SCCWS

QUOTE (scs787 @ Jun 15, 2014 -> 11:55 AM) Absolutely. Davidson is a top 100 prospect. He obviously hasn't worked out thus far in hindsight but to get a guy who was viewed as highly as he was for a reliever is somewhat impressive. To say they got nothing is a little silly. I have a problem with the Reed trade. He was not just a reliever, he was a closer. At this point, we have tried 4-5 relievers and have yet to find a ML quality closer. Now maybe Belisario will be that closer. If not maybe Jones. But luckily this year doesn't matter but we better find a real closer by next year. Because Reed on a lousy team has more saves than our entire bullpen. Meanwhile Davidson is over his head in AAA and is a below average fielder at 3B. daidson is still young but so is Reed. I have no problem w Peavy and Rios trades as they freed up serious payroll. Reed made literally nothing at $550,000 , they signed big buck relievers in Downs and Belisario ( 6.7Mil) and we still are not sure if we have a Reed replacement

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jun 15, 2014 -> 07:18 AM) Flowers neeeds to sit for 3-5 straight games. In Charlotte. He has had the worst strikeout % in all of baseball this season. But with his recent tear of strikeouts he is quickly closing in on Howard to have the most K's regardless of PA.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 9, 2014 -> 03:56 PM) I would rather have the best pitcher on my staff face the best hitter on the other team. I'll take those chances. This one just didn't work. \ I think you missed the point. No question you want your best pitcher facing Trout. But the question is was Sale out of gas. If so, he was not your best pitcher at that point. But if he pulls him, fans would complain as well. Hell, Ozzie won a WS and fans say he couldn't manage. Robin loses 99 and he can't manage. Walker stunk/not his fault. It is what message boards are for.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Jun 9, 2014 -> 08:06 AM) To be fair, many Sox fans were pretty tough on Robin during the Q & A session at Soxfest this year. I'm sure fans will forever be fond of his playing days, but Sox fans are not blind. In fact, I'm calling it now- if the Sox have another 2nd half collapse and they only win between 70-75 games, Robin will be on the hot seat. If they don't fire him, then Hahn should be on the hot seat for not bringing in a better manager. Well if you go back and look at the Pre-season poll, many fans predicted 70-75 wins. Heck 75 wins is a 12 game improvement over last season.

QUOTE (qwerty @ Jun 8, 2014 -> 08:27 AM) Makes you wonder how Sale gets disciplined by the White Sox for his temper tantrum? I would figure out a way to fine him, and fine him hard. A message needs to be sent that no matter who the player is, liabilities cannot be had. What he did very well could have been career ending. Think about it. Agree that is why he was not allowed on team bus after the game. He had to walk back to the hotel.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jun 8, 2014 -> 01:40 AM) At the end of the 7th inning inning Sale let up 2 hits before recording the 3rd out. He was at around 90-92 pitches. He came out for the 8th (no problems), let up a single, Alexei bobbles a sure out at 2nd (Sale is not up to 100 pitches with runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs), Sale then lets up another hit to make it bases loaded, another hit to score a run, and then Coop came out to talk to Sale who was at 115 or so pitches and left him in to face Trout and gave up a grand slam on a 3-2 pitch.... You make the judgement Fire Coop

Sox lost last night because they only scored 5 runs. Tigers-Indians-Twins-Royals all scored 8 runs last night and won their games.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 6, 2014 -> 03:03 PM) I've already mapped out all possibilities: Warriors trade Harrison Barnes and 2 future #1s for Kevin Love Celtics trade Phil Pressey and Brandon Bass, 2 future #1s for Kevin Love Lakers ask for Kevin Love and receive him Nick Friedell interviews Gar Forman after: "We like our team." Nick Friedell: But who would we trade for! Celtics have 4 Number 1's in next two years so they will probably offer 1 each year and Green and/or Sullinger and Bogens. Bogens is cap clearance.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jun 6, 2014 -> 01:56 PM) Brett Austin. C from North Carolina State Damn. There wasn't a Molina left on the board................................

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.