ILMOU

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 06:20 PM) At the ASB, I would have said I have no problem with him being a back end starter next year. If he puts up a 5 ERA this year, I would be worried about him being a huge liability going forward. I think they need to field five guys that we like better than the current version of Danks.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 05:50 PM) Nice!! He has been pretty good in the rehab start.. When do you guys think he will be back? Monday? 2-2 now, single in second AB. Followed by Jordan Danks homer. Wilkins just doubled off the wall. Get him up north for Dunn soon, please.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 12:45 PM) If there is any justice in this world one of them is Ortiz. Let the discussion about asterisked World Series results begin! My "dream" scenario is Papi and Anibal.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 12:16 PM) You know, I thought it was Wendle-Ken every time I read it at as well, but apparently it's pronounced Wen-del-ken. You mean wen-DEL-ken? nvm

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 08:09 AM) Twice a year, FutureSox publishes a list of the top prospects in the White Sox system. We release in two parts - first the 11-25 list, then the 1-10 and full list (including players who just missed). The list is created via a voting system - this time we had 6 voters (danman31, Ozzie Ball, Chisoxfn, Balta1701, witesoxfan and myself). The Midseason 11-25 list is now up. Let's have some discussion. What do you think of this list? Anyone who you think should have made it but didn't? Anyone too high? Who's your Top 10 (which we will release Thursday)? Excellent list, few quibbles. I imagine the top 10 will be more polarizing.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 11:20 AM) I'm extremely pleased with last night's giveaway, even if the game was a rain-filled nightmare. Sox win, so that's cool, too. That is outstanding.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 09:50 AM) Wendelken should be an interesting start to track coming off his last performance I'll be listening to the radio broadcast. Lots of talent in that WS staff currently, even w/o Frankie. Would be sweet if he's able to back up his last awesome start.

QUOTE (BaconOnAStick @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 12:23 AM) Erik Johnson is toast. Do yourselves a favor and give up on him. You may well be right, but wha happin??? Mystery of the entire season for this fan - hoping for a still as yet-undiagnosed injury to emerge. I'm sure many of us are in this camp. I see Bassitt, Beck and Recchia being in the possible mix for BOR positions, if not out of ST, by the June timeframe. The guy who will be the best bargain, for the smallest commitment, on the FA market this offseason just might be Kuroda. Don't know how locked into the Yankees he is, but I want him. Granted, HK doesn't fit with our idea of Hahn's grand plan, but I think the plan might benefit from a short-term rejigger - more on that after the non-waiver trades pass and we're locked into the offseason.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 09:49 AM) Same with Spencer Adams. Look at the damn movement here: https://twitter.com/sevenfuturehit/status/495851260621635584 https://twitter.com/sevenfuturehit/status/495851888466984960 Awesome. Maggs, imo, correctly defined the group of our high-end potential starters as Rodon, Adams, Montas and Danish. We need at least two of these guys to be studs to fulfill our multiple WS fantasies. Ya gotta like that we're getting the youngsters throwing quality changes at the lower levels. Both Montas and Danish have seemingly refined theirs this season to the point where they're considered plus offerings, and this has elevated their profiles greatly. The GIF of Montas' changeup from sometime in May was one of the finest things I've seen all year - up there with Arianny Celeste.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 09:41 AM) You know your bullpen is bad when we are hoping for Zach Putnam to return as quickly as possible. Sure, but he's been undeniably good. Says he hadn't been healthy for a few years prior. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Currently penciled into next year's pen.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 09:52 PM) Montas is at the same level and I hear far fewer doubts about him? I'm excited for both. Montas is very exciting, of course. But a 62 inning season bookended by significant injuries should give all of us pause. Danish' "doubts" stem from misplaced concerns about his frame - he's 205 lbs and looks plenty sturdy, just a little short - and obviously his unconventional but as yet non-problematic mechanics. QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 01:11 AM) Didn't he have a 0 ERA his Sr. year ? Yes, in one of the top HS districts for baseball in the country. QUOTE (gatnom @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 06:29 AM) Something along those lines. I just don't remember him being really hyped by the people who make the top prospect lists. I could be totally wrong, though. His mechanics scared most away, but Laumann was not to be deterred. I happen to believe that KMedeiros getting drafted 12th by the Brewers - which was about 20 places higher than I saw in any mock - might signal an end to funky-mechanics bargains like Danish. Time will tell.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 12:40 PM) Victor Martinez, if he hits the market, should be the top target. You add his bat behind Abreu and add Avi to the mix and you're looking at more than competitive offense. Eaton-Semien-Abreu-VMart-Avi-Connor-Lexi should be enough to where they can throw ADA and Flowers in those 8-9 spots and still be ultra potent. If they can convince Pablo to play some DH, which I really don't see why he wouldn't wanna, he'd be another great addition. Give him 2 games at 3B and 2 at 1B a week if he really desires to play the field a lot. Dunn is a fine plan C. I hope there's an aging lefty in Japan looking to end his career as a reliever in the states. Gotta be another one, right? VMart should be signed, even if it requires going over everyone else in terms of dollars and/or years. It could shift the balance of power in the division.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 02:07 PM) When should the Sox get the go ahead to build a good bullpen? Bullpens change like the tides. This offseason's choices will matter more, so I'll say November.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 01:42 PM) Let me be the first to reply... Yes. Yes it is KyYle's fault. Quite possibly the worst gamethread starter in the history of MLB. I can't think of anyone else as bad.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 01:04 PM) They still have to perform. With all the hype about Alcantara, he's only hitting 253. They have talent, but the show is a different beast. It'll definitely be interesting to see how they handle these young guys and who they'll trade to get some pitching. Don't disagree. If anybody can screw it up...

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 12:57 PM) Again, 63-99 doesn't get fixed in one fell swoop. Relief pitchers are notoriously volatile from year to year; it's stupid to build a bullpen that you hope to stay together for several years. This was simply not the year to invest in the bullpen, and it shouldn't have been. I agree with all of this. All the acquired pieces are here on 1 year deals. By design.

The Cubs should be very, very good within a few years, or sooner. It will make a Dodgers fan out of many here, perhaps.

Bumped. Trying to get my mind off the MLB bullpen with some optimism. From Norris BA Who's Hot: "Tyler Danish, rhp, Winston-Salem (White Sox): Speaking of young guys, Danish is 19 years old and in his first full pro season and is having quite the go of it in high Class A. The sidewinding righty brings a lively fastball that tops out at 93 mph and couples it with a slider and changeup that are both swing-and-miss offerings. The changeup in particular can be deadly to lefthanders when it’s going right. He struck out eight on Sunday while allowing just two hits and and two walks. All of his Ks were swinging, and he had 13 swings and misses over the course of the evening. The strikeouts matched Danish’s high-water mark for the season, and he’s walked more than two in a start just once this year." Was supposedly going to get shut down after 100 innings, but the way he's going, I think they should give him 3 more starts and let him get to ~120. Sets him up for ~150 next season. Urias is definitely one of the best stories in the minors. Between he, Pederson and Seager, Dodgers have some high-end help on the way.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 09:52 AM) I would not expect Danish to be on any top 100 list and he is nowhere near our 2nd best prospect. I like him and his potential but objectively, there are a lot of reasons to peg him as a potential reliever. We need to see how he can handle continued innings increases, etc. I think he can stick as a starter, but it will be another year, imo, before he jumps into the top 100 picture and if he does what he did this year and continues to improve a year from now with more innings and a higher level under his belt, absolutely. Objectively, he's ~#8 among full season qualifiers for the ERA title in all of minor league baseball, and he's the youngest in the Top 20. He is the rarest of birds, in that he is an extreme groundballer while possessing no shortage of swing-and-miss stuff. He is convincing more people daily that he will stick as a starter, as he's getting through 6 innings consistently on low pitch counts with terrific efficiency. This offseason will be key for the young man - if he increases his durability enough to maintain his stuff deeper into games, and possibly gains a tick, the Southern League and the IL won't have a chance. It would have been laughable how low Chris Sale would have ranked due to similar biases had he stuck around the minor leagues for any length of time. Only comparing their rankability, not the pitchers - standard caveat here. It appears that I'll be dragging this group kicking and screaming toward what I see as obvious. Time will tell. In the meantime, I'll take wagers on the bolded. Career WAR vs. Anderson? Don't want to root against Tim, who I'm extremely high on, but he has way more fleas than Tyler. QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 09:35 AM) I agree. The lack of elite stuff velocity and sure-fire starter frame/mechanics/etc. will keep him outside the 100. He is having a terrific year. I mean as a 19-year-old in High A, the only negative for his statistics are the hits, but that is partially a product of a minor-league defense. FTFY, there's no shortage of stuff. He wouldn't get nearly the amount of swing-and-miss otherwise. Look at the improvement in his results since Anderson was replaced with Rondon, and Basto was replaced with a human body capable of wearing a glove. He's going to give up a fair number of GB hits, still. QUOTE (Dunt @ Aug 4, 2014 -> 09:34 AM) I dont see Danish breaking the top 50, but I think he should get some strong consideration for top 100 if the rave reviews of scouts keep coming. Ftr, I don't either. Just said he should be.

Danish will be on a lot of lists at season's end. The timing of the mid-season lists had his early high A struggles fresh in some minds, but he's obviously adjusted well. He should be Top 50 or better. Only the lazy he-looks-like-a-reliever crowd will keep him out of the Top 20, which is where he belongs. He's our best prospect after Rodon.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 3, 2014 -> 07:22 PM) Even if Matt Davidson never plays a single game for the White Sox, that still can't be considered a bad trade. As a rebuilding team that is not contending, you can get a top 100 prospect for a mediocre closer? You make that trade every single time. So not true. Only the idea of the trade is good. If you get a AAA or AAAA player for a cost-controlled closer coming off a 40 save season, you've made a bad trade, and missed a real opportunity.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 3, 2014 -> 02:47 PM) Of all the coaches, etc. that come under fire on this board, the one person who has been the worst at his job the last few years is Buddy Bell. No argument here. Haven't heard the passionate defenses of BB the way we have for others. His record speaks for itself, I suppose, and it isn't pretty.

QUOTE (Bigsoxhurt35 @ Aug 2, 2014 -> 01:53 PM) Ugh beckham That just sucks.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Aug 1, 2014 -> 09:13 PM) He's probably not any good at the MLB level, but one thing he's not is a LOOGY, and he's being used as a strict one. He actually has better numbers against righties in the minors. Shouldn't someone on the coaching staff be aware of this fact? Amateur hour, per usual. Beckham making sure every bat counts as a way to screw us with his shoulda-been-out-the-door-already suckitude

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Aug 1, 2014 -> 11:56 AM) Who called Alexei trash? As far as I can make out, there's a couple of us advocating trading him to the Yankees for some really good prospects. Not I, looking like a 4 WAR player, again. An absolute bargain. I'm presently in the camp of liking the luxury of auditioning the prospects that could be the heir apparent to Lexi at short, while keeping him around thru his 2016 option year - unless blown away in trade, or his skills erode quickly. There are doubts about each of the prospects that could take over at SS, and getting caught with the proverbial pants down by merely handing it to someone is a real risk, imo. The fact that Lexi's baserunning is at a peak in his year 32 season, makes me think that his skinny frame will age acceptably, at least for the two coming seasons.