Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 11:02 AM) That's a ridiculous and stupid thing to say IMO. Screw what the rankings say, it only matters how the Sox view and evaluate a player. Reyes might be ranked #31 but he's signing for $1.5M so there had to be some serious interest from other teams, guys ranked that low by publications don't get typically get bonuses over a million dollars. Reyes might be #31 on the list but none of us know how the Sox or other teams ranked him on their big boards. Its also worth pointing out that you dont know who else the Sox are going to sign, they like to spread their money around. Look in 2013 when they signed Micker for $1.6M and signed (I believe) 3 or 4 more players to bounuses over 300K. Last year's class is a prime example of that too. I wouldn't compare amateur scouting in Latin America to the draft, July 2nd is basically a pissing contest between scouts as they try to out-scout one another. Look around MLB and check out all the quality, contributing Latin players (with the exceptions of the Cuban players) and tell me how many were signed to large bonuses, not very many. Overspending on July 2nd can really set an organization back, as you cant sign a player for over 300K for one or two years, KW said that when he hired Marco Paddy, he wanted to establish a pipeline that would constantly pump talent into the system, you cant really pump talent into the system when you can't sign any of the 'top guys'. I'm going to stop before my pacemaker zaps me. (Mic drop) Wow, you are a comedian on top of being a professional scout and screenwriter. How did you come up with that "mic drop" zinger? Such a creative and original rip, wouldn't expect anything less from a dude as talented as yourself. Let me say I disagree with almost your entire post. Already said the ranking are pretty meaningless, so I guess we agree on one thing (even though you ignored that point). And a $1.5M bonus is nice, but nowhere near the value it was back when we signed Micker. So perhaps this guy isn't the 30th ranked player, he's still not a top 10 prospect if you go by projected bonus size. Regardless, there are a bunch teams grabbing multiple guys in or above this bonus range. Despite our overall budget, we are getting less of the high-end talent than our competition. You talk about spreading our money to multiple guys, but a lot of teams are doing the same thing but to a much greater extent by simply spending more. And I understand the differences between the draft and international free agency. Your essentially buying a bunch of lottery tickets and the goal is to buy as many as possible to increase your odds of hitting on a couple. That's exactly why you blow past your cap, sign as many as possible, and then endure your penalties for a year or two. You can still sign lower-end talent during that time. If done correctly, you can ultimately add more talent over the course of three years through this method than by staying within your cap limits. There is a reason why most of the smarter organizations are taking advantage of this loophole. And this doesn't account for the fact that an international draft is looming and these penalties may ultimately be meaningless in year or two. Once again, we are behind our competition on a popular loophole. First was with the draft and refusing to go overslot despite there being no penalties, most likely due to Reinsdorf's ethics and loyalty to Bud Selig. Now we're seeing it with a refusal to go above our international cap limit. I hope Hahn proves me wrong and goes out and gets a Eddy Martinez type, because our competition is finding creative ways to infuse talent into their systems and we are not.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 08:45 AM) The idea of counting on Trayce Thompson as a full-time player isn't going to find many advocates. And, if you're breaking in Anderson in 2017, you're probably wasting two more years of Robertson waiting for 2018, which means you can do without an elite guy (and he might not even be that) until 2017 or more likely ASB 2017. It's also quite possible Montas or Danish could emerge to take over that spot...so you can shift $25 million being allocated to Robertson and spend it more efficiently in the short-term. While I agree people will be skeptical of Trayce Thompson, I'm starting to think he deserves a shot in 2016. His defense has always been top-notch and he's been a top 10 offensive player in the International League this year (better if you exclude AAAA types) with a much improved K rate. I think you really need to find a way to get major league at-bats in August & September and if those go well, give him a look in 2016. His defense will at least provide a floor in terms of value. However, I'm not sure where this idea of not being able to compete while developing a young player comes from. Maybe b/c Balta screams louder than most here and he believes that only perfect teams can compete. That's just a ridiculous notion (look at the AL standings) and Tim Anderson batting 9th after a full season in AAA would likely not prevent you from winning.

Maiker Feliz not in the lineup for the DSL Sox yesterday. Given his performance so far, I wonder if they are bringing him stateside.

I really think this team can be legit contents by 2017, but it will take some bold moves between now and then. On the pitching side, sign Shark to a 5 year/$90M extension, trade Quintana & Putnam at the trade deadline (target two high-end hitting prospects for Q and the BPA for Zach), move Danks to the bullpen, & call-up Erik Johnson. Give one of Drabek, Guerra, & Beck an extended look the rest of the way. If you don't like what you see from those guys, then sign a reclamation project in the offseason. Either way, plan on Fulmer taking the #5 spot by 2017. On the offensive side, trade Alexei & LaRoche at the deadline for whatever you can get. Give playing time to Sanchez at SS, Micah Johnson at 2B, Garcia and/or Melky at DH, & Trayce Thompson in RF. For this example, assume you can get Schwarber & Baez for Quintana & Putnam. These guys would start at C & 3B the rest of the way. In the offseason, trade Garcia for prospects and open up the DH spot for Schwarber. Do whatever it takes to acquire the best available catching prospect that is major league ready. In this example, I'll assume that guy is Kevin Plawecki from the Mets. Let Sanchez, Saladino, or a free agent stop-gap hold down SS for 2016, but assume Anderson is ready by opening day 2017. Give Thompson a legit shot in RF in 2016. If he fails, sign or trade for a RF (Jay Bruce a potential option). 2017 Roster #1: Sale #2: Shark #3: Rodon #4: Johnson #5: Fulmer CL: Robertson SU: Jones SU: Duke MR: Webb MR: Phillips MR: Petricka LR: Beck 1. Eaton, CF 2. Johnson, 2B 3. Abreu, 1B 4. Schwarber, DH 5. Cabrera, LF 6. Baez, 3B 7. Thompson, RF 8. Plawecki, C 9. Anderson, SS Lineup too right-handed and there still would be some defensive concerns, but offensively it would have a lot of potential if Melky bounces back. Regardless, the pitching staff would have a chance of being very special. On top of that, the roster is very young and there would be money to spend to patch holes. While I think this particular scenario is unlikely (don't see us trading with the Cubs), I think something similar can be done if we extend Shark & capitalize on Quintana's value.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 06:01 AM) Kiley McDaniel has his July 2 board up now http://www.fangraphs.com/scoutboard.aspx?d...e=0&pos=all Has Sox tied to Franklin Reyes at projected $1.5m and Fernando Tatis Jr. at $600k. I know these rankings are fairly meaningless, but it's still a bit sad that the best guy we are linked to is ranked #31 despite having one of the larger budgets. Really shows how behind the times this front office is, as most of the premier organizations are blowing past their caps and realizing the penalties because they still come out ahead. IMO, this is no different than when the Sox wouldn't go over the recommended slots in the draft and passed on high-end talents.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 07:17 PM) Why Putnam? Dude has absolutely elite stuff. Feel like we'd be selling extremely low? The Feek, agree? QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 07:20 PM) Okay, so looked it up. Putnam is striking out 14 per 9!!!!! Holy s***, has to be by far best I'm the AL. Yeah, definitely wait until his era is out of the high 3s Selling low? Do you really think he'll maintain a 14 K/9 rate going forward? He's striking out guys at an incredibly elite level, his value right now should be incredibly high regardless of his ERA. He's a guy you definitely move in the next 30 days. Him & Shark are probably our best two trade chips.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 07:00 PM) Not really. If the Sox have any hope of trading Danks at the deadline, a few decent starts between now and then would be helpful. No one is taking Danks at this point, a couple decent starts won't change that.

I would try to sell high on Putnam at the deadline. Might be able to get something of value for him. And if someone would take on Duke's contract, I'd definitely let him go for the salary relief.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 04:54 PM) Danks isn't going anywhere.... Why? What is the point of keeping him in the rotation? He isn't going to return to his previous form. He is a sunk cost and no one is going to take him. Might as well cut our losses now and move him to the pen.

Zach Duke is a real b****, a total f***ing coward.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 04:03 PM) Johnson more likely to get Shark's spot, IMO. Who gets Danks' spot then?

Must win game today with Danks pitching tomorrow & us facing Price on Sunday. I think you give this team until the All-Star break before making any trades (would make some internal changes). That gives you 15 more games to evaluate on. If the team can win 10 games in that time period and the offense looks better, hold off on trades until closer to the deadline. If not, start working on a Shark trade during the break. He's a guy that should be moved early if we decide to sell.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 25, 2015 -> 01:38 PM) Give me some numbers then on what a "special player" is? Yeah, I'm not going to get into an argument of my definition of "special". I already said high-end leadoff hitter, so let's say Adam Eaton (2014 version) with a Ton of SBs at a good rate. Do you feel that is not a possibility?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 25, 2015 -> 11:53 AM) With his skill set what exactly do you mean by this? For guys with speed but little power, defense is usually a particularly important part of their game unless you think Micah can pull his hitting up to legendary levels. I said special offensive player, so why are you bringing in defense here? Dude has incredible speed, good plate discipline, and more natural power than most people think. In this offensive environment, he can be a pretty special hitter if he puts it all together for a middle infielder. Not saying he will be a superstar, but he can definitely be a high-end lead off hitter if all goes well.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 25, 2015 -> 12:14 PM) But he hasn't been passable at any stop in the minors either. He has been a bad defender. Expecting Sanchez to hit is different because he has a history of hitting, while Johnson does not have a history of fielding. Sanchez has a history of slapping, without walking much or stealing a lot of bags. His upside is incredibly limited offensively. As for Micah's defense, everything in the minors is based on second-hand reports. There is limited data to gauge the degree of "bad", and quite frankly, I've read in some of those reports that one of the primary reasons for his bad defense was trying to do too much. That can improve with time. What we do know is he has a lot of range, which provides a floor to how bad he can really be long-term. Again, Micah is no doubt a flawed defensive player, but I think many on this site have already written him off as even being passable based on a small major league sample and some minor league scouting reports.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 25, 2015 -> 08:59 AM) The knock on Johnson all through the minors was his defense as well. If you want to use the minor league argument, at least Sanchez has hit in the minors. Johnson has never been known as a good defender. I get Johnson has had issues with his defense in the minors and I don't expect him to ever be a plus defender. I just think it's crazy that people look at how bad he was in an incredibly small sample and for some reason expect that going forward. There is no doubt in my mind Sanchez isn't a .400 OPS hitter, just like I don't believe Micah Johnson is the worst defensive 2B of all-time. However, I do believe Micah has a chance to be a special offensive player, which means he doesn't even have to be average defensively to add value to the team, he simply needs to be passable.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 07:53 PM) If Micah can't improve on his defense then he does not have a chance of being a long term solution at the position. Where would he be better able to work on his defense, around the clown show in Chicago or with the player development people in the minors? People seem to be judging his defense off an incredibly small sample of plays and assuming none of his f***-ups were due to rookie jitters. I also don't see why his defense would develop any differently in AAA vs. the majors. However, his bat could use some work against major league pitching. When we go back to Micah (and we will), we'll probably have to endure some offensive growing pains and unfortunately for us this adjustment period will now likely spill over into 2016. We should be taking advantage of this wasted season.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 07:45 PM) We were 3 games below .500 with Micah and 6 games below .500 with Carlos so far. Honestly...maybe it really doesn't make that much of a difference, maybe we're crappy with both of them. If that's the case, give the major league playing time to the guy who has a chance of being a long-term solution at the poistion and that player is Micah.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 06:21 PM) Yet so many people are ready to send Sanchez out for Micah Johnson. Sanchez is one of the worst players in baseball right now. On a per game or plate appearance basis, his WAR is way worse than Micah's. And while I don't believe WAR to be the be-all-end-all, I think it demonstrates that Sanchez's bat is arguably worse than Johnson's defense. We suck both offensively & defensively, so I'm not sure why we sacrifice overall value to prioritize one side of the ball over the other. Give me the best player possible and so far this year that player has been Micah.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jun 23, 2015 -> 09:29 PM) I kinda want to see how long they can ride the 3 or fewer thing without doing anything about it. Lol...there is the elusive 4th run, just what Hahn needed to see to keep the ship as is.

An insurance run would be pretty sweet.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Jun 23, 2015 -> 09:09 PM) Luis Castillo is with the DSL team at the moment. He hasn't been in the starting lneup yet for the ASL Sox, so I was starting to think he'd end up on the DSL roster.

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Jun 23, 2015 -> 09:20 PM) Soto is so much better than Flowers. This was apparent weeks ago and it's a shame that Flowers continues to get the lion's share of the starts. Hopefully that changes soon.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 23, 2015 -> 09:02 PM) To my completely nonprofessional eyes, Micah's issues are his stone hands much more than something easily learnable like footwork or positioning. I just don't see him ever being even an average second baseman. I'd love to be proven wrong, though. Maybe you'll end up being right, but I think the sample size was too small to jump to any conclusions. He deserved a longer look IMO.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 23, 2015 -> 09:04 PM) Yes. I posted in another thread the pitchers, especially Samardzpjiza were gettimg very frustrated with Micah's defense. And it isn't like he was raking offensively. He wasn't raking, but he was holding his own as rookie, which doesn't happen often with Sox farmhands. Either way, if you go by WAR, Sanchez has provided less overall value than Micah on a per game basis. I don't view WAR as the end-all-be-all, but it should be clear to any U.S. of watching these games on a daily basis that Sanchez has been incredibly bad and has shown no signs of improving. He will no doubt get better at some point if we keep feeding him at-bats, but the kid is simply a slap hitter and one who is unlikely to get on-base at a high rate or steal a lot of bags. His offensive game is so limited that he has almost no chance of being even average starting 2B IMO despite his glove. If we're going to suffer through growing pains, at least do so with the guy who has the potential to be an above-average starter. Playing Sanchez right now is not helping in the short-term or long-term.