29andPoplar

Obviously yes and that's what they've said. My comment is more based on whether or not they'll commit to Fields as LF in 2008 on a team they want to contend. Guillen seemed to hedge a bit the other day when he said something like "we'll have to see what's available to us".

I agree that he looks like a potential high impact power bat. As was said in this thread his pitch recognition looks to be getting better but he will need to continue to make major adjustments. One thing they will talk about in November for sure, how many 100+ strikeout guys can they carry? Thome, Dye, Konerko, Crede if he comes back, Fields. I won't count Uribe. Even without Juan that's a lot of K's and they have gone on record the K's need to decrease in 2008. Certainly they don't want all spray hitters, you need power and with power comes strikeouts. But it is a balancing act to come up with the right mix and it is on their agenda.

The question here is the same one Guillen and Williams addressed last week. Can the White Sox carry Owens, Richar, Fields in key roles in 2008 and expect to contend. As I recall Williams was non commital as he should be, Guillen seemed to express doubts. The positive sign is I can see all three of these guys settling in and getting more confidence. The flip side is it's September and the pressure is completely off.

To add something, I wish I had the time and capability to do it, but I would be interested in seeing the track record of Boras clients taken in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the drafts from say '98 to '04. Did they make it or did they not. Of course whether a player makes it or not isn't totally predicated on the player. A team's player development abilities factor in as well but it would still be interesting to see how many turned out.

First of all, I will take the proven player every time over the prospect. It is the difference between a known quantity and an unknown quantity. Secondly, with their payroll and budget, they can do both. They can sign a Contreras (using your example), they can spend money in the draft, and they can sign free agents and foreign talent. All of which they've done. The part I do not understand is this, how exactly are they operating as a small market franchise in the draft? They rely on their scouts and as you correctly say when using Borchard as an example, some will work out and some won't. The one thing they have wanted to do, up to this point, is make damn sure they get their high draft picks signed. They work very hard before the draft to make sure their high picks are signable, in general. Now the rules have changed. If a team doesn't sign a first round pick, they get a pick the next year in one slot lower. So now they can risk picking a guy who might be tougher to sign, knowing they have the "safety net" of getting a pick the next year. Sox fans don't want that though and neither do I. I want good prospects out of the draft who get signed and get going playing pro ball because most (there are exceptions of course) take a couple of years minimum to develop. They fired the scouting director and are taking a different approach as of now. That approach is going after higher impact prospects which is good. Be prepared for more boom or bust types. If the rationale is they are acting small market because they don't take Boras clients, well, that is the age old argument. The last three they took off the top of my head were Jeff Weaver, Bobby Hill, and Bobby Seay. One pretty good pitcher although not great, and two marginal major leaguers. Nothing special. To me it is very important you get your guys signed and playing right away. You have to constantly influx talent, you really need to sign your first 10 or so picks. Many here say "go over slot, go over slot", I hope I never see them complain about ticket prices or beer prices. Every team operates on a budget, some teams generate more revenue like the Red Sox, Cubs, Yankees. The anamoly appears to be the Tigers and I for one will be curious how long they continue to take the approach they did this year. I admire them but I wonder if their approach will change when inevitably some of these big bonus guys crash and burn, it happens to every team. The other key is developing good relationships with people who know these draft eligible kids, people who can vouch for their talent and their intangibles.

Why is Greene a significant upgrade over Uribe, they have the exact same tendencies. Low on base %, tons of strikeouts, mediocre batting average, very few walks, minimal stolen bases, etc. I have seen more than enough of Uribe but the Sox will shoot higher than Khalil Greene.

Here are all the details. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs...PORTS/709150323 Manager Chris Cron got tossed from the game in the bottom of the 16th. Salvador Sanchez was on 1st with the tying run and Jim Gallagher was called out for batter interference with Sanchez attempting to steal 2nd. Sanchez was also called out (double play) and Cron went ballistic. Two other Sox players were ejected earlier in the game protesting the home plate umpire's calls.

As noted in the reply above, it is probably too soon to tell. Aaron is pitching in rookie ball and there is reason to be optimistic about him, he is dominating. I suppose he should be dominating, being a 1st round pick, but everyone is quite pleased with his effort and results. He is also rather raw for a guy coming out of college but that's because his baseball experience is less than one might expect. Things will be much clearer on his status and track a year from now. He has much to learn but of the several things to be impressed with, he is a very good competitor, he likes to compete. They will be careful with him in '08 as it will be his first year of full season pro baseball.

Aaron Poreda pitches tonight as Great Falls tries to even up the series and stave off elimination vs. Orem at Centenne Stadium. Juan Moreno will go for Great Falls tomorrow night if there's a deciding Game Three. By the way an article in the Great Falls Tribune indicated Poreda's fastball has been clocked as high as 99 this summer.

Supposedly Ryan is staying with the Twins organization as a sr. executive. We'll see how it plays out but it sounds like he just wanted out of the GM job, after 12 years it's not surprising he'd want to step away.

http://www.dailyherald.com/column/?id=37073 Good article. Although he doesn't always come across well on the White Sox Weekly radio show, Scot is as connected as anyone in the media in terms of legit White Sox insights. Interesting comments about Japanese players.

This statement is poetic lisence. What he's said is, there are too many championship pieces here to rebuild at this time. That does NOT mean he is keeping the same core. Semantics perhaps but the reality is they have targeted guys on other teams, and will figure out in October in Arizona which of the current White Sox players will be part of things in 2008. That means lots of things, it means they have to figure out which Sox players other teams want and what they'll give up. And it all depends how you define core. I would bet more than one core player will move on. If your point is solely that you personally give him through 2008 to field a competitive team or else you want him fired, well your opinion is noted.

No. They are not rebuilding, not now anyways despite those clamoring for it on this site. There will be lots of players available, be it trade, non tenders, under the radar types, etc. The team will look different and I am certain just like always with White Sox fans, some will like it, some will be willing to give it a chance, and others will hate it and will let everyone and their brother know from the rooftops they hate it. One of the bigger problems will be getting the team to gel. Spring training will be more important than ever.

You may very well be right but on the other hand, lots of things can change and based on White Sox offseasons they usually do.

Yes you are correct. The league adjusted to him and he did not adjust back. Not unusual for a pitcher of his age and experience but I would have liked to see him progress further than he did. Interestingly, his ability and willingness to attack the strike zone is what got him the job in spring, somewhere along the line that got away from him. Supposedly the staff met about him today, trying to determine if they shut him down or give him a few more innings between now and the end of the season. Do not be shocked if John begins next year in Charlotte, the key word being begins.

Two guys to watch in Bristol are Kent Gerst and Hancer Vargas. Gerst was a draft pick out of Missouri last year, he played as a 19 year old this year in Bristol. A centerfielder, he was the starter. Very speedy, a left handed hitter, also obviously very raw. He has tools though. Stole some bases, hit .280, and made some strides with pitch recognition. Vargas is a shortstop and he is just a baby, played this year as an 18 yr. old out of the White Sox Dominican Academy. Led the team in errors with 24 but he played a lot and got some needed experience. He is fast, a switch hitter, and they are spending time with him in instructional league, just as they are with many players from Bristol. He has very good instincts for the game according to Bobby Thigpen but as mentioned he is very very young and it's too soon to determine whether he is even a prospect at this point.

Owens totally fooled on that fly ball. Ground rule double, 4-3.

Crazy thought, you wonder if Broadway has a better future as a middle reliever / long reliever than a starter. Obviously too soon to tell but ...

Nice job by Broadway, he definitely has a feel for pitching and is composed out there.

He is a young guy who theoretically should improve and they are giving him an extended shot. I think they need a Mark Loretta type at 2B next year to pair with him, at a minimum. I see some good things but would not say I'm terribly impressed with any aspect of his game. But again, he is green so hopefully he will make progress. Danks mound presence was disconcerting to me. He looked like "get me out of here". I hate hammering young players but some of these guys worry me.

It has been a battle for Danks for at least the last month. 76 pitches in 2 and 2/3 tonight and he was all over the place. He is not attacking the strike zone at all. The tv guys were talking about how many balls seem to go off Richar's glove and they commented how he kind of short arms when he needs to dive for a ball, stating Richar should have knocked Hafner's base hit down at least. I would agree with them, it is something he needs to be better at. As for Danks, I think not only is he spent but he's confused and lacking confidence and slightly askew mechanically.

So Bruce Levine was right about all this extension talk. Reinsdorf's son Michael has been heavily involved in stadium development deals in other cities although I believe the firm he works for is based in the Chicago area. Jerry Reinsdorf will be 76 in 2012 and it seems logical if he's thinking that's a good age to kick back and relax. I do not know about succession planning with the Board of Directors and investors but I presume they already have a plan in place, just in case something unforeseen happens.

Yes and a lot of the good defense is because Regier purposely wanted good defensive players behind the promising young pitching like Poreda, Ely, Hunt, Mabee, Moreno and a few more. Last years GF team was a defensive disaster. Experienced veteran pitchers often struggle when errors start piling up behind them, let alone young guys just getting a taste of pro ball. Infielders like Mollenhouser, Paiml, Retherford and a catcher like Curtis , just to name a few, are a stabilizing influence on the young pitching. As a result, in part, the team is playing very well together and they are now playing for a championship. In the long run this strategy may not mean anything in terms of making the White Sox better. In the short run, it is giving the higher end prospects a taste of playoff baseball, a pennant race, and winning. All good things. One of the (many) things that need to happen for the farm teams in '08 is turning around the Bristol situation. As good as it is in Great Falls it is bad in Bristol. They had a rookie manager there in Thigpen, I do not know what type of job he did. They brought in a pitching coach whose primary language is Spanish to work with all the young Dominican arms. The Appalachian league is so hard to judge both good and bad. Attendance in Bristol has been abysmal and the Appy League is struggling overall. As I mentioned in the past I wonder if the White Sox will look to get out of there and into another league. The issue remains though, I hope the young players are getting the right kind of development because in Bristol, they certainly aren't learning how to win, they are learning what it is like to get beat on, regularly.

NorthSide, I was equally surprised and I believe they will add him to the 40 man before the Rule 5. My best guess is they didn't want to outright anyone off the 40 man in September, preferring to do it after the year is over, and they didn't want Richar looking over his shoulder, for the time being anyway.

Well you have very good points but the flip side is this, everyone wants pitching and wants it badly. Believe me when I say there are always tons of scouts and GM's looking for a pitcher who is ready to turn the corner and are willing to give up a player of their own who might not fit their plans. It all depends how you define high quality player, in terms of what the Sox might get for Floyd, assuming they want to trade him. Could you get, let's just say, a young athletic OF from the Pirates who could play CF? I believe you could.