29andPoplar

There's a BA chat soon and I will summarize any mentions of White Sox prospects later this afternoon.

daa84, this is true, Boras deals with owners for the most part. With the White Sox though, Mr. Reinsdorf probably has a greater dislike for Boras than does Ken Williams. In fact, whenever the White Sox need to deal with Boras, like with Joe Crede for example, Reinsdorf's special assistant Dennis Gilbert does the talking. Gilbert was a super agent at one point and seems to be able to play the game with the Boras camp.

This is a good thread with lots of good comments. I agree with DickAllen on Uribe although I will add he is extremely frustrating to me. Unless they can swing a trade for the guys he mentioned or some super stud prospect, he may be the best option. He is a good fielder but the regression at the plate should cause all of them to take a good long look at what they're doing. Particularly, Uribe himself. I am also disturbed Guillen commenting about Uribe staying in shape. Uribe needs to be a pro and not get fat every year. Richar, I believe he will improve and I did see some defensive improvement in the last two weeks of the year. He gives 100%. I am not certain he has much to prove in AAA, by the same token his numbers are not overwhelming. This will be a case of seeing what's out there and determining if they can get someone clearly better and at what cost. Williams brought up the Carlos Lee trade again Saturday. Interesting. He told the reporters "you guys know how we do business" and mentioned the "fit" and trading a big name for a bunch of smaller pieces and then said no one is untouchable unless they have a no trade clause. Hmmmm.

You are correct. The White Sox thought Lucy had a lot of potential, he was buried a bit on his college team. It was simply a matter of the White Sox thinking Lucy would be better long term. So far, it clearly looks like the wrong decision. Lucy looks like he knows what he's doing defensively but Suzuki looks to have more all around abilities.

You might be surprised. I have talked to him and many others in the organization and have gotten thoughtful, reasoned responses. Not that I always agree with what I'm told, and they very well may be wrong. I expressed real concern about Aardsma this spring because I heard from a media guy he was gun shy and I was told by a pitching coach type (not Cooper) they felt he'd turned a corner and felt he was more confident and ready to be more aggressive and attack the strike zone. Obviously, they were wrong. But at least I got an answer, instead of saying the same old things on a message board, believing the brass will magically read pronouncements and decide a SoxTalk poster is a genious.

Actually no, that was not what I was suggesting at all. I will suggest you're putting words in my mouth and I'd be right. Myers will be 39 years old next year. Math alone suggests he won't be around long term. That is what I meant by stop gap, until such time as they can develop someone, sign, trade, whatever. The issue is, can he be effective enough to warrant what they'd pay him, which in today's day and age is nominal for a baseball pitcher. I am not arguing he will or won't, I am simply saying I believe the White Sox will pick up his option because they will feel it gives them flexibility. Take your argument(s) up with Kenny Williams. Maybe write him a letter? Oh never mind, I think we've covered that already haven't we.

And then what happens when these guys are bad? Rock and hard place, again. If they are good, that's fine. But just as you said with Myers, it could easily be that Dewon Day and Oneli Perez and Carlos Vasquez are "never were's". And by the way, if some of the bullpen guys drove you nuts with all the walks this year, Carlos Vasquez was the same way in AAA. And hitters up here don't get themselves out as much as in AAA. If you want to win, you need to have a backup plan consisting of quality players. Maybe Day, Perez, etc. are in fact quality players. They're on the 40 man which says something. Day did have a great opportunity though and he wasn't good.

It certainly could be Oneli Perez, as you suggest. Sox brass is in no position to be picky and it comes down to what was said in this thread, I believe by you ... all that matters is guys who can get outs. There is no reason he shouldn't get an opportunity if he is kept on the 40 man. His stuff is pedestrian but his stats show he knows how to pitch. Whether that translates to a major league reliever, the only way to find out is to give him a chance.

True, that is a huge part of it. No one nipping at his heels, but like you said Pierzynski is a decent player at a tough position. I did hear that they will really look very hard at why they can't seem to develop catchers. Actually they will look at everything but I specifically heard catching. They changed the roving catching instructor after 2005, I can not recall who the new guy is, but it will be under the microscope. They are always signing catchers out of Latin America or drafting them on day one of the draft but nothing comes to fruition.

Whatever they do with this bullpen, they will need a backup plan. If they keep 3 LH or not, whatever. No more Ryan Bukvich's or Brett Prinz's and so on as a backup plan. They miscalculated on Masset, Aardsma, Sisco, and I would also say MacDougal. Aardsma and MacDougal are what I would call head cases, they are afraid to throw strikes. Sisco is a long term project and a big maybe. Masset has talent but I think they will cut the cord on him, he would look good on an NL team as a 5th starter. It is very easy for me to sit here and say they better have a backup plan but it's much harder to do. This is where scouting and your minor league system comes in. They need a surprise guy basically every year, like Wasserman. People are penciling him into the bullpen when, in March, only the hardcore knew his name. Which also goes to show the unpredictability of bullpen arms. Who is to say, for example, that Wasserman will be good once the league gets a good look at him. I like him, but I believe it's a legitimate question. Any GM can generally land "project" pitchers from other teams, like at least 3 of the 4 guys mentioned. But they simply can not go 0 for 4 and have to start over every winter. By the way, the common denominator on all six names mentioned in this post? Trouble throwing strikes.

All three left handers in the bullpen have had their bad moments, Thronton, Logan, and Myers. On the surface many of the stats for their respective 2007 seasons are remarkably similar, although Thornton K's more guys. Of course many of these stats don't tell the whole story as I'm sure a stat-friendly poster would tell me. Cooper and Guillen seem to like the idea of three LH's in the bullpen. There are some obvious questions, - Can you carry three and what are their roles - Can you find another LH better in trade than these three guys at their cost, which frankly is minimal - Do you rely on any of the three to get right handed hitters out, you'd have to if you carry three LH's Let's assume for a moment they carry three LH's in the bullpen and let's further assume they feel each of these three guys will have a better '08 than '07. That's three bullpen jobs, you'd have to say Jenks has a job and I would say Wasserman has a leg up. Five guys in the pen: Jenks, Thornton, Logan, Wasserman, Myers. That gives you room for two more righthanders. One needs to be a 7th/8th inning guy and one would probably need to have long relief capability. To me their biggest bullpen need is the MacDougal role, he will not be back as they are totally frustrated with him. I would not be surprised if they keep all of Thornton, Logan, and Myers. But I am also mindful there will be trades and the White Sox have holes. To get somethng you have to give something, and it is a certainty other clubs will ask about both Thornton and Logan. On this Myers thing, I believe they will pick up his option because it gives them flexibility. Yes he has been mediocre but he has a long track record of being a serviceable reliever. If they are forced to trade Thornton or Logan to get something they really want/need, Myers at $1.1M is a reasonable cost stop gap type guy until they can find or develop something else. No it is not ideal but this is what I think they will do.

Cubs lose 6-4, swept by the Marlins. Based on reactions at a suburban restaurant this afternoon, Cub fans are getting a wee bit nervous. Oh well, that's baseball.

Los, the new Yankee Stadium is being built right now. The foundation is placed and the skeleton is going up, it is located directly across the street, to the north, of the current Yankee Stadium. From what I read, some of the current Yankee Stadium will be saved, in the form of a park and possibly some architectural elements staying in place. That will play out over the next 12-15 months.

Pulford is 71 now and was Mr. Wirtz's trusted ally. He was also a "checkpoint" for Mr. Wirtz in terms of what Tallon was doing and wanted to accomplish. Pulford will admit freely he doesn't have the energy or inclination to keep up with all the personnel matters, he doesn't know all the players in the league any more, doesn't go to away games and such. Pulford has been on the decision making "committee", they historically have made their decisions as a group with Pulford and of course Mr. Wirtz having the final votes. Peter has been on that committee (a loose term) for several years now, I would say about 7-8 years. The other son, Rocky, has been arms length with the team as he has always been more involved with Judge and Dolph. Pulford has always been a control freak but at this point in his life he does not have the energy or willingness to be on top of everythng like he used to. Tallon was very trusted by Mr. Wirtz and to my knowledge has a good relationship with Peter. Tallon technically reports to Pulford as Pully was set up as the checkpoint between Tallon and Mr. Wirtz. The last two years in particular Pulford has backed off getting involved in everything, especially the personnel stuff. His big project was coordinating and helping with the Norfolk to Rockford move. I expect him to remain in some sort of "emeritus" role, much like Tommy Ivan was in the 80's and 90's, and much like Jack Davison is now. Meaning, if we need you for a special project or we want your input on something, we will call you, but in the meantime enjoy your lucrative pension check. I do not believe they will outright fire him, as loyalty is huge with the entire Wirtz family, not just Mr. Wirtz. There were two distinct camps when Mike Smith was there. All sorts of infighting and personnel decisions made based on who's "guy" a certain player was. Insane. Now there is much more agreement on who is in the front office. They all agreed on Marc Bergevin, they all agreed on Stan Bowman. They did not all agree on Trent Yawney for example. I think most of that infighting is in the past but then again we are talking about some extremely strong willed guys with an edge to their personalities. Tallon can get quite defensive and edgy, Pulford can be a steamroller and his stubborness is legendary, but frankly that is not unlike the GM's and sr. management guys of any NHL franchise.

Way to say that someone didn't know Excel and got let go. Some of us have been extremely familiar with the in's and outs of the Blackhawk front office for years, at greater depth than an internship. DeMaria has ALWAYS had something to do with PR, the whole broadcasting and media thing is rooted in PR. Tony O. was brought in from St. Louis to help with all the things DeMaria is not very good at, and much of what Tony does is rooted in PR. DeMaria was the PR Director for years, he took over from Don Murphy more than two decades ago. Barbara was primarily an administrative type for many years, she was never in charge of public relations as you suggested, despite titles. Titles in that office are very misleading and it's always been that way. PR down there used to consist of putting out the media guide, coordinating the press box, and making sure the right media and big shots had tickets. Now that it reports through to Peter it's somewhat different. Saying they only had or haved one marketing guy is a misnomer too. Sofranko is the main marketing guy but all sorts of people there have been involved in marketing based projects. Hockey operations is more heavily staffed now than ever, that's because it needs to be, if they can start winning, that's the best marketing.

Yes of course, it's baseball history. It is cramped, the seats are uncomfortable, the corridors are dark and damp but if you have an appreciation for old ballparks go see it. Or you could wait until new Yankee Stadium opens the following year. Either way NYC is worth a visit without question. Maybe if you can't get to a game in person, take a tour of Yankee Stadium, it goes behind the scenes, you get to visit Monument Park out past CF, very interesting. Also if you are near the top and are able to look west across the Hudson River at 158th Street you will see the former site of the Polo Grounds. I went with my old college roommate on an NIU alumni trip for an overniter to see the Sox/Yankees and we checked out the old Polo Grounds site, it is a bunch of high rise low to middle income housing buildings but there are a couple of placques and markers and such. Also there is an old staircase coming down from the subway station and street at the top of Coogans Bluff, it is the same staircase people used to use to walk down to the Polo Grounds ticket office and main entrance. I was never much into that kind of stuff but it was kind of interesting to walk around and think that once there was a venue which hosted all sorts of prominent sporting events. Also you can take the subway over to Brooklyn and see where Ebbets Field was, it too is a bunch of apartment buildings and there is one small sign on one of the buildings which says it is where the ballpark was. And then you turn around and get back on the subway and go back to Manhattan

Their head of PR has been Tony Ohman and Jim DeMaria has been there for at least 20 years. The older lady is Barbara Davidson but she wasn't head of PR.

It's a great place and interestingly Dodger Stadium is now one of the oldest parks in baseball. Let's see, after Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium go by the wayside at the end of 2008, which parks are older? Wrigley and Fenway, I think that's it. Actually, thinking about it, Dodger Stadium predates Shea anyways. Dodger Stadium was 1962 and Shea 1964.

SF Giants May 16-18, LA Dodgers not certain of dates.

Just a guess as a long time Blackhawk follower - my inclination is no management of policy changes will be made this year. The budget is set, the contracts are signed, everything is in place for the 2007-08 season. Starting next year though I believe you will see some changes and possibly a move toward an ownership change. There are five Wirtz children, along with a couple of nieces/nephews (Wirtz's late brother Michael's children). As people here know, the Wirtz family owns or has interests in over a dozen business ventures (at a minimum). The two most active are Mr. Wirtz's two sons, Rocky and Peter. Rocky is heavily involved in real estate and the liquor business, Judge and Dolph. Peter is more hands on with the Blackhawks and is marketing oriented. He is also heavily involved in Bismark Enterprises. There have been rumors that Rocky has no interest in being involved with the Blackhawks on a day to day level, and some believe that Peter does not have the same passion for the Blackhawks and hockey in general as his late father. Believe me there would be numerous individuals and ownership consortiums interested in buying the Blackhawks, far beyond the most mentioned name of Don Levin who owns the Wolves. Of course nothing can or would happen right away because when someone of Bill Wirtz's magnitude dies, there are huge legal implications, no matter how well things were set up and arranged. Either way, Mr. Wirtz was outdated and antiquated as a hockey owner and from strictly that standpoint, this may well result in positive changes for the Blackhawks and their fans. From a community standpoint, Mr. Wirtz donated gobs and gobs of money to charity, much of which went unpublicized. It is a loss for the community in that sense, and also obviously to his family who lost a father, husband, grandfather, etc. As for Pulford, he is 71 now and has mainly been involved in the business aspects of running the team for the last two years, i.e. dealing with the league, helping with negotiations to move the farm team from Norfolk to Rockford (on which he spent most of his time), and much less on personnel matters. Pulford also has three grown children and grandchildren and a passion for his hobbies like fishing and restoring antique cars. I expect him to join his old assistant Jack Davison in complete retirement after this year.

Comments on Jimmy Gallagher. joe from chicago asks: First, cudos on Duane Shafer's last draft in Chicago. I believe Jimmy Gallagher from Great Falls was left off the Pioneer League All-Star teams. That he made #18 on the prospect list for the league was major redemption for what was a very consistent and above average first season. He was the Coastal Plains Lg. MVP last summer and continued to hit at DUKE this year. He sounds like a solid candidate to be a 4th outfielder on a championship team and a possible starter on a 2nd division team. I heard a few comparisons to a lesser Erstad. Any thoughts? Could he be packaged in the off-season in the back end of a trade? A: Ben Badler: First off, he won't be traded in the off-season because he was just drafted in June. I don't see the Erstad comp working at all. Erstad was a very toolsy player, and Gallagher is quite the opposite. Gallagher will improve as he gets older, but his improvement is going to be in much smaller increments than you will see from a player like Austin Gallagher or Jaime Ortiz. Gallagher is a tremendously intelligent hitter, and was able to prey upon inferior Pioneer League pitchers. I tried to find managers, coaches or scouts who liked his tools, but while his plate discipline is top notch, his tools really are fringy. The other thing going against him is that Gallagher can’t play a premium defensive position. If he could play second base, for example, he would rank much higher on this list. He did play a little bit in center field this year, but scouts say his range and below average arm are going to confine him to left field. The bar is set extremely high for a player to have value at that position. The numbers are great, but the statistics are only an estimate of a player’s true skills; we rely on the knowledge of scouts to paint the rest of the picture. All that said, he’s on this list because he does have potential, and I could certainly see him outperforming many of the guys ahead of him on this list.

Great comment and on that note here is what they said in the chat about Salvador Sanchez. Warren from Texas asks: Use your crystal ball and Predict Salvador Sanchez' future five years from now. Thanks for the chat. A: Ben Badler: Well, I'm not some kind of sorcerer, so I can't look into a crystal ball, but I will say that the forecast for Sanchez has a fairly wide range of outcomes, everything from a talented big leaguer to a flameout. Maybe that seems like some kind of a cop out answer, but it's the truth. Some people who saw Sanchez thought he was one of the top prospects in the league because his combination of power and speed might be unmatched in the Pioneer League this year. He played mostly right field this year and has a plus arm, but he played some center field and would be more valuable there. His slash stats—.343.394.544—look nice on the surface, but his high on-base percentage was largely fueled by his .343 batting average, which I don't think is sustainable for a hitter who strikes out in 19 percent of his plate appearances at this level. The power is real, but his plate discipline has always been poor and it needs to improve. He was 21 years old this season, so he’ll have to give low A another try after not faring so well there in his first stint.

Please don't overreact on Poreda one way or the other, nor should you take everything Baseball America says as gospel. Otherwise you will be even more disappointed. This was an extremely positive debut for Poreda and he fooled a lot of guys with his slider. With a fastball like he has, the slider doesn't have to be plus plus. Anyways we will see how he does next year. Yes, Scott Merkin does get a kick out of some of the things he sees posted on message boards. He has his opinions, other people have theirs. He claims to read WSI but I never asked if he reads this one. I had a nice chat with him in Tucson a year ago, nice guy. By the way, I just re-read that article. Merkin isn't directly or indirectly commenting or mentioning anything in the last paragraph, he's quoting Doug Laumann.

Ok, the BA chat guy answered my question on LH reliever Wander Perez, here it is. Steve R. from Chicago asks: Ok Ben, I'll ask the Wander Perez question. What's his story? I know he was a product of the White Sox Dominican operation and that he's got a slight build. A: Ben Badler: Thanks, Steve. Wander is 22 years old, so he's old for the league, but his numbers stood out to me because he struck out 69 batters in 43 innings (31 percent of opposing batters). You would think he'd have power stuff with that strikeout rate, but his fastball is only 85-90 mph. The White Sox changed his arm slot this year so that he's now coming out at a sidearm angle. Neither his curve nor his changeup really stand out, either, but his ball has a lot of tailing movement away from righthanded hitters, and it chews them up. He's not conventional, but he could have a future in a bullpen getting righthanders out.

Here was the question asked about Lyndon Estill, the Great Falls CF the White Sox took in this years draft. "With Estill's sizepowerathleticism combo why didn't he rate higher than guys that were repeating the league? 7 jacks in your 1st 130 ABs with wood is pretty good." A: Ben Badler: Scott, I like Estill, which is why he made the list in the first place. I'll take repeating the league into consideration, but I'm mostly concerned with ranking prospects based on their future major league potential and their likelihood of reaching that potential. Estill has big-time physical tools, and he has already shown the ability to hit for power, as you mentioned, which is a good sign for his development. Another good sign for him is that he walked in 10 percent of his plate appearances. A combination of patience, power and athleticism sounds pretty good to me. The problem is his strikeout rate—40 percent. Power hitters typically have high strikeout rates, which is fine, but 40 percent is too high. He has a lot of holes in his swing that scouts and managers think he will need to fix, but given how much time he spent focusing on football in high school, he may develop a little later than most now that he is focusing full-time on baseball. If he can cut down on the Ks, he could have a breakout year. EDIT: he mentioned that Great Falls LH reliever Wandar Perez just missed the cut, and wondered why there weren't any questions about him, seeing as Perez struck out 65 in 43 innings (something like that). So I asked a question about him, let's see if it gets answered.