caulfield12

QUOTE (fathom @ May 11, 2015 -> 05:07 PM) They had the superstars last year, but they didn't win enough to get fans interested. I really think with the buzz they had going into the year, if they would have got off to a good start, attendance would have increased by a lot. I actually do think the Bulls/Hawks games going on at the same time does have a significant impact on attendance. Plus you wouldn't even know the White Sox exist in the media because of the presence of Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Soler, Maddon, etc. The Cubs got off to a pretty good start and soaked up 90% of the available local attention.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance 28th after 14 home games. Sure the FO was hoping for better. Yeah, yeah, weather, Bulls, Blackhawks, school's in session, etc. Fwiw, Minnesota fans haven't weathered four seasons of losing up there very well, despite their team being off to a very surprising start. Unless Houston falls off dramatically, the best we can probably expect for the season is 24th. Maybe Arizona or Pittsburgh declines as well, but in all likelihood we're headed for 24th/25th again. The slow start is going to depress numbers in the early summer unless we start making an extended run right about now.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 11, 2015 -> 03:25 PM) I only noted LaRoche had faced Pelfrey in 2 of those 5 games because it did show up and because it seemed worth noting. Now that I check, LaRoche is 11/16 career against Pelfrey, so hitting him well is one of those things he does. If you're trying to draw conclusions like "LaRoche is a better hitter when he plays 1b" from a 6 game sample set, then "he faced a pitcher that he's hitting .688 against career in 2 of those games" matters a lot. No, I don't think that even matters...because if the organization and Abreu himself believes he's too young to be a DH (ala Thomas), it doesn't matter about any statistics thrown out there. They have LaRoche around for only two seasons, so it would be pretty shocking if they "benched" Abreu (to DH) unless he continued to regress and cost the Sox games instead of making some improvements and progressing towards being at least league average (due to the lack of qualified instruction he had coming into 2014). http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding/_/so...true/order/true Here, LaRoche is at -0.2 and Abreu's in the middle of the pack at -0.1 for dWAR. Maybe you can find the DRS if you want to make another comparison.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 11, 2015 -> 01:24 PM) Based on what? A lucky as f*** ERA? He's started 6 games this season and has pitched 34.1 innings. That alone tells me he's not a top 10 pitcher. If you aren't averaging 6 IP a start, you are not a top 10 pitcher in the league. http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/pitching/_/league/al/sort/WARBR Other than the Texas pitchers, all those names at the top definitely belong there. It's probably not going to be sustainable....my point, though, was that Pelfrey has pitched very well SO FAR, so when Mike Pelfrey is thrown into the conversation for his typical "so-so" expected performance to make a point on one side, the actual salient point here is that LaRoche hasn't feasted off complete garbage RH pitchers.

That would give them Tyus Jones and Tyus Battle. Can't beat a team with Tyus Squared. But is Tyus Jones going pro already?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 11, 2015 -> 12:21 PM) Jason Coskrey ‏@JCoskrey 57m57 minutes ago Former #MLB, #NPB star Julio Franco staying busy as player-manager in Japanese independent league | The Japan Times http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2015/05...wVUAo-1.twitter … Amazing he still has the forearm strength for that "bat wrap" style at his age, with the heaviest bats possible. Watching any White Sox hitters trying to emulate his style...especially against FB-dominant pitchers...priceless.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 11, 2015 -> 11:46 AM) I kinda want this. THE WILL TO WIN.

Then you're qualified to say Marcus Semien is terrible defensively after just 28 games in the MAJOR LEAGUES at a position the White Sox wouldn't let him play because of the presence of Alexei Ramirez, who the metrics say has provided the same exact level of defensive value? Okay..."fun with numbers," especially when you've never even actually watched him play SS this season.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 11, 2015 -> 08:09 AM) Advanced defensive numbers through 28 games is gospel to you as long as they show the White Sox suck and everyone else is great. I know the White Sox have bad defensive players, so does everyone else. I also know that Marcus Semien is an awful defensive player. Now that he is an ex-White Sox, you can't bring it on yourself to admit it. If he still was with the team, you would mention it daily. Go Royals, Cubs, Astros, and just about anyone else not the White Sox. How many games have you actually watched Semien play? Have you seen each one of his errors? How many games have you watched the White Sox play? Do you disagree with the statistics, then? Actually, DWAR has Abreu higher than LaRoche (although Adam doesn't have a big sample size), Conor as doing okay (maybe that's gone to negative since the weekend)....Melky Cabrera in the 2nd half of LFer's but close to the middle. Other than Beckham, which White Sox defenders have been AVERAGE or ABOVE AVERAGE from the good 'ol eye test? It's not a surprise you disagree with dWAR because it's inherently biased in favor of Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson, Alex Gordon, etc. Just because! http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding/_/po...ARBR/order/true Not surprisingly, Gordon is 0.2 dWAR. Because he's playing the position well and the numbers reflect that, albeit limited sample size again...

If Rodon's BIGGEST issues right now are command of his fastball AND developing more confidence in his change-up (enough to use it 7.5-12.5% of the time), then how is building his time in between starts to an abnormal amount going to aid his development? He needs to get a feeling for pitching...as he has stated consistently, he just trusts his catchers and fires away with whatever they're calling. The problem is that he comes into games totally amped up and tries to throw 97-99 MPH instead of finding a comfortable pace where he can get more movement and control of the ball instead of just throwing it. That change-up will come when he's able to get ahead in counts....or when his fastball velocity starts to fall towards the 92-93 MPH level and he needs another way other than the slider to miss bats and get out of 3-2 counts where the batter can keep fouling off his fastballs.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 11, 2015 -> 06:49 AM) All 5 of the games where LaRoche has started at 1b were games where there was a RHP on the mound (2 of them were Mike Pelfrey). I think it shows that Robin uses him at 1b when there's a RHP on the mound and he's still terrible against LHP like he has been the last 2.25 seasons so any time you select games where he's playing against RHP his numbers look a lot better. Pelfrey is a Top Ten AL pitcher at least so far this season.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ May 11, 2015 -> 07:54 AM) Have to trade some player in areas where we have depth and bring up a young player...like SS. Or maybe trade some of our "bounty" in ready prospects for a position where we are thin. And getting some of these pitchers who seem a year away will be helpful too. A lot of these guys seem like they are almost there but just can't find that last rung on the ladder. We're going to need a 3B and a catcher. But I think we're okay in the OF - let Gillaspie shag balls; he's a good hitter against righties and has good value there...nice bat for our bench. We only have one potential impact SS (both offensively and defensively), and that's Tim Anderson. If we can tolerate his learning curve at the major league level. The problem is that we're going to be skipping a year in development if we push him too fast to Chicago...of course, on the other hand, breaking him into the big league line-up in 2017 (assuming Alexei's gone or moved to 2B) puts a rookie at a critical middle infield position in the heart of the oncoming "competitive window."

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 11, 2015 -> 07:33 AM) Take those WAR numbers on May 8th. That is how they will finish up. Semien looks like he will be able to hit, but he is an awful defender. Awful. So is Conor, so is Avisail...our catchers, Abreu...Alexei is slowing down, too, a 1/2 step a year. http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding/_/po...true/order/true According to DWAR, Ramirez and Semien are on par, about neutral or 0.00. The list of the Top Ten defenders isn't much of a surprise. The fact that the White Sox constantly moved Semien around from 3B to SS to 2B...maybe it's another surprise that playing the most difficult position on the field without having been allowed to play there by the White Sox (at the MLB level) should consequently lead to some initial struggles. http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding/_/po...true/order/true Micah Johnson is far and away the worst 2B among all qualified...it's not even close, -0.8. http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding/_/po...true/order/true Adam Eaton is 25th, with only Wil Myers (who doesn't belong in CF but has to play there) behind him. Eaton is at -0.6. And Avisail is in negative territory but not quite so bad, 17th out of 26. Tyler Flowers is 20th/23. Basically, our entire defense sucks right now. In your idea, Jose Valentin was probably much worse than Royce Clayton as well if you went by simply errors and not range, UZR, total chances, all the outs he recorded with his arm that ended up as infield singles with Royce, etc.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ May 11, 2015 -> 01:27 AM) Sounds like more BS Cubs hype, it seems like the "pitch to him like he's a triple crown winner" method is working, the guy is a K machine. That was his dad's quote, by the way...Mike Bryant, former minor leaguer.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 11, 2015 -> 07:22 AM) He's also on pace to make 46 errors at SS. http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting/_/pos...ARBR/order/true According to WAR, his offense is more than compensating as he's leading all AL shortstops...and among all qualified MLB shortstops, 5th (1.0) out of 21 players. Alexei Ramirez is 15th. Samardzija, fwiw, 0.8, tied for 22nd in the AL with Hector Santiago among pitchers.

QUOTE (LDF @ May 11, 2015 -> 03:20 AM) yeah, i just wrote about it, now i deleted it. it was almost the whole highlights of posters comments off this site. the way mlb rumors does things, i was sure it would be them posting a link, not sb nation. It's a specific writer for Southsidesox.com, Jim Margalus (sp)...which gets picked up by sb nation apparently.

But don't stop with that excerpt -- read this whole piece by Bruce Levine, if only to see if we can figure out through the wisdom of the crowd whose interest(s) this story actually serves. Superficially, it uses flattering verbiage for both the coaching staff ("tireless workers") and the front office (" Hahn and Williams simply used some of their upper-management skills"). Through this lens, perhaps it's just a way to transfer heat from Ventura to the players. But if a reader isn't inclined to be charitable, this could come off as damning. I don't think it does Ventura any favors -- it reads like he's in need of his own "hands-on" management training during his fourth year on the job. And if that's the case, then it could be a tacit admission that Williams and Hahn overestimated Ventura's abilities. I guess it depends on who is more responsible for the old "manifesto," because it's not a good look when an entire offseason's worth of preparation has been deemed ineffective and replaced in three days. I'm also not ruling out that it's a poorly executed story more than anything else, because it's been known to happen. At the very least, the emphasis on "working hard" rings hollow when "working smart" has been the problem. http://www.southsidesox.com/2015/5/10/8581...p-up-in-the-air

http://www.southsidesox.com/2015/5/10/8581...p-up-in-the-air Pluses and minuses of the three competing stations involved...

Sox ticket promotion a loss for Sports Facilities Authority - Chicago Tribune As a way to boost attendance for low-demand weekday games and track customer habits, the White Sox rolled out the Ballpark Pass program that allowed fans to see 11 games for $29. Why $29? The Chicago Tribune has an idea: The Ballpark Pass was a chance to watch weekday baseball during April and May this season for merely $2.64 per game. Three hours before a first pitch, fans who purchase the plan learn seat locations via their smartphones. But the multigame package might not bring savings for a less visible presence at U.S. Cellular Field: taxpayers. The Sox, under an agreement with the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the public agency that owns The Cell, are required to pay a fee on each ticket sold beyond 1,930,000 in paid attendance. But that "ticket threshold," according to the agreement, excludes tickets that are given to sponsors or sold for less than $3. It might not be quite the coup as building ChiSox Bar & Grill and the Chicago Sports Depot on the state's dime, but it's still a victory for the Sox, who have a Harlem Globetrotters-Washington Generals relationship with that patsy known as Fine Print. http://www.southsidesox.com/2015/5/10/8581...p-up-in-the-air

http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Trystane_Martell It might make a degree of sense cinematically, but it's a huge divergence from the book series. http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic...th-aegon/page-2 "Dany will not side with Aegon" thread... 'PonchoBear', on 12 Mar 2013 - 09:16 AM, said: Everyone is under the impression that when both Danys armies of Unsullied, Ironmen, Dothraki and Mercenaries land on Westeros shores that she will flock to join Aegon with his Mercenaries, Stormlands Targaryen loyalists and the retinue of Dornish who journey to see Aegon in the Winds of Winter preview chapter. I think that Dany wont be standing for what she believes is a fake Targaryen - At least until her dragons show some form of like/dislike for him anyhow which I think may just end up leaving Aegon looking like Quentyn.Martell. Whereas Aegon has already shown he dosent want, or need Dany when he is advised to leave for Westeros without her, so that she can come begging to him rather than the other way about. Dany dosent beg, She is too proud to beg, and is becoming more and more like Viserys in that sense, This could and I think, will end all chance of an Alliance - And we will see the number of Monarchs in the War of the 5 kings brought back up to 5, as everytime we have been depleted below that number, George has introduced a new Claimant. Please, share your opinions and poke holes in my theory i think I generally agree with you, based primarily on the fact that if they did join together it would just be too easy, and we all know how Mr. Martin "loves" letting people take the easy road.

QUOTE (sin city sox fan @ May 10, 2015 -> 07:15 PM) The only joke is how Greg Walker almost ruined this guy's career. Now that he's overcome the bad habits instilled by our old hitting coach and is truly reaching his potential, I'd like to make sure he's in a White Sox uniform for the rest of his career. Except for this....Scott "Scooter" Fletcher is Beckham's father-in-law, and was Greg Walker's assistant hitting coach with the Braves for two seasons. It would make zero sense for Walk (a fellow Georgian, along with Harrelson) to do anything but help Gordon Beckham become the best hitter possible.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ May 11, 2015 -> 12:58 AM) Just reread my post. Would like to clarify, keep Danks in the rotation and move Noesi to the pen with Rodon taking Noesi's spot in the rotation. Apologies, had a few beers this evening. I think Reds and Tigers fans might have joined you last night. Or Bulls' fans.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/pro...?P=Mike-Recchia His stat card since Eastern Illinois. When you sign as a free agent, without any signing bonus...it's an incredibly difficult path financially.

Even if Noesi deserves it more (and that's arguable, at best...and doesn't take into account Danks' history since 2007 with the White Sox, the 2008 Blackout Game, the surgery/comeback), then you're still going to be taking John simply because of that contract. Sure, it's a "sunk cost," Noesi has four additional earned runs due to Rodon's wildness that would make his numbers look a lot better if subtracted...but, Danks has also gotten his fastball up into the 91-92 MPH range this last start, and his "quick pitch" style of attack seems to be more effective, whether from the stretch or with nobody on base. Whether that will hold up, nobody knows...especially during the prime home run months at USCF, but I just don't see any way they stick with Noesi over Danks. Another argument is keeping another RHP in the rotation to provide balance, but that, in and of itself, doesn't seem to be enough to be considered THE deciding factor. $$$ still trumps everything else, if performances are similar.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/sports/b...html?_r=0\ This time, a very different Kris Bryant article from the NY Times. All about hitting philosophy (most of it comes from Ted Williams...father actually met him when he toiled in the minors)... “We’re going to learn how to do two things,” said Williams, the Hall of Famer whose famous mission was to be the greatest hitter who ever lived. “We’re going to hit it hard and we’re going to hit it in the air.” The Cubs’ top baseball executives, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, grew up in New England and had worked for the Red Sox. They loved that Bryant was raised on the wisdom of Williams. But mostly they loved that in a game trending toward pitchers, Bryant was a polished, and unapologetic, slugger. “He knows that when he hits it clean, with the right swing, it’s a homer,” said Hoyer, the Cubs’ general manager. “Most of the guys, their fly balls often don’t go out, so, therefore, you want guys to hit the ball true, hit it low. Someone like him, that’s his swing path. It’ll go out if he hits it.” “He’s being pitched to like he’s a triple crown winner,” Mike Bryant said last Friday. “It’s amazing. I’ve watched every game. He’s seen 374 pitches, and I’ve seen every single last one of them, and I can tell you, unequivocally, he’s gotten one pitch he could hit out of the yard that he’d be comfortable swinging at.” That pitch, Mike Bryant said, was a fastball on a cold night in Pittsburgh that went for a double. Soon enough, he is convinced, the home runs will come. The steady diet of breaking balls will help pitch recognition, and Kris’s discipline — and the dangerous Anthony Rizzo behind him in the lineup — will eventually get him more fastballs.