caulfield12

Abreu's K rate has dramatically increased, although is average is still "okay." Maybe he's getting away from that singles/line drive/opposite field stroke just a bit. It was due to happen with the amount of early success he's had. Viciedo is hitting almost exactly the same against RHP/LHP, fwiw. There were concerns in past seasons about his approach against RHP. He's not a platoon hitter, like Gillaspie threatens to be, or DeAza.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 12, 2014 -> 09:41 PM) I know, but at that stage of the game if you want to beat the A's on the road, you need to not strand the runner at third. That was one, key out. And predictably the A's plate two in the bottom of the fifth to take good command of the game. Gillaspie has hit the ball hard both times with RISP, yes? You can't really jump all over him. And it's not like Chavez's BAA against this season isn't way down in the .100's.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 12, 2014 -> 08:01 PM) At his highest, De Aza had a trade value of basically zero. I was referring to his first two seasons with the White Sox...not 2013/14.

Three nicknames for Abreu. Pito, which comes from his favorite uncle. Oso, the Spanish word for bear. Jose Daniel.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 12, 2014 -> 07:19 PM) Because that didn't happen this year? It's every other year, I thought. Last one was 2013. I can't imagine not at least having it in Asia, where MLB is trying to develop the game. Amongst the Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and Cuban national teams, to name just 4.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 12, 2014 -> 07:14 PM) So at this point the solution is to stop using pitchers, right? It might put an end to the World Baseball Classic, that's for sure.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/hal-bo...p;vkey=news_mlb Hal Bodley giving Francona credit for Cleveland's recent "turnaround" with the bullpen. Where's the article featuring Ventura, haha?

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ May 12, 2014 -> 06:35 PM) I'm sorry if this offends someone, but seriously suggesting that Jared Mitchell gets called up should be a bannable offense on this board. I didn't say it was a GOOD idea. Just that it would be more interesting to watch, from a fan's standpoint. The end. If they thought he had absolutely zero chance of ever contributing at the major league level, why wouldn't they just move on now? Do they really need AAAA filler so badly? With Charlotte's new stadium, the premium should be on giving them "winning" AAA/AAAA players if the guys aren't legit prospects being groomed by the organization. Charlotte has three consecutive sell-outs this weekend and came close on Monday.

QUOTE (Brian @ May 12, 2014 -> 06:04 PM) Can Micah play OF? We might find out soon enough if Eaton keeps getting hurt. Or Semien. Which would be kind of crazy that you'd have to move your two best infield prospects to LF/CF simply due to embarrassing major league play in the outfield.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 12, 2014 -> 06:00 PM) I thought he was talking about Sierra? If Sierra could play CF, I'm sure he would be out there. As it is, he's not a very good corner OFer. Big arm, like Viciedo, but quite limited.

Once again, Sox lack of major league-ready OF talent killing us. Danks isn't it. If they really felt Thompson or Mitchell could handle it, they'd get a shot. You're almost to the point with DeAza that you would bring up Trayce just to be a weaker version of Brian Anderson, but that's kind of irrelevant with Eaton about a week away from returning.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ May 12, 2014 -> 05:25 PM) Speculation that he may be called up, given that Charlotte released INF Alex Liddi today. That only makes sense if they're planning to leave Semien in the utility role in Chicago. Then there's another looming question about how to handle the Keppinger situation.

In retrospect, we should have sold high on DeAza after his first couple of seasons with the White Sox. It's been all downhill since then. That whole a player (especially one whose game is based on athleticism/speed) hitting their prime at ages 27-29 seems to be a textbook case with him. Yes, I know we have a strong counterexample in Ramirez, but at least there's a reasonable explanation (for the performance drop and lack of concentration) about the loss of his father in law/personal tragedy, etc.

Blast from the past. Gregory Infante, former Sox relief prospect, got the win when Guerra blew the save for the Knights.

Johnson's keeping his walks down and K's up. That said, 88-90 MPH simply isn't going to get it done at the next level, unless you're Mark Buehrle or Tom Glavine.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ May 12, 2014 -> 11:29 AM) I feel like they show that section on TV after every Sale strikeout. That's how I was made aware of it. And what are they doing when he's on the DL? Serious question. Still continuing when it's his spot in the rotation? How would a fan know?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 12, 2014 -> 11:19 AM) http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/cws/ticketing/kzone.jsp How many fans are even aware of this? Heck, might as well try "Two for Tuesdays" or "Thirsty Thursdays," typical minor league marketing tricks to get the younger crowd in with cheaper beer. You just have to police/control it...and be very vigilant about drunken behavior, because even though it's rampant at Wrigley Field, it always seems to come back to haunt the Sox somehow.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 12, 2014 -> 11:14 AM) Meanwhile, M. Johnson and Danish are blowing expectations out the water and Hawkins looks to be improving while Montas and Rondon are also shocking surprises with ++tools (Fastball and God Tier defense, respectively) We still don't know about Johnson's ultimate position defensively, and how much his stolen base technique will translate at the highest levels...his stolen base numbers are way down this year as he seemingly works on his all-around game. We also don't know about Danish's durability as a starter, as well as sustaining velocity and how he'll do at higher levels when he gets more heavily scouted. We don't know if Beck or Thompson will ever amount to much of anything. Until Rondon can put up a 725+ OPS in A ball, he can't be considered anything more than a utility prospect, like a Carlos Sanchez or Leury Garcia. Montas needs to pitch this well for 3+ months. One start, or two, does not a prospect make.

For example, the Royals have "T-Shirt Tuesdays." http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/kc/ticket...irt_tuesday.jsp Try something...anything...besides just fireworks, Picnic in the Park and Dog Day Afternoons.

Sanchez 2/2 but still limited to high 600's OPS. Davidson finally got a hit, at .159 currently, thrown out at 3rd base by Gose. Homers by Liddi and Jordan Danks. Tied 4-4 already going into the top of the fourth.

Davidson 0 for his last 9 since coming back from the hand injury. Still doesn't have a home run in Charlotte. Wilkins heating up a bit.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 12, 2014 -> 10:35 AM) I have seen that. Have you seen in baseball where the players and field workers will throw balls to fans nearby, and often even sign autographs before games? That's pretty nice of them. I don't know how to get fans in. I don't really care if fans come. I am excited about this team and will go to see them more this year. When I get to games I sometimes find out it's bobble head day and that's great. I feel like that promotion often just dictates when people show up to the games. But if we want some wacky ideas to get fans to feel appreciated, how about there is a number on every baseball, and at end of night they pick a random number that was on one of the baseballs played that night. If that baseball happened to find it's way to a fan that night, they'll get a sports massage from Herm Schneider. I think that would be about as exciting as an oil massage from Ken Davitian of Borat fame.

You can forget about Johnson coming back anytime soon. Fastball at 88 for a K. Still in trouble, though. There has to be something wrong mechanically or physically, you just don't lose 5+ MPH without an explanation. Gose up. Flies out to Danks. Our old friend Dan Johnson torched Erik Johnson. Two former White Sox.

Brady Aiken Brady Aiken, LHPHeight/weight: 6-4, 205 School: Cathedral Catholic High School, San Diego, Calif Pros: Very polished and poised. Throws fastball, curve, change for strikes. Cons: Doesn’t have overwhelming velocity or stuff. For any high school pitchers, you’re biting off a lot of risk because they are so young and have so many innings to go in their development. Despite losing the last high school game of his career before nearly three dozen scouts Thursday night, hard-throwing Shepherd High righthander Tyler Kolek left a good impression with Hall of Fame righthander Nolan Ryan and Astros manager Bo Porter. Kolek hit 100-mph on his fastball several times and displayed an impressive curveball in a 4-1 loss against Silsbee. Kolek is one of the players that Astros are considering for the top overall pick in next month’s draft, and he didn’t disappoint on a night Ryan drove Porter and Astros bench coach Dave Trembley more than two hours to see Kolek start at Jasper Baseball Stadium. “It’s plus velocity,” Porter said. “And actually he did a tremendous job with his breaking ball. Obviously he’s a big kid, great arm speed. His breaking ball comes out of the same slot.” The 6-foot-5, 250 righthander also earned positive points with a strong mound presence and maturity after his teammates committed numerous errors behind him. “I thought he threw the ball well, and that’s really all you can go by,” Ryan said. “You can’t go by what happens in the games.” Kolek struck out 10 and gave up four runs (one earned) on three hits over seven innings. “A lot of times when you see things happen on the baseball field and teammates make errors and the ball gets kind of kicked around a little bit, I love his composure,” Porter said. “I love the way he continued to pick up his teammates, running over and backing up the bases amid a lot of adverse things that are going on, which tells you a lot about the kid.” After being introduced to Ryan, James Kolek asked the Texas icon if he could stick around to visit with his sons Tyler and Stephen. Ryan obliged and stuck around for 20 minutes while being hounded by autograph seekers before Tyler was free. “I still can’t believe I just met him,” Tyler said. “I’ll never forget this moment. To meet the guy I’ve looked up to my entire childhood, it will stick with me the rest of my life.” The Astros have scouted every one of Kolek’s starts this year. The Marlins, who will pick second, White Sox (third), Cubs (fourth) and Phillies (seventh) also have shown plenty of interest. Ryan, Porter and Trembley were joined at Thursday’s start by Astros regional cross-checker Ralph Bratton. The Marlins and Cubs sent their scouting directors. The national cross-checkers of the Marlins, Rockies and White Sox were in attendance along with the Twins’ regional cross-checker and nearly two dozen area scouts. Only one of the scouting groups, however, was driven to Jasper by a 324-game winner who holds baseball’s all-time strikeout lead. “That’s what you call a world class chauffer,” Porter said. http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2014/...om-ryan-porter/ http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/ast...yan-5448935.php True to his word, Ryan stuck around. As Tyler and his younger brother, Stephen, headed to the outfield with the rest of their teammates for a postgame meeting, Ryan signed autographs amid a sea of Silsbee maroon and Shepherd blue. A smaller crowd gathered around Porter for his signature. "It's a great atmosphere," Porter said. "I think it's great for the kids, great for the families to have this type of excitement going on for your community. These are days these kids will never forget their entire life." After about 20 minutes of signing autographs, Ryan excused himself to visit with the Kolek brothers. "It's always tough to lose the last game you played," Ryan said. "Yessir. Yessir," Tyler responded in a Texas twang Ryan could appreciate. Although Tyler was born after Ryan retired, he considers Ryan his baseball hero. James also considers Ryan his favorite baseball player, so he enjoyed the meeting as much as his kids. After chatting for nearly 20 minutes, Ryan and Porter didn't hesitate when Tyler and Stephen asked if they could pose for a picture. "Bring mama in here," Ryan said before reaching over and giving Brenda a big hug. "I saw you over there sweating it out," Ryan told Brenda. "It's hard on mom. Let me tell you, the worst thing I had to do was to watch my kids play. It's hard because there's nothing you can do for them and you want them to do well." Encounter with an idol Brenda and James nodded in agreement and then said goodbye as Ryan, Porter and Trembley headed to their car. "Well, it was just one of those things that you wish you could remember every word and have it taped somewhere so you can save it," James Kolek said. "You just don't ever, ever get an opportunity to have a legend like him come out and see him and get to talk to him for a little while. "And he didn't just say hello. He stayed there and talked to the boys." Brenda was still wiping the tears of joy from her eyes as Ryan waved as he drove by. Her son's high school baseball career was over, but she found comfort knowing that his baseball career isn't over. If anything, it's only just beginning. Tyler will either continue his career at TCU next year or sign for a multimillion-dollar bonus at some point this summer. That decision is at least six weeks away, though. On Thursday, Kolek was just happy Ryan's visit numbed the pain he felt after losing. "My biggest memory of tonight will be Nolan, definitely," Tyler said. "He's been my idol growing up, and he showed up to my last high school baseball game."

It seems, from everything you read, that the Astros will take Kolek 2nd. The only question is whether the Marlins take Aiken or Rodon 1st...