Chicago White Sox

The good news is we are rebuilding and can be patient with him. I saw that Cubs start and he looked like a completely different pitcher. If there’s even a 5% chance that guy is still in there, I want to give this kid every shot to realize his potential. I think your plan for him makes perfect sense. Let him spend as much time as needed in AAA this year and give him one last opportunity as a starter in 2019. He should have a good three months before Hansen & Dunning are knocking at the door. In the interim, give his spot to Rodon and eventually have Kopech & Stephens join Lopez & Covey in the rotation. Giolito can take whoever appears weaker out of Covey & Stephens to start 2019. If he fails, we should have options ready to go.

You actually think this or just want this to happen?

He’s referring to it at the minor league level. No park adjustments.

Could be waiting until Robert is back as they will need to move up someone from the High A OF to clear a spot for him.

Upon further review, I think I’m all in on Madrigal. Been going back and forth between him & Bohm (assuming no chance at Mize) and while Bohm may provide the higher ceiling (if he can stick at 3B) I just feel like Madrigal provides a much better floor and offers a unique skillset that this system desperately needs. Ultimately I’ll be happy with either, just praying we don’t go with someone like Singer.

He should be up, but now I’m worried the Sox have pulled a Caulfield and are waiting for the AA All-Star game. I really have no other explanation.

Hit a single.

?

Fangraphs gave it a FV of 70 in last year’s prospect rankings. Honestly in his spring start against the Cubs it looked the part, but that pitch is long since dead. God only knows what happened to this kid.

Send this guy down. He’s clearly not going to be able to work through his shit at the major league level.

I get the BB rate is nice, but Narvaez literally brings nothing else to the table. I’d rather see guys run wild on Smith than tolerate another passed ball or weak groundout from Omar.

I wish, just bizarre it continues to deteriorate without a known injury.

Glad to hear Hostetler say they haven’t even discussed Moncada & Anderson being locked in at 2B & SS at the major league level as a factor when discussing potentially drafting Madrigal. That is 100% the right approach.

That’s interesting, thanks for posting.

I don’t disagree that it seems crazy, but a 25% BB rate in AA is pretty crazy itself. I’ve been looking for comps but there really aren’t any good ones. From what I can tell, most of the players with BB rate in the high teens lose a good four or five points from AA to the pros. Matt Olsen did lose about eight points since AA and that’s the most extreme example I could find in recent years. I think a 15% BB rate is a pretty realistic target IMO with room for some upside.

How many of those guys had 25% BB rates in AA? I think some of you guys are seriously undervaluing what kind of a rare asset Collin’s batter’s eye is. He will likely see some drop when he reaches the pros, but a 50% decrease because “major league pitching” is pretty absurd IMO. If that happens, then he’s going to get a lot more good pitches to hit. Regardless, are there actually any examples of a player who walked as much as Collins suddenly not walking in the pros?

You think his BB rate is somehow going to be fall from 25% in AA to 8 to 10% in the pros? He has perhaps the best plate discipline in the entire minors and is the victim of poor umpiring. I’d be absolutely shocked if his BB rate in the majors fell below 15%.

And if that’s the case, by all means move him. I love me some Abreu and would love to find a way to keep him with the White Sox long-term, but if market conditions provide us with an opportunity to add multiple high-end talents then it will be hard not to say goodbye to him. My only beef is with the notion of getting rid of him for some fringe prospects or salary relief. He’s a top 20 hitter in the game and those guys aren’t easily replaced. Moving him better be on our terms.

I think you’re spot on here.

This is the worst Fangraphs prospect list I can remember to be honest.

Fangraphs finally released our top prospect list: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/top-25-prospects-chicago-white-sox/

India above Bohm is pretty wild.

Yeah, I’m still not sure if they’re playing Curbelo at 3B because Laz is the better SS or if they think that’s likely his long-term home. But Madrigal would get priority at SS over him and pretty much anyone else. Still a lot of bodies for Getz to manage in A ball between Madrigal, Rivera, Curbelo, Forbes, Yrizarri, and some of the more fringey guys like Blackman, Remillard, & Roman.

While none of the guys are high end prospects, there is a bit of an infield jam at the lower levels. Laz Rivera already needs a promotion ASAP. My guess is if we draft Madrigal, he starts the season in Kannapolis and takes Rivera’s spot post promotion. If he dominates, then they find room for him in W-S before the end of the season.

There are 234 players with 130 or more plate appearances this season. Out of those players, 30 are over the age of 32 at the moment. That means on average each team is starting a player over the age of 32 or roughly 1/8 of all starting position players are above this age threshold. And nearly a 1/3 of those players are 1B/DH types. And while a few of these guys are only around for financial reasons, I think players aged 33 and above are more common than you think.