steveno89

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 01:39 PM) Another OF idea: Nick Markakis? Braves clearly willing to move players, name we've been rumored with in the past. Markakis defense concerns me, as he has graded out poorly and won't likely get better with age. Also what would we have to give up to get him? I don't want to raid our minor league system too much more after the Frazier deal. I am glad that we managed to keep Fulmer and Adams as I don't feel as strongly about Montas as I do about those two

QUOTE (LDF @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 01:29 PM) well, i have been reading and waiting for the smoke to clear. the sox finally got their man. the cost i can live with, but really do i have any say on that???\ it is a confusing trade, not the cincy part but the sox and dodgers part. the sox gave up mj, tt a montas. mj will replace dodger 2b, tt will replace their 4th of and well montas will replace a nice 3b prospect. so why involve cincy??? i like 2 or the 3 players are sending to cincy, my neg of the dodger side is scott. i would love their 2b and 3b prospects and have written mock trades with those 2 names involve. what i see, the sox wanted and needed a 3b who is also establish in the majors. so the trade was for the now and not for the future. the could have gotten their 2b and 3b prospects and really address the future of the infield but they want to now win . dodger got a really cost effective rp to be brought in, i bet mid season and ready for the playoff. also it reaffirms my idea of that they, the dodgers want to be more cost conscience. at the end, cincy got their promising 2b and 3b prospects. that in itself should prove the win now cost at this time of the sox. I don't think you can grade this trade without seeing what else the front office has planned for the offseason. I fully expect the Sox to aggressively pursue Cespedes, Gordon or Upton and land one of those three players in order for the Frazier deal to make more sense. You have Chris Sale and Jose Abreu locked up and in their primes...don't waste that opportunity. With Danks and LaRoche coming off the books after this season the White Sox should have money to spend to land another bat to get this team competitive. OF - Eaton OF- Cabrera 1B - Abreu 3B - Frazier OF - FA Signing Cespedes/Upton/Gordon DH - LaRoche (pray he bounces back) 2B - Lawrie SS - Saladino/Anderson/FA Signing C - Navarro/Avila That lineup would be considerably better than the past few seasons and would make for an interesting season

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 01:03 PM) Getting Cespedes would rekindle my excitement around the White Sox. Getting Upton would feel like having years added onto a prison sentence. Where's the option for Alex Gordon? The signing of Upton, Cespedes or Gordon would significantly improve this team going into next season. Danks and LaRoche come off the books after this season and free up money that can go towards signing one of these three players. Gordon might make the most sense in terms of length of contract and dollar amount, plus he bats left handed. Cespedes and Upton would require lengthier contracts I don't particularly like the idea of signing Fowler or Span because of defensive concerns

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Jun 23, 2015 -> 12:50 PM) His proposed Sale to the Cubs trade is Schwarber, Baez, and Alcantara. I can't respect him after that proposal, to call it a joke is a complete understatement. I would burn down Rick Hahn's office if he made that trade. That is a ludicrous offer that I immediately would turn down. The conversation starts with Bryant and Russell + additional prospects. The Cubs wouldn't be able to stomach giving up what it would take to acquire Sale.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 6, 2014 -> 08:24 AM) I don't think the front office knows what they hell they're doing at #3 so it's pretty short-sighted to say they're definitely going pitching on February 6th. I'd bet money on the Sox going with pitching at #3 overall. Selecting near the top we will have an excellent choice of potential impact players and a premium arm would do wonders to bolster our system. Once Johnson graduates to the bigs we don't really have many 'high' upside arms with the potential to be frontline starters. A guy like Rodon, Hoffman, Kolek, etc would be a huge boost for a club looking to build a contender. Alex Jackson looks like he will be a very solid player, but idk if the Sox believe he can stay behind the plate long term. Trea Turner is an exciting prospect who I wouldn't mind taking either.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Jan 25, 2014 -> 05:37 PM) This is a huge a mistake they need draft a position player, so they can build this new core of White Sox hitters (Courtney Hawkins, Micker Zapata, Tim Anderson, etc) I totally disagree with you. I would much rather take a top pitching prospect high in the draft than a position player. Elite arms will always be in demand, and you can always flip them for hitters down the line if necessary. It's much harder to pry top pitching prospects away from teams. To tin you must have quality pitching first, offense second.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 24, 2014 -> 12:00 PM) 80 power nowadays is seen more as 30+ than 40+. I suppose. An 80 grade means elite for that particular skill, which I equate to top 5/10 in the mlb at. Either way, it will be years before he becomes relevant to the major league roster.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jan 18, 2014 -> 10:16 AM) Hawkins tools are off the charts. He has so much upside and I think it is a mistake to right him off. He has a high bust rate. Another year like last year and he'll be completely removed from any list (regardless of potential). He has to make massive strides this year and I expect him to. I'm not giving up on Hawkins either, but the Sox aggressive High A assignment did him no favors. They should have had him in Kannapolis the entire season until he proved he was ready for such a promotion. Now it will be make or break for him in Winston Salem, but I do expect a huge improvement as he improves pitch recognition skills. If he can make a big stride this year and push for a AA promotion late in the year his development will be back on track.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 07:35 PM) Shocked Barnum hasn't made a list yet. He had a really nice September with a .914 OPS and a BB:K ratio of 7:10. I know it was an incredibly small sample size, but it's still a very promising sign IMO. Another sleeper I'd go with is Rangel Ravelo. He had a really nice year at Winston-Salem and while his HR numbers leave a lot to be desired for a 1B, he demonstrated excellent gap power last season. He should start 2014 as a 22 year old in AA and maybe we'll start seeing some of those doubles turn into HRs in the near future. I'm not that shocked. Hitting 5 home runs as a 1B prospect isn't going to turn many heads

QUOTE (Jake @ Jan 24, 2014 -> 10:01 AM) I think a lot of scouts aren't high on Johnson's ceiling and don't see him getting lefties out at the next level due to lack of third pitch. Of course, development of third pitch is why he's gotten as good as he is now so we can assume it has been chronically underrated. While he was outstanding against right handed batters in AAA, his numbers against lefties were not awful there. Like I said earlier I think Johnson is just as good of a prospect as Jake Odorizzi on in the Tampa Bay system who is ranked at #56. I agree that he might be one of the most underrated prospects in baseball right now. Johnson has been great the past two seasons combined in the minors: 234 ip / 182 hits / 69 walks / 218 k's / 1.13 WHIP / 2.19 ERA

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 21, 2014 -> 02:35 PM) He profiles with 80 power, 70 arm, and 50 speed from what I am putting together (if he reaches his potential). In today's game, that is not easy to find. 80 power?! Really?! If 50 power equals 15 home runs per year, 60 power equals 20-30 homers per year, 70 power equals 30+ homers per year, 80 would be 40+ hoem run per year power. Does the kid really have THAT much power potential!?

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jan 23, 2014 -> 11:33 PM) I'm actually surprised Johnson is rated so poorly. I expect him to be around #50. Davidson seems fair. Would have expected to see Semien in the 90s, but no big oversight there. Semien needs to follow it up at AAA Charlotte this season and he will be in the big leagues and/or rise into the top 100. He doesn't have one skill that stands out, but seems to be 50 grade or better across the board. I'm a bit surprised that Johnson isn't higher up as well, certainly a top 50 prospect in my eyes. He is 24 this season, and older than many other prospects, but he already has a major league frame at 6'3" 235 lbs. My grades on him are: Fastball 91-94 with decent movement and location: 60 Curveball is more than just a below average show me pitch and should be league average 50 Slider is a true plus pitch for Johnson and he locates it well 60 Changeup 50 and could get better with Cooper's teaching Control 60 Overall 60 I see him being an above average mlb starter who can eat innings with his strong frame. Solid #3 starter with the potential to become a #2 caliber. I like Erik Johnson better than the #56 prospect RHP Jake Odorizzi on the Rays. Johnson has a stronger frame, better fastball and better international league numbers this past year (both are similar prospects overall though and profile as solid middle of the rotation guys) Davidson should start the year in AAA for at least a month or two before he is rushed to the big leagues.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Jan 23, 2014 -> 04:47 PM) Agreed with you up until this point. We have a few, and I would expect one or two more to emerge as real prospects by midsummer. Still, BPA is the only way to go, and I kinda hope that turns out to be a pitcher. Ok take Danks out of the projected starting rotation, it was just an example. But outside of Johnson, what starting pitching prospects do we have that get you at all excited? I like Danish, but still feel his sidearm action and quick release still project better as a reliever long term. Beck hasn't shown the upside to be anything more than a #4 or 5 starter at best in the show. Yes, he did look much better after getting promoted to AA, but this incredibly low strikeout rate at A ball has me concerned. He needs to show solid improvement this year to be considered legitimate in my eyes. Outside of these two, who in our system even projects to make the major leagues as a starting pitcher, let alone excel? While I'd be happy to draft Turner, this shows how much we need to stock up on quality arms in the farm system. I like Keaton McKinney later in the draft, he has a solid frame, the best changeup of all HS pitchers and great control.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 23, 2014 -> 02:18 PM) I'd want Kolek over turner simply because I have more confidence in the Sox turning Kolek into an ace than Turner into Jose Reyes 2.0 But I'd love either if they hit their ceiling. I've warmed up to Kolek for a variety of reasons. The top of the draft is where you can and should be looking to take very high upside pitchers. The cost of quality pitching has gone through the roof in the past five years and you can never have too many quality young arms in the system. After Johnson we don't really have much in terms of starting pitching talent in the farm system, so adding Kolek would be a major boost to future pitching depth. I wouldn't be upset with selecting Turner, but I'd rather shoot for the potential #1-2 starting pitcher and develop him. Sale - Kolek - Quintana - Johnson - Danks could be the rotation of a serious contender in a few years

QUOTE (Jake @ Jan 23, 2014 -> 09:20 AM) I think Trea Turner looks like a special player. Hoffman has not impressed me. He has to have a really big year or else he's more like a 2nd rounder to me. I like turner, and he may have the highest floor of any positional player in the draft. I would be happy drafting him knowing his chances of making the majors is very high. In this draft it would be hard to pass up a premium arm though. I still have questions about Hoffman's lack of dominance over two college seasons. Yes he posted a 12.21 K/9 in the Cape Cod league, but also was more hittable than you would like giving up 20 hits in 24 innings pitched with a 3.70 ERA. The 9-9 record, 3.37 ERA, 184 innings pitched, 159 hits allowed, 60 walks, 139 strikeouts, 1.19 WHIP, 6.80 K/9ip over two college seasons concerns me a bit. Yes, I know he changed his mechanics prior to the Cape Cod league season, but his strikeout numbers need to substantially improve before I would draft him that high up. The reason the Sox will draft a pitcher I feel is that outside of Erik Johnson, and possibly Tyler Danish, the farm system doesn't have much in terms of high upside pitchers.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jan 23, 2014 -> 09:20 AM) I think Trea Turner looks like a special player. Hoffman has not impressed me. He has to have a really big year or else he's more like a 2nd rounder to me. I like turner, and he may have the highest floor of any positional player in the draft. I would be happy drafting him knowing his chances of making the majors is very high. In this draft it would be hard to pass up a premium arm though. I still have questions about Hoffman's lack of dominance over two college seasons. Yes he posted a 12.21 K/9 in the Cape Cod league, but also was more hittable than you would like giving up 20 hits in 24 innings pitched with a 3.70 ERA. The 9-9 record, 3.37 ERA, 184 innings pitched, 159 hits allowed, 60 walks, 139 strikeouts, 1.19 WHIP, 6.80 K/9ip over two college seasons concerns me a bit. Yes, I know he changed his mechanics prior to the Cape Cod league season, but his strikeout numbers need to substantially improve before I would draft him that high up. The reason the Sox will draft a pitcher I feel is that outside of Erik Johnson, and possibly Tyler Danish, the farm system doesn't have much in terms of high upside pitchers.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jan 23, 2014 -> 09:19 AM) I see the Marlins taking Hoffman at #2 overall, leaving us with our choice of players after Rodon and Hoffman. The more I think about it, I take back what I posted in the other board about Kolek. He does have tons of talent and could develop into a #1 or #2 starter in a few years. You cannot teach the physical tools that he has, and I could see either Hoffman or Kolek flourishing in our system

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jan 22, 2014 -> 01:30 AM) My pick right now for sure is Hoffman. Jackson would be nice if he could stick at catcher. I see the Marlins taking Hoffman at #2 overall, leaving us with our choice of players after Rodon and Hoffman.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 19, 2013 -> 08:42 AM) I want them to pick the best available player. Christian Colon was considered a high floor SS prospect too. He appears to be ready to start his career as a bench player, or perhaps as a AAAA player. Not for the #3 overall pick obviously, but I like each of these three pitching prospects alot http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2014/1/8/52875...-pitching-a-fit Newcomb will likely be gone by the time we make our second pick, same with Medieros, but I really like the idea of taking Cameron Varga This spring season will do wonders in clarifying how the draft will shake out, and there are always players who have huge seasons and put themselves in the discussion for top picks that previously were not on the radar. I like Kolek, but I don't see them taking a high school pitcher that high up. Rodon will be gone, leaving (for now) Hoffman, Jackson, Turner, and don't leave out Tyler Beede. The definitely can see the Cubs taking Tyler Beede #4 overall since he is reasonably advanced in his development and would only need a season or two in the minors before jumping into the rotation. Kolek would likely take longer than the Sox would like to develop despite having an explosive arsenal. High school arms tend to scare the crap out of me, there's too much unknown to take such a risk that high up for me. I could be wrong on him though. I'm a bit concerned about Hoffman's lack of dominance against sketchy competition in Conference USA. Why isn't he striking out more batters? I need to see a step forward to solidify him as the second best pitcher in this draft, not just hear about his great stuff. Gatewood I am not a fan of because of the questions surrounding his hit tool. The power gets tons of praise, but I just picture him never making enough contact and fizzling out despite being seen as a "5 tool talent". I'd much rather have Turner who doesn't have much power, but will hit for average/plus speed/solid in the field Jackson is an interesting bat for sure, and I could see him developing into a star. His value that high in the draft is really at catcher though, not a corner OF. Corner OF are much easier to find and develop than premium catchers, but due to the doubts about his ability to stay at catcher I think the Sox pass.