. Back into 28th place for attendance. Pitt and Miami also worse. Cincy, Minnesota, Detroit, Baltimore, Oakland, KC and Cleveland ahead of the Sox. Basically, the entire AL Central is bottom 10, which makes ten years of no playoffs even more incredible. In 2028 ... no kid pays for a ticket MLB has a demographic crisis: In 2018, 30 million seats (more than 10,000 per game) sat empty, a trend that only got worse the next few years as the median fan age drifted into the mid-50s. So seizing upon an idea the Orioles tried in 2018, every club mandates that all adults who buy tickets can claim free tickets for their children. A new generation has easy access to the game, and embarrassing empty sections in non-sellout cities fill up. Even the few ballparks that resist -- Wrigley and Fenway, especially -- concede to a new social norm: Baseball is free if you're a kid. http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23117307/what-nfl-nba-nhl-mlb-wnba-look-2028

And, like the White Sox...they had Jose Martinez, but didn’t develop him like the Cardinals somehow managed as he hit his late 20’s. Even the might Braves with their development staff whiffed here. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=141436 We could use a hitter with a 1.010 ops about right now.

The Royals were set up well to be successful in 2016 and 2017. Moore made some pretty terrible calls on free agents. Yordano Ventura died. Alex Gordon fell apart. They foolishly traded Wade Davis for Soler, which looked at least logical at the time. 2016, they had a rash of injuries to key guys like Moustakas, Cain and Perez. Their relievers became unaffordable to keep or got injured (Holland/Davis) or ineffective (Herrera). They had breakthroughs from guys like Whit Merrifield, but Cuthbert, Orlando, Escobar...regressed. Zobrist and Cueto were too expensive, etc. And they traded Wil Myers and a ton of promising pitching as well...guys like Odorizzi and Manaea, who just no hit the Red Sox last night. https://www.royalsreview.com/2018/4/5/17202302/old-friend-alert-where-can-you-find-former-royals Alexander, Scott Dodgers Buchter, Ryan Athletics Chavez, Jesse Rangers Cueto, Johnny Giants Davis, Wade Rockies de la Rosa, Jorge Diamondbacks Finnegan, Brandon Reds (DL) Greinke, Zack Diamondbacks Hendriks, Liam Athletics Jeffress, Jeremy Brewers Madson, Ryan Nationals Manaea, Sean Athletics Minor, Mike Rangers Montgomery, Mike Cubs Moylan, Peter Braves Odorizzi, Jake Twins Reed, Cody Reds Santana, Ervin Twins (DL) Shields, James White Sox Smith, Will Giants (DL) Soria, Joakim White Sox Stumpf, Daniel Tigers Triggs, Andrew Athletics Vargas, Jason Mets (DL) Wood, Blake Angels

Sale with the tough luck loss...poor Royals, Manaea used to be their property Jeter definitely needs some PR advice http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771797-derek-jeter-calls-bryant-gumbel-mentally-weak-when-asked-about-marlins-tanking?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

https://www.mlb.com/news/ian-hamilton-could-be-sleeper-for-white-sox/c-183473134

How much for assisted living in Chicago or KS? Quad Cities...around $4500-5500 per month where my mom will stay (age 89), all out of pocket.

I think we have some pretty decent insurance there in Hansen, Cease and Dunning. Let’s not forget this upcoming draft as well.

Maybe they oversold the notion that his fastball was so much more deceptive because of Lucas’ length and extension. Unfortunately, we now have the pitching version of Konerko/Beckham/Quentin on our hands...very articulate/cerebral, overthinks things, too hard on himself, wants to please everyone. Getting through to the other side feels like an iffy proposition right now (assuming there’s not a physical issue.)

Let’s forget the fastball for a moment. He could get away with that if he was displaying the curve, slider and change he has showcased in the past. Five years ago, 89-92/93 was still slight above MLB average. As long as you had that 10+ mph differential with your offspeed stuff.

If Giolito is overthrowing to try to get more velocity, I’d hate to see him underthrowing. That looked Jon Rauch-esque out there. Not trusting his stuff. Tentative. It’s easy enough to understand when your fastball has lost 6-8 mph post TJS and you’re facing the best team on the planet that absolutely destroyed the Sox the previous night.

https://sports.yahoo.com/verlander-calls-white-sox-unwritten-rules-violation-10-0-win-160508328.html Between the TA/Verlander beef and Farquhar health emergency, this might be the last time the White Sox make the headline/national news twice in one day...

Obviously you missed The Catcher in the Rye in high school...?

Giolito 20 ip,18 hits, 20 er, 19 walks If he throws 50 shutout innings in a row, he will still have a higher ERA than 2017.

But then why does Avi get away with assuming Altuve won’t tag? Because he’s already so fragile mentally it might tip him over the edge? Has Anderson ever been benched for similar reasons?

Rock bottom would be if all the young players start to tune out Renteria...we’re not there yet.

Why is Moncada out of the game?

Top 10 Prospects, 2019 MLB Draft https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=14737 (2020 for those very forward thinking!) Rk. Player POS. School Rk. Player Pos. School 1 Nick Lodolo LHP Texas Christian 6 Zack Thompson LHP Kentucky 2 Bobby Witt, Jr. SS Colleyville Heritage 7 Rece Hinds SS/3B Niceville Senior 3 Hunter Barco LHP/OF The Bolles School 8 Braden Shewmake SS/3B Texas A&M 4 Shea Langeliers C Baylor 9 Brennan Malone RHP Porter Ridge 5 Riley Greene OF Hagerty 10 Mathew Thompson RHP Cypress Ranch

9.00 ERA Mark Appel might as well be thrown into our bullpen mix... Telling that that he already is far ahead of last year’s total mlb walk count in about 1/3rd the innings pitched.

Fine, I could have left that out...but none of those three top pitchers have lived up to their billing. Just look at that draft now and repick. The Cubs overdrafted Schwarber (seemingly) and he could still theoretically have the best career fwar of the top four guys...which is why a 50 win team this year for the Sox doesn’t guarantee nearly as much as it would in the NBA or even NFL.

Giolito era now at 7.11. Avi might be even worse. Chris Tillman hasn't recorded a win in his last 21 or 22 starts, matbe we can claim him when the O’s DFA him.

Where did the 93-95 mph fastball from spring training go...? Jesus. Engel needs to go. You need to be playing more towards the RCF gap on a changeup.

Love that guy cackling hysterically in the background when that double landed...