caulfield12

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 12:45 PM) Scary to read about Micah's lack of defense as well as Anderson. Also is Hawkins good or not? Hawkins is just fine for a corner outfielder, probably a tick above major league average from the video I've seen (granted, those are usually "good/highlight" plays and not errors.) Anderson has the raw tools, but is not refined yet. Jury's still out. Scouts seem to love him, almost across the board, in terms of projecting his future. I think there's more concern about Micah Johnson being a lesser version (both offensively and even defensively) of Ray Durham, and lacking some of Sugar Ray's XB pop at the major league level as well. He had all the steals last season and seems to be concentrating on other aspects of his game, so I'm not sure how easily he could put up a 40-50 steal year in the majors. It might take him some refining that technique and time to learn opposing pitchers and catchers. He's not an absolute terror like Billy Hamilton, at least not this season. At any rate, he's got to steal a lot more than Adam Eaton (successful at an 80% clip or higher) to be a major league regular.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 12:35 PM) Of course, there's a downside in that too. They're likely to be a top 10 pick this year. If they want to wait to play the FA market in 2016 for pitching, and those guys aren't terrible, then there goes their first round 2016 pick. I'm sure they can live with that, all things considered. The Esptein Regime's going to be in a world of hurt if they have only one productive prospect out of the Core Four (now Fab Five with Russell). However, they're more likely to use McKinney/Almora/Schwarber/Vogelbach and Baez/Castro to acquire pitching, if you believe all the "cash strapped" rumors out there.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 12:01 PM) I still struggle to believe that Billy Beane wouldn't have $4 million to spend for the rest of this season by claiming Adam Dunn, especially after they just removed a middle of the order, high power, high strikeout bat in Cespedes. See Manny Ramirez in 2010.

Garcia with his 2nd double. 13/25.... .520 Please release DeAza and bring him back so there can be a reason to watch the White Sox again. And no-doubt homer #28 for Andy Wilkins. Brad Eldred had 35, 7 to go to catch him.

QUOTE (bmags @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 08:38 AM) Summer Catch, obviously. At least you didn't say the one with Fallon about the Red Sox...ugh. Hercules B Lucy B+ Kachi: A Dog's Story...A (this is the best, and most heart-wrenching/tear-jerking animal movie of all-time...it's from back in 2009, Richard Gere and Joan Allen are the main stars, along with Jason Alexander in a bit part...any dog lover will both enjoy and empathize with this story, and not for Marley&Me reasons)

Jared Mitchell K'ed again for Charlotte. Guess he's back up. 2/16 on the homestand, 0/2 today. http://www.milb.com/content/page.jsp?ymd=2...&vkey=team3 White Sox need their own Dance Team (who were those girls before, the Chevy t-shirt ones?)...Charlotte Knightengales

White Sox reclamation projects Wang, Hanson and Boggs

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 08:28 AM) I think you seriously need to stop talking about the Cubs. Its becoming like you and Puig. Talking about the White Sox for the last week and most of 2013 was pretty boring...except for the trade deadline and following Avisail's progress. I think I've contracted a case of Fathom-itis, perhaps. And I did have the Astros/Aiken for awhile, haha. Plus I can multitask for 3 weeks in the US and buy lots of baby stuff from amazon.com.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 11:05 AM) They may also see be trying to prop up Baez's value too. They would be pretty crazy to trade someone with that kind of pop who can play 2B/SS/3B UNLESS his defense is well below Conor Gillaspie level. Let's say he is Dan Uggla, worst-case scenario...there's still a lot of value in a 21-22 year old cost-controlled infielder who can give you 25-35 homers. Sure, it's possible he busts...that he's a disappointment in the same way Dayan Viciedo has been for the White Sox. The thing is, they don't have to trade him unless their financial situation is REALLY desperate and they don't have the cash flow/advertising/sponsorship revenues to spend on pitching. That's possible...but if Baez, Soler and Alcantara all look good for these last 45+ games, they will be sitting in a good position in terms of not ABSOLUTELY having to do anything pitching-wise until before 2016.

Of course, there's also that huge risk (see Brandon Wood or nearly every Cubs/Sox hitting prospect since the late 80's) that the player's value DECREASES by being exposed at the major league level. For example, Gordon Beckham in 2009 was worth a heckuva lot more than Gordon at the end of 2010 or 2011. Sure, part of it's to generate more revenue/ticket sales in August, but it's not like the attendance has been terrible, all things considered...and the weather's been nice this year (it feels cold compared to China, so strange). The Cubs are better off in the sense that Rizzo and Castro are performing well (especially Rizzo), and that's saved them a couple of steps in the rebuilding process, or, at the very least, given them the option to pick up a pitcher by trading Castro and supplanting him with Russell at SS. You never know...if they really take off the last two months and "Merry Baez Day" takes off, WGN-Radio 720 and a lot of their sponsors might be willing to come back...especially with Alcantara and Soler contributing in 2014 and Bryant just around the corner. That gives them either Russell or Castro, McKinney, Almora (even less need for him now if Alcantara can hold down CF), Vogelbach and Schwarber as bats to possibly trade/hoard, and then of course they have CJ Edwards as well as P. Johnson. If Hendricks can keep this up, and the odds are he will fall back down to earth, they're not going to have to spend more than $50-130 million on FA pitching. They've got 2-3 other AA/AAA pitchers (Beeler and Wada, can't remember the other one)...if they can just get ONE rotation piece from there, and then Edwards, they're in REALLY good shape. Plus, there will be a LITTLE less pressure to add Shields/Scherzer/Lester if Baez and Soler explode onto the scene...

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 09:27 AM) You can bet they have. The difference is that our front office doesn't leak this stuff, and the local media isn't determined enough to find it out. Odds are that by now the entire team, or close to it, has been through waivers. There will be big "failure/the end of the chapter" stories written about Dunn and Beckham if they depart, but that will be about it.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 09:24 AM) I assume the waiver sheet looks something like this Philadelphia Ryan Howard Chase Utley Cole Hamels Red Sox Clay Buchholz Jonny Gomes White Sox Bullpen What is Buchholz's contract? That might be a Cooper, fixer upper special. He did pitch decently against the White Sox the last time we faced him, although his ERA was 6+ at that moment in time. How has he been pitching the last two months? Wonder if we would have claimed Fausto Carmona/Roberto Hernandez had he gotten to the NL. Doubtful. But that's the "ilk" of pitcher we're going to be trolling for as the 4th/5th guy unless we shock the world and sign Scherzer/Shields/Lester or Masterson.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 09:19 AM) Yea, it is really hard to believe the SOX haven't put several of their players on waivers. I would have imagined the Dunn, Danks, Beckham, De Aza would have hit the waiver wire within days of August 1. Why the wait? Almost every MLB team puts all their players through the wires. Probably, they're simply waiting to see which players are claimed (Alexei and Viciedo, I'm assuming) and which ones are not (Dunn, Beckham, DeAza). The way Hahn has been operating, I don't think we will know anything until one of them has officially been traded unless the other teams' sources leak it.

Johnson, at least right now, doesn't have the stuff to be an effective reliever...that said, he's probably a better alternative than Surkamp. Heck, Nolan Ryan might be a better option.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 08:33 AM) I think the plan is already starting to crack, which is why they have started bringing guys up this quickly, instead of being mindful of contract situations. With Baez, perhaps. But that's not going to matter as much with Soler's contract (compared to Kris Bryant's deal, which everyone acknowledges will push him back to June, 2015.) Judging by his first three games, he's brought some badly-needed life and excitement to not only the organization itself but also the patiently-suffering fanbase. The only problem is figuring out where to play Russell...which is a dilemma that might not be resolved until winter ball or spring training or the possible trade of Castro, although the odds of that happening are about the same as the White Sox dealing Alexei IMO. If they can bring in Lester or Shields in the off-season, that's going to have a huge impact...and then maybe signing a flippable veteran or two for the back end to bridge them to 2017/2018. Having Lester/Shields, Arrieta, CJ Edwards or P. Johnson and then Jackson and veteran 2nd/3rd tier guy...that's not too bad, putting them only one more pitcher away. Maybe Hammel comes back on a relatively team-friendly deal, for example. Of course, like the White Sox, their bullpen is a mess, but it's still probably more talented than ours.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 07:25 AM) The plan is just fine. That the execution fell apart was ALWAYS a possibility and would have been even if the plan were different. Part of the plan is that you accept higher short-term risk in your bullpen in exchange for less long-term risk, because the ultimate goal is to remain flexible with your resources so that you can most adequately and immediately complement your team as you get closer to contention. What happened to the bullpen this year was about the worst realistic outcome in the spectrum. It was more likely that they were adequate as a group, and it was probably just AS likely that they exceeded expectations as it was that they failed so miserably. If a front office fails at this strategy consistently, then you can question their ability to evaluate talent, but this is EXACTLY what the Cubs have been doing to the past few years and the result for them has been a net positive. So if you want to criticize it, then make an argument against the FO's ability to identify good bounceback candidates -- but the plan itself makes plenty of sense. And we've done great with Quintana and Santos, for example...except for the returns on Santos, and the fact that we held onto Humber beyond his expiration date. Same thing with making Noesi into at least a serviceable/competitive 5th starter. The problem has been a lot of unexpected injuries to Floyd, Crain, Jones and finally Lindstrom. It's true, the Cubs did a good job with Feldman, Garza and then same thing this with Samardzija and Hammel. Arrieta's turned out to be quite the find, and that's to their credit. We were hoping at one point to possibly trade Nate Jones, Lindstrom, Belisario, Boggs, maybe Downs and Paulino, and none of those things worked out. Going back to the beginning of the KW regime, we've always excelled in finding hitters from other organizations, or buying players that were superfluous/injured/undervalued. FWIW, if CJ Edwards is in the starting rotation and Russell's the starting 2B or SS for the Cubs in 2017, then they've done a really good job IMO.

The main problem is the Cubs are clearly targeting 2017 and 2018. You're buying two years of Hamels that are basically going to be wasted...and then declining when you arguably most need him. If the Cubs were one year ahead of where they are with THE PLAN, then it would make a lot of sense to acquire him now in order to have him for 3 out of 4 competing years.

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/waiting-for-th...3801289902.html Waiting for another female-led superhero movie...on cue. Argues that Scarlett Johanssen/Black Widow is the one to do it, because of the success of Lucy as well as The Avengers. Argues Cat Woman and Elektra shouldn't be held against women, etc. With all the focus on Bridesmaids, The Heat and Melissa McCarthy movies in general, one would think the time is now to strike...if not for the right reasons, at least acknowledging and respecting female audiences are out there and a huge part of the box office puzzle.

It's worth noting those 3 homers by Baez came against pitchers he's seen before. We'll see what adjustments the league makes...just like Abreu has gone through all season long, back and forth. Starting out like that, whether he becomes homer happy or not...or remains fairly disciplined in his approach. He's just ratcheted expectations into the stratosphere. It's like Wood/Prior or Sandberg 1984 right now. One thing's for sure, it will be shocking if there's no sellout today at Wrigley.

Well, let's be honest. Out of all the pitchers who have come out of our bullpen this year, how many of them really belong in the major leagues, at least right now, at this exact moment in time? 1) Putnam (if healthy) 2) Petricka (although he still has to show he can repeat, Nathan Jones wasn't as good his second year) Webb should be in AAA for at least 2-3 months. Belisario might have been solid had he never been moved to the closer role, but we'll never know the answer to that question. You could make an argument for Guerra, but there's 3-5 bullpen pieces that should be switched out before next season, arguably.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 04:17 AM) Can you explain to me if it is because of Don Cooper, how the pitching staff had a great road trip when he was gone, taking 3 of 4 in Minneapolis and 2 of 3 in Detroit, team ERA near 3.00 on the trip,and then imploded when Copper returned? The legend of Don Cooper has taken new heights. The bullpen gives up runs because of his absense, even though they gave up just as many when he was in the dugout. Coop came back for the Minnesota series and left right before the first game against Texas. The team gave up 8,8, and 16 runs the 3 games he was back. Almost half of it was Hahn not sending Rienzo to the minors sooner.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-...ing-legacies#p3 Interesting to know that a quote from C.S Lewis is the reason that Monaghan sold the Tigers and indirectly why we're having such a tough time competing with Ilitch/Dombrowski since 2006. If only he'd won the World Series in 2006, things might be different now. But maybe not. It's a lot like the Reinsdorf story, chasing after that elusive first trophy.

QUOTE (sin city sox fan @ Aug 8, 2014 -> 12:14 AM) Is Robin going to do anything about this bullpen situation? Or just allow the implosion to continue for the rest of the season? Bring in a hypnotist. Try accupuncture. How about a colon cleansing for the staff? These ideas may seem ridiculous, but doing nothing seems even more ridiculous to me. Heck, I'd even rather try and and have all the righties throw with their left hands. At least they'd have a valid reason for failure at that point and could maybe realize their potential when switching back to normal. Robin acts like this is no big deal and just continue to trot out a new arm every out or two. If we're going to have a POS for our manager, get rid of Ventura and give the job to Mr Hankey. He'd likely command more respect from the players in our dugout. What would you have him do, take over Hahn's job and start making more waiver claims of overpriced relief pitchers? The fact that Rienzo was left by Hahn in the bullpen for so long tells you everything you need to know about our lack of relief pitching depth in the minors right now. Taylor Thompson's the answer? Donnie Veal? Leesman? Axelrod? Surkamp? Guerra? Boggs? Paulino? Nobody believes that...especially not Hahn. They just have to take their lumps. I'm sure that Ventura will be questioned every time he uses Cleto, but watching the bullpen the last 4-6 weeks, it's become much bigger than Robin. If you want to blame anything, maybe you should look no farther than the absence of Don Cooper and the seeming effect it has had on the results of the entire pitching staff.

If we're bringing in Gomes, it's as the last player on the roster to platoon with a struggling youngster...assuming we are approaching that season with a realistic chance to compete, which 2015 no longer looks like. McCarthy. No. Flyball pitcher, pitches high in the zone...essentially same problem as Danks with better stuff but no reliability whatsoever due to injury history. Angels would laugh and hang up at the notion of trading CJ Wilson for Danks. 90% sure the Rockies have the club option to bring back Cuddyer for 2015, and are likely to do so (especially if they trade Tulo or Cargo).

The only real pluses have been Putnam and Petricka, and Noesi from a starting standpoint (based on minimal expectations). Can they perform the same way again in 2015? Doubtful. Maybe. Webb has been the most disappointing, and part of it's attributable to lack of command, while others will say he never had a consistent role and that will be answered with, how could they give him a consistent role with all the injuries and his lack of dependability? Veal/Surkamp/Leesman have no place on active major league roster anymore. The only thing that would have really helped this team was signing the right 2nd/3rd tier veteran free agent starting pitchers to team friendly deals or trading for those guys. Not signing Ventura/Jimenez/Garza. That list of guys like Phil Hughes (just as easy to make the mistake of signing Nolasco, as the Twins did), Haren, Tim Hudson, Kazmir, Josh Beckett, etc. It could just as easily have been blown up, taking guys like Jason Vargas, Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Edinson Volquez, Feldman, Bronson Arroyo, Kuroda. Of course, that's where you have to rely on your scouting, Kenny Williams, Cooper, Buddy Bell (sigh). Talent procurement/judgement is the name of the game.