ILMOU

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jul 26, 2014 -> 05:46 PM) Seems like pitchers are pitching around Wilkins more. He's walked 3 times In the last 4 days. Good that he's recognizing it and taking them. 1-1 in game 2. Davidson heading back toward Mendoza. I don't need to see him in Sept.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 26, 2014 -> 05:27 PM) Maybe can hit if you take them out of that park...which is going to be a huge problem going forward assessing our Charlotte roster statistically. Eh, Johnson and Wilkins have been better on the road, Davidson's been equivalent. Semien, Phegley and Danks have feasted at home. Lately, they're scoring well everywhere.

Damn, is Charlotte's pitching bad. But the current lineup sure can hit.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 26, 2014 -> 04:36 PM) If he can't pitch this year but they think he'll be back next year that makes it really, really tough to figure out how to Fix the bullpen. You pencil him in for a role but can you count on him? If he can't come back next year, there's no way that doesn't knock out a major bullpen piece. Exactly. I think they need to look at it as a pleasant surprise if he pitches well enough to be a significant piece, and plan for the worst case. Does he still qualify for 1st year arb or do they get an extra pre-arb year now?

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jul 26, 2014 -> 04:30 PM) Nate Jones (back) might not return in 2014. Jones has been out since the first week of the season with a lower back injury. "There's been enough setbacks that I wouldn't expect him to be back this year," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Saturday. The 28-year-old right-hander might have run away with Chicago's ninth-inning job if his health cooperated. Source: Daryl Van Schouwen on Twitter Well, that blows. Still not sure what he can be and learned nothing new this season.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 26, 2014 -> 02:07 PM) Top of the list is we need to know whether Jones will ever throw a pitch again. Any new info?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 26, 2014 -> 01:30 PM) http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/07/rays...assignment.html He's been hit around a touch, but looking at his pripherals, his problem is that he's been walking way more dudes than at any other point in his career. I believe that he'll either regress or that Coop can tweak his mechanics to give him his old control back. Why? Because you gotsta believe. He's a pending FA on little money, so I says we tries to fixes him then resigns him. Sure, why not. A huge failure of this season will be not having a single RHSP that we can feel confident about heading into next season as at least a BOR. Right now my confidence for Noesi is about a 4 out of 10, and Carroll's about a 1.5. EJohnson is a 0.5. Recchia and Beck are premature, but I'll drop a 1 on them for midseason 2015. Others have been either injured or lousy.

Andy Wilkins seems obvious. Ask him WTF changed - maybe there's an answer beyond the horseshoe.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jul 26, 2014 -> 12:57 PM) I'm relatively certain he will come up the Majors and perform poorly, but I'd rather have him try and fail than Dunn do the same who has no future with this organization. And in the off chance Wilkins hits well in the Majors, Hahn might be able to check one need off the list. But If Wilkins is going to be given a shot, it needs to be done now, not one start a week in September. But Wilkins is strictly going to be a 1B/DH type. I don't think there is a realistic chance he could play the OF. Yeah, I hope there's not a huge sentimentality about Paulie getting lots of AB's after a Dunn departure. They can give AW a full two months audition, and they can try him vs. lefties too, as his splits aren't too unbalanced. Paulie should still only play once a a week, if that.

Pedigree: 5th round pick out of U of Arkansas What they were saying at draft time (thanks Lillian): http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/2010/...andrew-wilkins/ http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/andy-wilkins/ Current red flags/issues: 1. Age (turns 26 on Sept 17) 2. Declining BB rate vs. prior seasons 3. Another 1B/DH only (or could he possibly learn LF?) His progression through the minors has been slow and steady, if unspectacular, until sometime in June of this season when something clicked. He has always had a plenty acceptable K rate, and it hasn't spiked with the increased power output. His only "setback" year was 2012, making the jump from high A to AA as a 23y.o. - not unreasonable. 1400+ OPS for a full month of games is not common, and while it's a crazy outlier to be sure, Wilkins had been improving steadily each month heading into it. By no means am I inking this guy into any future lineups, but it would be silly and arrogant to preclude the possibility, imo. If he were just 1 year younger, how different would the perception be? For all we know, the Gentleman Slugger, while visiting Charlotte to help Davidson, spent some time with Andy and taught him one weird trick that changed everything. Let's get a look soon. And if we like what we see, he should spend the offseason learning LF. Discuss.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 26, 2014 -> 11:51 AM) I believe Michael will run the Bulls and the rumor was that he'd probably sell the team/his stake in the team in the case of the Sox. This was talked about recently in the media, so someone will remember better than I do A new commish will be in charge at that point, one that may not object to the maverick stylings of new blood ownership. Or, to put it another way, who better to own this particular group of Sox than Mark Cuban?

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jul 25, 2014 -> 10:27 PM) What we don't know are things like bat speed. We could get some insight if I suppose I would check and see how much of this hitting is against real ML prospect and how much against AAAA pitchers, of which AAA is replete. Still enough I'd think to comfortably move Dunn, which I have a hard time understanding why a team wouldn't offer a middle level prospect for. We were told that Thome went to Charlotte to work with Davidson. Might he have worked with Wilkins as well? We'll know soon enough whether this is pure fluke, or if something has truly clicked for the guy. Nearly two months of big league AB's could be available to him soon.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jul 25, 2014 -> 07:53 PM) Micah Johnson- 2-4, 2B (.304) Carlos Sanchez- 2-4, 1 RBI, 2 SB (16) Andy Wilkins- 2-4, 1 HR (26), 1 RBI, .283 Charlotte not having many offensive issues these days. With decent pitching, that lineup would dominate.

Tradeworthy performance by Danks thus far.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jul 25, 2014 -> 06:05 PM) In the last 39 batters Bucciferro has faced, he's allowed 1 hit, with 21 groundouts, 5 flyouts, 2 popouts, 1 lineout, 1 reaching on error, 1 erased on a double play, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. Promote him, he's old. Meanwhile, #26 for Wilkins.

Cuba 6 for 6 tonight.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jul 25, 2014 -> 05:27 PM) Engel singled and stole his 26th base Engel's been playing well. Probably in the 15-20 range prospect-wise.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 25, 2014 -> 10:09 AM) He might need a little more needling... All right. I'll start. "Rangel, your mama wears army boots."

Must dump Dunn and call Wilkins up now, dammit. Two more HRs already tonight.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 05:31 PM) Can't really wait much longer for the game thread. Royals had the dreaded players-only meeting today WE'RE DOOOOMMMMEEEDDDD!!!!!!!! Those chokers will lay down and the Sox will give em a 12-1 thrashing. And there will be many posts about the future of Scott Carroll. And I'll be skeptical, but optimistic.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 09:18 AM) Or maybe the Sox draft too many players with contact issues, and overvalue their speed and power coming out of school. A little from Column A, a little...

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 03:32 PM) Chicago White Sox ‏@whitesox 1m Lindstrom threw another bullpen session today and remains on schedule to throw live BP in Minnesota. What's up with Jones?

Unfortunately, toolsy athletic prospects with hit tool/contact issues are precisely the type that have never been properly developed in the BBell and prior eras. I wonder if RH is even able to make the needed changes in the development side of the org for fear of upsetting JR's family atmosphere. Personally, I'd back up the truck.

Ravelo deserves a month in Charlotte. Dump Dunn and call up Wilkins to make room.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 08:36 PM) Adams 6 k's in 2 innings, but hit around a little. That has been the early pattern.