SCCWS

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 06:22 PM) i just got the chance to read it, a great article. going into spring training, i just naturally assume, that CS will be the 2b. but this spring and how MJ responded, it does not make it a bad choice. more of a pleasant choice to make either CS or MJ.. many thanks STOP THE PRESSES. After Beckham's performance today, he gets 2B and Micah to AAA......................................

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 11:05 AM) When you haven't made the playoffs in 7 years, maybe you need new horses to pull the applecart? Agree. Carl Everett had a history of upsetting the applecart. He also played a key role in 2005.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 13, 2015 -> 05:56 PM) interesting conversation. i missed it. since this is a subjective opinion which in itself may vary from others opinion, in other words, no one is right. why question the whole list?? is there a final ranking that is right, making all others wrong, pretty much like how someone will take a test with a certified answer list. on this forum what makes mine (i am always right ), more correct than any others? I think the confusion comes on how the writer arrives at his rating. I could be wrong, but I think position has an impact. He uses the standard 5 categories: hit, power, run etc and he averages the five scores. But if you notice Adolfo scores slightly higher than Johnson but is rated below him. Hawkins rates slightly higher than Trey but he also ranks slighly lower. I wonder if he ranks outfielders lower than infielders when the numbers are in the same range???

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Mar 11, 2015 -> 11:48 AM) Must be having to rest Beckham after his first hit of spring training lol Being traded...................

I have posted several times that I think Johson needs a year in AAA since the White Sox need to improve their defense. But he may prove to be too good offensively to do that. If so, nice problem to have

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Mar 7, 2015 -> 02:33 PM) JJ Stankevitz @JJStankevitz · 14m 14 minutes ago Nolan Sanburn -- the pitcher the #WhiteSox got from Oakland for Adam Dunn -- was lit up over 2 IP: 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K in the B game. Damn. Should have kept Dunn and see if he could develop another pitch.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Mar 6, 2015 -> 03:23 PM) Reflects the quality in the AL central this year. Many projections have the Indians as a top 5 team. I wonder what factor travel has on the toughness of a schedule. Certainly the AL Central has by far the easiest travel compared to the other 2 divisions both within the division and travelling to the other divisions. But western division teams like San Fran and LA have been very successful despite getting the short end of travelling.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 5, 2015 -> 09:14 AM) Yes, but it was March 3. There are a lot of guys who look like stars the first couple of weeks of spring training that wind up being bad, and vice versa. Especially this early, a lot depends on how much you did in the offseason. Others who didn't hit as much or throw as much eventually catch up. I like Micah Johnson and hope he winds up starting at 2B. But whether he went 0-4 with 4 k's or 4-4 with 3 steals on March 3rd, it wouldn't change my opinion. The guys that played some winter ball are probably a little ahead right now. Watching these games now are great for entertainment purposes. It's been a while since we have seen them on the field. But making any evaluation at this point is crazy. I agree on offense but defensively you can get a better reading. If a player goes 3-3 but it is against a Class A pitchers it does not mean much. If he steals 2 bases but it is against the 5th string catcher in camp then again you can't draw much. But if a guy is not covering the ground for his position or is not making good throws or struggles turning the doubleplay, those can be takeaways of what is to come this spring when the roster gets trimmed.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Mar 4, 2015 -> 09:37 PM) It's nice to actually have a few guys that can take an extra base. As I said in another thread, simply removing the slugs (Dayan, Kong, Dunn) is going to lead to more runs. Those three guys are possibly three of the slowest 20 runners in all of MLB. Having them all on the team was a big detriment to any sort of overall baserunning prowess. No errors today. Hopefully we see improved defense this year compared to last.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Mar 3, 2015 -> 03:27 PM) Sanchez instead of Johnson.. Oh and Beckham Beckham has tenure................................

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Mar 2, 2015 -> 05:36 PM) I was thinking that too. That'd be nice. Probably the 12th which would be his normal 2nd start.

QUOTE (staxx @ Mar 1, 2015 -> 04:30 AM) Assuming he hurt it today 3 weeks = march 21st. They aren't going to take chances with him. He'll need until about april 18-20 ish weekend to build up arm strength. Im sorry but this just about pencils Rodon in the rotation. OR we go get another starter. For a team making this many moves you aren't guessing for 2.5+ weeks If your timetable is correct, that would equate to 2 starts missed. If their intention is to hold Rodon back until June, they are not going to alter that over 2 starts. I would also doubt they trade in spring training for a starter unless they make that decision based on a need regardless of Sale. My guess is Sale misses one start at most based on the current info.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 27, 2015 -> 09:04 AM) Fielding percentage is a pretty weak indicator of true defensive ability, and it's not as if making 96% of the plays that you get to is unacceptable. Sanchez makes 97.5%, so in theory, Sanchez makes one or two more outs per 100 plays than Johnson. That doesn't include the idea that Johnson may exhibit better range than Sanchez given his superior athleticism, but it's also not counting plays that Sanchez may make because of a stronger arm either. I haven't seen a ton of Johnson in the field but there's no reason to assume that he's bad. Also, depending on what metric you use, the Sox were OK and nowhere near one of the worst fielding teams in the league last year. 3B, 1B, and RF were their primary weak spots. Probably average or so overall. And really, they haven't done much to change that in the starters - Cabrera is probably going to be similar to De Aza, Garcia has better instincts but is still awkward like Viciedo, and 2B should be about a wash overall. Really, I don't care who starts, I just want whoever is the best player to start at 2B. Fielding % and range factor combined are a pretty good indicator. Sanchez at second had better range as well. To put the fielding % in real numbers, they both played about 60 games at 2nd base. Sanchez got to more balls and made 4 errors and Johnson made 9 errors.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 26, 2015 -> 03:35 PM) #1, I don't know how you can figure that Micah is a -20 at 2B while Sanchez is a +10. That's a 3 WAR difference. That's the difference between the Pedroia (20.3) and Jose Altuve (-10). Those are first and last on the list. That's absurdly large. #2, I don't understand why you feel that Johnson is THAT poor of a defender. His hands aren't soft and the arm isn't great, but he's got a good deal of range. #3, I don't think there's a rush. I think if he impresses the coaches enough and they feel he's the guy for the job, they'll go with him. I don't think anything's guaranteed. FWIW---- Johnson has a career .959 fielding average in the minors. Sanchez is .973 Johnson needs more time in AAA. The White Sox were one of the worst fielding teams in baseball last season. Johnson would make them a little worse ( compared to Beckham )since only LF will have a new face and Alexei is a year older.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 24, 2015 -> 12:33 PM) Hopefully this helps him defensively. The last 2 years he seemed at least average defensively at the beginning of the year, and left you questioning why he is even standing on the field towards the end. His OPS was actually better than Panda's last year. Maybe the additional weight will help him hit a few more over the fence. I would be concerned the extra weight would make him a worse defender as he might be less mobile. Hopefully that isn't the case.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 21, 2015 -> 09:29 AM) If the Sox are in contention at the deadline and Shark is flipped for prospects, then something crazy is going on. I can see one scenario. Rodon expldes in the minors and is put into the rotation and the Sox are in contention but have one major hole. Say Alexei or Flowers ( positions the Sox may not have a reliable back-up for) goes out for the season and they can get a ML ready prospect for Shark. If the Sox think Shark is going anyway, they could deal if they got a top prospect back.

QUOTE (kapzk @ Feb 19, 2015 -> 01:36 PM) Thanks. And yeah that extra year of control on Rodon will be huge. Living in New England, there is always a huge media group covering the Red Sox. One of the common discussions each spring is the 25 man roster. Through the years, I have read numerous analysis of how the final roster is selected. The concensus seems to be that fans think the best 25 go north. But in reality, it seems that many times the 5 final spots go to players really slotted 20-30. So Rodon may be ready but financially he is held back for another few months. Guarantees in contracts also affect a player going north. Obviously a team does not often hold back a player who will have an impact on the W/L record. But those last couple of bullpen spots as well as the b/u catcher, infielder and OF may actually go to the guy who is not the obvious choice to fans based on factors other than spring training performance. I have a hard time seeing Johnson starting at 2nd. The White Sox were one of the worst teams in fielding in the AL. My gut is Beckham has 2B to lose especially if the roster additions improve the offense. This team needs to play better defense in 15 and Johnson might not be ready defensively.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 1, 2015 -> 10:30 AM) ok, so you have your opinion and i got mine, so that is the point of this post. what are you trying to prove, people have opinions and many are different opinions. so deal with it. I agree. I was just letting you know Vegas disagrees and you can make a killing if you desire.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 31, 2015 -> 03:54 PM) yes i still do think that the sox can make the wild card and thus being in the playoff. how are you basing that the sox will not make the playoff. b/c vegas doesn't have them listed in making the playoff?? i am reposting my questions as a point of reference. I think the Sox will just miss the playoffs. The reason is I think the 2 wildcards will come from AL East and I still think we will not catch the Tigers. I am a toss-up if we come in 2nd or 3rd in Central. But if you already feel the odds are better than 70% we will make the playoffs, get a bet into Vegas now because as of last week they have us not making the playoffs.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 30, 2015 -> 09:51 AM) there are several point i like to respond to using you post and questions. 1. if people thinks that the cost of this yr payroll will go up with signing a sp, what kind of salary do they think, number wise if the sox tries to sign Jeff S??? 2. trading prospects and in this situation is or may be different than any other situation that may arise in the future. the org needs to take them in as a case by case situation. 3. you also have to consider the many positive that a move like that helps. fan attendance, money coming in, commercial appeal 4. at the end give him a QO. depending on the team that signs him, is a 1st round pick. by default helping the minors system. I do not think that signing another starting pitcher will affect attendance too much. Last winter the Sox signed arguably the best hitter in baseball for 2014. Yet attendance took a big drop. Hopefully a team that is in playoff contention can at least make up for most of the attendance drop it suffered last year. Has anyone seen any numbers on advanced season ticket sales ??? You posted that the Sox's chances of making the playoffs would go from 80-95% with another SP. You may want to place a bet on Sox winning it all then. Because at this point Vegas does not have them even making the playoffs ( before Beckham addition).

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 26, 2015 -> 10:28 AM) let me see if i can really simplify my comment. ok, you mention of having a few key players going down ..... didn't i mention something like that in the first few words ???? finishing the offseason rebuild, depending on and solely on Rodn, #4-5 and prosoects in the minors. those minors may not be ready but who is to know esp if there is no pitchers to backup. so in essence not finishing up what they started. let take car this a little further, one of the top 3's does not produce as expected, and there is really no - one of that skills and experience, the sox do not have that backup, again, the FO not finishing what they started. so pls explain how i didn't fully explain this. ~~~ edit, pls also let me further point out, do you really think anyone on this site, will allow me to get away with what i posted... these guys are smart. Abreu has a sophmore slump and LaRoche can't adjust to AL pitching. The front office is not going to have guys on the bench or in AAA who can make up for the drop in run production. Injuries can totally change a team's success but so can off-years by your star players. Bench players are usally guys who can fill in for short periods. But if Sale has control issues and ends up a .500 pitcher next year, pretty tough to pull him and have a suitable replacement.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 26, 2015 -> 09:28 AM) if we miss the playoff and it isn't b/c of injury..... the blame lies solely on the shoulders of the FO for not finishing the offseason as they should have. worrying about fans paying first for the team to improve. WRONG. Suppose we miss the playoffs because there are 3 other teams better than us. Suppose we miss the playoffs because a few key players have down seasons. If Abreu, Sale or Q are healthy but have a bad season, we could miss the playoffs. What happens if the 4th and 5th starters stink and Rodon isn't ready??? My point is that the team could have an overall mediocre year and we can miss the playoffs. I think we are right there and could challenge for a WC spot. But if one of the big 3 has an off season, then we could be outside looking in.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Jan 10, 2015 -> 09:16 AM) No surprise by the cubs predictions since they have always been media darlings anyway. Besides, I like the idea of getting their fans hopes up just to have those hopes come crashing down. I give them credit for taking many steps in the right direction but until those youngsters show they can produce at the big league level, they have their hands full with teams like St.Louis, Milwaukee, Pitt and even Cinci. Cubs still need a better rotation too. As for the Tiger, I think their reign is over. IMO, the Sox or Indians win the ALC in 2015. It is very difficult for a team to go from bad to WS champs. Most of the Cubs roster has never played in "big games" . Maybe if they have a strong 2015, the Cubs can look at 2016 success. But so to the White Sox are somewhat similiar. I think they can chase a WC berth in 2015 and 2016 be counted as a divisional favorite.

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 28, 2014 -> 11:29 AM) the team sucks plain and simple. as bill veeck said, you put the product on the field, and coaches who knows what to do, the fans of the southside will come out and support. this was said when he brought the team. He also said that if the fans don't come out for the games--------------------they will for Disco Demolition Night. So much for his wisdom of fan attendance.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 26, 2014 -> 12:48 PM) Why did White Sox attendance drop the last 5 consecutive years of Ozzie's tenure? Actually White Sox attendance has dropped every year since Ozzie left and Robin took over as well. So I don't think the manager affects attendance. But the GM probably does. So KW is probably most responsible for 9 straight years of declining attendance. Certainly if attendance continues to decline( and I don't think it will), then the White Sox franchise is in serious trouble. Sale and Abreu alone should sell tickets after last season. Has there been any stories yet on 2015 Season Ticket sales ???