Eminor3rd

QUOTE (peppers312 @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 10:43 AM) hello white sox fans! this is my first post on this forum and i just wanted to chime in on this thread. i've lurked on this board for a while now and it's great to see all these Sox fans talking about our team. there's a LOT of good information on here as well as some hilarious comments. but i want to talk about Rick Hahn and our White Sox. this is going to be TLDR, but here goes. people who think Siemien is MLB ready should pump the brakes on this kid. i think another season at the AAA level isn't going to kill him. as much as i want to see Beckham succeed, he's had 5 years to improve and all i've seen is a perennial .250 hitter with barely a .300 OBP. sure his defense is solid, but that's just not enough for someone who's already been given that amount of time at the MLB level. we did see some improvement at the beginning of last season, so i think the Sox give him one more year at 2B and see what he can do. if he turns the corner, obviously we keep him. if he struggles again, we move on with Siemien. i super pleased with what Hahn has done with this roster. he basically moved Peavy, Thornton, Santiago, and Reed for Garcia, Abreu, Eaton and Davidson. he was able to get younger players with high upside, potentially keeping us competitive this season and in the future, and he shed payroll. who knows what Danks is going to bring to the rotation this season. he'll be 2 years removed from surgery and if he can get back to his 2010 form, we'll have a VERY nice starting rotation. and Dunn coming off the books by the end of the year, if not moved in a trade before the deadline if the Sox are not contending, Hahn has positioned the Sox nicely moving forward. there's a lot to be excited about on the south side and i like what Ricky is doing. GO WHITE SOX! Welcome! At this point, it seems extremely unlikely that Semien will not start in AAA next year. Garcia is a MUCH better option as a bench piece, Konerko/Keppinger clog the rest of the bench, and there will be plenty of competition for the 3B slot in ST. Barring a trade of Ramirez/Beckham, there's really no way to squeeze him on. So hopefully we won't have to worry about where he should be anyway

QUOTE (balfanman @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 10:14 AM) Let me say that I'm impressed too and think the team is in better shape then they were 5 months ago. That being said, I don't believe that Hahn has exactly aquired 'Blue Chip" prospects either. Davidson, Eton, Garcia, Abreu, eyt. are all nice prospects, but I don't think any of them are top 50 are they? Please correct me if I'm wrong (I have no doubt that someone will), but it's not like the Sox now have a stable of "Top of the Line", "can't miss" youngsters. I realize that you would of had to of had top of the line players to start trading with, but just sayin. We also haven't really given up something that would warrant a "blue chipper." Also, Hahn appears to be targeting guys that are "rookies" more than they're "prospects." He clearly wants to get new talent on the ML field as soon as possible, and he's been able to do well there partially just because we have SO many holes to fill.

QUOTE (chisoxfan310 @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 09:31 AM) What about Sanchez, Rienzo, and either one of Thompson and Mitchell for Grandal? Would you accept that deal?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 08:15 AM) That is where the assumption that a strike out is just like any other out, therefore they don't matter comes into play. If he has 50 less strikeouts, those other 50 ABs are either walks, HBP, or balls in play. Assuming they are all balls in play and he has a .300 bipba, that is 15 more hits, which is 30 more points on the batting average and OBP based on 500 AB. A strikeout is NOT like any other out. No, you just proved that a strikeout isn't like a ball in play. A ball in play isn't an out yet. A strikeout is just like another out except under circumstances when runners can move.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 06:52 AM) No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

FWIW, Keith Law and Dave Cameron both love this trade for us. Jason Parks does not.

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 04:30 PM) so happy to know that Hahn and The Chairman were as discouraged by last season as the fan base. Hahn definitely is executing a plan. He knows what he wants -- and what he doesn't want. I always thought Williams was too impulsive with his deals and frequently gave up too much. Don't have the same feeling with Hahn. Better times ahead. I think Kenny definitely knew what he wanted. The difference, I think, is that Hahn looks like he's willing to walk away from a deal if he doesn't like how it's shaking out. KW always got his man, no matter what it cost.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 04:15 PM) I don't think it matters if the club isn't competitive. I think you have the freedom to give several tryouts to see what you have. Yeah, this will shake out over the course of the season. Jones gets first shot in ST, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lindstrom gets some reps too. If either falters, Webb is in the picture.

QUOTE (chisoxfan310 @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 04:17 PM) Just think....Sale Tanaka Quintana Johnson Danks Eaton Ramirez Dunn Abreu Garcia Viciedo Davidson Beckham (Catcher spot) That's a sleeper breakout team, if not a powerhouse, but most importantly, it's a core of players that will likely continue to improve and be effective for a many years. It's a no brainer to kick the tires, but it does seem unlikely they'll fit this in the budget. With the posting fee capped now, there's a very good chance this guy gets over $100m, and the Yankees are the most obvious fit.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 04:16 PM) Who the f*** is that guy? Borth Eaton would be the best name I've ever heard

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 04:14 PM) Diamondbacks blew 29 saves last year. Tied Houston for last. Getting Trumbo means Prado moves to 3rd and he's under control for 3 years. Davidson was expendable for a ML closer. It's not that he wanted a closer, it's that he constantly overpays. He treats his players like no one wants them.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 04:07 PM) Wow.. thank god I don't have to try and defend Middlebrooks ever again! Thank you Hahn. lol, it was a valiant effort.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 04:08 PM) This is a unique opportunity, although it is obviously a very small possibility, but IMO it is something you stretch the budget to participate. Yeah. This.

Kevin Towers baffles me EVERY time

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 10:49 AM) Pitcher A - 16-6, 3.49 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 167.2 IP, 30 GS Pitcher B - 12-10, 3.05 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 204.1 IP, 31 GS Tell me, who are you going to sign? If you truly believe that W-L means anything, you are going to pick pitcher A, which means you are going to take Jorge De La Rosa over Felix Hernandez. You'd have a tough time justifying that to the fan base. W-L is meaningless for a pitcher. Snap!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 09:34 AM) How much more is Santiago worth than Ramirez? It's not like there are a ton of other 3B options out there. Lawrie? Everyone keeps saying Headley and Sandoval, but Sandoval carries huge health risks and both players aren't ones we would typically go head to head for/with the rest of MLB on the free agent market. If there isn't an upgrade out there, you don't trade for a poor option just for the sake of making a move. If you can't do better than Gillaspie/Keppinger, then you stick with Gillaspie/Keppinger. The best thing about them is that they're already on the team. Middlebrooks was worse than Gillaspie last year and his hitting approach is so much worse that there's little to no reason to believe that he's going to be better than Gillaspie going forward.

I was so thrilled when we DIDN'T get Middlebrooks in the Peavy deal. He's the most overrated young player in the entire league, IMO, and has exactly the type of skillset that has sunk this team. I think he'd be a horrible fit and I don't think he'll ever be a good player. I'd take a flyer on him if he was free or available for a random live-arm type of prospect, but I wouldn't trade anyone of real value for him. So no, I think it's a bad idea.

Hawkins could start 2015 at High A and still not be too old for the level.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 09:56 AM) "Hi guys, my name is Russell Wilson, and I'm here to tell you that if you suck at baseball, give up and try playing football!" Which is probably really sound advice for a lot of White Sox prospects toiling in high A.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 04:41 PM) So I haven't listened to the interview, why is he cocky? He basically just says he believes in himself to outplay the expectations of his peers, and cited his own track record of doing so. If he is too cocky, it's from over-confidence, not from any sense of entitlement.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 02:33 PM) The problem there is Gordon is actually better against RHP, so the L-R platoon makes no sense. In this case, I'd imagine that by "platoon," Hahn would really mean "finding a reason for two guys to split time over the course of a season and see which one survives the non-tender cut"

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 02:25 PM) I think he's worth less to us than anyone else, because his age and contract status means that he will just block a player (Viciedo) who fits into our plans much better Yeah, I agree with your premise, I just don't agree that Viciedo is a part of our future. I know that others aren't as low on him as I am, though.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 02:22 PM) Perhaps, but do you want to sign him to a long-term deal? That's the reality of the situation, either lock him up in the near future or deal him while he still has some value. Quite frankly, even if he bounces back some extent next year, I really don't think he'll age well. Not a player I want to commit at this point in time. I wouldn't be opposed to extending him. I don't think he'll get big money and I like the idea of having an average player on a fair contract at this point. I also wouldn't mind trading him if he actually brings some value, but I don't want to simply dump him as the odd man out after Eaton.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 12:31 PM) I misread that. Still, he is the highest position player ranked defensively on the 2013 White Sox. The only others to even make the list are Alexei at 17 and Hector Santiago. Everyone else........absent. I was no fan of Rios, but you would think he was top 20. Yeah -- don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he's a BAD defender. I think it's pretty well established by many sources that he's a solid, slightly above average guy. I just think that Hawk tries to paint him as a guy who can make up his deficiencies at the plate with superlative defense, but the truth is he just isn't THAT good. He's got a good glove, but it isn't a SPECIAL glove.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 12:15 PM) Fielding Bible likes him a lot. They ranked him 15th this year. That's not anything like among the best in the league.