Chicago White Sox

Wow, Beckham now has a 3.333 OPS in June! Seriously though, if he can keep hitting the ball like he has the last few weeks, does KW consider an extension at some point? I'm loving what I'm seeing from him right now.

I'm always for best player available, but I would love to see the Sox go the position playing route in close situations this draft. We only have a handful of position playing prospects with major league ceilings and will have several holes to fill at the major league level over the next three years. Also, I'd really like to see more high school players drafted in the top 10 rounds. I seriously hate looking at our low A roster and seeing 23 & 24 years old on there. Having said that, I'd most likely avoid a high school pitcher in the first round.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 1, 2012 -> 07:08 PM) Well, there are two teams in Chicago. But I think Sox fans are just fickle b****es. I think a lot of Sox fans are still getting over the dissapointment of last year. If we continue playing well and as the weather improves, attendance will surely improve. I'm neither surprised or worried at this time.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ May 31, 2012 -> 04:34 PM) I guess the question becomes the cost. I wouldn't overpay in terms of talent (no top prospects) and wouldn't give up anything off the major league roster (except Stewart or Escobar). What I'm proposing is a couple of middle tier prospects for him but giving the Red Sox most of the salary relief. Something very similar to the Quentin deal. With their luxury tax concerns, getting a couple young arms and salary relief could be of great value to them. Such a move could allow them enough wiggle room to swing another deal to fix a different area Eof need. The real question is do the Sox have enough money to pull off such a move. I personally believe the Sox always budget some money for the deadline and could find ways to ways to gain a little more flexibility (ex: give Ohman away). However, this would definitely have to be a near deadline deal to work for us and the Red Sox would probably have to cover the buyout. I don't know if the Red Sox would go for that, but I definitely think it's worth exploring.

QUOTE (danman31 @ May 31, 2012 -> 02:24 PM) I still like Saladino quite a bit due to the walk rate. I have to say it's much harder to rank the pitching prospects than the hitters right now. To pull a caulfield like tangent: the new pitchers aren't really doing much, but the guys given up (Quentin and Santos) aren't being missed at the moment. Both have been hurt for much of the year while the replacements the Sox have put in place have done fine. Yeah, the pitching prospects are a total crapshoot at this point. Here's how I'd rank the top 10: 1) Molina 2) Castro 3) Quintana 4) Axelrod 5) Olacio 6) Jaye 7) Petricka 8) Rienzo 9) Johnson 10) Walters

I still think Youkilis makes a ton of sense for us. He's been playing extremely well lately and shouldn't cost a ton of talent due to his contract situation and the presence of Middlebrooks. I know there are some health concerns with him, but I'd be willing to take that risk for a player of his caliber. Plus you'd be able to give Morel a half season at AAA and better determine if he should be the starter next year.

QUOTE (docsox24 @ May 31, 2012 -> 11:39 AM) I agree. I don't see him being a .290 hitter. I think more like .260 with his lack of plate discipline. Plus around 30 hrs. But I think he will be very streaky. I disagree wholeheartedly. I think Dayan ends up a .300+ hitter. His discipline will continue to improve over time and people seem to overlook that he made significant strides in this department last year in AAA. He's a 23rd year old Cuban, so he's very far from a finished product. I agree he'll be streaky this year, but I think he's such a naturally gifted hitter that he won't be down the road.

Hudson is definitely not the answer at 3B for this year. He's been decent as the fill-in and leagues better than an injured Brent Morel, but if we continue to play well then we should look into legitimate upgrades near the deadline. If you look at this roster, we don't have a ton of holes at the moment. I don't see the logic in adding a starter, as he'd have to be better than Danks or Floyd and to get a pitcher of that caliber is going to cost a small fortune. The bullpen can always be improved, but usually relievers are overpriced at the deadline and we actually have some arms in AAA/AA that could help this year if necessary. That leaves the offense and bench. Right now, the only major hole in the lineup is 3B. I'm not ready to write off Morel yet, but this would be a spot where you could find a one-year upgrade and then give Morel another chance as the starter in 2013 if healthy. Doing so would allow us to move Hudson to the bench and send Escobar to AAA. IMO, this would be the cheapest and easiest way to improve the team.

QUOTE (danman31 @ May 31, 2012 -> 03:45 AM) Sanchez needs more power before you can call him a top 10 prospect, even in this system. What position prospects would you rate higher? Mitchell, Thompson, and Saladino for sure. Probably Walker. I'd put him in the next tier with Semien, Ravelo, & Phegley (as I think his numbers go back up). We probably have enough pitching prospects to ensure he's not in the top 10 this year, but I do think he's one of our more interesting prospects.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 30, 2012 -> 08:07 PM) Regardless if the Sox need him in the majors this year or not, there's no way to spin his season so far as anything but a massive disappointment. To me, Castro is much more intriguing as a big league pitcher than he is. However, it wouldn't shock me if Molina has a great season next year in AAA. We don't know if they're having him work on something specific which is skewing the results. That's why it's very hard to judge pitching prospects, especially ones new to the organization. Obviously the stats aren't exciting right now, but I'd at least wait until the end of this year before jumping to any conclusions.

QUOTE (OilCan @ May 30, 2012 -> 06:44 PM) As good as Q has been spot-filling, sending him down to AAA and getting him more experience would be the best thing. I agree with this. Having him and Axelrod down in AAA gives us two solid insurance starters for this year while allowing them to continue developing in preparation for next. Also, you don't trade any of our starters if you plan on competing.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 30, 2012 -> 08:55 AM) Hypothetically, the track for Mitchell could involve AAA next year, and then if everything goes well, big leagues if someone gets hurt or in 2014...which is the last year for Dunn's contract and Rios's contract, so it is at least plausible that one of them could be moved to create a spot for him, assuming things keep going. Then again, what's more likely, him sitting in AA-AAA or KW realizing he's an asset and moving him? I don't think KW would move Mitchell. He has a unique skillset that could make him the ideal leadoff hitter for years to come, which is something KW has been trying to find for years. I understand that De Aza is doing great right now, but Mitchell is much younger and would be a better fit IMO. Honestly, a 1/2 punch of Mitchell/De Aza could wreak havoc for a long, long time. Obviously Mitchell has a long ways to go before we pencil him into anything, but I think if he can keep up his current performance then he's practically untouchable for us. Also, I do agree that you find a way of moving Rios after the 2013 season if Mitchell looks legit.

Why is Bayne still in the Barons' rotation and when does Rienzo get reinstated?

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ May 29, 2012 -> 10:12 PM) Great team effort today. Solid outing by Humber. Tank now at .280. Somebody give me his numbers since he was under .200 3 weeks ago. They gotta be incredible. .963 OPS in May.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ May 29, 2012 -> 08:22 AM) That's a pretty intriguing rotation they have going down there I don't know much about Lane, but the other four are all legit prospects IMO. Plus Erik Johnson should join the rotation at some point.

Mitchel now has a .905 OPS. That's f***ing amazing considering he plays half his games at a pitchers' park and missed a full year of development. The only concern is the strikeouts, although some of those are the result of trying to draw walks. He's definitely back in the long-term mix.

Hilarious home run call. I was hoping for a "right size wrong shape" before he realized it was gone.

Quintana has been a great pickup and KW/Hahn deserve a ton of credit for the move. He's definitely been one of the better starters in the Southern League and obviously looked good in his apperance up here. I still don't get why the Yankees let him go but I'm happy they did. Honestly, we actually have some decent SP depth this year. Between Quintana and Alexrod we should two solid options for spot starts and double-headers.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 24, 2012 -> 05:15 PM) I'm just saying it's crazy and petty that sox fans on a Sox message board are blasting Hawk Harrelson. The guy may be the face of our franchise now that he is gone. This would be like blasting Paulie. It makes no sense and just seems anti-Chicago. The greatest city in the world and yet Sox fans (some of them) are blasting this legend in this thread. Weird. I just figure out of respect it should be in the filibuster area. Also, Hawk isn't leaving anytime soon, God willing health wise, and it seems dumb to arbitrarily blast him all season long (from now on if this threat lives). Where are you originally from in Chicago and how did you wind up in Lawrence?

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 24, 2012 -> 04:25 PM) Trade or injury...the hell is going on? There is no trade, has to be some injury. Update: shoulder strain.

Danks out Friday, Quintana to start, more to come per the Score...

We now have two of the top 5 hitters in the AL (OPS) and two of the top 5 starting pitchers in the AL (ERA).

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 24, 2012 -> 11:39 AM) I think they are friends. They are both very nice people. Why do you think they're friends? Everytime I listen to them I feel like Farmer wants to kill DJ.

DJ is terrible and should honestly be replaced IMO. Sometimes I feel bad for Farmer for having to deal with some of DJ's non-sense.

I agree that the most important long-term pieces in the organization are already on the major league roster. Having said that, KW still deserves more than a year to rebuild the minor league system.