steveno89

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 21, 2018 -> 08:09 AM) It’s not just about the pick, but the bonus pool as well. The 2018 draft is supposed to be deep and it doesn’t sound like there will be a ton of seperation between the guys we’ll be considering at #4 (still early obviously). Therefore, there may be a legit under-slot play to made there, which could allow us to allocate bonus pool later on and take advantage of this draft’s depth. We’ll be in a much stronger position to execute such a strategy if we keep the #45 pick and it’s corresponding bonus pool. This is not the year to blow a high draft pick IMO, especially since we can stack penalties next year and lessen the overall impact if we sign multiple tendered guys. I agree^ Having more flexibility in an important draft is important for the White Sox. The #45 pick lat year had a $1.523 million draft pool along with it. Potentially going underslot #4 opens up the possibility to go overslot in the second round to snap a top talent.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Feb 20, 2018 -> 01:39 AM) With the A's or some s***. Many of the players we audition this year will not be with the team after 2018 I'm feeling. The ones who prove themselves will stick, but many of the fringe guys will be replaced with better players via free agency, the farm or trade.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 14, 2018 -> 12:24 PM) My BA handbook came in the mail last night. The White Sox top 30 is interesting. There are a bunch of relievers and they apparently love the 2017 draft. Sox are ranked as the #4 system in baseball. 1. Eloy Jimenez OF 2. Michael Kopech RHP 3. Alec Hansen RHP 4. Luis Robert OF 5. Dane Dunning RHP 6. Zack Collins C 7. Jake Burger 3B 8. Blake Rutherford OF 9. Gavin Sheets 1B 10. Dylan Cease RHP 11. Zack Burdi RHP 12. Spencer Adams RHP 13. Carson Fulmer RHP 14. Luis Gonzalez OF 15. AJ Puckett RHP 16. Jordan Stephens RHP 17. Micker Adolfo OF 18. Luis Alexander Basabe OF 19. Lincoln Henzman RHP 20. Thyago Vieira RHP 21. Alex Call OF 22. Ian Clarkin LHP 23. Ian Hamilton RHP 24. Tyler Johnson RHP 25. Jordan Guerrero LHP 26. Bernardo Flores LHP 27. Tito Polo OF 28. Lenyn Sosa SS 29. Seby Zavala C 30. Connor Walsh RHP 31. Yeyson Yrizarri SS Sheets above Cease is a surprise for me^ Why are they so low on Zavala? How many minor league catchers hit as well as he did last year?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 08:24 PM) And pitchers just don’t have the longevity anymore. One more major Giolito injury and Lopez/Fulmer going to the bullpen and we’re suddenly back to Kopech/Hansen/Cease/Dunning and a bunch of unknowns, especially with Rodon’s status so up in the air. That would require filling at least one major rotation hole in free agency, instead of filling two holes in the starting lineup with the MLB equivalent of LBJ and Paul George. If you could pencil in All Star next to Tim Anderson and Carlos Rodon’s names in 2019, it would be much easier to feel 100% confident. Being realistic, I can see us being in the market for a significant position player, starting pitcher and bullpen help next offseason. Our payroll will be low enough to allow for several marquee signings to be made. Ideally we can fill the rotation from within, I just doubt that happens without us going after a top free agent starter like Keuchel for example.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 07:23 PM) If they have a lower payroll in 2019 than in 2018 you may brag and consider yourself vindicated because I'm going to be seriously pissed off too. I do not believe that will happen at all. If the Sox do not open up the checkbook next offseason then I would fully expect the pitchforks to come out.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 06:23 PM) Great points above. I feel like our window will be open much longer than the cubs’. The waves of arms will just keep coming. I’m skeptical that we will be able to replicate the cubs success until we see these top prospects producing. The talent is there, but they did not miss too many times. I’m absolutely willing to be patient, but the front office better be aggressive when the time comes.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 06:34 PM) 1) They are rebuilding as cheaply as possible. 2) They are rebuilding as cheaply as possible. 3) They are rebuilding as cheaply as possible. Money saved now could lead to spending more in future seasons once we are ready to compete. Foolish free agent spending would come back to haunt us, as we need to build from within and supplement with free agents when ready.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 02:31 PM) On Effectively Wild they said pitching overall and it was due to injury or velo loss. Really would like to see burdi be able to go 2+ innings. What a weapon that would be. Relievers are being viewed as more valuable pieces than ever before, especially ones like you mentioned that can go multiple innings.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 01:33 PM) I think there are just too many good positional guys this year to even consider a pitcher outside of Singer/Hankins, IMO. You're guaranteed to get one of Gorman, De Sedas, Kelenic, Turang, Madrigal, etc. at #4. Maybe, but I wouldn't sleep on a college arm like Casey Mize or Jackson Kowar forcing themselves into the top 5 with strong seasons.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 12, 2018 -> 08:34 AM) John hasn't been able to attend any games in years, and his rankings have been pretty bad in parallel. Innacuracies and weird stuff bleed in. He seems like a nice enough guy, but I wouldn't put a lot of weight on his rankings. He's very, very stat-focused and tends to pick out specific numbers without context. Also, I'm fairly sure Yermin Mercedes won't even get a starting gig in the minors this year (barring injury). Could they rotate Smith and Mercedes in AAA? He's 24 years old, so we might as well test him at AAA vs. letting him sit on the bench while Zavala and Collins play at AA

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 8, 2018 -> 02:58 PM) He doesn't walk that much, he isn't a low strikeout guy, and you'll notice that many of the players on the list are CF'ers, Catchers and SS. He gets docked for defense a lot in these WAR stuff. He said he's a young guy with a lot of power and that's it. But I bet in KATOH+ he'll do much better because he has a pretty good hit tool grade from longenhagen. Eloy played all of 2017 at age 20, so he still has time to work on drawing more walks. The talent is there to be a beast at the plate.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Feb 1, 2018 -> 10:44 AM) 1.) Hankins 2.) De Sedas 3.) McClanahan 4.) Liberatore 5.) Gilbert I like Turang's defense a ton, but I am really skeptical how his bat will play at the next level. I like Logan Gilbert as a name to watch. Great Cape Cod stats, and two solid seasons at Stetson. 6'5", 195 lb prototypical pitcher's frame. Three potential plus pitches, and potential plus control.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 5, 2018 -> 03:55 PM) Another more hopeful comp could be Kyle Tucker of the Astros. 18 year old out of the draft in 2015 he put up a .647 OPS, 19 year old in 2016 improved to .798, 20 year old in 2017 improved to .874 to make him a major prospect. The home runs went from 3 to 9 to 25 those years. If Rutherford can put up a season similar to what Kyle Tucker did in 2016 that would be terrific and a significant step in the right direction. While I am not expecting him to do so, I don't think that type of season is unreachable for Blake.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 5, 2018 -> 10:45 AM) It will be interesting to see how long they will sit on him to get a price. From the White Sox discussion end of things, what would people think of a deal that started with Zach Collins as the top guy?q Realmuto does not make sense for the White Sox, especially after we just signed Castillo to a two year contract

QUOTE (Sleepy Harold @ Feb 5, 2018 -> 10:28 AM) Jon Morosi @jonmorosi 23s Sources: #Marlins, #Nationals remain in touch but have not made progress on a J.T. Realmuto trade. Thus far, Miami has asked for deal to include Victor Robles or Juan Soto; Nats have said no. (@JonHeyman first reported Robles as part of ask.) @MLB @MLBNetwork Seems like the Marlins asking price is still high, so I doubt the Sox have any real interest unless that price drops down a lot. Robles is untouchable, but I can certainly see the Marlins requiring Juan Soto to be a part of the deal.

QUOTE (KnightsOnMintSt @ Jan 31, 2018 -> 10:11 AM) Love to see all the love that Hansen is getting. Could see him making the Top 30 when the mid-season rankings come out. I'm happy to see Dane Dunning is starting to get some national recognition as a backend top 100 prospect. I think he absolutely can stick as a starter and develop into a solid #3/4 that eats innings.

QUOTE (yesterday333 @ Feb 2, 2018 -> 10:38 AM) I wonder how high Collins would be if he believed he can catch. If Collins can stay at catcher he has tremendous value. If Collins projected to be a solidly average catcher, or slightly above average he would be a sure fire top 100 prospect with his plate discipline and power.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Feb 2, 2018 -> 10:02 AM) Here is the review of system from Keith Law. Really good stuff. He has White Sox as 4th best system. Apparently he doesn't hate them anymore. http://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id...ntral-prospects He has it like this: 1. Eloy Jimenez 2. Michael Kopech 3. Luis Robert 4. Alec Hansen 5. Dylan Cease 6. Dane Dunning 7. Jake Burger 8. Blake Rutherford 9. Micker Adolfo 10. Zack Collins 11. Gavin Sheets 12. Spencer Adams 13. Carson Fulmer 14. Ian Clarkin 15. Luis Alexander Basabe 16. Luis Gonzalez 17. Zack Burdi 18. AJ Puckett Some notes: Expects more growth from Dylan Cease, sees Dunning as future mid-rotation starter, Burger is bat-first with position questions but should hit enough regardless, Rutherford the Sox bough low but he needs to hit the ball in the air more, Adolfo was a positive review. Plus-plus arm and plus pull power. RF profile. He doesn't believe Collins can catch, Sees Sheets as having the floor of a platoon 1B and believes in the power, Adams is a strike thrower that could be a back end starter, Thinks Fulmer is a reliever but a good one, blamed many of Basabe's struggles on the knee injury, and sees Puckett as a #5 starter. Surprised he doesn't have Seby Zavala in there after the breakout 2017 he had. He's older than most prospects, but could end up being a solid catching option?

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Jan 31, 2018 -> 11:18 PM) I would cream my jorts for Beer in the 2nd RD. I think Casey Mize is a guy to watch, and I could easily see him going in the top 5 picks with another strong season in the SEC.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 30, 2018 -> 02:00 AM) That probably deceases his odds of staying on the South Side, to be honest. I second that^ If Avi puts up a crazy season like that he will certainly look to get paid huge money in free agency, and likely not from us.

QUOTE (GermanSock @ Jan 26, 2018 -> 03:53 PM) I used the mlb.com grades (although they tend to be a little to generous with 50 and 55 grades in my opinion) to translate the grades into future value in their prime. Using this article https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/scouting-ex...scouting-scale/ 1. Eloy Mlb grades 55 hit, 60 power, 60 fv Fg grades 50 hit, 55 power, 60 f2f 270 average, 35 hr, 3 WAR 2. Kopech Mlb 60 fv Fg 55 fv 3 WAR 3.Luis Robert Mlb 50 hit, 55 power, 55 fv 260 average, 20 hr, 2.5 war (but that could go up) 4.Rutherford Mlb 55, 55, 55 Fg 60, 55, 55 280, 20 hr , 2.5 war (but might drop next year) 5. Cease Mlb 55 Fg 45 They are really split here, Fg has him as a future 1.5 war guy and mlb 2.5 war guy 6. Hansen Mlb 55 Fg 45 I go with the higher grade, Fg grade might not be adjusted yet to strong 2017 2.5 war guy 7. Collins Mlb 45 hit, 55 power, 50 fv Fg 40 hit, 60 power, 50 fv 240 with 25 hr and 2 WAR 8.dunning Mlb 50 Fg 45 2 war 9.fulmer Mlb, Fg 50 2 war player 10. Burger Mlb 50 hit, 55 power, 50 fv 260, 25 hr, 2 war (I think 2 war is correct, but I expect more power and worse defense,more like 30 hr) Mlb also has 11-16 as future 2 war players ( Gillespie, burdi, Adams, Adolfo, sheets, Cordell) before it drops of to bench players. Personally I think that is a little too optimistic and Fg also sees it that way. But I also think that eloy should be bumped up to a 65 after last year (I,e future 4 win player). Keep in mind that the WAR are average during their prime (say 25-29 years old). A future 2.5 win player might also have one 4 win season in his prime (but also maybe a 1.5 win season). For comparison: 2 sox players last year had 4 war (avi, abreu), then they had 4 more guys in the 50fv (2 war) range (Sanchez, Quintana, Frazier, swarzak - although Quintana of course was a 4 win player for the whole year and Frazier was at 3 WAR, so they essentially where a 60 and a 65 ) and then they had 3 more in the 1.5 war range (45s) and the rest was one and under (40 fv). So you can see how much deeper they will get, last year it was essentially 65,65, 60, 50, 50, 45, 45, and then 40s In the future it will be 65, 60, 55, 55, 55, and then 50s in every spot and nothing worse than 45s on the bench. I always feel like Fangraphs is more pessimistic on players than other systems. How are Cease and Hansen FV 45 prospects?

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 26, 2018 -> 09:19 AM) Just one more thought, I just really like what the Brewers are doing. I think the natural impulse would be "okay, we have a need at 2b, we should use our surplus at OF to get the best 2b available". They instead acquired the best asset available who happened to be...another outfielder. But the availability of a Yellich is not always there, but decent upgrades at a 2b should be available. They now have an outfielder with a 4-6 win potential rather than a 3 war OF and 3 war 2b. That gives them a higher floor to make any 2b addition more impactful. I like the Brewers move, as the prospects they traded all have considerable question marks. Brinson turns 24 years old in early May and his value could be slipping. The time was ripe to cash in on him as a centerpiece.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 25, 2018 -> 09:59 AM) If he hits like he is projected to do, the name Carlos Lee came to mind. I know he was a steroid era guy so his numbers stand out more today than they did then, but if he turns out with a peak like that, the Sox have a cornerstone. I would take Carlos Lee out of Eloy for sure, but would really hope he could be a tad better than him

QUOTE (GenericUserName @ Jan 24, 2018 -> 11:32 PM) Top 10 OF 1. Ronald Acuna, Braves 2. Eloy Jimenez, White Sox 3. Victor Robles, Nationals 4. Shohei Ohtani, Angels 5. Kyle Tucker, Astros 6. Austin Hays, Orioles 7. Lewis Brinson, Brewers 8. Luis Robert, White Sox 9. Juan Soto, Nationals 10. Alex Verdugo, Dodgers Eloy Jimenez Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 70 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 65 The top-rated international prospect during the 2013-14 signing period, Jimenez signed with the Cubs for $2.8 million out of the Dominican Republic. He emerged as one of baseball's best prospects in 2016, when he starred at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in San Diego, topped the Midwest League in slugging (.532) and OPS (.901) and won the Class A circuit's MVP award at age 19. Despite missing the first six weeks of 2017 with a bone bruise on his right shoulder, he posted better numbers and kicked his game up a notch further (.348/.405/.635 in 47 games) after getting traded to the White Sox in July as part of a four-prospect package for Jose Quintana. Jimenez has few peers among prospects when it comes to hitting for average and power. His massive raw pop, generated with impressive bat speed and leverage from the right side of the plate, earns him comparisons to Giancarlo Stanton. He recognizes pitches well, makes savvy adjustments, doesn't try to do too much and is making progress with his plate discipline. Though Jimenez may not offer much beyond his bat, he still can become a superstar. As he has gotten bigger and stronger, he has slowed and now has below-average speed. His arm strength also has regressed and he recorded just six assists in his first four pro seasons, so he now projects as a fringy left fielder. I know defense is not his calling card, but I am not pleased to hear about the arm and defense looking shaky^. I was hoping he could be average with a solid arm.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 24, 2018 -> 09:08 AM) I agree with this. I would just want to get to more definition on what's needed. Maybe we miraculously hit home runs with all of our OF prospects but all of our infield turns out to be trash. That's a realistic scenario now. We also may need every one of those pitching prospects to form only a decent rotation. We could fills gaps with a few key free agent signings^ We don't need to hit on every prospect, but our key guys need to pan out and produce