ILMOU

Minor quibble, but I don't think Anderson is close to an 80 speed. Last thing I read, I think it was Callis, said he was not the "70" he had thought before - more like a 65. At least, that's what I thought I'd read. Nice list.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 09:35 AM) BP loves Abreu. So... there goes that argument. He's likely to regress a LITTLE bit. That's just the way baseball works. They're simply not a 90 win team unless everything goes right, like in '05. Garcia, Gillaspie, Sanchez and Flowers are four HUGE issues (like I said, we don't know what we're gonna get from Avi) and the back end of the rotation is bad. Teams don't just improve 17 wins over a previous season. It doesn't happen except on very, very rare occasions. I also think everyone on this board overvalues Shark. I see him as a high 3s ERA guy, definitely our third best starter. I wouldn't completely be shocked with a very low 4s era in the AL in this park. Also, this is based on a lot of the projection systems out there and his past production. There are too many question marks to assume they'll win 90 games, but I'm still really excited about the season because they'll be competitive all year long, and if they can show they're competitive, they're more likely to keep Shark long term. Fangraphs and others seems to not, a lot, so no. Let's not pretend to know more than we really do here, folks. Could go any which way, but 90 is nothing close to approaching crazy. Not even a stretch.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 09:23 AM) Do you expect there to be more big moves by the White Sox? At this point I feel pretty good about the top of the roster being pretty well set. Maybe we add a guy or two on a spring training invite type of thing, but the Sox roster is basically in the system today. Taking that and comparing it to the rest of the AL and AL Central, I feel this is not a 90 win team, without some breaks. With the catching situation, 2b up in the air, and the back of the rotation being scary at best, I am not sure how you can squint hard enough to look at this team as a sure fire playoff team. I think they're a 90 win team as constituted , with a likely better roster by season's end IF we don't fall flat out of the gate. 90 gets you in almost every time - that's a contender. The projections are a joke. Lumping Abreu in with other "sophomores" regression profiles is the first place they go off the rails.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 09:21 AM) What is the difference between being a contender and being competitive? I really don't understand. Competitive is White Sox 2010, 2012. Contender is 2014 Royals. That's how I view it, and the margins aren't huge.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 09:17 AM) It is not a rebuilding year, but is also not a division winning roster. Just plain silly to make this statement in late Jan., imo. You seem rather certain.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 08:41 AM) It has "competitive" written all over it. Not contender. We have a s***-tastic back end of the rotation and three black holes in the lineup. I also wouldn't be surprised at a high 3's ERA out of Shark. No, contender is right, not merely competitive. Rotation back-ends are fungible, and the craptastic back end we start the season with is unlikely to resemble what we finish with. Don't get all worried about it just yet. This team can contend with anyone in our league. QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 09:12 AM) That's nuts. This isn't a rebuilding year. Get over it. I'm with you, Flav.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 07:53 AM) I'm curious how people react to the list. When we did our voting and discussion, we felt the very top (top 6-7 or so) was strong, the next group (say 8-20-ish) was relatively weak, but the back end (20+) was very strong, all relative to a typical straight-line. Been feeling the same way.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Jan 25, 2015 -> 09:17 PM) The fangaphs prediction of 77 wins sounds like it came straight from the north side,lol. Come on now. The four biggest acquisitions of Robertson, Melky, LaRoche and Samardzija only account for a 4 win improvement over 014? That's pretty harsh IMHO. Plus Duke, healthy Avi, etc. Absurd is more like it. QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 26, 2015 -> 09:46 AM) I'm gonna play extreme optimist and predict 90 wins. I don't think that's extreme in any way. Just a lot of pessimism here.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 25, 2015 -> 05:43 PM) but when you have a whole group of plow horses, you can't expect a thoroughbred to appear. Exactly. Micah is the proverbial lump of clay. He has a real chance to be a high-impact player if he can steal often and efficiently.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 24, 2015 -> 05:46 PM) http://m.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article/107...-coaching-staff #NoVincentVanGo ifwe'djusttradedKW "Coleman's teaching presence only enhances a White Sox group figuring to run quite a bit in 2015. Micah Johnson, Carlos Sanchez, Alexei Ramirez, Emilio Bonifacio, Melky Cabrera and a trimmer Avisail Garcia join Eaton as players capable of contributing to the speed game." I'm going to predict Micah as OD starter at 2B, but adding he and the slim, healthy Avi to this mix, we're not a bunch of plodders by any means.

Just the no-nonsense look and mentality of the old, fat guys that Eaton interviewed made me damn proud to be a Sox fan. Suck it, Milwaukee.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 24, 2015 -> 05:00 PM) I wonder if Cubs fans are as outraged as Sox fans were when Ricketts popped off last week. Samardzija was asked the difference between Sox fans and Cubs fans and he asked "Besides paying attention to the games?" Perfect. Lovin' this guy.

Met him on the putting green at Evergreen Country Club at 91st and Western, about a dozen years ago. The nicest guy you'd ever want to meet. He made time for everyone. An ambassador like no other.

Loving this. This is a move made with Eaton and Micah in mind, and guys like May and Engel down the road, if we're lucky. I'm sure it was impossible to pry Davey Lopes out of LA, so this is the next best thing - Vince could teach Micah a ton. I need a framed and autographed picture of Rick Hahn. This should be a basic item on the mlb.com shop. http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/...th-baserunning/ Wait, who's Vincle?? Please edit, thanks.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 24, 2015 -> 10:37 AM) i like this list, i know it is based on your opinion and many have different opinions and esp how how it was decided. i agree with your 1-6 great list. that is what many should be really excited about. those prospects. now your 7&8 well i just don't know, esp Davidson, just b/c they stumble a little should they be not looked at?? but that is where i see your 7, 8 9 being tied with Jace Fry - sp - #19. Thompson need to come on down, somewhere in the 15 range. i thing Micker - 15 should be #11 or 12. i really line Ynoa, Jake Peter, Myles Jaye and think they are close to each other somewhere after #15. there are a couple of players selected last yr in the top 10 that i am kinda of intrigue with. maybe wishful thinking on my part. there are also a couple of pitchers on the list last yr, that i like alot but i will do a wait and see. but hell those are my opinions. I think you're on it, LDF, and other than Davidson being crazy-high I like the list, too. There's a two year record of decline with Matty D in the minors, from his excellent 2012 in AA, was it 141WrC+?, well plenty good, anyway. But that's AA, when a hitter of his limited sophistication can sit on their pitch, to AAA in 2013 in Reno, where he regressed to 117WrC+ facing more polished stuff and smarter pitchers, which is not a level that screams major leaguer, and " Does any legit Major Leaguer actually regress in RENO?!? ". I'm sure there are a few. And then there was last year's sub-Mendoza debacle, in the most hitterish park to perhaps ever grace the International League. And, I know I left out his 31 games with the DBacks, but that's a perfect length for a "book" not being quite developed against a callup by the pitching adversaries, and a guy hitting bombs. There are countless examples, and Junior Lake come to mind. I know that power is beyond valuable, and the upside is still there, and I hold out a glimmer of hope. But, two non-major-injury seasons of decline make it a glimmer, and I don't think he belongs above 12. But I've said my piece on this, and we'll see how it plays out. Would so love to dine on crow. For the helluva it, here's my top 10, and let me start by saying I think we have more usable high-end pieces than anytime in awhile, so I'm going to tier them as well: 1. The Giant Pterodactyl Maybe a #2 quality starter by Memorial Day this season ( I can dream) - Clearly though, the top choice, and a tier above the others. A potential "1.5" 2. Tyler Danish 3. Tim Anderson 4. Micah Johnson 5. Spencer Adams 6. Francellis Montas I love the ceiling on ALL of these guys, and with the possible exception of Montas, who may have the highest ceiling of the bunch, I think they all have a reasonable chance of realizing something close to it. For me, this group is almost interchangeable, in the balance of ceiling / likelihood of achieving it, and I won't quibble with minor disagreement. 7. Courtney Hawkins Remains high risk/high reward 8. Trey M Need more info, wish I didn't have to wait. 9. C. Sanchez Should have a healthy year-long role with a winning MLB team, barring a trade. NEXT year's trade bait, ideally. (Doesn't mean I don't care about you, Carlos) 10. C. Beck Any pitcher that survives the band box that is the new Charlotte park, should be well-prepared for the Cell. I do have concern that the Knight's park might "ruin" less confident pitchers. My favorite out-of-the-blue wildcard to make this list by season's end: Eddy Alvarez

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 24, 2015 -> 12:08 PM) i would love to hear or read them maybe you could write a book from a fan's perspective on how the game have grown with personal antidotes. Well, personally, I wouldn't recommend cocaine, heroin, weed or any of the other stuff, and only drink in moderation, it just isn't worth the cost... but it might help the writing. Just funning you, man. The anecdotes include drunken groping of waitresses at some of Denver's swankiest places, where he's actually been officially banned from, as well as numerous sexual harassment lawsuits against the Broncos FO, according to a woman I work closely with, who worked a long time at Dove Valley, and somehow, none of it ever even makes the local sports radio, as far as I know. And then there was this: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23663809/bron...att-russell-tom "The drunken driving incidents involving Russell and Heckert have led to a potential greater concern about the front-office culture at Dove Valley. The perception is these are a bunch of guys having a good time watching tape." "Are they perfect? No. But there are a lot of really, really, really good people working here. And to say we have a culture problem here that centers around alcohol, I just don't believe that." "Indeed, the punishment could have been more severe. According to a Colorado State Patrol report, Russell had a blood-alcohol content of .246 — more than three times the legal limit when he was arrested after he hit a Breckenridge police SUV. Heckert, a former general manager with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, had a blood-alcohol content of .162 upon his release from jail seven hours after he was arrested June 11, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Department." These guys weren't just drunk, they were Fisk/LaRussa smashed. For the locals like oldsox - If Dove Valley were in Jeffco, Elway and his boys would be doing time.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jan 24, 2015 -> 10:38 AM) Interesting. I know of a few stories, too. Yeah, I have to believe he's been protected by his reporter buddies in this insular sports media community. Woody Paige, among others, could probably reveal a lot, if he chose to.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 12:29 PM) i have more confidence in Hahn at the helm instead of KW. I'm starting to believe they can be most effective as a team. I'm glad that Hahn has the ultimate personnel decision power, but Kenny's energy, enthusiasm and salesmanship may help bring outside talent into the org. I think it's working well right now. I don't think John Elway is any rocket scientist for the Broncos, but he's been a terrific salesman for them, reeling in Manning and prying away Kubiak, and generally making it an attractive place for FA's. He may also be the "Bill Cosby of local sports celebrity" here in Colorado, but that's a topic for another forum.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 23, 2015 -> 06:09 PM) Avi looked like he is in great shape If he's less bulky, he's bound to be better in the field overall. Good news.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 23, 2015 -> 10:31 AM) He has been "inconsistent" as a 21-23 year old getting his first taste of the majors. That's usually the case if your name isn't Mike Trout. Well, we'll find out soon enough. He didn't put any less pressure on himself with his comments, and he's the kind of guy that beats himself up when things aren't going well. Kinda reminds me of a left handed Paulie. Whereas, Abreu reminds me of Miggy.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 23, 2015 -> 09:33 AM) Rizzo is 25 and hasn't reached 3 full MLB seasons, yet we are already pegging him as an every other year hitter? Ok then. Didn't know that I "pegged" anything - pretty sure I did not. But Rizzo has been inconsistent. Abreu has been nothing but awesome - in Cuba, and in MLB, despite seeing every pitcher here for the first-ever time (pitcher's advantage), playing a much longer season in terms of games and months, nursing injuries much of the time (undoubtedly playing hurt for some of it), losing a ton of weight to transform himself into a 162 game player for the future, and, oh yeah, defecting and adjusting to a whole new world where he doesn't speak the language. No comparison, imo, when all is considered.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 23, 2015 -> 09:31 AM) At least. Don't forget the extras such as baseball card license which is usually around 250,000. Ideally, he gets called up mid-May to Memorial Day, in conjunction with a Danks trade.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jan 23, 2015 -> 08:13 AM) Bumped for emphasis. Don't go slotting him into the major league pen. Webb, for example, is absolutely ahead of him in line. I'd like to point out that Webb's mother passed away during last year's ST. No imagining how that can affect a young man. I believe that Lexi's bad '13 was not unrelated to personal issues either, and he was an established big-leaguer already. I think he has plenty of talent - time for him to step up.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 08:10 PM) The fact that Rizzo has struggled in the past makes me think it's more likely he keeps up his numbers. He is young, he came up and struggled, had to adjust and learn. Where as Abreu came into the league as an unknown, killed it, but now teams will know him better and he will have to make adjustments. Combine that with what we have seen from Puig & Cespedes, I would be shocked if Abreu puts up better numbers in 2015. (He was so good in 2014, that's not necessarily a bad thing) Actually, Rizzo was lousy in his initial callup in '11, then excellent for his first half season with the Cubs in '12, then had a pretty mediocre '13, followed by an excellent 2014. More of a SF Giants pattern, and it's an "odd" year. Abreu has already made the adjustments. He was late 90's Sosa in the 1st half and vintage Joey Votto in the 2nd when pitchers stopped giving him anything to hit. He's a special hitter. Rizzo is a good hitter.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 02:46 PM) Rizzo is a star. Great numbers @ 24 years of age. Although both players had their best seasons last year. Now to show ability to repeat it. Rizzo is a fine player, but I agree that Abreu will separate himself further this year. Dude hit .392 in Cuba, so not his best year, just sayin'. Rizzo has struggled mightily in the past - far less likely to repeat last year, imo. His defense is excellent though.