caulfield12

With all those concussions, there's just no way they could put him out in the field without a helmet. He was never a good 1B with the Twins. They much preferred to use Mientkiewicz over there and DH Morneau. Speaking of the Twins, his next double (#400) will make AJ Pierzynski only the 4th catcher in baseball history to put up 400 doubles. Pretty amazing.

World economy in one depressing chart...obvious takeaway is how Russia and Brazil have underperformed http://www.businessinsider.com/world-econo...ne-chart-2016-6

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 28, 2016 -> 05:10 PM) How long did the Royals wait on Gordon? Gordon was the #1 overall pick in the country and consensus player of the year. The closest to that pedigree is/was Beckham, and I guess Viciedo's huge signing bonus at that time made him "can't miss" although we now know not all the Cubans have the stuff to make it. And Gordon would have been a failure had he not been willing to go down to AAA, completely reinvent his game as a LFer with Rusty Kuntz and persevere (all in the face of hometown fans in Nebraska/KC who expected him to be the next George Brett). Indians up 2-0 over the Braves already after the top of the 1st...big surprise there. Don't see them touching up Kluber with how he's been pitching recently.

Then there’s Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey, whom the team expected to stabilize the rotation as a bona-fide No. 3 and innings-eating No. 4, respectively. Instead, they have combined for a 6.35 ERA in 26 starts. No offense, not even one as talented as the Tigers, can make up for that kind of performance by the most important asset in baseball. When talent evaluators sized up the Tigers in the spring, they pointed to Sanchez as the X-factor, saying much of the team’s fortunes rested on the fact he regain some of his old form. Instead, he has regressed even more sharply, appearing like a shell of the pitcher he once was until he can fully grasp a more finesse approach on the mound, one that doesn’t require a mid-90s fastball anymore. The Pelfrey signing, a two-year, $16-million deal that didn’t look good then and looks worse now, is amplified by Sanchez’s struggles. Their primary fall-back option, left-hander Matt Boyd, isn’t ready for the big leagues. Norris should stay; he showed good enough stuff in his first start to inspire more confidence than Sanchez and Pelfrey. freep.com/sports You can probably stick a fork in the Tigers, unless Daniel Norris outperforms. Sanchez was just pulled from the rotation for the second and probably final time this year. Their owner doesn't want to spend more than $200 million, and the cost for starting pitching in this upcoming trade market is going to be sky high/prohibitive, even compared to 2015.

Not really. It was get them Top 100 prospect Frankie Montas, who got them Frazier (who has the same line statistically as Marcus Semien, roughly). Avi has actually gotten in the way of this team moving forward, in the same way Beckham, Viciedo, Gillaspie, DeAza, Ramirez and Flowers did. The most dangerous word for fans is "potential," because it has never-ending shelf life for GM's to sell it. Little Miggy. 30/30 potential. Incredible athlete. Has the tools to play CF. Elite throwing arm. Brian Anderson is the next Torii Hunter if he could just hit 20 homers, etc. Chris Marquez, Nestor Molina, Zach Stewart and Matt Davidson will lead the Sox to the World Series. Of course, "proven veteran performer" hasn't been comforting, either.

Brexit is just one more weapon that will be used against Donald Trump. Financial markets HATE HATE HATE uncertainty. And Trump's the definition of that, from a governing/policy standpoint. When your first thought about him is...."do you REALLY want him having the ability to launch a nuclear attack at 3 a.m. while you're sleeping?" most pragmatic/realistic Americans will end up in the Clinton camp because we as a country prefer small changes, not radical ones. She represents the status quo, and that would normally get you killed this electoral season, but it's probably the one thing that saves her, being the establishment candidate running against a Molotov cocktail thrower.

Newt Gingrich and his Republican Revolution in 1994....what happened to all those agreements they made, like Term Limits? Thought so. The ultimate in childishness, and it had completely backfired on him by 1996. Helped to ruin his political career, as well.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Jun 28, 2016 -> 04:35 PM) Would be beneficial if Avi started to heat up were not on the roster and we had Bruce/Beltran/Cargo in that spot instead I feel like we've been "waiting for Avi" as long as we've been trying to convince ourselves we were still right in the middle of the race last year.

As noted, I didn't say that he "saved" the Padres, he might have done the opposite. The Shields' deal looks brilliant right now (not for Johnson, saving $27 million...that said, he also "wasted" $29 million too). He was the main guy behind the Rangers' efforts in L.America: Mazara/Odor/Profar/Chirinos/Chi Chi Gonzalez/Perez/Ramos/Mendez, etc.

http://theundefeated.com/features/hes-got-...atch-his-mouth/ Hypercompetitive trash-talker. Sounds a bit like a young MJ (yes, impossible comp to live up to). Josh(ua) Jackson of the Jayhawks.

Preller made his name with the Rangers in Latin America. No guarantees that Tatis Jr. will actually make it, but that's one area he excels in (as opposed to wholesale rebuilding on the fly ala Hahn).

Central: Indians - they've been doing this with a banged up and almost non-existent OF. If Brantley could ever get healthy and they make a decent acquisition? This team then gets that much more scary. Plus anything from Yan Gomes would be another huge plus. This team is the most complete in the division. Chisenhall's finally hitting and Rajai Davis is Rajaing...not to mention Jose Ramirez has been a pleasant surprise. They're not bad, not to mention Tyler Naquin. Bullpen is their weakness, even Shaw has been hittable. Allen's sold, though. Royals - they have weathered a ton of injuries. I don't see them being over aggressive like last year because they know they probably have a year or two where the fan base will come if they are just in the thick of it. They need a few too many pieces and I just don't see them trading their prospects for the pithcing they need. They also know that they wouldn't be in it if not for their rookies overperforming. Morales is on a tear now and Gordon's back. Will definitely add to the back end of their bullpen. Targeting someone like Bruce/Beltran, 5th starter and potentially dump Escobar's sub 600 OPS but that's less likely. Sox - we need a C, OF, and DH help. Bullpen too. We know our problems.Catcher is no longer a priority with Avila playing better and the dearth of available upgrades and cost of those upgrades prohibitive, like Lucroy. Might need to add one more starter/swing man. Tigers - This team has offensive talent. Some iffy pitching talent and a bad bullpen. See them hovering around and probably hitting a 10-15 real rough patch that puts them out of it. Maybe that rough patch instead goes well and they are in it til the end too but doubtful.Waiting for JD Martinez's return. Need to get overperformance from Daniel Norris and Anibal Sanchez to survive. Fulmer has been great, Zimmermann struggling a bit recently and Verlander a net positive. Kinsler has been their MVP. That offense is scary if it can get going, but they have a lot of defensive holes as well. East: Orioles - They have the bats. Their pitching has actually been decent. Still could add an arm. This team isn't going anywhere though.Underselling them considerably. Adam Jones has been terrible for most of the first half and is just getting on track. Strong bullpen. Enough pitching to muddle through. Jays - Offense is there. Pitching is decent. Sanchez wont be starting all year though. They'll have a Chavez step in or Floyd. They'll be around all year.Floyd can't start anymore. Saunders has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball. His non-trade had a huge impact on two teams. BoSox - offense is amazing. Pitching isn't. We know how aggressive they can and will be. They have the prospects. This team will be in it. YAnks - A shame they'll waste that three headed monster for the 7-8-9 innings. Team is just too old and frail and thin. They are caught where we are. They know if they do make the playoffs they probably could make noise, but they should probably tear it down and trade to gain prospects. Rays - my most surprising team. They were .500 before a ton of injuries. This was a team that I predicted could win the WS. Them and the Rangers. Pithcing depth is amazing. They'll probably trade off a few of those SP and get a few prospects in return for the field. They'll be strong next year. Erasmo Ramirez is a guy I'd look at for the Sox. I like him.And what are you willing to trade for him? Odorizzi's also on the market. Moore would be potentially if he was pitching the same as he did pre-injury. West Rangers- best team in the AL IMO and they have had only 3 starts from Darvish. Offesnse is deep and have had nothing from Fielder. Think about the 1-2 punch of DArvish and Hamels in the playoffs with that offense. Think they'll be in the WS against the Cubs.Not to mention Choo has been out as well. Astros - I am biased as I lived in Houston last year, but this team really doesn't have many holes. Not the strongest pitching or bullpen, but can get it done.Reed (and T.White) aren't/weren't sure things. Springer, Correa and Altuve are great, but the offense thins out after those two. Rasmus has been hot. A bat and a starting pitcher short, currently. Still might be favorite for 2nd WC Angels - Out of it. just don't have the makeup to win this year or next year. Sucks for Trout, that team isn't very good. A's - not a very good team Seattle - team has a very injured pithcing staff. Before that they were right in the thick of it. Maybe they get healthy and go on a run, but I put their chances with the likes of the Sox and Yanks. They have a shot just because of the A's and Angels, and never count out a team with Cruz/Cano/Seager. K. Marte has held his own. Injuries have taken their toll. Young pitching like Paxton/Walker will always be inconsistent (see Rodon)

Probably too depressed to post with Bryant becoming a national cultural icon on par with Sandberg in 1984.

QUOTE (JenksIsMyHero @ Jun 28, 2016 -> 07:50 AM) The smart play would be to tank and grab one of the big names in the 2017 draft. Apparently it's expected to be loaded one with franchise players all around. http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/2017-nba-mock-draft.html Looks like a lot of first and second year collegiate players...not seeing all these potential franchise-altering superstars yet, guess we have to let the NCAA season play out first.

Is Bautista available to pitch for the White Sox in the bullpen...?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jun 28, 2016 -> 07:06 AM) Im sure Robin prints out the Indians and Royals messageboards for bulletin board material. Maybe the White Sox and Tigers should think about changing things up. Worked for some of the NBA teams this post-season. And, since the Tigers are 0-9 against the Indians this year so far, what do they have to lose?

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jun 27, 2016 -> 07:00 AM) Nope. You have Q, Shields, and Rodon going against the Twins and then Gonzalez, Sale, and Q against the Stros. Very doable to go 5-1 in that stretch. They will have 3 wins from the first series alone. Well, Sale has to face his demons and get past the Twins for once this year.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 27, 2016 -> 10:08 PM) They were earmarked for utility roles in the minors. This was based on scouting the tools and performances over the years, not based on the MLB play. But that's the opposite of the way it SHOULD be. The conventional school of thought is to keep every player who's capable at SS as long as possible...until a move off that position is inevitable, based on defensive issues or organizational depth. And moving Semien around with that rationalization (that he was a utility player only) doesn't make any sense based on the last 1 1/2 seasons in Oakland, because he's putting up above-average AL positional numbers there. Same thing with Saladino...after he struggled offensively and battled injuries, most felt he wasn't an everyday major league player. Then they basically gave him the 3B job last year, which he lost. They were apparently willing to give him the SS coming into this season before they added Rollins at the last second.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 28, 2016 -> 06:26 AM) Bobby Thigpen Damaso Marte Eddie Guardado Kelvin Herrera Greg Holland Wade Davis Ryan Madson Joakim Soria Dan Quisenberry Jeff Montgomery You will know the White Sox are actually making progress when someone on an Indians' or Royals' board expresses fear/respect in terms of facing the White Sox (beyond just Sale/Q/Rodon). Harrelson does the same exact thing (w/ our opponents). Ozzie always overpraised the Twins/Piranhas.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Jun 28, 2016 -> 06:26 AM) I would put a 4/5 SP ahead of a bullpen arm. Who is next in line if Gonzo or Sheilds crashes or if one of the top 3 goes out w an injury? Unless you are comfortable w that choice, I think another starter who could do long relief and be ready just in case is a higher priority than a BP arm. Probably more expensive as well. Right now: Ranaudo Turner Danish or Beck

QUOTE (soxforlife05 @ Jun 28, 2016 -> 05:15 AM) If we kept Latos we could've put Gonzalez in the pen. But I guess that ship has sailed. That was the smartest move that would allow the team to focus on trading for an impact bat (like Cargo) rather than just another guy and a reliever. If they are honestly "going for it" they might as well just trade Fulmer and anyone else still in the minors to plug holes. Because the whole thing is going to have to get blown up if this 3 year plan doesn't work. If they could do something like get Beltran and Cargo that would make me fairly confident we would be in the wild card mix until the last day. I'm sure Avi could be involved in one of those trades. Maybe even Saladino if they were willing to risk leaving the bench very thin. lf - m cabrera cf - eaton rf - c gonzalez dh - beltran 1b - abreu 2b - lawrie ss - anderson 3b - frazier c - avila (with collins in the wings) That would be a pretty sweet lineup. Literally zero on the bench though. I guess we could bring up Leury as a speed guy off the bench. You also have Burdi as a potential setup man for end of this season and the playoffs. Rodon would really have to make some strides in the 2nd half of the season but that could be a surprisingly good playoff team. This is the type of move/moves they have to make if they want to compete this year and next, unless they're 100% confident that Fulmer can be a back-end starter in 2017. One problem is sending Eaton back to CF when he's better suited and more comfortable in RF. I don't see JR taking on TWO big hitting contracts, though...it's going to be limited to one IMO. That means Bruce/Cargo/Beltran/Kemp/W.Myers/Ethier or Puig, etc. LH Cargo Jake Lamb (will probably make All-Star team for AZ) Jay Bruce Charlie Blackmon (not sure if avail) Freddie Freeman (see above) Joey Votto (see above, contract's too big/too long) Kole Calhoun (if Angels decide to sell) John Jaso (if Pirates sell) Jon Jay Brett Gardner Kevin Kiermaier Switch Jonathan Villar Billy Hamilton Yangervis Solarte Carlos Beltran Coco Crisp Jed Lowrie

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/new-york-yan...-201216768.html Interesting article if you're into this type of stuff. One of the main controversies is the 50% "floor" below the value of a season ticket holder's price paid...

Arodys Vizcaino Alex Colome Mark Melancon Fernando Rodney Brad Ziegler A.J. Ramos Jeremy Jeffress David Phelps And the price we're willing to pay, if anything...? Assuming the White Sox are waiting on Morneau and/or the deadline trade market to heat up...and that they're also kicking the tires on more back-end starting rotation candidates (Fausto Carmona, come on down!), would you give up more top 10 pieces (not named Fulmer) to solidify the currently weak bullpen and possibly even help turn it back into a strength? Or a Brett Myers/2012-like move, where you're not going for one of the best performers, rather a veteran with a long history and a decent-sized contract his team wants to dump in order to save money for 2017?

Let's just say, The Knight of Cups is really really out there. It's basically inaccessible to a mainstream audience. Depending on your opinion about the Brad Pitt/Jessica Chastain one from 2011 (the name's eluding me at the moment), this was...well, as a film watcher, I could at least understand where he was trying to go, but something about Christian Bale's character just irked me (as opposed to playing a loathsome character exceedingly well, like in The Big Short). It's hard to put a finger on it, just a feeling...it was just such an opaque and philosophical movie, but one which the depth comes from it's being so simplistic in the many ways that it's trying to trick you into believing it's both a complex and meaningful statement about man's existence, speaking directly to our psyches. LOL. At any rate, will never pass up a chance to watch Freida Pinto. As far as DEMOLITION goes, let's just say that it's a very strong acting performance from Jake G., but just not to the level of, let's say Nightcrawler. It's one of those movies you admire the individual acting rather than the cohesive whole of the picture. The boy who plays Naomi Watts' son was pretty darned good. And it was nice to see Chris Cooper again. I think he's played that same role in at least 15 different movies. It's an uncomfortable or uneasy to watch, and it reminded me in some ways of Reservation Road...in that you say to yourself while watching you really don't have much interest in ever watching it again while still appreciating the labour that went into making it.

QUOTE (FT35 @ Jun 27, 2016 -> 11:43 AM) We have to be careful because this is the type of deal people throw stones at if it doesn't pan out. Getting those 2 would likely cost us several pieces of our farm system. So now, Hahn needs to save his job by making a trade that everyone will accuse him of screwing up because Reddick and Vogt are vets?? Our fan base needs to pull on the same end of the rope in what they rake our management over the coals for. DO we want youth or do we want vets? The proven vet trades haven't worked out, but it seems like all the people who throw stones at management for making such deals, are the same ones calling for them to be made to save the guy's job! Hahn was a genius to land Samardzija--exactly the RHP starter that we needed--then Holy CRAP...Hahn is an idiot for trading pieces of our farm system to get a scrub like Samardzija. Hahn needs to find a way to land a proven starter like James Shields if he wants to save his job--then--we need to FIRE Hahn because he brings in losers like James Shields! You can see it...Finally...Hahn makes a great deal to land Reddick and Vogt!!! Just what we needed!!! Then Vogt hits the DL the same week Reddick goes into a 3-25 slump and the masses prepare for a stoning and life without Carson Fulmer. It would help if he was right more than 50% of the time. He is between the proverbial "rock and a hard place," though. This team, as currently constituted, isn't going to get one of those two wild card spots. It's going to require Beltran (depending on what the Yankees decide to do) or Bruce (more likely, because of the 2017 option), possibly another starter for the back end (let's just say, Jeremy Hellickson) with an expiring contract and a RH reliever. We're talking an additional $12-15 million being spent on this year's payroll. Will JR make the approval, as long as it's not costing us Carson Fulmer? Nobody really knows, and it's probably too early to speculate because we're not even to July yet. Does JR even want to bring back Hahn and Ventura next year, or does he want another GM to make the important decisions for yet another "all in" year, with Cabrera/Frazier/Lawrie all needing to be replaced after 2017? If you don't trust Hahn (and that's certainly possible after the Shields move), then you're probably ordering him to stand pat. If, on the other hand, you really believe in him over the long-term, then you need to let him at the very least add Jay Bruce as DH because you're going to need him in 2017 as well if you legitimately want to compete. Finally, I think a pattern of five starts (Shields), even if he was quite a bit better the last time out there...it's more than a 3/25 stretch, that's the equivalent of 14% of the season for James...or about 70 at-bats.