Bruce_Blixton

I think we should trade him and try to capitalize on the his rising value, something like Avi for Mark Appel+a 15-20 prospect from the Phillies like Nick Pivetta, Alberto Tirado or Tyler Goeddel. I know Appel has really struggled since being drafted but a lot of the knocks against him concern the lack of movement on his fastball, which adding a cutter (Coop's specialty) could transform his game, but from all accounts his stuff is still electric. EDIT- Just saw LaRoche is retiring, I say let Avi slip into the DH and platoon with Melky since that roster spot opened up.

Jacob May hit for the cycle in Birmingham tonight.

Great interview guys, very informative and I have a lot more confidence in him going forward after reading this. I especially liked the tidbits he shared about Zangari, Mendick & Glines, looks like the cross-checker's confidence in Zangari is starting to pay off.

I'd like to see Delmonico, Montas, May, Erik Johnson, Barnum (Trey would be interesting but could use another year of seasoning, Barnum has missed a lot of time over the past two seasons so he needs as many reps as possible plus he seems to be figuring out A+ over the last month), Peter Tago & Coats. I know Coats isn't a sexy prospect but I'd like to see how he does against the more advanced competition the AFL provides.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Aug 2, 2015 -> 07:06 PM) Totally. I love that he's getting shelled. Now he knows he needs to come back better next year. Count me in as looking forward to seeing what he's made of. Exactly. It's tough to see him struggle this year but then I think back to when I was 20 years old and how immature I was physically and mentally and calm down. Even if he doesn't grow an inch or two in the next couple of years he will still naturally get stronger and, as you mentioned, he's figuring out what works for him and what he needs to work on to be successful. It's a very long-term gamble with this kid by challenging him, he might fade in the face of adversity and spend the rest of his career bouncing around the bullpen, but if he rises above the adversity then you have a bonafide competitor on your hands and an integral piece of your rotation for years to come.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 2, 2015 -> 02:51 PM) Danish destroyed yet again Growing pains for a 20 year-old kid in AA ball, no need to overreact. Any success at this level at his age should be viewed positively.

Offensive eruption from our DSL team today, 19 runs on 11 hits and 16 walks(!). Maiker Feliz is definitely a player to watch next year, hopefully they put him in the AZL and see what he's got.

Not a bad list, but I think Coats should flip with Jake Peter, I think he's earned a higher ranking even though he's not a flashy prospect. Kind of like Saldino, in that he's progressed through the system based more on baseball skill than tools.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jul 22, 2015 -> 07:35 AM) Matt, Chris Comito is the 14th rounder that took $170,000 over slot. Dopico was a slot signing. 27 Ks and a 0.95 WHIP in 17IP gets my attention too.

This thread was just posted on Reddit detailing some alleged inside info into a possible Reds-Dodgers trade for Cueto. Interesting to use as a basis for Shark trade to the Dodgers. https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/...n_the_reds_and/

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 18, 2015 -> 05:34 AM) Coats is a 25 year old in AAA puttimg up a .720 OPS. How can one project him to put up a .790 at the highest level? If he does, I hope someone with the White Sox reads this and hires you to scout, and I am not kidding. The reason I used the Conine comp was due to their similar path to the majors and skillset, Conine was a late round pick out of UCLA but quickly rushed through the Royals system and didn't make his pro debut until he was 26 so a bit of a late bloomer. Conine was an athletic outfielder in his prime and by all the reports I've read on Coats he has been very solid in the outfield. I'm not saying that Coats will definitely reach this level, but if he does maximize his tools I see his ceiling is Jeff Conine, a capable defensive player with a decent bat that can play in the lower third of the batting order.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 17, 2015 -> 08:47 PM) Jeff Conine was a stud hitter for 2-3 years. Slight exaggeration. Really? Conine was solid but never a "stud hitter" in my mind, a great 6-7 hitter in the lineup but never able to carry a lineup in the 3-4 hole. His 162 game average slash line was .285/.347/.443/.789 and he never hit more than 26 HRs in a season (even during the steroid era). I honestly believe that Coats could put up that type of production, maybe not his rookie season but given a full season of ABs I could see him eventually putting up a similar line.

Good games from Trayce Thompson & Jason Coats in Charlotte, I've been really impressed with Coats throughout his time with us. He's never dominated a league but he's never "failed" in a league either. I know he doesn't have amazing tools but I could see him having a Jeff Conine-type ceiling.

Damn, I hope this doesn't turn into a Morneau situation.

It's amazing to see how much speed is currently in our system, Eddy Alvarez is 4th in SBs in the SAL, Engel is leading the Carolina League in SBs, Anderson leads the Southern League and Saladino, Leury Garcia and Micah Johnson are all in the top 10 in SBs in the International League. I can't remember a time when we've had so many burners in the minors.

QUOTE (MnSoxFan @ Jul 10, 2015 -> 09:46 AM) Chris Devenski, cripes, 1.32 ERA in AA Texas League, that is doing quite well I would say. He might mean Blair Walters who was also part of the package and has since been traded to the Braves, he's been holding his own in AA but by no means is dominating.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 30, 2015 -> 11:19 AM) Important - he TOUCHES mid-90s. His fastball is usually more 91-93, which is still a couple clicks faster than he was 2 years ago. ITs a sinker really. Ahhhh, that's a key difference, still if he can stay around 93 into the fifth and later then he could develop into a starter. Also a sinker/cutter mix must be a nightmare for hitters to face.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 30, 2015 -> 10:48 AM) 6 more scoreless for Marin, now at 28 straight. Prospect profile Article he wrote Those should help you out. Thanks, I didn't know that he raised his velocity to the mid-90s. If he can maintain that deep into games you have to believe he has a shot to crack the rotation with his type of control.

Marin has proven that he isn't just doing it with smoke and mirrors in AAA, I wonder what his realistic ceiling is? Long man out of the bullpen? #5 Starter? Higher?

I think this was a solid draft, Fulmer was a great pick with the team's track record of developing pitchers. Outside of him, I think the two prep players that we signed offer a lot to be excited about. Zangari has a lot of potential and big power which the system is starved of (plus the added benefit that he has a cannon for an arm in case he flames out at the plate and needs to transition to the mound). Comito sounds like the prototypical pitcher that this team's player development staff excels at developing, big kid with great stuff and just needs to learn the art of pitching. A number of people have mentioned the upside of B. Hickman, which I agree with, I think he can make an impact at the major-league level at the very least as a reliever, but he's another player that should do well with the team's development staff. If he can add a cutter or figure out a way to get some movement on his fastball, he could be lethal. The Sox also did a good job of identifying decent college players that have fallen for various reasons but still offer a ton of upside if they return to their previous level of play. In previous years they've made some very shrewd picks with Beck, Engel and Coats using this philosophy and this year I think that Stephens & Lassiter (possibly Schroeder) are those types of picks that could see quick rises through the system. The darkhorse pick that I like and am anxious to follow his path through the minors is Seby Zavala, I mentioned this in a previous post but his make-up and game reminds me a lot of Yan Gomes when he was drafted. They both transitioned to catcher from other positions which sets them apart on their athleticism and they both put up solid numbers for more unheralded colleges.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jun 14, 2015 -> 05:46 AM) Out of the 10 players still unsigned (excluding Fulmer) is there one who is particularly promising? Out of the unsigned players, the other Hickman, Michael Hickman from Texas, is probably the only player that has potential and would be a great, but unlikely, signing.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jun 10, 2015 -> 06:47 PM) What? He's started 30 of their 59 games this season, and pinch-hit in a further 16. He's also got a wRC+ of 154, making him a top 20 in the league hitter. We're not getting him for two guys who can't even strike guys out in the minors. Honestly I haven't looked at his stats recently, I'm surprised he's been doing this well. I do know that locally in L.A. a lot of people think he's a headcase and I get the feeling from local media that they're tolerating it due to his play. Having looked at his stats, I agree Beck+ won't get it done but I wouldn't be willing to give up anything higher than Trey or Hawkins for him since he's going to come with baggage.

I wonder what type of impact playing with Alexei and Abreu would have on Guerrero, it might help focus him and keep his head in the game. I wouldn't want to give up too much for him since the Dodgers have basically excommunicated him, maybe Chris Beck and James Dykstra?

Really like the Mike Hickman pick too, he's a longshot to sign but he's got a lot of potential.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jun 10, 2015 -> 10:05 AM) Can you provide some tweets please? Here's a link to his Twitter account, basically he's been re-tweeting a bunch of messages about hearing his name soon in the draft. I could see this being a bonus pick but they could also hedge by picking another high-upside player that has slipped in a later round, kind of like Adam Engel a couple years back. There was a bit of a debate as to whether he'd sign or go back for his senior season since he had a pretty sub-par junior season.