Bruce_Blixton

QUOTE (DirtySox @ May 24, 2014 -> 06:39 PM) Not going to make a big deal out of this particularly because Danish is only 19 in High-A, but pitching prospects for the most part need to show a proclivity for the strikeout. Strikeouts are a significant barometer for future success, especially at lower levels as competition only gets better as you move up. Even your pitch to contact sinker types strike people out in the minors. Extreme cases like Brandon Webb even had K/9's in the range of 7 to 9 throughout his progression. There are obviously outliers and exceptions to the rule, but a lack of strikeouts should raise some concern. Once again, not really worried about Danish. He's 19, on an innings limit, and is only working at 88 to 91 so far. Just hoping that more swing and miss shows up as he hones his craft. I agree that the lack of Ks from our top pitching prospects has been somewhat alarming but I do find it peculiar that all of our top draft choices that are being groomed to be starters have hit the same wall in their development. This similarity and the evidence provided by this first-hand account of Chris Beck's start in BIR lead me to believe that these pitchers are forced to focus on a certain aspect of their pitching arsenal to help develop their overall game. Also I could imagine that pitchers like Danish have been told to limit velocity and focus on location as well to save their arms while building arm strength which could explain Danish's lower velocity totals. We all know he is capable of hitting the mid-90s so there are has to be some other explanation for the decrease in velocity.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 23, 2014 -> 01:44 PM) Board survey time....who is your wish list for the 3rd pick? 1. Aiken 2. Rodon 3. Jackson 4. Nola 5. Freeland 6. Kolek Kolek seems like a Tommy John waiting to happen and not sure he'll keep the weight off of his frame as he matures. I know the Sox won't take Jackson but I think he'll turn out to be a very good pro.

Shame to see Lindstrom go down with such a rare injury, I found this diagnosis on an orthopaedic surgeon's website: Sounds like we can probably rule Lindstrom out for the rest of the year, it's not a debilitating setback to the team but he could've been a trade piece for a Brandon Jacobs level prospect which is better than nothing.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 20, 2014 -> 02:19 PM) I think you mean cyborg baseball. Robot baseball would suck.

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ May 19, 2014 -> 08:46 PM) Is Kevan Smith still considered a prospect? Hitting for a decent average, but minimal power. About a month from 26th birthday and still in AA ball. My guess is probably not? I wouldn't immediately discount him as a prospect despite his advanced age, when he was at Pitt he was more focused on football in his first few years there and then decided to devote more time to baseball when his future prospects for the NFL dried up so when we drafted him he was very raw and still learning the game. He's a tremendous athlete as evidenced by him actually starting a few games at QB for Pitt so the lack of power shouldn't necessarily be a huge concern or his ability to stick behind the dish.

QUOTE (OilCan @ May 19, 2014 -> 02:54 PM) http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2014/5/17/57...l-carbonell-per Includes a Youtube vid. here's a second linky w/another Youtube vid: http://www.pinstripealley.com/yankees-rumo...fect-free-agent Looks like a swole Alexei.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 19, 2014 -> 10:35 AM) Also interesting, the Sox signed Andre Ramirez (LHP) to a minor league deal. Was the Twins' 2012 6th round pick, had originally been signed over-slot then had his bonus knocked way down due to a shoulder issue they found. Pitched two seasons with pretty lousy results, released in April. He's 20, turns 21 in June. Stoltz says he's got intriguing stuff, but is very inconsistent. Are you talking about Andre Martinez? This is the only video I could find on him, his delivery reminds me of Bronson Arroyo with a high, somewhat exaggerated leg kick. We've had success in the past with these types of transactions before so I guess it's worth a shot, if anything I'm encouraged that they're taking these kinds of risks in the minors.

There are a lot of players that are currently flying under the radar that should draw some optimism, Nick Basto is having a very solid year at the plate although from all reports his glove is severely behind. Someone else mentioned Trey Michalczewski at Kannapolis as someone to keep an eye on, I'd also like to mention the guy that has been hitting behind him as well someone else to keep an eye on going forward, Carl Thomore. He's had a challenging start to career, after being drafted in the second round by the Rockies he severely injured his leg during a slide at third (some people at the scene thought amputation was a strong possibility). This pretty much derailed his career for the next year, we signed him after he was cut loose by the Rockies as a reclamation project. His numbers aren't impressive but there is a lot of untapped potential if he can remain healthy and develop. Beyond those two you also have Adam Engel and Cleuluis Rondon in the lineup that have a lot of upside, in fact I'd say that Kannapolis has the most exciting mix of prospects within our organization.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 14, 2014 -> 01:08 PM) He's been so good, I don't mind the promotion. My concerns with him are not enflamed by a promotion. I'm more worried about how well more advanced hitters will handle his stuff, and this is a good test. They also supposedly have him on a 100 inning leash this season. Wow, that seems pretty conservative but probably a good approach until he builds up enough arm strength for a heavy workload. I like the fact that they are being conservative with him, he could be something special if he puts it all together.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 14, 2014 -> 11:24 AM) There were 3 or 4 top 10. 40 years ago...

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 14, 2014 -> 10:32 AM) The White Sox have selected 10 HS pitchers in their history in the first round and supplemental first round. The best of all of them was Gio Gonzalez a #38 pick, although he is one of the 7 out of 10 who never won a game in a White Sox uniform. The other 2 are Steve Trout with 37 wins and Chris Knapp with 15, and Joel Davis with 8. Past performance does not predict future results. All of those previous picks were mid-round picks where the talent level tends to level out amongst the available prospects, this situation is completely different since we have the 3rd overall pick. If Aiken is there at #3 then we should be completely ecstatic, I don't think the Kershaw comps are that far off with him.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ May 13, 2014 -> 07:17 PM) Seem's like Joe Borchard with less power. He reminds me of Hunter Pence from what I've seen which wouldn't be bad but definitely not what we should be looking for in the third overall pick of the draft.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 7, 2014 -> 05:09 PM) If Rodon's gone, that makes it a LOT more interesting amongst Aiken/Kolek, Jackson, Gordon and then some of the top collegiate pitchers remaining. That's kind of the nightmare scenario right now. If that happened, you'd have to believe the Astros would take the local product Kolek and we could then select Aiken. I wouldn't call that a nightmare scenario, I think if we had to choose between Aiken/Kolek & Jackson at #3 we'd still be getting a player that has a high probability of being a major leaguer. If Rodon's off the board when the Sox are picking I'll be very upset if they choose a college player.

QUOTE (Charlie Haeger's Knuckles @ May 4, 2014 -> 05:52 PM) If I was Rick Hahn and I was making a move on a starting pitcher... I'd be looking west towards San Diego. The Padres have a guy in their system that is gonna be lights out. His name is Heywood Jablome. Padres match up well with the Sox as trade partners too. I think we should target his brother in this year's draft out of Morehead State University Sherwood Jablome, has all the tools to be a real stud!

I'm not a huge proponent of rushing prospects (although I thought challenging Hawkins last year was the right move), but I don't see any reason to keep Danish in Low-A Ball anymore. It doesn't appear that the hitters in the SAL really pose a challenge to him, his 1.00 WHIP and 2.0 GO/AO this season suggest that he's breezing through most of the lineups he's facing now. It'll be an interesting choice for the Sox to make when Montas comes back, it'd be a great opportunity to promote Danish and see what he can do in the Carolina League.

Ravelo's last 10 games: .536/.690/1.000/1.690 with 7 doubles, 2 Home Runs and 11:3 BB:K ratio. He's putting together an Edgar Martinez/John Olerud season right now, should be in Charlotte by mid-season and with the way Andy Wilkins is hitting it should be sooner.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Apr 28, 2014 -> 03:43 PM) If you weren't going to draft a guy because he missed a start or two due to an injury, you probably wouldn't be able to take anyone. I think it comes down to what drove the injury and is it long term or serious in nature. If it isn't, you shouldn't not draft him if you think he is the guy. Plus, for anyone pushing Rondon over Hoffman due to injury concerns, you should probably rethink that as there are other concerns over Rondon, including the impacts of the high pitch count. On the flipside, if he stays strong in his mechanics, it might not impact him and you also have to remember that college pitchers get the benefit of extra rest (vs. mlb starters). I've never been a fan of Hoffman and this recent injury just furthers my skepticism of him. I know a lot of people covering the draft as well as a lot of posters here are very high on Hoffman's physical tools and projectability but you just can't ignore his lack of dominance against college competition. It's also concerning that right after he finally has a seemingly breakthrough start he gets shut down for a week with arm soreness. Other than a strong showing in the Cape Cod League he's never been able to consistently dominate his opposition the way that most aces naturally do. My personal preference in this year's draft is Aiken, Kolek, Jackson (I think he'll have a very successful career regardless of position), Rodon (posters have made very good points regarding his recent pitch counts and reliance on the slider which could portend serious arm injury) and then Hoffman. If the Sox end up drafting Hoffman at #3 I hope that he proves my doubts in his ability to be unfounded but every time watch video of him I come away unimpressed.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Apr 28, 2014 -> 12:30 PM) Gotta say no to Hoffman at this point. I don't want ANY injury flags for a guy who is valued appropriately at the slot. In other words, I think it can make sense to go for an injury guy if his talent represents something higher than the slot that you get him (i.e. Washington and Giolito), but when he's a #3 talent if healthy anyway, I think you have to go for another #3 talent. QFT.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 25, 2014 -> 03:42 PM) Other than Santiago and Buehrle, how many picks since the late 90's outside of the first five rounds have made a marked impact? Marcus Semien was a 34th rounder, just looked that up. Sure, you need rounds 6+ for organizational depth/filler, but a ton of those AA/AAA "glue" veteran guys can be picked up from other organizations, the Rey Olmedos and Corky Millers of the world. Clayton Richard was an 8th rounder. Hudson was a 5th rounder...I think Crede was somewhere around the 5th as well. Even Lucas Harrell was the 4th round. Semien was a 6th rounder in 2011, you can add Chris Carter, Chris Young and Chris Getz to that list as well. Obviously we should focus on just drafting players with the first name Chris.

Tough luck for Hoffman this late in the season, my wild speculation regarding his injury is that his last start was basically an unofficial pro-day with so many scouts in attendance so he dialed it up and let everything fly to very positive results. However in the process he probably overextended himself which probably led to this recent soreness, my concern is whether he can consistently pitch at the level he did in his last start without risking serious injury. I've never been a believer in Hoffman and this really should scare Hahn & Co. off of him at #3. If Aiken/Kolek are off the board at #3 I'd probably go with Alex Jackson, I know our OF depth in the minors in a bit crowded but his swing and tools are too hard to pass up IMO.

Really interesting article, thanks for sharing! I found this quote from Hahn about Alexei's pregame meal to be equal parts hilarious and disgusting:

Winston Salem hung an 8 spot in the bottom of the first, Anderson with a 2-run HR and Hawkins with a 3-run shot.

This sustained hot start has made me a believer in Courtney Hawkins and will even go out on a limb and say that the aggressive assignment last year was actually beneficial to his development. It looks like they're taking the same approach with Barnum, it'll be interesting to see if he struggles as badly as Hawkins last year and how he'll handle it.

I know most people are expecting the Sox to take a pitcher at #3 but if both Kolek and Aiken are off the board at that point I'd like them to take a hard look at Alex Jackson. High school position players are always a boom or bust proposition but this kid looks like a monster in waiting. and . The main thing I notice is how quiet his stance and swing is, he takes a shallow stride but is still able to generate huge power. He reminds me a lot of a right-handed Joey Votto.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Apr 14, 2014 -> 04:08 PM) Funny you post this article, I just read it a few hours ago while trying to find out how Kolek pitched in his last outing. Would absolutely love to see the Sox draft the big right hander and would fit well between Sale and Q in the rotation a few years down the road. Great minds... I'd be happy if Hahn chose Kolek, my only concern about him is his weight since he's already the size of a mountain. His work ethic and dedication to conditioning will be the key determinants in whether his weight will be an issue down the road which is something that can only be gauged by meeting with him one on one. Bobby Jenks could've had a long and prosperous career in the majors if he would've dedicated himself to getting in shape, he didn't have the work ethic or will power to do that and the Sox were smart enough to see that and let him walk. Having gone through that I'm sure the Sox can get a good sense of this kid's character and whether he'll have what it takes to succeed.