Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 12:32 PM) Trouble with him throwing the screwball, particularly early in the season was...it wasn't a very good pitch. People hammered that ball early in the year. So you just give up on the pitch the rest of the way? His screwball can be a serious weapon, especially if he's going to start or pitch long-relief.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 12:31 PM) Pretty funny Santiago wants to throw his screwball but AJ doesn't call it so he won't throw it. Its the pitcher's decision in the end. How many rookie pitchers call off a veteran catcher?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 12:27 PM) He mentioned Juan Pierre. Like that would have made up 3 games. Pierre was awful in August. And his two years with us he was awful against RHP, putting up OPSs of .621 & .642. The idea was horrible back then and remains ridiculous now.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 12:13 PM) That would be the only real obvious reason for him to back out of the WBC, if he's been explicitly told there's a role for him. Yeah, he did mention that he may be needed in the rotation if Danks isn't ready to start the season. Another interesting thing Santiago said, unrelated to his potential role, was how AJ didn't call his screwball much, while Flowers would call for it a lot and how he wants his pitchers to use their entire arsenal. Based on the interview, you could easily tell that he preferred throwing to Flowers last year and I'm starting to think we might see Santiago make some serious strides in 2013.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 11:29 AM) Shirek went to Korea. I don't think they care about a 3rd lefty, a lot of teams have only one, the rest usually two. And the team has said, repeatedly, it sees Santiago as a starter. Therefore, I feel pretty strongly they will have him starting in Charlotte, or even with the big club if Danks isn't ready yet (then back to Charlotte after that). Axelrod or Stewart are the more likely long men, IMO. Santiago was interviewed on 670 this morning and seemed very confident he'd be on the team. He also implied that Cooper wants to use him in a variety of roles, sometimes as a long-man and sometimes as a specialist. Obviously this could just be a young pitcher hoping he starts the year in the majors and not the minors, but to me it sounded like he's been told he's part of the big league mix by coaching staff or front office.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 10:15 AM) I kinda doubt it. The Sox have at least 5 real, actual prospects that will be starting in Charlotte - Santiago, Castro, Molina, Leesman, Axelrod, probably Rienzo. That's already a crowd, even if one of them ends up being the long man out of the pen. My guess is that Stewart goes into ST vying for the long reliever spot (the only one open in the pen), and either he gets it, or Axelrod does and Stewart is in the pen in Charlotte. I just have a hard time believing he bumps any of those guys out of the way. I think it's pretty much all but certain Santiago will be the longer reliever/spot starter to start the season. I think they really like the flexibility of having a 3rd lefty in the pen, even if his primary role will be a multi-innings guy and not a situational guy. Otherwise, I think you got the AAA rotation nailed down: Axelrod, Rienzo, Castro, Molina, & Leesman. Not sure if Shirek is still around, but he started 20 plus games last year as well. That could leave Stewart with a relief role.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 08:36 AM) Is it possible KC beats out the Sox? Yeah. Likelihood? About 1 chance in 10, at best. Completely agree with this. The Royals' starting pitching is not very good outside of Shields, so to have any chance to overtake us next year, they need to find a way to score a lot more runs. IMO, that starts with Hosmer & Moustakas both producing at All-Star levels. If that doesn't happen, I don't see how they have any chance of making up 13 wins against us, even if the Sox regress some next year.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 08:48 AM) I think its Lindstrom because they haven't been able to announce it yet. Hahn was on CSN the other day and noted Iguchi was acquired after Soxfest, and Thornton and Marte were spring training pick ups. Despite what several panicked posters have posted, he knows there are holes and will continue to try to fill them. I have no idea if he will be a good GM or not, but it is really unfair for anyone to take shots at him now. He did make it sound like there were a couple things in the works. I just don't think officially announcing a signing that was reported like 4 days ago is going to drive a lot of excitement at SoxFest. Then again, neither will a minor bench move. One other thing of interest from his interview was him not committing to Keppinger being the opening day 3B. Said they could still add/move some pieces that could open a spot for Keppinger elsewhere. Also said they could add left-named bat to split time with him at 3B.

Hahn was on 670 earlier this morning and said they may have a move to announce later today. It could be Lindstrom, although that seems like bit of a cop-out, since the move reported a few days ago. I'm thinking they might have bench guy they're getting close to landing.

QUOTE (Rex Hudler @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 12:37 AM) Then again, it's really no one's business. You and everyone else can choose to believe him or not. But he doesn't owe anyone anything. So you think nothing in an athlete's personal life is anyone's business? If so, I completely disagree with you. This country already has a problem with accountability and when high-profile celebrities straight-up lie to the American public's face, it only adds fuel to the fire. No one is saying he committed a crime and no one is saying he deserves to go to hell for this. But Manti should man up and admit the whole truth. I get the initial reaction is to lie, but he just looks a bumbling idiot who can't get his story straight right now and the coverup is always worse crime (if and when it finally comes out).

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 24, 2013 -> 06:31 PM) The fake call record spreadsheet was weird. This whole thing is so creepy. Or how about the tweets with more than 140 characters. This whole coverup is beyond ridiculous. I just hope the truth comes out, because I'm tired of the constant lies.

Holy f***, I'm so sick of the trolling and pessimism on this board. People don't have to be overly positive about this team, but for the love of god please support your negative outlooks with some logic, reason, and/or stats. KC finished 13 games behind us last year. They added one very good SP and two s***ty ones. If you really think KC will win more games than us next year, please go through their roster and our roster and then show us all where their gains and our regressions add up to 13 games. Otherwise, stop with the god damn b****ing and worry about the team ahead of us on paper that is Detroit.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 23, 2013 -> 09:50 PM) I guess it all depends on your version of different, but it's hard to make a sequel when you're trying to make distinctly different endings. The original Metal Gear Solid had two different endings, based on a single event halfway through the game. As far as the sequels are concerned, one ending is the actual one that occurred. I guess I was disappointed that a few key events didn't have a larger impact on the ending in the Walking Dead. In particular, deciding whether or not to take the food out of the "abandoned" car. It's cool that decision came back into the story, but it really changes nothing in the end other than a conversation you have with someone.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 23, 2013 -> 07:21 PM) I don't understand why people complain about that in these choice games. What do you expect? The devs to make 10 entirely different versions of 1 game? How about two or three different endings? Is that really asking too much for a game all about "choice"? I could name a half dozen games off the top of my head in a variety of genres that offer multiple endings based on your decisions.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 23, 2013 -> 09:59 AM) No kidding, I have NEVER read an IGN article that praised Nintendo as much as the one released today. MarioKart WiiU, Yoshis Island, Super Smash Bros WiiU, Mario Galaxy WiiU, Zelda, and a WiiU Zelda Windwaker is a pretty awesome bunch of announcements though The question is what is coming out this year and are there any surprises they are holding back until E3. My guess is if Retro Studios isn't developing Mario Kart, then they'll have a big announcement at E3.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Jan 23, 2013 -> 04:24 PM) I'm not sure it has been discussed in here but the Walking Dead video game is awesome. I can't wait for season 2. Great game, although I wished the big choices had a more profound impact on the story, in particular the ending. Yes, people would remember things you did and said, but no matter what the ultimate ending was the same.

Do not go with Tiffany's or any of the big retailers. You'll get way more for the same cost at a wholesaler. You'll see the difference first hand when you get it insured, as my wholesaler was able to appraise the ring I bought for my wife for like 30% above cost. Also, some wholesalers will ship out of state and not charge sales tax, which can save you quite a bit of money.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 06:30 PM) I don't see them doing anything with the bench. Dewayne Wise- they like him as a 4th outfielder/ once or twice a week starter at leadoff. Angel Sanchez- can play all three infield spots. Rule 5 draftee, so he either makes the team or probably goes back to Anaheim. Hector Gimenez- backup catcher. Can hit a little and pretty good defense. Jordan Danks or Blake Tekotte-- Lefty bat/good defense/can run It's not the sexiest bench, but in the AL it's not as important. Plus it's something that can be addressed in July once there's more clarity if they're going to contend. I'm higher on Gimenez than most, but he's still completely unproven with the bat and is 30 years old. As a backup catcher, he's going to get a decent amount of ABs. Flowers started 40 games last year, my guess is the back up catcher this year starts closer to 50 to 55 games. Angel Sanchez is also unproven and is our only reserve infielder at the moment. Escobar, Olmedo, & Lopez combined for 151 ABs last year and that doesn't include any of the ABs Hudson may of have as a reserve. Regardless, he'll be used more than just a late-inning defensive replacement and his AAA stats are highly inflated by playing in the Pacific Coast, which makes me very skeptical of him. Also, the fact that the three guys he's backing up are all right-handed doesn't help matters. As for Danks or Tekotte, they offer nothing that Dwayne Wise offers. Maybe Danks is a little stronger defender, but for pinch-hitting, base-running, and even spot-starts I'd go with Wise. Therefore, they offer minimal value to the team IMO. These things all add up and can cost you some wins in the end. A bench doesn't need to be perfect, but it shouldn't have as many holes and risks as our bench currently has.

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 05:07 PM) Hahn said on Comcast, that a few additions to the club could happen this week Hopefully some additions to the bench, which is a serious weakness right now.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 22, 2013 -> 12:48 PM) Who was going to be a 3 win player in platoon situations over two months that the Sox could bring in, and what would they need to give up to get them? Barry Bonds in his steroid prime would have been.

What I find both fascinating and uplifting is that we only have three players in the Future Sox top 25 that were signed out of Latin America by us. I know you guys didn't release the top 10 yet, but I'm guessing Sanchez & Rienzo are the only guys who would qualify and throw in Olacio and that's all what we got to show for home-grown Latin American prospects. That's 12% of our top 25 prospects coming from one our primary sources of talent. I can guarantee that percentage is amongst the lowest in baseball and just goes to show how disadvantaged we've been since the Wilder fiasco. The good news is the addition of Paddy, the allocation of more resources, and the overall rule changes will change that. It will likely be three to four years before Paddy's first signing class truly make a serious impact on these type of lists, but hopefully we'll see incremental gains each year, with prospects like Sanchez popping out of nowhere more frequently.

QUOTE (Lamar Johnson 23 @ Jan 21, 2013 -> 09:21 AM) Some of you guys are too hung up on what the Sox might be paying him...Who the f cares?!? The Sox (obviously) wouldn't have signed him if he was "cost prohibitive". The "bottom line" will always be the bottom line. I think it was a solid baseball move...congrats Mr. Hahn. Now go out and get us a back up catcher (George Kottaras?) and a left handed hitting infielder (Matt Carpenter?), and lets declaw the f--king Tigers! Because it might give us insight some into how much more salary we can add to payroll? Although considering the Diamondbacks passed on his $4 million option, I'm thinking $3 million is probably a pretty decent guess for his salary.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 21, 2013 -> 09:03 AM) I could be wrong on this, but I believe Jordan Danks is out of minor league options. Didn't we just add him to the 40 man roster last year? If so, I don't see how could be out of options.

Has the dollar amount been mentioned anywhere?

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jan 19, 2013 -> 03:42 PM) I dont really want Webb anywhere near the starting OL The problem is you can only do so much in a given offseason and I think it would be foolish to give up on Carimi this quickly. However, he needs to win a job next year and I think Webb would be respectable competition. If Carimi can win the job at RT, then Webb can be the swing tackle. That would be the ideal situation, but we just don't know what we have in Carimi at this point.