Chicago White Sox

I know it's early, but you got to love Semien's season so far. What's astonishing is that he's cut his K rate from around 20% the last two years to 8% this year. At the same time, he's improved his BB rate each year and is at 15.7% on the season. These rates may not hold at these levels, but even with some regression he still looks like he can be a high AVG/OBP player. Now his power is down a bit, which should be expected given the bandbox the Dash play in, but it's still at a respectable level. Let's not forgot that Semien is only 22 years old, so his power should continue grow with time. Overall, you got to be very happy with his offensive production so far and if his defense is even just "good" then he's got to be in consideration for top 10 status in our system.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 24, 2013 -> 01:29 PM) Career minor league numbers: Danks ..268/.355/.426 steals about 15 bases a year Tekotte .268/.355/.444 steals about 30 bases a year. Wow, you just tried using career minor league averages to prove one player is better than another. Talk about fun with numbers. Why don't you look at their AAA numbers and adjust them for league differences? Oh wait, that would support my point!

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Apr 24, 2013 -> 01:18 PM) Lets go with firing Ventura and making Konerko a player/manager. Wonder how many people would hate that idea Listen I love KW, but it's absolutely terrifying that the two main candidates were a guy off the street with no managerial experience and a player on his actual team with no managerial experience.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 24, 2013 -> 01:13 PM) Danks is way better? What is it about Jordan Danks that makes people think he is so good? What has he accomplished other than nice numbers his 3rd or 4th try in AAA? A lot of not so good players do that. I find it extremely unlikely he hits 4 homers today, and that includes batting practice, if they took it. I'm not high on Tekotte, but I am certainly not going to be upset he took Jordan Danks spot in the line up. If Jordan Danks is someone who needs to be in the line up, I think the beef shouldn't be with the manager. It should be with the guy who makes the roster. It's not that Danks is so good, it's that Tekotte is so bad. Look at their minor league numbers and tell me who is better. Also, Danks has been hitting well so far this year, especially against RHP. Tekotte has basically not played at all. There is no logical reason to go with Tekotte, not when Wise and Danks are both better options.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 24, 2013 -> 12:57 PM) I would have Wise in the line up myself. Maybe he's sick or something. If Wise were in the line up people would complain maybe even louder. Tekotte isn't any good, but it's not like Danks is any better at this stage. The legend of Jordan Danks around here is beyond incredible. First, Danks is ahead of Tekotte on the depth chart. Second, Danks is way better than Tekotte. Third, Tekotte has like three ABs this year and he should not be trying to find his rhythem at the major league level. He may hit four HRs today but the decision to play him makes no sense. I hope he makes me look stupid but I find it extremely unlikely.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 24, 2013 -> 12:51 PM) Danks has also fanned 3 times in 7 AB. He's really not the answer. Maybe a good 4th or 5th OF some day, and really playing sporatically is something he will probably have to learn to do anyway. Odds are really against him being a regular player. Please tell me you aren't arguing that playing Tekotte makes sense.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Apr 24, 2013 -> 12:00 PM) So Tekotte makes a huge base running mistake then gets the start the next game? What the hell is that? Tekotte doesn't deserve to be on the roster let alone in the lineup. I'd pick either Wise or Danks and pretty much play one them exclusively while Dayan's out.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 24, 2013 -> 11:40 AM) What is funny to me is some of the same people who think Dunn should bat 9th or not play or think Ventura is stupid for batting him 4th, are some of the same people who always tried to make a case for him batting 3rd last year when he hit .191 the last 4 months. I think when some were giving out "grades" at the All Star break last year, Dunn was hitting .205 and someone graded him a B,and he was ripped to shreads saying Dunn deserved an A. Keep in mind, Adam is only 2 homers off his April total of last year. The guy certainly is no all star, but he cannot be as bad as he's been. He is somewhere in between. For those of us that want the White Sox to win, he is going to have to produce, there really is nothing else. For those who want to rebuild and want the White Sox to lose, instead of complaining when he strikes out 3 times and goes 0 fer, you should be doing cartwheels. What does any of this have to do with batting a player who has a .397 OPS 4th in the lineup? He sucks right now plain and simple. You keep making excuses for Robin when there is no argument here. Dunn needs to be moved down in the lineup. I don't care if it's 5th, 6th or 7th, but under no circumstance should he be batting cleanup. This is just Robin being stubborn or being overly considered with Dunn's ego. And I'm not disagreeing he may turn it around, but you don't stunt your offense until then. Dunn is absolutely killing us right now.

Honestly, if Johnson & Beck keep pitching well, they both have a good chance of being top 100 prospects. Given our stable of left-handed starters at the major league level, developing a right-handed starter or two to replace Floyd and eventually Peavy would be absolutely huge.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 24, 2013 -> 08:15 AM) That means right now they have him literally doing some sort of intriguing drill in game action. Not sure I've ever heard of that being done before. Yeah, I agree with you, but then again I've never heard of a 60% K rate. He literally has to be swinging at every pitch to strikeout that much. Seems like someone has to be telling to him be super aggressive up there.

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 08:54 PM) Good question. They seem to be teaching ultra-aggressiveness. I think I've heard Buddy Bell mention this. I know Jeff Manto hates walks. It's a mess. I thought Manto said they first want to teach their minor leaguers how to hit and make contact, which requires them to be ultra aggressive initially. Once they've worked out any flaws and have mastered their swing, then they want them to become more selective. IIRC, he seemed to imply that it's hard to make adjustments if you're taking a ton of pitches and never swinging the bat. Not saying I agree or disagree, but I thought that was his approach to developing hitters at the minor league level. Also, Mully & Hanley just said Hawkins has taken 1 pitch in the last week or 10 days. If that's true, it's explains some of that 60% K rate.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 10:43 PM) The last episode was just awesome. Every scene Best show on television IMO. I'm not a big book guy, but the show is so good that I'm actually reading the novels at the same time.

Chris Bassitt was Fangraph's sleeper White Sox prospect. Sounds like he's throws pretty hard, so he's definitely one to keep an eye on.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 03:46 PM) Dude was 19. He knew exactly what he was doing and he could have easily said no. Seriously, we're not talking about someone being peer pressured into driving drunk or shoplifting. This kid purposely murdered and mutilated dozens of innocent people. I don't give a f*** if he looked up to his brother. That's no excuse for being a b****-ass coward.

I love the posters that only come out of the woodwork to b**** about the team.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 06:39 AM) FWIW, The Cleve announcers said the Sox lead the majors in swings and misses. We're the 11th worst team in terms of strikeouts (better than I expected), but we are dead last in walks & OBP. Our batting average is also thr 4th worst in baseball, which means we're making weak contact and/or are getting unlucky to some extent. Offensively we're a mess and we continue to throw away outs due to poor decision making and a lack of execution. What's really a shame is that we're first in quality starts. Our starting pitching is out there battling. Even Axelrod has pitched well. Unfortunately, it's all going to waste right now. The bottom of the 7th and top of the 8th last night is the perfect example of why our starters have no wins.

It's going to be interesting to see how Thompson, Walker, & Hawkins develop as the season progresses. The Sox have been very aggressive with these three guys and some initial struggles should be expected. Hopefully we'll see improvement throughout the year, even if their final stats don't blow people away. Hawkins is the one out of the three making me the most nervous right now. How could his K rate go from 12% last year to 60% this year? Something with his approach at the plate has had to change. I keep telling myself there has to be some explanation for this and that it can be corrected. I just wonder what the hell Winston Salem's coaching is doing with him, because it should never get this bad.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 06:38 PM) Did you see the video I posted of his home run from milb.com last week? I can't see how he ever hits anything on the ground with those mechanics. No I didn't, I'll have to look for the video.

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 06:04 PM) http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?s...mp;ymd=20130422 Hawkins sitting Could Hawkins still be feeling the effects from that quad injury earlier this year? I just don't understand how a 60% K rate is actually possible. Not after the season he had last year. It's absolutely mind-blowing.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 06:17 PM) The offense is in desperate need of help. Peavy and Rios should get them a couple of solid young everyday options. Guys like Reed, Floyd, Crain and Thornton should bring something decent back too. Trading our best offensive player doesn't seem like a good way of helping the offense. And you don't trade Reed for something "decent". You only move him if you're blown away.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 05:30 PM) There are some pretty solid potential bats available around the infield. Robinson Cano is obviously the prize, but some other names like Jhonny Peralta, Brian McCann are on the list as guys who regularly produce. Then there's a good number of guys who might be able to give you moderate production or short deals: Utley, Morneau, Morales, Adam Lind, Mike Morse, Stephen Drew if he stays healthy this year. 3b is pretty weak, and outside of Granderson and Ellsbury the OF doesn't impress me, but there are some other DH types in there as well. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/02/2014...ree-agents.html Cano would actually be the perfect addition. Unfortunately, there's no way Reinsdorf would spend the money it would take to bring him in (and not that I blame him). Utely would also make a lot of sense at 2B on a short-term deal. There's a couple of DH types that could work as potential Dunn replacements, but if we're goin to get a true impact bat it looks like it will have to come via trade.

I still think a rotation of Sale, Peavy, Danks, Quintana, & Santiago/Johnson can be amongst the best in baseball next year, which is why I'm completely against a firesale. Building a strong rotation is always the hardest part of putting together a playoff caliber team and we already have that part down. However, revamping the offense is going to be a serious challenge for Hahn. He's going to have to use his limited resources very wisely. We desperately need an impact bat or two and generally need better all-around hitters (more AVG/OBP). I'm not sure what's going to be available in free agency, but we should have some money to work with. Hahn is going to have to get really creative with his moves though. I don't envy the position Hahn is in right now, but I do think he can put together a good enough offense by next season with the right moves.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 10:04 AM) I don't see why Dzohkar's disgusting, appalling acts means we should lower our own moral standards. Why do you feel domestic terrorists deserve the same rights as regular U.S. citizens? More importantly, why should we take the moral high road with known terrorists? This kid brutally murdered and mutilated dozens of people, destroying numerous people's lives in the process. He did so with the intent to create as much pain and suffering as possible for these innocent people. Why does he get your sympathy when he took none on his victims? How would you feel if you were left a cripple or lost a loved one? I'm guessing you'd be singing a different tune. The moral high ground is always easy from an outside perspective. I'm not for prison rape or torture or anything else you may refer to barbaric, but unfortunately prison is a dangerous place and bad things happen to inmates all the time. If something bad happens to poor little Dzohkar, I will feel no sympathy for him whatsoever. Pure evil doesn't deserve our sympathy.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 08:12 AM) Prison, like every other murderer in many states (including Illinois) and most developed countries? So life in prison? I'm fine with that, I personally think that's a much worse punishment than death, especially for a pretty little 19 year old.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 06:14 AM) nice excluded middle, apparently it's either execution or hugs. You still haven't told us what an acceptable punishment would be.