Chicago White Sox

Just a reminder, but this is Dylan’s 33rd start. He basically has one years worth starts. He has also shown massive improvement vs. last year which is evident by a massive reduction in FIP (3.28 vs. 6.36), O-Zone swing % (31.4% vs. 22.2%), K % (32.0% vs. 17.3%), & Hard Hit Rate (32.9% vs. 40.9%). All in, he’s gone from being in the 5th percentile for xwOBA to the 74th heading into tonight. While he’s still a work in progress, both the stuff and command look way better than last year. Anyone suggesting he’s bad or will lose his job to Kopech soon simply doesn’t get that it takes time for young pitching to develop. To me, he looks like he can develop into a high end #3 starter with the upside for more. Let’s try not to overreact every bad inning or start while he’s on his way of getting there.

Golden Doodles?

Nashville is a no-brainer

If Kopech eventually joins the rotation and can maintain any semblance of his current form then no idea how it’s not him. He’s pitching like a legit ace right now, just in small bursts. That could change in the second half of the season and he will deserve to be rewarded for it.

This should easily win post of the year, although to appreciate it means you spend far too much time on Soxtalk...lol

Fully agree

I think the challenge is that Eaton isn’t exactly a beacon of health and adding another OF may be prudent. Just feels like we should invest in another OF no matter how well things are going at the moment or how much confidence we have in Engel being a solid CF placeholder.

Winning Tuesday would be huge as we have to be massive favorites in game 2 with a lefty on the mound. Just taking two out of three would put the Twins 8 games behind us.

Also, for those of you who don’t like the board picking on poor Tony, then go ahead and post some positive things he has done. Provide some actual substance rather than just award him a free pass simply because he’s been a manager and the rest of haven’t. Overall he had a better series this weekend and yet none of the truthers even pointed that out. Instead they’d rather attack their fellow Sox fans for being upset with some blatantly bad in-game decision-making.

I really wish for just once in your life you could make an even keeled post and not regurgitate the same old sensationalist BS. The board needs more optimism but posts like this just antagonize the pessimistic faction and rightfully so.

Why Basabe?

His velocity really doesn’t that look that much different than last year at this time though.

Remember, when pitchers have command problems or fading velocity that’s 100% on Yasmani.

Collins started Friday night and shouldn’t face lefties if at all possible. La Russa has actually optimized the catcher starts this series.

Dalquist with a scoreless 1st for Kanny.

I saw this elsewhere, but Grandal is 0-3 in last four starts with 13 BBs. That equates to a slash line of .000/.765/.000/.765 and a wRC+ of 250. In the three at-bats he didn’t walk, he has struck out once and flied out twice. The fly-out last night was a barrel with a .630 xBA that ended in a fly-out. Incredibly sample size, but it’s very good to see him lifting the ball more as the grounders (+12% vs. career rate) have been his primary problem this year. Also, I know Yas is ripped here constantly because of his ridiculously low batting average and the fact that several vocal gamethread posters despise him, but here is how Statcast ranks him this year: BB rate = 100th percentile K rate = 71st percentile Whiff % = 63rd percentile Chase rate = 98th percentile Hard Hit rate = 85th percentile Avg Exit Velocity = 93rd percentile Barrel % = 70th percentile xISO = 70th percentile xwOBA = 93rd percentile The only metric that sucks right now is his xBA of .210, which is driven by his unusually high ground-ball rate. Even there he’s likely had some bad batted ball luck. Other than that, he’s been well above average to elite in both plate discipline and hard contact. With some minor adjustments the dude will likely pop and improve on his current 109 wRC+. I truly believe these narratives of slowing bat speed or general declining offensive performance are ridiculously premature and are likely the function of an inherent bias this board has against Grandal. Just like with Nicky, I fully expect Yas to shut the haters up in the coming months, at least when it comes to the bat. The defense admittedly needs to get better, but that’s a completely different matter.

Jose Rodriguez just keeps on hitting. 2/3 on the night so far. Also, was Laureano always on the Kannapolis roster?

Thanks...did not see that.

Isn’t he on the DL?

Not to be negative here as I’m super happy with how the game has gone so far, but I do wish this team wouldn’t let the foot off the gas when they are way up. Obviously this is the smallest of complaints, but I would like to see a bit more of a killer instinct.

Madrigal is unstoppable

You know things have gone bad for the opposition when even Leury is getting in on the action

This offense is going to be a real problem for the rest of baseball once it gets hot and everyone is healthy.

Yeah I think so. And don’t get me wrong, I really like James McCann and how he handled the staff, but some people here treat him like the second coming.

I’m aware of that, but Yas had the yips or something and Barnes wasn’t the better player over the course of the regular season. People can hate on Grandal all they want, but dude has been one of the best catchers in baseball over the past decade due to his hitting and framing alone. Yes, this season has been ugly so far, but let’s not discredit his track record because he can be a frustrating player to watch or cause he took the catcher job from the most overrated player in Soxtalk history.