DBAHO

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 01:51 PM) I understand Anderson not being handed a regular job even though they handed him one in 2006 under tougher circumstances when he showed less than he has this spring. I just don't understand when he's in the game why he would be in LF and Swisher in CF. That makes zero sense. Well I don't think he would in that scenario (it's only when Ozuna / Quentin are starting instead).

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 01:49 PM) or maybe I saw Swisher play CF with my own eyes during spring training? And Swisher has played how many games in CF? The stats show last season that he was above league average argubly there last season for Oakland defensively. He is still basically learning the position, and should be getting better with each game. Aaron Rowand wasn't a stud defensive CF on his 1st season up with us I would argue. He deserves an opportunity to start there. Doesn't our team look a lot better offensively if we could play Quentin in LF? Scenario hit the nail on the head r.e Swisher / Anderson for CF. BA should be the 4th OF, no matter who the other OF's are. If he impresses in bench duty, then let him win the starting job from there, don't just hand things to him. EDIT: And I only argue about this with BA because of Quentin / Swisher. If either 1 of those guy weren't on our team, I'd be saying start BA at CF over Owens, because I've been a backer of him for a long time with his plus defense, and the fact that young hitters take time to adjust at the major league level.

QUOTE(Greg The Bull Luzinski @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 12:38 PM) Right now it is hard to like anything about this team except some of the young talent ... which is not even going to play everyday. Compare it to this time last season. Cabrera >>> Uribe at SS. Quentin >>> Pods. Anderson has improved (better than Erstad / Pods hopefully). Bullpen is better. Vaz and Buehrle has re-estbalished themselves as a good 1-2 punch. But unfortunately there are still guys such as Uribe etc. who still have a starting job which they really shouldn't IMHO.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 11:39 AM) It's not a question of being terrible. It's a question of how much better our other option is. It's comparing a decent CF to a possibly great CF. You give up maybe 20 runs in a season if you go from Swisher to Mackowiak, but then you save like 20 more runs if you go from Swisher to Anderson. I personally think that Quentin's offensive production would outproduce the benefits that you would have starting BA over Swisher in CF. And that's just because I think if he was fully healthy, Quentin is capable of a .800-.850 OPS this season. Don't think BA can do that for a full season.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 27, 2008 -> 11:39 AM) It's not a question of being terrible. It's a question of how much better our other option is. It's comparing a decent CF to a possibly great CF. You give up maybe 20 runs in a season if you go from Swisher to Mackowiak, but then you save like 20 more runs if you go from Swisher to Anderson. I'm perfectly fine with a Quentin - Swisher - Dye OF, but I can see why people would rather the Swisher - Anderson - Dye OF instead. I just think even though BA has hit well so far, he'd be ideal as a 4th OF. Put him in as a late inning defensive replacement constantly, and give him at least 2 starts a week. Quentin is the better offensive option out of the 2, and he's pretty good in a corner spot defensively (so long as his shoulder is ok).

Swisher had a RZR in high .800's last season in a bigger ballpark when playing CF. He's not TERRIBLE out there.

Ozuna is better against lefties isn't he?

That's from a Cowboys Blog.

And I wish it would stay that would permanently with Quentin in LF. But BA certainly looks like the 4th OF now. A Quentin / Ozuna platoon at LF I'd say until Owens is healthy. Then Swisher slides back over to LF.

Well I think you have to give the benefit of the doubt for a veteran at least in that situation over a rookie.

bearsox, ST is not the end all to be all. Just because Dye struggles in ST, doesn't mean he's going to suck this season. Post ASB last season, his OPS was above .900 last season IIRC. He has shown what he's capable of when he's fully healthy. He's argubly our best hitter when he's in form.

I bet they're glad they traded for Garland and hung onto Ervin Santana now though. You know what they say, you can never have enough pitching.

Goodbye Williams?

Only 1 Bears WR in the top 64, Booker at #62; http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/new...%3fid%3d3309135

Any interest;

The Knicks should target Calderon and Theo Ratliff in the off-season. And Gooden is playing nicely for the Bulls, probably turning into the #1 offensive option on that team, which would be a 1st for him. Still have doubts whether he can produce consistently over the long - term though.

QUOTE(CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 12:31 PM) You're most likely correct but I like to dream BIG which in Uribe's case is apropos. I mean I worry as well, what if Uribe puts up .270 with 30HR's this season? Do the Sox re-sign him to a big contract? Because I think he would pack it in ALA Beltre, because he hasn't performed any other season when his contract hasn't been on the line.

If Quentin was 100% healthy, he'd be my choice. But by default, I'll go with BA. Either are a better option than Owens.

If both Anderson and Quentin are going to make the team, I'd rather for Carlos to start the season in AAA. He needs AB's, in order to make sure his shoulder is 100% healthy, and then he can come up when he gets hot (which I have absolutely no doubt he will do so, because he has crushed AAA pitching before). That's unless they make him a starter in LF with Swisher in CF with BA as the 4th OF (which would be the ideal scenario for me).

QUOTE(CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 12:14 PM) Wouldn't agree that Uribe has hit his ceiling. Outside of Anderson he's had the best ST of any Sox player. I know he's had good springs before then sucked but it wouldn't be unheard of for a player like him to have a breakout season. I think Uribe's probably gone on one of his "streaks" early. He's just never been able to put up good offensive numbers over a sustained amount of time over a season (the 1st half of 2004 being the exception since he's been with us).

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 11:45 AM) Not when Jerry Owens is out there in CF (as we all know he will be once he's off the DL), booting flyballs and having the weakest arm in all of baseball. His RZR would still be higher than Fields' from last season though.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 09:51 AM) Honestly, have you talked to McPhail? Does he want Uribe? Did he even off anything? Same with Crede. The Sox want something in particular for Crede and the Giants weren't willing to give it or don't have it. So...how exactly did they botch this situation? If I were the Giants or Dodgers, I want to see Crede do it when it counts. Or see what my own prospects can do first. Same with Uribe. Neither is a game changer, but they can be an upgrade. Well look at who the O's have at SS currently, Luis Hernandez. Uribe at least offers a little more pop and is probably better defensively at SS. He really has no value at all at 2B as far as I'm concerned. Play Ramirez / Ozuna there (until Richar is healthy). Uribe consistently puts up an OBP around the .270-.280 range, which is the main issue I have with him. What if no-one wants Uribe though? We're stuck with him, and paying him 4.5M, which to me is an overpayment, and not a good allocation of resources.

QUOTE(Pants Rowland @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 09:47 AM) If that is the case, I would rather get the draft picks. If the Sox disappoint this year, they are going to need as many prospects as possible to rebuild over the coming years. You'd think so, but KW has shown over his time as GM, he'd rather trade those prospects for guys who can instantly at the major league level (with the acquisition of Swisher for instance).

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 09:40 AM) That's a lot of math to swallow which is an exact science. Too many variables to really buy into that reasoning. Fields does have a lot of potential though. IIRC, Fields got very hot in late August - September, so if you gave him those extra AB's, in the hot streak he was in, I'd say it'd be likely he would get to 30HR's, JMHO though. And for a rookie hitter, that's quite amazing (especially since he didn't even play the whole season).

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 26, 2008 -> 09:31 AM) Funny how a guy who had 140 ABs less than Juan Uribe last year, but hit 3 more homers, hit .010 higher, that's 1 more hit than Juan Uribe per 100 ABs, and had an OBP .025 higher than Uribe, that's 1 more time on base every 40 ABs and struck out 13 times more is a sure-fire star to a lot of people here. Well Dick, give Fields those extra 140AB's, he hits over 30HR's. Uribe's in what his 5th - 6th season, this was Fields' 1st. There's quite a difference b/w the 2 (it also shows how terrible, Juan Uribe's OBP is).