Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 12, 2015 -> 10:33 AM) Is saladino really below average speed? Doesn't seem like that at all. Not sure he has arm for third ( this may be footwork but seems like he needs to wind up quite a bit) but I like him a lot as a bench piece. Just seems like a gamer. He's not Micah Johnson or Jacob May fast, but he's clearly above average, especially for a 3B. And based on the SB numbers raBBit posted, he appears to be a smart base-runner. Also, didn't notice any issues with him arm yesterday and I don't think I ever heard his arm being a problem in scouting reports. I agree that he seems like a gamer and an intelligent ballplayer, something we could use more of, even if it's just on the bench.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jul 12, 2015 -> 10:44 AM) 0-7 on the year watching the Sox in person. Cubs have also lost both games I've been to a Wrigley. Time to break a streak. So you're a home team jinx? Sounds like you're about to see your first sox victory in person.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 06:37 PM) Nice spark Saladino provided for the Sox and looks comfortable defensively at 3B. Really liked how he kept his head down and eye on the ball with that triple. Dude has better wheels than Beckham and Gillaspie. Hopefully we see more of him. 100% agree. Have been very impressed so far. He may not have a ton of upside, but his defense & speed provide a nice floor at a position that is a huge weakness for us right now. I hope they give him a longer look than just this series against the Cubs. Worst case scenario, he's a valuable bench player who help against LHP.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 05:57 PM) The thing about Micah is that he's not that great of a hitter. If he were an above average hitter, his defensive miscues would be excusable. Based on his first 83 major league plate appearances? What about his AAA numbers: .830 OPS, 142 wRC+, & 18 SBs in 50 games. Why ignore these? Quite frankly, we don't know what kind of offensive player he is yet. But based on his tools & minor league track record, he's got the potential to be a very good player with the bat. I'm just absolutely shocked so many posters (not you) are willing to write him off over ia very small sample of incredibly bad defense from a rookie.

Huge win today. Great game all around.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 05:41 PM) You are a really dumb troll then. Wow, that's the best you got. You unable to read numbers bro? Guessing that "2nd to last in majors" point might be a little above your intelligence level. But keep rolling with the "troll" jokes. That's some funny s***.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 05:40 PM) WAR is not the end-all stat of a baseball player's worth. It is flawed. Carlos Sanchez is not the second worst player in baseball. 100% agree, but it's not that wrong. And quite frankly, it's much more accurate on the offensive side where Sanchez has been terrible. We're talking about a guy with a .450 OPS. I don't care how good people think he is defensively, he can't be a positive value at 2B with that level of offensive output.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 05:15 PM) Can't believe anyone would argue for Micah at this point, unless you think his d has improved 10 fold. Lol...I can't believe people would actually argue for the second worst player in baseball, but it keeps happening...

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 05:14 PM) You are trolling. I won't feed you. Are you f***ing serious? Sanchez is second to last in WAR in all of baseball. That is a factual statement. Based on advanced metrics, he's provided less overall value than Micah. Also a factual statement. However, a big portion of this site has decided to write off Micah because of his defense (in a small sample) for a guy who has been one of worst hitters in baseball. There is nothing to troll here, Sanchez has been terrible and worse than Micah. This DEFENSE IS EVERYTHING argument is so f***ing stupid and I'm shocked at how many people are willing to accept it as reasonable logic.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 05:03 PM) Micah Johnson is where he belongs. You don't need s*** defense at the MLB level. Lol...Micah belongs in AAA while arguably the worst player in Major League Baseball deserves to be our starting 2B. All because of DEFENSE. Let's just competely ignore the other side of the game, because our team is so awesome offensively!

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 05:02 PM) Sanchez's defense + lack of offense > Micah's offense + bad defense. I want the Sox to get a good second baseman, or get a good third baseman and move Saladino to second. Till then leave Sanchez there. Based on what? Advanced metrics say otherwise.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 04:59 PM) I want to combine them into Micah Sanchez. Yeah, that would be awesome. QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 04:59 PM) If we continue to hit well, I will gladly take Sanchez's defense over Micah's defense. Continue to hit well? We've had like three games in the past two weeks where we scored more than 3 runs. And as I mentioned earlier, Sanchez is second to last in baseball in WAR. Micah, despite one of the worst defensive stretches in recent history, wasn't nearly as bad as Carlos has been. Why on earth would you sacrifice overall value in order to shore up the defense?

Carlos Sanchez is just a disaster offensively. I want Micah back up here after the All-Star break.

Wow, Bryant having a tough day.

Nice work Melky. Another run here would be huge.

I know it's only been 1.3 games, but I really like what I'm seeing from Saladino. Assuming he can hold down the position defensively, he may have enough speed & bat to be a productive 3B in today's game.

Sanchez is second to last in all of baseball in WAR at -1.0, but who cares because DEFENSE.

I think it's fairly likely that Erik Johnson is in the rotation sooner rather than later. They skipped his previous start in AAA to help manage his innings. I don't see them doing that unless they think there's a good chance he'll be needed on the major league team in the near future. My guess is if they decide they are sellers he replaces Shark and if they decide to hold their ground (or buy) then he replaces Danks.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 10, 2015 -> 10:53 PM) ChiSox Bar and Grill, the sports bar attached to the stadium, has great food. Not badly priced either. 100% this. More often than not, I find myself heading there before the game for their maple wings & pulled pork tacos than going with the traditional hot dogs w/ grilled onions in the park. Just stay away from the Big Hurt beer, which they serve there, as it's absolutely disgusting.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jul 11, 2015 -> 12:35 AM) I'm just saying I am glad he didn't get all down on himself and go in a slump, sort of what Davidson did when he didn't make the team last year. While I agree with your point on Micah, Davidson simply sucks. Being down about not making the major league squad was just an excuse made by his supporters. Because unless his emotions carried over into this season, he's simlly not a good baseball player.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jul 10, 2015 -> 10:19 PM) It's upsetting to me that instead of being happy and excited that the Sox won, I am more relieved that I don't have to hear the Cubs fans. Maybe I am weak and should know better but I am not the s*** talking type and the Cubs fans I deal with tend to be. I am going to the game Sunday as well so I wanted to be in good shape going in just so I don't have to deal with meatheads. Obviously I am biased, but does anyone else feel like your regular Cubs fan is an especially uneducated fan? I am sure it has a lot to do with them losing 90+ games three out of the last four years and not winning a playoff game since Bush's first term but I find myself just nodding at their weak attempts to make banter. Yes, the Cubs have more fans at their Cubs and yes, if the season ended today the Cubs would be in the playoffs. I am just not phased. They just seem out of the loop. Some guy was giving me s*** at the golf course and I tried to change the subject and said, "Is Rondon not the Cubs closer anymore?" and he said "Rondon is on the Sox." So I am not like, "No, not Rodon, Hector RONDON, the Cubs closer," and he says, "No it's Motte, the Cardinals guy, we don't have a Rodon." It's one guy, but still. So bad. Please Chris Sale, be the best Chris Sale you can be so I can relax when we lose 2-1 or 1-0 on Sunday for Quintana vs. Arrieta. I was at yesterday's game and endured almost no s*** talking. In fact, the most I experienced was between me & a security guard, who wouldn't let me try to take a picture with Frank Thomas (who was sitting four rows in front of us). But to your point about dumb Cubs fans, we literally had one fan turn around in like the second inning and ask "Do you know who Frank Thomas is?". I honestly thought my wife, a diehard Cubs fan, was going to clock this woman. We were both completely mind boggled by this. IMO, both sides have plenty of knowledgable fans, but because the Cubs dominate the large casual section of Chicago (like the woman I mentioned), their fanbase oftentimes comes off uneducated & stupid.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jul 10, 2015 -> 01:19 PM) Call up Saladino and bat him 2nd against the Cubs in his first game and play a position he has only played 5 times in the last 2 years. No pressure kid. It's not like he was hitting the cover off the ball in AAA. Hope he does well He was hitting the ball pretty damn well over the past 30 days. I have no problem with the move.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Jul 10, 2015 -> 09:13 AM) Nope. Accuweather I said for today, which is a true statement.

Will be at the game today behind the Cubs' on-deck circle. Super excited for this game. Supposed to be great weather and the pitching matchup makes this the most unpredictable game in the first series. Plus with the Cubs having their best season in years and the Sox on an up-swing, the atmosphere at the game should be intense.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 9, 2015 -> 07:36 PM) Couple points - for one, I'll say Micah was bad but you will not find me saying he was "historically" bad anywhere. I agree with you on the sample size issue there. Second, I don't expect Micah to step in and be all that great with the bat. Yes an upgrade over Sanchez, but he was still a pretty easily exposed hitter in his stint up here and I expect struggles are the norm with guys who come up from Charlotte. Therefore I think the upgrade in the bat is easily offset by the downgrade with defense since I'm not projecting him to do what he's doing at charlotte for a while. That therefore is why I made that point - because you can't assume Micah's going to come up and hit .300 in the big leagues just because he is hitting better in Charlotte now. Third...some whispers we heard a week or two ago suggested that the reason why Micah was not afforded an adjustment period with the glove is that the pitching staff, possibly Samardzija specifically, were becoming particularly frustrated with him and that was the #1 reason why the defense improving swap was made. If the pitching staff is standing strongly behind Sanchez...at the very least that will buy him extra time. And finally, thanks for the cheap shot. Obviously we agree on point #1. As for point #2, I don't envision Micah being anywhere close to a finished product at any point this season. I do think with some moderate improvements on both sides he'll at least be a positive WAR player, which would be a huge upgrade from what we're currently getting. And I don't doubt point #3, but once Shark is traded and the season is officially ceded, it won't really matter. Micah clearly has more long-term upside than Carlos and needs development time at the major league level now if we want to count on him in 2016 & more importantly 2017. And I apologize for the cheap shot, I misinterpreted the logic behind your initial post.