SCCWS

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 12:20 PM) We will draft Kolek at 90% slot and then take Hoffman in the second round with the leftover bonus going to Hoffman as well as 10% of our Round 3 pitcher who will also be awesome. And then we will win. Everything. Doubt Hoffman will be there. Story in Providence Journal last weekend was Red Sox liked him( they often choose players who drop due to injury when picking in mid-late 20's.) But they felt he would be going 15-20

QUOTE (southside hitman @ Jun 5, 2014 -> 11:41 AM) I believe they ask his opinions as he has been around the game of baseball for 50 years, but I don't think he's a big influence. If anything, Steve Stone's brain would be the one to pick, as we are considering several different pitchers. How about picking the brain of the guy or gal who said take SALE. Hopefully he/she is still in the organization.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 4, 2014 -> 12:33 PM) We're getting the same performance out of Noesi we would have gotten out of Peavy. Garcia got hurt. There's nothing you can do about that now, other than the coaching staff working with him on his fielding technique more carefully. Gillaspie's managed (for now) to cover up the (for now) Davidson "mistake." Belisario, Putnam, Petricka and Lindstrom have been about the equivalent of where we'd be with Addison Reed. The problem is that Viciedo and Eaton are both hitting terribly right now, and we don't have the quality in Sierra/DeAza to cover for Garcia's departure. So the question becomes would Rios' right around #40 in the majors oPS production in RF been enough to get the White Sox to a Wild Card? Highly doubtful. It is tough to judge trades after 2 months. Funny, I was watching Peavy last night and thought hopefully we got the better of that deal. Even if Avi is hurt, he is certainly a player that should become the regular RF for the long term. I think Gillaspie and Abreu cover up Davidson. If Abreu is going to be a 40+ HR guy , you can live w a 3rd baseman who hits for average. Neither Davidson or Gillaspie overwhelms w their glove. Disagree on Reed. The White Sox only have 12 saves as a team and Reed alone has 15 on a worse team. The 4 you mention are probably making 8Mil+ and Reed still gets $550,000. I don't think the Sox will be in any position to compete for a wildcard but if they are, not having a closer will become a hot topic. Hopefully someone emerges out of the assembled multitude by season end so next year we have an established closer.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 3, 2014 -> 10:38 AM) I'll be following this. I don't have MLBN. Anywhere to watch online? I read an interesting article this weekend about Boston's draft approach. With their success, they often pick in the mid-late 20's. They tend to look for players who fell in the draft due to injury. They presently have 3 or 4 of them at the ML or AAA level. Obviously risky to do multiple times but since they are in no hurry to get a draftee to the majors, it appears it has worked pretty well for them. Hoffman is a good example although it looks like he will slip to the teens and not the 20's.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 31, 2014 -> 05:06 PM) I'm thinking SD. That would have been just across the field. I think Ventura loves Beckham so I do not think he is not going anywhere soon.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 26, 2014 -> 10:06 PM) For the umpteenth time, you can't compare blown saves to saves for middle relievers. Most of those blown saves came before the ninth inning when he had zero chance of earning a save. Actually you can only get a BS if you are pitching in a save situation. But relievers who are not closers do not get as many save chances because they get pulled. Matt Thornton was the closer for parts of several seasons under Ozzie. Unfortunately he failed in those chances and was relagated back to set up each time. Once Reed arrived on the scene, Thornton stayed as the setup guy.

QUOTE (scs787 @ May 26, 2014 -> 01:09 AM) *STAT OF THE DAY* Addison Reed so far has given up 6 home runs in 22 innings. So far Lindstrom/Belly/Downs/Petrika/Putnam/Webb have given up a combined 6 HRs in 140 innings. No, stat of the day is that Reed has 14 saves and 2 BS. Your assorted group has 9 saves and 6 BS. A closer's main job is to save the game not blow the save. Your assorted group makes $11 Mil and Reed makes $538,000

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 26, 2014 -> 11:10 AM) Or Jason Grilli in 2014, compared to 2013. Or Jim Johnson, one of Beane's biggest brain farts. Hard to do it on a consistent, year-in, year-out basis. Other than Rivera, Nathan until recent years, Hoffman (part of that was PetCo) and Soria before all of his injuries, there just weren't many "close to automatic" closers. Kimbrel's pretty near to that level, a notch below. For one season, sure...but not for 5+ years in a row. Or look at Gagne and Brian Wilson. When closers do have those huge save seasons, like a Thigpen or K-Rod, they're almost never the same after. Koch is 2003 with us. Agree and even Hermanson in 2005 closed for us and was never the same. Papelbon is another closer who has put up a string of pretty good years.

QUOTE (Reddy @ May 25, 2014 -> 02:14 PM) Weird I thought closers WERE relief pitchers. Whatever happened to Dustin Hermanson? Closers are relievers but not every reliever is a closer. Baseball has this thing vcalled the set-up man. Think of matt Thornton. Reliever his whole career. But he has had more blown saves in his career than saves. He was a verg good reliever for us. But he didn't have the mental make-up to close. You bring up Hermananson. Another great example. Starter his whole career becomes a reliever at 31 and closes in 05 at age 32. Then his body gave out and he retired in 06. Again, not every one can be a closer.

QUOTE (Reddy @ May 25, 2014 -> 12:12 PM) How long was Eric Gagne a quality closer? Heath Bell? Bobby Jenks? Outside of Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman and Dennis Eckersley, can you name me a closer who's been worth the money he got paid? BJ Ryan. Need I say more? Why don't you tell me about our 2005 bullpen. Those guys must have had extremely long, fulfilling, careers given the types of numbers they put up that year. Oh... oh wait... pretty much all of them disappeared immediately following '05 except for Jenks and Marte. Bullpens are fickle. Relief pitchers even more so. Paying top dollar for a reliever is asinine. If you can trade a reliever for a 3B, you do it every. Single. Time. Joe Nathan got 9 Mil. Again you are saying reliever, I am saying closer. Hahn should move Beckham back to a 3rd baseman and then we can trade him for a closer in return based on your logic.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 25, 2014 -> 12:01 PM) If "quality" closers are at a premuim, what does that make 30 homer potential 3B's? Quality 3B. I don't disagree. But Reed was closing games in the majors and Davidson was hitting 20 HRs in the minors. Huge difference. Davidson is also a very questionable 3B defensively. I was very much against the Peavy for Middlebrooks talk last season. Another 3B prospect, even a little more advanced than Davidson but also questionable defensively as well. He is still struggling big time so I am glad we went w Garcia. It all comes down to how easy it is to find a quality closer when we are ready to compete. We don't need one this year because we are rebuilding. The big name closers like Papilbon and Nathan got big bucks in FA and I am not sure hahn will invest that. In fact Boston went out and signed 2 closers for over 11Mil to replace Papilbon. Too many fans think anyone can be a closer. I think we gave up a good one that was young and could get better.

QUOTE (Reddy @ May 25, 2014 -> 11:46 AM) everything in this post regarding relief pitchers is completely, 100% backwards. I think quality closers are a premiun and you don't trade one for a good prospect. Let's see how fast Davidson becomes an impact player and how fast we get a quality closer.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ May 25, 2014 -> 10:08 AM) Addison Reed is nothing special, not even close to anything special to be honest. Davidson could definitely turn out to be a bust but I'd do that trade each and every time. And I agree that Webb should be closing. He might not be our best reliever at the moment but I'm tired of taking guys out of roles they're successful in to make them the closer. Webb has been a closer for a bit now in the minors, let him do that and keep Belly in the middle relief role that he was pitching so well in. Addison Reed had 40 saves on a lousy White Sox team last year. He has consistently been in the top 10 in saves for close to 3 years. You are saying Davidson "could" turn out to be a good player and I agree. But we traded a ML player who presently is in the Top 10 in his category and is only 25 years old, which is young for a closer, for a young prospect who has averaged 20 hrs, hit .260 but strikes out a lot in the minors. Plus Reed makes $550,00 which is not much more than Webb makes and is 1/6 what Scott Downs makes. Reed is still on a lousy team and he has more saves (13) than our entire pitching staff (9).

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 25, 2014 -> 09:51 AM) At the time of the trade, did you have reason to believe (and still today) that Conor Gillaspie would hit well enough against lefties, as well as hit for enough power in general and defend at an improved enough level to hold down 3B for the next 3-5 years? No and I still don't. But Relief pitchers are damned hard to find. Worse, sometimes you find one and they don't last long ( Bobby Jenks). An established reliever( Reed was top 10) is worth more, in my opinion, than a good prospect( Davidson). Even if you are rebuilding, Reed was young enough to last through it. I had no problem with Santiago for Eaton, whether it works or not, because CF is a primary position and look how long we have been trying to find one. I posted at the time of Reed trade that I hoped they had a long term plan to replace him. Maybe Webb( or Jones) will makeup for the loss of Reed by late summer. I just hope we don't start 2015 with the same problem.

QUOTE (kev211 @ May 25, 2014 -> 09:09 AM) Not a snowballs chance in hell, he shouldn't and wouldn't. Scott Downs makes $3.7 Mil and Lindstrom makes 4 Mil. I would still take Reed at 550,000 .

QUOTE (Jake @ May 24, 2014 -> 05:51 PM) Webb is pitching the fourth best of the active pitchers in our bullpen. I'd like him to prove a little more first The kid closing in Arizona already has 12 saves. Why don't we package Davidson and Eaton and see if we can get him.

QUOTE (flavum @ May 24, 2014 -> 10:00 AM) The Sox have survived the first 50 games of the season. Still in it. Let's see what the next 50 games bring, and if they're out of it on July 20, then it's time to move guys. . They are still in it at 25-25. Of course, last year, they were 24-24 at this point and we know how far south that went.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ May 24, 2014 -> 07:43 AM) As much as I'd hate to see Dunn go, his trade value is skyrocketing right now, and even if the Sox keep Dunn and sneak into a WC spot, I don't see the starting pitching there to make a serious postseason run. Some teams are going to be very desperate for a power bat come July. Not necessarily skyrocketing. He is on base to hit 25 homers and drive in 70 runs. Hopefully he looks acceptable playing 1st that an NL team might be tempted as well.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 23, 2014 -> 08:27 AM) Last night was fun. I'm glad we decided not to shut him down for ten years. As I posted during the game, if you are old enough= Sandy Koufax like

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ May 22, 2014 -> 09:36 PM) I know this is wrong but I want him to stay in until you know what. Heat of the moment I gues He looks like like Sandy Koufax. Totally overpowering.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 22, 2014 -> 03:43 PM) How do you figure? Was it the 117 wRC+ (a league adjusted stat) in AAA? The 108 wRC+ in MLB? Maybe the .308/.341/.564 line in spring training this year? Was the 17% K rate in that stretch too high? The first time you could make a half decent argument that he looked like a non-regular would have been a couple weeks into his stint at Charlotte So far he is a strikeout machine in 1.25 seasons at AAA. He has struck out at a 33% K rate between last year and this year and he is up to close to a 40% K rate this season. He makes Dunn and Flowers look like contact hitters.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ May 21, 2014 -> 06:01 PM) LaMarr Houston (new Bears DL) will be throwing out the first pitch tomorrow before Sale's start. If Houston gets hurt doing it, we will know the mound is too high.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 19, 2014 -> 08:41 PM) I think Quintana being moved might be a possibility given the long-term pitching issues we have. Actually they may be short term pitching issues. They could get a stud in the draft and Johnson could well be back in the rotation this year. Q will not be moved.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 19, 2014 -> 03:53 PM) This is a message board and it's a valid point of discussion. Odds are, the Sox will be out of the race by the time the deadline rolls around and they'll be looking to sell a few pieces that won't be on the team next year. Considering some people are already considering roster decisions based on the 2016 roster, it's never too early to start talking about potential trades. It doesn't mean people still aren't appreciating what they have going on or don't want to watch games for this season, but that it's not likely to happen this year. That said... this is wrong too because the Sox are only 2.5 out of the Wild Card even with the injuries they've suffered thus far. Given a break or two, this team could easily compete for a Wild Card spot all year. You don't just sell to sell and you don't just assume that this team has absolutely no shot. They were closer to the wild card last year at this point of the season. They are probably going to lose 90 games (hopefully no more than that) which is a step up from last year but that won't be wild card material.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ May 19, 2014 -> 02:11 PM) We lost a couple games in Houston but it's too early for trade talk. What if we are in the hunt for a wild card spot? Put that bottle down.