caulfield12

Seems pretty simple to track players who had similar swing percentages at age 23-25 and see how many of them came out of it to consistently post 775-825+ ops numbers...since that's what he would need as a negative defensive contributor.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/01/mlb-best-a...s-nationals-mlb Cubs 1, Mets 2, Indians 4, Tigers 21, Royals 22, Twins 25 (but Berrios/Stewart on the way)

It would be interesting to see the actual percentage of children adopted vs. those under state supervision... For babies who are born with mothers addicted to drugs: Cases of rape and incest: Babies that are born with birth defects, mentally-challenged: Babies that are white vs. non-white: How many international adoptions vs. non-white adoptions among US couples (straight and gay): Babies who come up for adoption when their mother dies while giving birth:

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 10:47 PM) *Sees Caulfield, does a "Control + F" search for 'Royals' and finds nothing* I approve! In all seriousness, great post. India is an interesting market. There was the movie, Million Dollar Arm, (which caulfield mentioned) about those two pitchers who went to the Pirates from India. That probably got some people thinking about the market. It would be great to see the Sox/baseball expand to there. Haha...I was actually going to make an analogy with that and my idea of finding more Brazilian/Jamaican athletes but refrained. I'd also note that the ONLY way that would make sense was playing in OLD COMISKEY. As to the current dimensions, the defensive gap covering ability isn't quite so important as SF, Seattle, Minnesota, SD, etc. With our stadium, we need above-average hitters who are at least average defenders...compared to the opposite, like a Juan Lagares type. These type of things of athletic transitions have been attempted many times throughout sports history, when you think about Michael Jordan or all of the NFL wide receivers who originally started out with world class track backgrounds. Usually with mixed success at best. FWIW, Orlando started out as a soccer/futbol player and 4 X 100 meter sprinter/trackster.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 10:54 PM) Caufield....that was an excellent and well thought out post. I'd be curious of the logistical issues / concerns getting something set-up, but do agree that the concept would be brilliant if done right. Not sure what sort of legal parameters need to be in place / MLB rules, but getting in Cuba before others (if it is even possible...not sure if they would be open to it) and from an India perspective, why not. I see little reason why franchises don't at a minimum enter into partnership type deals all throughout the globe to maximize there ability on potential talent and while you can't hit every country, India would be an excellent place to start. One risk is resources are finite so there are real costs associated with set-up, operating, finding other talented players to play with them (if the quality of talent is super poor, harder to be able to get guys to develop / find resources). This likely means the initial costs before hitting on real talent could be pretty high (as you'd have years and years before truly establishing). Might ultimately mean cost / benefit doesn't pan out, but the general thought and line of thought is spot on, and ultimately good for the global brand of baseball. Thanks, I was looking at it more from the macro-perspective of growing the game of baseball in the future, then the smaller level of the White Sox and then the more generic idea of "charity" as we know it. Combining "social entrepreneurialism" ideas in a way that would have an eventual payoff, thinking about the massive amounts spent on bonuses on the Latin American players under 21 that are almost like lottery tickets (such as Micker Adolfo). If there was a way to get the funds (whether through the White Sox, convincing municipalities like Bedford Park...that's where the idea came from, that Crain's Business Journal article...from MLB International...or from an insurance company sponsoring a contest that anyone is quite unlikely to win but being able to throw out the "Million Dollar" aspect of a competition's the best way I know of to quickly create a pool of possible talent with the least amount of actual money initially invested. And yes, the start-up costs are going to be considerable, but then when I think about how much money goes into Latin America or Bonifacio or Gordon Beckham, it doesn't seem quite so ludicrous if you really think about it. The White Sox have been pioneers in Brazil (Gomes, Paulo Orlando, Andre Rienzo...but unfortunately not J. Gomes at catcher) and Cuba. That has to be worth something in terms of social capital. We missed the huge opportunity in Venezuela, IMO, when Ozzie was manager...I don't think we got anyone other than Freddy Garcia you could directly attribute to the connection, but that alone was a huge factor in the world championship. I'm honestly not sure why we never put an academy down in Venezuela when at least 10-12 teams were doing so (the Astros, most famously). Budget for minor league operations was squeezed for major league payroll, I suppose. I even looked up to see what Jerry Krause was doing (he was sent on a mystical mission in 2010 to find Latin American talent and quickly ended up with the DBacks the next year without a peep) and also Dave Wilder, who should have recently been released from prison after serving two years. Granted, Reinsdorf is famous to a fault for being loyal, but I don't think that would allow for Dave Wilder or someone like Chris Correa (Cardinals' hacking scandal) to have a place with the team. Then again, America is a sucker for the comeback/rehabilitation story...when someone on top of the world gets knocked off and fights to return to their previous glory. I just liked the idea of the BRICS countries because 1) their might be more opportunity than ever before with Brazil's political and economic problems, Olympics and World Cup, etc. and 2) India, although one of the most frustrating and difficult countries I've ever visited from a touristic side, has tremendous untapped potential. Now there are other sports that could be similar, like jai alai or racquetball (Jeff Conine) and also throwing the javelin (pitchers), but it seems the closest synergy of all is right there between cricket and baseball.

They're already doing it, but not in an effort to bring in players but more in a similar way to MLB clubs investing in the Reviving Baseball in the Inner City program with Boys & Girls Clubs. What's the name of the Chicago version of that program, that was involved with Jackie Robinson LL? Also, if you search John Tumminia (White Sox scout) and Scott Merkin (and "Baseball Miracles"), you'll see that Reinsdorf has supported these efforts since at least 2012...but, once again, more "non-profit" oriented, almost like mission/volunteer work rather than marketing the White Sox and trying to unearth new players. A previous winter clinic was run by Tumminia in the Monte Plata province of the Dominican Republic. Tumminia plans to return to the same area at the end of October with Rafael Santana, the White Sox player development and scouting supervisor for their Dominican Academy, serving as the guest speaker. Tumminia hopes to take seven staff members to the Dominican for that trip, although he laughed while adding that he's not sure how they are going to do it. The White Sox as an organization paid the way for five people to visit South Dakota, also sending along White Sox hats and gloves, after Tumminia placed a call to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf asking for assistance. "I called Jerry and said, 'I need your help. I need financial help. You know it's a good thing,'" Tumminia said. "He said, 'I'll get back to you,' and [White Sox vice president of communications] Scott [Reifert] called and they really came through." "I'm not sure what we did, but we helped out a little bit," Reinsdorf said. "This is really John's project. He's a terrific guy, and I'm very proud of him. He really likes to do this kind of stuff. John is a Brooklyn boy, and all the Brooklyn boys, we were all brought up to do good stuff." Kenya and Nepal stand as two other potential destinations for Tumminia clinics in the near future, and Havana is also on his list. The clinic at the Pine Ridge Reservation finished with a barbecue involving traditional baseball food such as hot dogs and peanuts and a rousing rending of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," not to mention excitement instilled in children who probably hadn't had much previous organized interaction with baseball. "Our goal is to reach out in a humanitarian way and represent baseball and, this year, the White Sox," Tumminia said. "As I was mentioning to Scott and Jerry, I want to try to give back to baseball in a different way." http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/print...60&c_id=cws This one of the main reasons I'm proud to be a White Sox fan...stuff like this that you never hear about unless you really investigate closely, as well as Sox Charities in general, one of the best programs in the majors. FWIW, I've been to that same Pine Ridge Indian Reservation...it's famous for being the location of Wounded Knee and is the poorest county (Boone, SD) in all of the United States. Back in the day, there was a movie called THUNDERHEART with Val Kilmer and Sam Shepard about this same area. Lots of alcohol/addiction, education and casino-related issues, certainly not the kind of place you'd ever expect to unearth a future MLB player but stranger things have happened.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 25, 2016 -> 09:36 PM) http://showmestatesportsreport.sportsblog....n-desmond-.html http://www.draysbay.com/2016/1/25/10821340...ors-ian-desmond Some pretty interesting things said about Desmond in the Rays' link and there's a few videos as well. The huge advantage for the White Sox is that same Hardball Times article has a pick in the 25-30 range at somewhere around $11-13 million....or about half the cost to the Rays, who are obviously even more financially-limited than the Sox. Losing a high-first round draft pick is just not something the Rays are in the business of doing.

It's an interesting approach. It's certainly not "sexy" compared to the Chevy Pride girls, but you gotta do what you gotta do. As they mentioned in the article, for a cost of $400,000, you basically get your advertising investment back if you are successful attracting just a couple of industries or companies to relocate or choose to open in your city. Sometimes it's frustrating to listen to all the ads for the Plumbers/Steamfitters/Pipefitters and wish we had all the "cool/hip" companies wanting to invest in the White Sox, but that's just not the reality right now. Kudos for Boyer and & Co. for thinking outside of the box. New Lenox, fwiw, has attempted the same strategy.

Despite everyone believing I don't love the White Sox because I'm often skeptical/critical, that doesn't mean I haven't thought about how the White Sox can find and develop their next great hitter...and do it relatively cheaply, in a way that benefits the sport of baseball as well as Sox sponsors/Chicago businesses. At any rate, everyone can tell me why this won't work and pick it apart...which will give me something to do when I take a sabbatical from SoxTalk and return when one of Ventura/Hahn/KW is gone, as promised to Kyle. It struck me from watching the movie Million Dollar Arm (about the search in India for a potential MLB pitcher) that they actually had it backwards, they should have called it Million Dollar Bat, because there are so many similarities between the game of cricket and baseball in terms of hitting the ball (as opposed to the throwing motion)...and, from my travels there (three weeks in the summer of 2013), the passion for that sport in the rural areas is just the same as what you'd typically see in the Dominican, Cuba and Venezuela for beisbol, in Central/South America for futbol/soccer...impromptu pick-up games played in fields littered with weeds with balls made out of socks and tape, etc. Another comparison would be all the Hispanic kids playing soccer around Chicago on Sundays... If I was the White Sox, I would set up a baseball academy in India and be the first MLB team with a baseball academy in Cuba. If MLB wants to grow globally, India's a better choice because China is already NBA/basketball crazy and India would be much easier to work with in terms of eventually forming a Development/al League or the equivalent of the old Continental Basketball Association. Growing economy (compared to China's falling GDP trajectory), emerging democracy...it makes too much sense, then you have the Pacific Rim for the World Baseball Classic (Japan/South Korea/Taiwan, China, Australia and India) and the Eastern Hemisphere. China does have hand-eye coordination sports in badminton and ping pong/table tennis, but nothing close to cricket. And, soccer is evolving as the secondary favorite sport here for young boys to play, even though World Cup results have been disastrous considering a 1.5 billion population. But first there would be a Million Dollar Bat competition to find the talent...and I'd hire Tadahito Iguchi, Shingo Takatsu and 2-3 more of the best Japanese instructors/coaches to run it. You'd have a cross-cultural/global interchange aspect going on. From watching baseball since I was a kid, the two most interesting styles of play are the Japanese/Korean team-oriented approach, and the flair and elegance of the Cubans. So the Japanese style would be brought to India. I doubt there's any interest in making another Disney movie because of the lackluster performance of the first one, but I think it would be fairly easy to set up a country-wide talent competition along the same lines...except this time a hitter using a regulation wooden bat would have to hit 3 balls out of 1015 pitches thrown by a pitching machine at somewhere between 88-92 MPH at least 350 feet in the air. It could be called "Bedford Park's BRICS for Bats" (maybe that's too unwieldy a name, maybe just BRICS for Bats or Bats for BRICS) and there would be three goals: 1) Building business connections between Brazil, India, China, Cuba and South Africa to the Chicago-land area/Sox sponsors (and to the White Sox as well). 2) Finding the next great hitter for the White Sox and developing a new, untapped market for baseball, growing the game. 3) Cross-cultural exchange (for example, Takatsu/Iguchi working with youngsters in India)...in conjunction with BASEBALL MIRACLES (non-profit run by White Sox scout John Tumminia and supported by Jerry Reinsdorf, see recent article about their trips to Kenya and Honduras at chisox.com). I think between the combination of the White Sox, Bedford Park, New Lenox and finding an insurance company with ties to the White Sox to underwrite against the possibility of someone actually winning the competition, you could pull it off. The other thing I would do is push to develop the first MLB training academy in Cuba, probably in Havana. The reasons for this are obvious: 1) To make the White Sox Cuba's national team (bringing in Cespedes would have helped...maybe they can still sign Yadiel Hernandez)...but there's the long history there with Jaime Torres (agent), Contreras, El Duque, Alexei Ramirez, etc. As the economy is opened up (and, of course, that could change depending on the new president), more and more opportunities will present themselves. 2) Tapping into the Brazilian and Jamaican markets for athletic/defensive players like Anderson Gomes/Paulo Orlando that would fit the new "small ball" style of play...plus the White Sox should have SOME connections there because of Marco Paddy. (Not sure what Jerry Krause did in that territory in his brief time scouting in 2010, and quite obviously the Dave Wilder situation didn't help there and in the Dominican, but it needs to be overcome...another reason is the White Sox never took advantage of the Ozzie/Venezuelan connection at the major or minor league level. Now, it's probably too late as many teams are pulling out of Venezuela and their training academies due to political/safety concerns.) 3) The Brazilian and Jamaican (because they also have a cricket culture to an extent) players would be funneled through the Cuban academy...along with players coming from Colombia and Central America...or "shared" with the Dominican Academy (obviously there's already a strong connection there with Rafael Santana running it) so they would have the opportunity to learn in both places from teachers with different methods and styles.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 10:01 AM) I will mock any and all of your nonsensical posts that have zero to do with the topic at hand. If you want to join a circle jerk for Royals, they have their own forums. Dick Allen doesn't emulate me, he is just as annoyed with your non sequitur bulls*** as anyone else on this site. It isn't just mods and admins. And for the record, Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn are still employed by the white sox. Just an FYi Fine. I'll leave. At least my Jackson and Desmond predictions will stand the test of time. Dick Allen can find a new group of fans to whine about and leave me alone.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 09:39 AM) Jackson too. Obviously they'll only pick one, but that was the word on both. If they clear Hammel off the books, it's simple. Soler to TB for pitching...Heyward back to RF where he has the most value and comfort. With all the money the Cubs have already spent, they'll sacrifice another $5-7 million to get more certainty from Fowler.

Hence the reason for this thread...

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 09:42 AM) Because Lyle Mouton for gods sakes. Lyle. Mouton. And your choice for improving the club or you prefer wasting posts in attempts to mock? You should be proud, you've also got Dick Allen emulating you but he adds four names. Better effort on his part, and he varies them randomly. Ubaldo Jimenez. John Danks. Gordon Beckham. Don Cooper.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 09:40 AM) Caulfield my god why the hell are you talking about what the royals should have done. Because Dick Allen keeps taking quotes and applying them out of context...from my one long thread written about how the White Sox used to excel in an area the Royals now excel in. And because it's interesting as a baseball fan to imagine what each and every team should do. Never mind. From now on every single post will be about Desmond and Jackson until they're off the board so that he's no longer confused. I can do the same thing as Thad Bosley with his 35 years thing.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 09:34 AM) In the same thread you started which mentioned signing Desmond and /or Jackson as a better option than Cespedes, with both those players still available, you now say the Sox are stuck at the kiddie table because they didn't overpay for Cespedes. Of course in another thread you say overpaying for a free agent , by a team with a two year window, (and you have stated several times the White Sox have a 2 year window)is not smart. What do the Sox have to do to get you to buy season tickets? Just the feeling of being excited about the White Sox and then being let down...has nothing to do with Cespedes specifically. Nobody thinks the Cespedes deal is a good one for any team but the Mets. I will be perfectly content with Jackson and Desmond, warts and all. Fowler, no. And we should have learned at least one thing these last two weeks, that it's much better to go after players who really want to be here...Fowler's heart is still on the Northside.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 09:31 AM) I will say this, add Desmond & Jackson, and this offseason suddenly has shades of 2005 in terms of upgrading a ton of positions, many with value plays. The irony is that's really what the Royals should have done, and KW used to do. Buy veterans low, sell high on prospects. So we now have the perfect opportunity to pick up both and still not jeopardize the future too much...the only question is whether that $25 million going to Cespedes or Upton can be allocated to two lesser players who won't create much marketing buzz but should win more games by upgrading multiple positions.

QUOTE (Saufley @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 09:13 AM) Wasn't there a rumor, or maybe just an article, about Jackson and the Cubs? If you had your choice where would you want to sign? Just asking. Fowler is the one most likely going back to the Cubs...

QUOTE (CyAcosta41 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 09:17 AM) All true. But once they backed themselves into this corner, committed to a plan, you finish it. Too bad. All got crazy for the so-called Big Three. Fine. Take a pass. Don't be insane. But finish the job elsewhere. To me, this means Jackson/Desmond. Yep, lose a pick. One stinkin pick (out of the three important picks). Chances of getting value out of the J/D combo are a lot better than value from that second pick. Besides, finish this year's plan since we've already committed! Feels like a repeat of 2003 when they refused to pay Kenny Rogers....Twins scooped him up relatively cheaply and the fifth starter's spot killed us that year. We could actually have a really good competitive with a 50/50 chance to make the playoffs at around a $144-146 million payroll or we can create even more skepticism and distrust from fans becoming increasingly frustrated with the direction of the franchise. Say what you want about financial responsibility, but the Tigers and Royals are all-in and it feels like we're consigned to a permanent seat at the Thanksgiving kiddie table.

Their only choice left is the White Sox, sounds somewhat familiar... Without knowing what was offered for Q, it's impossible to say. Was the return going to be similar to Miller's or was that a one-time situation where the DBacks' front office was already quite familiar with him and bound and determined to get their guy come hell or high water? Somehow I have a feeling the offer isn't lining up with Top 10-20 mlb pitcher statistically.

http://espn.go.com/blog/buster-olney/insid...lementes-number http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=23...&type=story Robinson family against... On one hand, he wasn't the first Hispanic player, not by a longshot. On the other, baseball is becoming more and more a Latin American and Hispanic dominated game in terms of the percentage of major leaguers. As Olney stated, that move to retire #47 was one of the most important and impactful of Selig's career as commissioner. There are two factors that stand out that make Clemente unique...the tragic nature of his death while doing humanitarian work, and the breadth and scope of that impact on not only Puerto Rico but all of Latin America in terms of pride in his accomplishments and being a role model for how to play the game with dignity, flair and elegance. Personally, I think something like having all starting right fielders in MLB wear #21 for a day or week would be the best compromise. Or retiring his number only in the NL.

It has to reach at least 400 to set historical precedent... Merkin's comment "the only truly realistic option was Upton...Gordon and Cespedes had their minds set, if the teams cooperated. They did."

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 05:54 AM) If by this statement you mean they make decisions that ensure they continue to amass enormous wealth for themselves and the investors, yes, I would agree. They've managed to take care of themselves very nicely over the years. It's just too bad these so-called "decision makers" haven't even remotely come close to doing well by us, the fans, the paying customers. One playoff appearance in the past decade, and a very brief one at that. Just five in the thirty five years that said massive wealth has been accumulating. Obviously the decisions to ensure profit have taken precedence over decisions to ensure success on the field. The record speaks for itself. The problem isn't the decision-making process as much as the actual results. Although even that process hasn't been 100% smooth between KW and Hahn if you follow all the clues.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/stat...811754205552640 Obviously the opt-out after one year is what sealed it...White Sox would never offer that much power and control to a player coming in from another organization.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 04:35 AM) so they can win even less titles? This sounds like a Dick Allen response...would the White Sox be better off with a Twins/Tigers/Indians AL Central run with no World Series but extended/sustained dominance and profitability? Would Braves fans trade 13-14 consecutive winning seasons for a second World Series title? You make it sound like a bad thing their goal every season is to win it all...when of course the odds of getting hot at the right time and not losing momentum through three consecutive Series still makes it a complete crapshoot.

Captain, there's no Kumbaya singing. Wrong website. That said, the natives are growing testy, and rightfully so. It's not about Don Cooper, though. If he said "f--k you!" to every fan he came across, it would matter not at all (unless they were kids) as long as the pitching staff led the world in war, whip and fip. Conversely, if he spent every waking moment engaged in Sox charities work and won the Nobel Peace Prize, it also wouldn't matter to fans if the pitching staff woefully underperformed and we were twenty games under .500. Unless they have a best MLB charities competition that directly impacts our won loss record, you're wasting your energy. You would be better off sending Cooper a copy of Andrew Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.