thxfrthmmrs

This team is not the physical team they once were. Opposing offense just takes they want from them

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 02:57 PM) Quintana has been a 200 inning guy both of the last two years. He doesn't have any more of a problem going deep into games than any other guys in the league now. Also, the logic is flawed -- in a short series with lots of off days, going deep into a game is LESS important than in the regular season, where day-to-day durability and rest of the bullpen is concerned. You're right, bullpen is important in the playoffs, but you are not looking at this in context. Many say that this team is built better for the playoffs because our top 3 is among the best in the league. But come playoff time, are we really comfortable saying we have an edge in our starting pitching if Q can only go 4 or 5 innings for us and we have to rely on a shaky bullpen to hold down the fort? If you're the Royals, sure, if you're the White Sox, no. That, along with no playoff experience, and Sale's second half fatigue really poke a lot of holes in the claim that "we are built for the playoffs".

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 11:14 AM) And once again, the Sox are a team that is set up better for the playoffs than they are for the regular season. So if we can sneak into a Wild Card spot, we'll be extremely dangerous. Nitpicking a little bit here. But I don't think you can really count on this yet. The trio of Sale, Q and Shark has exactly 0 playoff starts at the moment, it isn't the biggest concern in the world, but it matters to a certain extent. On top of that, Sale has looked gassed in the last month of the season each of the past 3 years. We'll need some creative planning to keep him fresh in the postseason, but that will come at the cost of valuable regular season wins, and that matters a lot to this team as it stands. Lastly, I am not convinced Q is a quality playoff starter, at least not one where I would say he a clearly a better number 3 than the other team's number 3 in a series. Without opening a can of worm, Q doesn't go deep in games, and always seems to blow up in the 5th or 6th inning because hitters hit him better the second time around. It's hard to trust a guy like that, especially if he has to pitch 2 games in a series.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jan 29, 2015 -> 07:23 AM) Can Soto hit lefties any better than Viciedo? I don't think so. This whole Beckham/Viciedo charade is crazy. Hahn is taking a big chance here. If LaRoche doesn't hit this year, if he turns into an old guy real fast, if he is the 2015 version of Adam Dunn, Sox are in trouble. Viciedo at least represented a RH DH alternative, now it's Soto? Sox are now a weaker team than they were a week ago, and we take back Gordo to clog up the infield even more? Where does this leave Bontifacio and all his speed? If Hahn wants to use Gordo as a RH third baseman because Gillaspie can't hit lefties, why didn't he do that last year? Sorry, I don't get it. Looks like a Forrest Gump move to me. If they do not acquire a more capable RH OF/DH to platoon with LaRoche, then Soto is a better candidate as a backup catcher than Kottaras because he could get some looks vs. lefties DH. Again, nothing is set in stone, we still have to wait and see who they bring in as the backup OF, and how both Kottaras and Soto fare in ST. Now, is Soto a better option to backup DH than DV? Let me put it this way, the upgrade in defense, position flexibility, and the salary saved in swapping DV for Beckham is more significant than the drop off in production with Soto as the backup DH than Viciedo there. I also don't think you should have expected DV to take more AB's if LaRoche doesn't hit. For as bad as Dunn was he was still getting regular AB's vs righties, because you simply don't sit a player with that type of contract or reputation in favor of a bench player. I think LaRoche will be better than Dunn, so we wouldn't have used Viciedo as much as you thought we would.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 07:18 PM) Soto may get the job, but he doesn't have more power than Kottaras. Soto can spell LaRoche against lefties, Kottaras can't. That's the key.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 05:03 PM) I had forgotten about Taylor, and I have a mancrush on him. I think his swing is a little long and he lacks good contact skills, but he can hit the ball a long ways, and as I recall, he's a lot better than Viciedo in the corners in that he appears to actually know what he's doing, even if he's athletically limited. I'd be on board the Taylor train. I was one of Taylor's biggest supporters too. But after his cup of tea last year, I don't think he could ever make the adjustment to hit big league pitching. There's a reason he's already 29 years old and only has 100 AB's in the big leagues.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 04:52 PM) He posted a .6 WAR last year. The fangraphs article I found from last season put the cost of 1.0 WAR at $7 million. 60% of that is $4.2 million. It isn't crazy to think we are at $8 million per war now, and 60% of that would be $4.8 million. Previous to last year he posted 0.8, 0.8, and 1.2 from 2013, 12, and 11 respectively. The number isn't that crazy is you subscribe to the WAR numbers. Net present value for WAR in the FA market is still between $5-6M, depending on which model you use. I doubt he could post .6 WAR as a bench player, but for insurance in case Sanchez and Micah doesn't pan out, $2M is well worth it.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 04:49 PM) Never, ever, count out a LeBron James led team. Yep, unfortunately. I don't believe we could actually beat Lebron in the playoffs, not until I see it with my own eyes.

I know we saved $4M, but I kind of wish that we kept DV on the roster. Bonifacio, Beckham, Soto and Viciedo would give us one of the best benches in the league. The drop off between Viciedo and Shuck or Taylor is pretty significant offensively. Ideally, Boni would backup 3B/CF/LF, Beckham backs up 2B/SS/3B, Viciedo backs up LF/RF/DH, Soto would backup C/DH. As of now, I think the chances of Soto winning the backup catcher spot increased a little bit. Historically, he's pretty good against lefties, so it wouldn't surprise me if he gets some look as the DH for LaRoche along with Beckham. Boni and Beckham alone just doesn't provide enough pop at DH. Now let's see if we are tabbed or if we could use some of that money saved to bring in another bullpen arm or reclamation project starter.

I am worried about the Cavs in the playoffs a lot more than Wizards or Hawks. 20-6 in the last 26 games Lebron played, tons of shooters, improving team defensively, and one of the few teams that could legitimately out rebound us. We're pretty evenly matched with the Wiz and there's a chance Hawks will cool off, but Cavs will always be the tougher matchup.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 10:14 AM) If I take his line, on espn's box score and add up the first number in every column...I get 16. 5pts 1 TO 2 PF 2 Steals 1 Asst 2 Rebounds 1 3PM 2 FGM BOOM! Uncanny. The person came up with the 16 +/- almost has to be discerned genius. Sikeeeee QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 10:25 AM) First off, if you didn't just flat out enjoy this game, well, you aren't a basketball fan. That game was fun, exciting, etc. Had the feeling of a playoff game out there with both teams flying all over the place. The energy levels from both teams were crazy high and it was damn exciting. Rose had about the oddest game you'll ever see. On one hand, he was extremely aggressive offensively and did a nice job getting points in the paint and didn't settle too much for the 3 (until late in the 4th where you could tell his legs were getting tired). Defensively Rose was sick. It is what this team has missed all year, imo. When Rose plays D, he is a well above average PG defender and it is critical cause it makes everything else easier. Passing though, I cringe all the time with Rose. He does so many things that are fundamental no-no's and they lead to cookie turnovers and way too many. However, I think we are seeing more of them cause now he's bringing his game to a quicker level, higher energy, etc, and that means he's getting caught in more positions where he hasn't really gotten enough practice and still has a lot of rust. Noah played huge tonight. Was running the court better than I have seen all year and much more active on the glass. Whole team was active on the glass (yes they gave up that tip in). Some huge shots late and big stones keeping in the game despite Golden State going on a few different runs. Klay is the best 2 in the league. Dude is insane. He hit some extremely difficult and clutch shots in the 4th. Damn that was fun. The game, especially in the 4th quarter, had the feel of a heavyweight boxing match. Both teams put their best on the line and was trading punches back and forth. Warriors wanted to prove that they are as good as advertised and are unbeatable at home. Bulls wanted to prove that they still belong in the conversation of championship contenders. Definitely an enjoyable game to watch, outside of iffy officiating.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 12:36 AM) In fairness to Derrick's effort today, I thought he made things really tough on Curry defensively. Offensively, he was clearly winding Curry too, which probably harmed Curry's offense. That Curry still had an okay offensive game is just a testament to how good he is His defense was superb in the second half. It seems he knew Curry's tendency really well, probably benefited from those Team USA scrimmages. Turnovers were frustrating but not unexplainable. Warriors are one of the best teams in the league in forcing turnovers, and with Jimmy out, Derrick tried to do a little too much. I think he would have had a better game if Jimmy played, and they had to put Klay on Jimmy instead, and leaving Curry and a small dose of Iggy on Rose.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 28, 2015 -> 12:14 AM) It's not a back-to-back, he's gonna play. It's against the Lakers. I like our chances even without him and save him for the Suns on Friday.

Hey guys, I got two words for the Warriors, SUCK IT! Officiating was lopsided up until that last foul on Iggy, they had momentum all game long and could have ran away with the game. A heavy dose of reality check for them, when they are not hitting the 3's, they aren't that good. Great job on D by Rose and Hinrich all night.

HINRICHHHHHHHH

More interesting than Rose's 11 TO to no assist ratio is the fact that he hasn't attempted an FT, despite the number of drives and amount of contact in each drive.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 11:21 PM) Not sure I've ever seen a point guard have a game with no assists and ten turnovers We don't have a point guard.

Officials seem to be indirectly pushing game in GSW's favor. They are allowing them to keep playing and running up and down the floor despite a lot of contact on both sides of the floor.

Rose's handle is super cringe worth

Really caught a bad time to play the Warriors. No Butler and Klay is still scorching hot from the Sacto game.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 07:22 PM) 16 what? High fives

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 11:26 AM) With Sanburn, I gotta look at what he's done. 0 starts last year, decent but not spectacular performance in high A ball last year. Not exceptionally young for that level. Yes, there's talent there. Yes there's plenty of room to grow, but there's like 10 guys in the system I can say that about. He's one of the better ones, but until I see it on the field he's a reliever with a lot to learn. That's what I figured to be the concern for most folks. The way I look at it, his stuff is there, a plus fastball and 3 average to above average secondary offering. Last year was the first year he was healthy and the A's stretched his arm out with multiple inning relieves and he did pretty well in that role. He should be given every chance to start this year and if he stays healthy, look out.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 11:15 AM) Yeah, you're probably right. I went through it pretty quick. Looking at it again, I'd probably change a couple things about my own list. I am a big fan of Peter. Still relatively young, and doesn't strikeout at all. If he can just hit .300 in A ball this year and do nothing else, he could certainly crack the Top 20 because of his age and the position he plays.

I think we're a little bit low on Sanburn here, he should be in the upper teens, or even borderline top 10 if it were up to me. He's a former shortstop, good athlete and sits on 93-94 on most days. Also throws pretty curve and change with an improving slider. With his arsenal has a very good chance to stick as a starter, a pretty good one at that, if he remains healthy (had some shoulder problems in the past). I am also higher on Martinez, Guerrero, and Ynoa than Thompson, Barnum and Kevan Smith. I think the former trio also has a good chance to make it and contribute in one way or another. The chance of Barnum panning out is slim to none, and Thompson and Smith wouldn't be any more than bench players if they do make it. Lastly, Robinson Leyer. High ceiling, had a good year last year, I think he will break out this year. Would be interested to see if he at least made the just-missed list.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 08:53 AM) I'm curious how people react to the list. When we did our voting and discussion, we felt the very top (top 6-7 or so) was strong, the next group (say 8-20-ish) was relatively weak, but the back end (20+) was very strong, all relative to a typical straight-line. I agree with this. Sox have 6-7 guys who have huge potential or is very proven in the minors, then the next tier of folks who either has limited ceiling but a good track record in the minors, or decent ceiling but hasn't put it together yet. The 20-30 tier folks are interesting because they are still pretty far off, but if they take the next step forward, they could crack the top 10 by the end of the season. I am looking at you, Guerrero, Fry, and Martinez. QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 27, 2015 -> 09:22 AM) 1. Carlos Rodon 2. Tim Anderson 3. Micah Johnson 4. Tyler Danish 5. Courtney Hawkins 6. Frank Montas 7. Spencer Adams 8. Trey Michalczewski 9. Carlos Sanchez 10. Jacob May 11. Matt Davidson 12. Micker Adolfo 13 Cleuluis Rondon 14. Chris Beck 15. Jake Peter I know Adams will be higher than Danish, but this is my list. Pretty sure it will be Fry not Peter. Peter isn't the type of player that will get a lot of love after only half a season as he doesn't offer much besides above average hit tool.