royoung

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 2, 2014 -> 12:15 PM) I'd prefer Kolek. That Thorburn article on BP the other day really sold me on his mechanics, which makes me feel better about his future. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article....articleid=23731 I looked up this article up and it was pretty fascinating. It was very complimentary of Kolek and he graded out the best out of the four pitchers they evaluated (Aiken, Rodon, and Hoffman). Kolek's summary: "His posture flashes plus but often settles closer to average, which is a tremendous accomplishment for an 18-year old with such a vigorous motion. Considering that stability tends to develop later than power (and is easier to develop), the profile gives Kolek a vaulted ceiling for mechanical efficiency."

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Jun 2, 2014 -> 01:08 PM) Here's a writeup from BA about the ideal body type for a pitcher and mentions Kolek. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/whats...thander-anyway/ Just based on body type alone, it would be pretty funny to have Sale and Kolek as our 1-2 punch in our rotation. I am rooting for us to draft Kolek just for the photo ops with those two.

Keenyn Walker demoted to Winston-Salem. His line at Birmingham between 2013 and 2014 is .192/.303/.269. Ouch.

At this point, I am expecting Kolek and would be very surprised if we have the opportunity to take Aiken or Rodon. But then again Houston and Miami have been so secretive it's really up in the air. Can't wait for Thursday

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/mock-...t-from-fiction/ New Baseball American mock draft has the Sox passing on Carlos Rodon for Tyler Kolek. His reasoning is below... WHITE SOX: The talk to this point has been that the White Sox would not pass on Rodon if he were available here. That talk persists, but so do the rumors linking Chicago to outsized Texas high school flamethrower Tyler Kolek. The Cubs are watching closely because while Kolek is not a Cubs target, Rodon is. The White Sox have a bigger bonus pool than the Cubs, but Rodon likely would eat up more of it. Projected Pick: RHP Tyler Kolek In his scenario, Houston takes Aiken and Jackson goes to Miami.

QUOTE (oneofthemikes @ May 30, 2014 -> 10:33 AM) I just wish some kind of info would leak about Houston's intentions for their pick. The waiting is killing me. I am sure they will be trying to cut deals up until the day. Was it leaked in previous years? I remember the year they took Correa I thought it was surprise.

Mine would be Davidson all the way. I figured (and hoped actually) they would start him in AAA for service time reasons and he would mash. Considering nearly everyone thought he could handle the majors adequately, his struggles in Charlotte are very surprising.

QUOTE (ptatc @ May 30, 2014 -> 09:07 AM) The pitches are fine if you throw them correctly. Throwing breaking balls does not inherently lead to elbow problems. Even with the large number of injuries this year, it's still a fraction of the overall number of pitchers who throw breaking pitches, which is everyone. I still think it's the overall effort of the delivery that makes the biggest difference. How much effort does it take to throw the 94 mph fastball. Many can do it, but how hard do they need to work at it. That's why a guy like Kolek who can throw over 100 could back off and safely throw 95. Thank you ptatc for your insight. On the effort on the delivery... nick (weed,CA) When I see Kolek I see a guy destined for TJ. Everything he throws is max effort, does this thought scare teams away? Klaw (2:20 PM) Completely disagree on the max-effort part. Apparently Law doesn't see Kolek as a max effort pitcher, perhaps the Sox agree?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 29, 2014 -> 10:25 AM) Or, he simply knows a lot of scouts and was spitballing to see if any of them would go "off the record" with what they've heard the White Sox were going to do...OR, they deliberately are putting bad information out there to throw other teams off, although having Nola in the Top 4-5 corresponds to a lot of independent reports out there recently. In the beginning, we always heard they weren't as high on Kolek, but then a lot of contrary accounts have been introduced. What was Bowden's draft (ESPN Insider)? He picked Kolek for the Sox, but it was a "what would he do" style than based off any real world information.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 29, 2014 -> 08:38 AM) On a podcast last week, Jason Parks said that as of that day, he'd prefer Nola over Kolek, citing two primary reasons: 1. People assume too much that it's a given that someone as raw as Kolek can develop the "pitchability" to become a frontline starter 2. People are underrating the quality of Nola's stuff -- touches 96, sits 93/94 and has three good pitches I wouldn't be opposed to Nola at #3 if Aiken and Rodon are gone and he signs underslot. Nola appears to be a safe bet on at least being a mid-rotation starter in a couple years, which would coincide nicely with our current core of players.

QUOTE (danman31 @ May 29, 2014 -> 02:03 AM) Ha, don't make it sound like a real job. If it's not fun, don't do it. If someone thinks they would enjoy this, they can take a crack at it. If it sounds like a chore, don't do it. That simple. Semantics. It's a fun way to stay on top of a blossoming minor league system. I'd say it takes me 20-30 minutes to do and it's only a chore when our prospects don't do well

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ May 28, 2014 -> 08:50 PM) Seth Lakso ‏@SethLakso 4m More Per an industry source, this is consensus #whitesox current draft board... 1- Aiken 2- Rodon 3- Kolek 4 - Nola 5- Jackson Yeah thats exactly my top five. Thus I choose to believe in Seth Lasko's "source!"

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 28, 2014 -> 04:24 PM) Oh goodie, another thread derailed and ruined by a pedantic argument. Awesome. Gee golly whiz I was so wrong on Tim Anderson turning into Honus Wagner reincarnated!

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ May 28, 2014 -> 12:51 PM) Sanchez with a 3 run bomb. Lol he is on fire. Welcome back Carlos!

If anyone is curious/interested about what the job entails, feel free to message me and I would love to answer any questions you have.

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/draft/mock/...-Law-Mock-Draft Keith Law's 2nd mock draft is out and it has some VERY interesting information about the Sox's pick. He has the top three going: 1. Aiken 2. Rodon 3. Kolek "Tyler Kolek Analysis: The White Sox have been locked in on Kolek for more than a month, and the industry is betting he's their guy even if Carlos Rodon or Brady Aiken drop to this pick. They apparently prefer Kolek to Aiken and would rather not grapple with Rodon's perceived high price tag. (I say "perceived" because I don't believe he has put out any demands at all.) They were also in heavy at Aaron Nola's last start, with former GM Kenny Williams in the crowd." For all of you who have Rodon or Aiken above Kolek (frankly, nearly everyone), let's hope Keith Law is getting bad info. He says this about the Marlins, "I've heard this comes from the owner: If the Cuban-American lefty is there at No. 2, take him, and we'll have a pair of Cuban aces at the top of our rotation."

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 27, 2014 -> 08:56 AM) Narvaez has a lot of years under his belt, he's no longer challenged in A ball. Maybe he's very fringe at most. I personally have believed in Smith all along, because of the story behind the age. I even wrote a piece in the offseason comparing Smith and Nieto, and the conclusion I came to is that Smith probably had as much chance of MLB success in 2014 as Nieto if not more (which is to say, not very much). I think Smith could be in the mix in 2015. I like Narvaez quite a bit, but his ceiling is backup catcher or a light hitting defensive specialist starter. When you are evaluate catchers a lot depends on their defensive abilities, skill at calling a game, rapport with pitchers; stuff that doesn't show up in a box score. He is supposedly a good defensive catcher and his caught stealing percentages are excellent, but I plead the fifth on firsthand knowledge.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 26, 2014 -> 01:21 PM) That's not quite true. He pitched in a summer league the previous season for 40+ innings that don't show up on his college innings list. he basically threw 130 innings in both seasons. Good catch Balta, I completely forgot he was a Cape Cod League star. He pitched 55 innings for the CCL in 2009, upping his year total to 144.1 in 2009.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ May 26, 2014 -> 12:41 PM) I'm glad NC State's overuse of Rodon to the tune of 130-140 pitches got them to the promise land. To me it's a nice plus Rodon's season is done. He pitched 98.2 inning this year, which gives the Sox (or whichever team selects him) a little breathing room to start his professional career. Rodon's Freshmen year, he led the ACC with 114.2 IP, then went out his Sophomore year and threw 132.1 innings. I think the 132 innings would be roughly the maximum they would let him pitch. For reference, Chris Sale pitched 103 innings at FGCU in 2010, then went on to pitch another 33.2 professional. This was a career high for him, blowing away his previous high of 89.1 innings in a season. The Sox then eased his innings back in 2011 with 58 appearances out of the bullpen, totally 71 innings.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ May 24, 2014 -> 01:13 PM) Has he been moving up draft boards? I'm still hoping for one of Aiken or Rodon. Yeah I would be pretty pissed/shocked if they selected Pentecost. If they wanted to go hitter, which I don't think they should, then go for Alex Jackson.

QUOTE (flavum @ May 24, 2014 -> 12:30 PM) https://twitter.com/SethLakso/status/470254387647229952 Not sure why a writer covering the Charlotte Knights would have better sources than MLB, ESPN, and BA's guys but stranger things have happened. It makes all the sense in the world for the Sox to acquire a college starter. There is less chance of busting, and I believe they want sure impact from this pick rather than a lottery ticket. Earlier I was rooting for Rodon to go before us, but it seems like he's their clear #1 so hope he falls. If you would of told me six months ago we could draft Carlos Rodon I would be doing backflips so yeah let's make it happen.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 23, 2014 -> 02:41 PM) They're both walking at an acceptable rate and both striking out too much. Don't get me wrong, I like both of them, and I'm admittedly biased because, while I want him striking out less, I absolutely love Hawkins. Hawkins also has top of the line talent while I'm not sure Michalczewski is there on a talent level. Agreed. That's why I have Hawkins #4 and Michalczewski #6. And as another poster said earlier, the gap between the top 4-5 prospects and the rest is huge. However, if you put a gun to my head to asked me to put a percentage on Hawkins ever hitting 10 major league home runs, I would say 15% or worse at this point. Very real and scary bust potential due to his hit tool.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 23, 2014 -> 10:53 PM) Did anything good happen tonight? Eh. No disrespect to Kevan Smith, but when he is the "Star of the Day," the top prospects didn't do anything that spectacular.

http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/2014/...ap-kevan-smith/ Recap posted

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 23, 2014 -> 11:53 PM) Nola over Aiken would be a nightmare scenario. God I hope that doesn't happen. Agreed. My preference is: 1. Aiken 2. Rodon 3a. Nola under-slot 3b. Kolek Such an interesting choice between Nola or Kolek. Nola seems like a surefire #3-4 starter in 1-2 years, which would fit nicely into our "reload not rebuild" plan. Kolek would be a swing for the fences in 3-5 years type of pick. But after typing this, I am realizing why Nola/Rodon makes so much sense for the Sox.