caulfield12

Phegley benched, lol.... Sort of. I'm sure he would probably be in there with another 2/4 and homer or double game.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 01:33 PM) Yes, but crimes agianst Puig, aka the best LF ever, are basically crimes against humanity The backlash will be more interesting now if he doesn't make it. There will be a lot of squirming around in NYC in the commissioner's office, trying to find someone to "sit out" for a dubious injury so Puig can at least be invited to the game. Just count how many articles and comments are going to start appearing tmrw at 3 p.m. if he loses. It's going to be a PR mess.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 12:37 PM) John Danks was a near-MLB ready prospect, the original subject of conversation. Okay, that didn't make sense paired with Juan Uribe, and talking about "scrap heap."

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 12:38 PM) Quote the post where someone guaranteed that all of their blue chip prospects would reach the majors. And it's not a bad thing to have a s***load of quality prospects. When the time comes, I'm sure that they'll flip quite a few of 'em for proven major league assets. There is nothing to be pessimistic about. Except for being in the same division with the best organization in baseball right now, as well as the Reds and the Pirates on the rise and having the same number of prospects, but many of them on the pitching side. Maybe you can finish ahead of the Brewers, but that's kind of a given without Braun and with Gallardo probably being traded.

I still hate Buddy Bell, and listening to that interview of 22 minutes made it even worse. I also hate Braves and Blue Jays fans, for all the collusion going on with All-Star votes this week.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 12:34 PM) John Danks. Juan Uribe was also a scrap heap trade get. Not really. He was nearly Rookie of the Year for the Rockies his first season and then had a season like Viciedo is having now... But I wouldn't call it the scrap heap, I would just say we sold Aaron Miles at his highest possible value. John Danks was scrap heap? A Top 10 draft pick at that age....don't think so.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 12:29 PM) I think a lot of teams will hesitate on him because of his injury history and that'll hurt the length a little bit. I'd probably be willing to push 5/$75, but I can't be sure someone won't gamble Jose Reyes money on him. Might well depend on whether there's an org doing anything deliberately stupid this offseason like the Marlins were then. Essentially, we'd be replacing Danks with Ellsbury. I'm down with that....plus, as mentioned five million times, we already have Sale, Santiago and Quintana.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 12:20 PM) Lillibridge, Marquez, Castro and Molina were probably considered major-league ready or near ready when acquired. Don't forget Zach Stewart!!!

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 12:11 PM) I would like Ellsbury. I have a feeling we'll sit back and try to see what FAs are hanging around after the largest dollars are thrown about. Ellsbury will likely get some of those big dollars. I have a feeling he will get paid more than he can earn. So we should hope he has a season going forward like Granderson in 2013 (or Dye coming into 2005) where his value decreases but not to the point where it's too high of a risk to still sign him....where we roll the dice and come up winners. (Yes, that's exactly back to the KW way of doing things, but nobody wants to wait 4 or 5 years to have a decent team again, either).

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 12:06 PM) And I am sure an American all-star team would hold their own as well. But what you are saying still lacks game context. Little League World Series, lol?

Speaking of Rios and future OF vacancies....haha How much does everyone think Ellsbury would cost in terms of years and dollars? His OPS is in the high 700's now. I'm coming around to the conclusion that the single most important roster spot, moreso than clean-up, is DeAza making a mess of leadoff with K's, baserunning and fielding blunders...in terms of setting the tone of the entire offense. Maybe if we went back to the 2005 Scotty Pods/Iguchi playbook....of adding a consensus Top 5 leadoff man, and perhaps putting Beckham in the two hole, we'd be able to generate a lot more runs without the benefit of homers or stringing together 3 hits in a single inning together. Seems like this worked well for the Indians, adding Michael Bourn, as well. We would have to clear out Peavy, Danks and maybe Alexei to get this done, as well as DeAza, but it's not impossible. Ellsbury (CF) Beckham (2B) Morales (1B/DH) Rios (RF) Dunn (1B/DH) Viciedo (LF) Gillaspie (3B) Phegley © the 7th and 8th spots could flip ???? (SS) We could definitely compete with that line-up, if Viciedo is the hitter he showed LAST NIGHT. Obviously, the bottom 3 of the line-up is a huge issue...or could be. But not enough to kill the offense or keep it from being average. So now we have to find takers for Danks, Peavy, Crain, Ramirez and DeAza...along with Thornton, just to save some more $$$. Lindstrom, if we're offered ANYTHING decent. I'll overlook Morales' agent being Boras for a moment if we're going to spend what it takes to sign both Morales and Ellsbury.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 12:03 PM) Winner. The Dominicans would come to the US and kick their butts, unless it was in CA, TX or Florida.

QUOTE (robinventura23 @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 08:44 AM) Where was this last year when we played them and it mattered? Missing, the same as 5 MPH off Verlander's fastball. His ERA I think is higher than Quintana's or Santiago's now.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 11:58 AM) It comes down to live games versus not live games. There is a big difference between the two. If I go to the Dominican and personally scout him for a month in the DSL, then can he be on the list, lol?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 11:37 AM) Not at all, just as his more recent slump doesn't bring it down. No effect so far from his play, at least for me, other than maybe just to confirm he isn't completely out of his league. And could it possibly be the fact we have ZERO other legit 3B prospects, the tallest midget thing again, like Sanchez or the year before Nestor Molina being considered top prospects.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 11:05 AM) On Zapata... we had a discussion about this, among the FS writers and people who helped with the list. And just as here, there were a wide variety of views, ranging from him being Top 10, to considered-but-doesn't-make-list, to shouldn't-be considered. I think it is a great discussion to have, with valid reasons for all the above, which is why I opened a seperate thread for just that. What it comes down to is... 1. There is in fact a difference between a high school kid who has played in the states and been seen by a lot of scouts, versus a 16 year old who has only had a few people see him at a combine and has no competition to play against. 2. The data on Zapata is entirely based on combine-viewed physical tools and some BP work. That is very little to go on. 3. There is a WORLD of difference between a 16 year old and an 18 year old in terms of physical and mental development, and going down to 16 then projecting upwards to adulthood is very, very sketchy. Guesswork is present in all of this, but in the case of someone this young, it is borderline drawing straws. So, we decided as a group to not include him. If we had included him, he'd have probably been in the teens or twenties on the list, but with ratings all over the board. In the elite Dominican training academies, I would argue the maturity level, sheer amount of playing time, competition level, stress/pressure/anxiety to impress....is much higher than an 18 year old in Jenks, OK and Courtney Hawkins' hometown is ever going to experience. It's one reason why kids from there can sign at 16, as opposed to American high school players at age 18.

COMMENTARY (Ricky Lindsay, yahoo contributor network)| The baseball season is quickly approaching July 31, where one of the greatest debates throughout the sport starts heating up. What should a team do with their top prospect? The trade deadline is a time when everyone puts their caps on and plays GM, trying to decipher the best possible answer regarding their team's present and future. It's no different in the Motor City, as it's been a midsummer ritual for the past five seasons. The Detroit Tigers have taken the "go big or go home" trade method since then, with mixed results. Last season, the Tigers felt one of the worst pains of being a contender when they dealt top prospect Jacob Turner for Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante. This year, they face the same impending decision this month regarding outfielder Nick Castellanos. Castellanos, a first round draft pick in 2010, has climbed through the minors since making his professional debut fresh out of high school. Just a mere three years later, he's experiencing what every top prospect goes through while playing for contending organization -- the great unknown. With only three weeks remaining to decide their plans for the immediate future, here are three options the Tigers consider when it comes to Castellanos: Leave him in the minors Ever hear of the old saying, "you can't rush perfection?" It just so happens to be true. Castellanos is far from perfection, but every professional hitter not named Bryce Harper or Mike Trout needs some amount of practice before making the show. Imagine ordering a side of fries at your favorite restaurant. If they were delivered to your table, missing the greatness of seasoning, then they're just bland fries. They demand an "eh" response. The same can be said for Castellanos. If the Tigers -- or whomever might control him come August -- rush his development, he may wind up being bland when he's "finished." He needs that perfect amount of seasoning before being served to the fans anxiously awaiting his arrival. Trade him For some strange reason, this happens to be the most popular option amongst Tigers fans. It's the one move I'd plead the team to avoid making, but at the end of the day, baseball is a business. Since Castellanos is a highly touted prospect, many teams would be interested in his services. The Tigers are currently in need of bullpen help, perhaps even a true closer, before the trade deadline. Both go together like peanut butter and jelly. Relievers such as Huston Street, Jonathan Papelbon, and John Axford all fit the bill the regarding the Tigers needs and could find themselves in the team's shopping cart in the coming weeks. It's likely the Tigers couldn't finish a deal for one of those relievers with just Castellanos, though. Giving up the 21-year-old outfielder and others for a rental or an above average reliever would be a huge risk, but could be the one to push them over the hump. Promote him There's not much left for Castellanos to prove at the minor league level. He was just ranked the no. 15 in Baseball America's midseason Top 50 prospects after an impressive first-half. After an impressive June, one in which he had a .361/.441/.583 slash line with five home runs and 15 RBIs, Castellanos has made the Triple A All-Star team. Though, he opted to skip it with his wife expecting the couple's first child. A large portion of his .288 average, 11 home runs, and 47 RBIs have come on the heels of his April struggles. This alone is enough to make Tigers' left fielders sweat with anxiety -- they know he's coming, they just don't know when. Andy Dirks, Matt Tuiasosopo, and Don Kelly -- the Tigers current group of left fielders -- have combined to hit .265 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs in 452 at bats this year. Though it may not appear like the Tigers have offensive inconsistencies at this moment, it's a good bet that they will return once their bats return to earth. Castellanos can provide spark down the stretch, and if called up before August 31, he can continue that into the postseason. For the next three weeks, Castellanos will be surrounded by the unknown. Nobody knows what will happen to him, or how soon his future will become a reality. The Tigers can take many routes regarding their top prospect's future. Only time will tell which one they'll take. Ricky Lindsay has followed the Detroit Tigers and Major League Baseball with a close eye from Metro Detroit for several years. He's the sports editor for his college newspaper, The Michigan Journal, and broadcasts games for the Michigan Lightning, a semi-professional football team

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 11:19 AM) http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?c...mp;ymd=20130710 Day 2 of Hawkins on the bench. SIGH. The day before, he had a homer and triple off the wall. Then he goes 0 for 4 with 4 K's and he's benched...? One game, to clear his head, but this is ridiculous. The longer he sits, the more it WILL BE IN HIS HEAD. BTW, wish they would do that with Adam Dunn sometimes, as well. But for one game or two days (when there's an off-day, for a mental break). I HATE BUDDY BELL.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 11:13 AM) His OPS was .630 before last night's explosion, which means he's also two ordinary 2013 weeks away from being back to .630-.650. To suggest he's been anything less than a disaster is grasping at straws. He's up over 1000 career plate appearances in the majors, and while it takes some guys longer, you would like to see that OPS higher than it was last year. Maybe he'll figure it out in the 2nd half, and maybe he can start hitting like he did shortly after coming off the DL, but until then, he's really nothing more than Juan Uribe at the plate. Also, not sure where you got the idea I was giving up on him. Just saying he's been a disaster. If you can find a trade worth making then by all means, make it, but there's no point in releasing him or anything at this point. Also, unless he's traded, there's virtually no reason to not have Beckham on the roster. Even at $5 mill, having him play 2B or SS or whatever will be worth it. They need to put someone in the lineup next season. The fact that he hit two fastballs should some encouragement alone, and both against RHP'ers (at least for Fathom). The problem is that with the missed month, he's trying to get 25 homers all at once, and you just can't do that. He's pressing. And obviously, everyone in the offense is taking the weight of the world on their shoulders, as they have to feel bad for Chris Sale, in particular, but also Q and Santiago (and Hector did blow a five run lead, which really sucked).

"Dear NL, Do you want home-field advantage in the World Series? #VotePuig: http://atmlb.com/186kDkV. Text N5 to 89269. - Common Sense The Dodgers are in the midst of throwing three vote/watch parties, two of them hosted by former star Steve Garvey. Count the Dodgers legend as one who doesn't buy into the "Puig hasn't played enough to merit an All-Star selection" sentiment. "It doesn't matter," Garvey said. "He's made such an impact on the Dodgers and L.A. and across the sports world." http://sports.yahoo.com/news/freddie-freem...-172300115.html Stupid column, jackass...the dumbest set of reasons I've seen why Freeman should go over Puig (doubt there's been a single one written about the AL relievers race, haha)

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 10:50 AM) We can "get by" with Santiago? What are you smoking? What I mean is that we shouldn't dump him or trade him because he can only go 6 innings vs. 7 each time out. The reason I made that list is to show the territory he's in statistically in that category. All of those guys are legit pitchers, most aces or future aces. Someone in NY and LA reading that would go....who the HELL is Hector Santiago, and where did he come from?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 10:53 AM) Zapata hasn't even played in the DSL yet. There is literally no measuring stick that can be used for him, except "potential". What was the previous measuring stick for Keon Barnum, Tyler Danish, Zewski, etc.? They were high school players, and you can look at where they were drafted, and scouting reports and radar gun readings, but that's far from conclusive. Is Tyler a sure fire major leaguer because he set some Florida high school IP without a run scored suprecord? I'll give you an example. When I worked for the Pirates, they drafted a kid named Shon Walker out of KY (I think in 2nd round or supplemental) and he was super hyped because he set the all-time national home run record at the time. But high school results are so hard to assess...and Shon didn't even come close to making a big league impact. And I'm sure you would find that with a lot of the high school kids drafted very high, vs. collegiate players.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 10:51 AM) Johan Cruz is a very highly thought of shortstop prospect who signed for $450k last year. Through his first 33 games and 136 plate appearances, his splits are .105/.172/.121/.293 and he also has 12 errors in 77 attempts. Yes, that is a .293 OPS and a .912 fielding percentage. There have been plenty of others who have signed for $1.5+ million throughout the majors who have so called superstar potential who put up low .700 OPS's before eventually being tried at pitcher or released. When we have no track record and nothing to base our beliefs on but hearsay, it's best to reserve judgment. Some had him ranked in the top 10, others in the top 25, and some didn't have him ranked at all. SS prospects aren't expected to put up huge offensive numbers anymore. And errors don't mean a thing unless you're watching him every single day and assessing the reasons for those errors.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 10, 2013 -> 10:49 AM) Did you even read the blurb? He wasn't up for consideration and it wasnt for lack of talent. But the counterpoint is guys who are coming out of high school....or even a Mississippi junior college, it's not like that is much of a track record to go on, either. MLB and the scouting combine had 1-30 ranks on those kids and almost all of the signings except for a couple have slotted pretty nicely in companion. So, once again, I'll respectfully disagree and say that he HAS to be somewhere 11-25, if they're unwilling to rank him Top 10, I get that part, fine.

I know one thing, if we'd spent the money the Cubs have on their big 3 international signings (including the Taiwanese pitcher now), everyone here would be going absolutely nuts with joy and surprise.