shysocks

How is our outfield the way it is right now? Everybody zoom out, look at this offseason, and tell me how this is possible. It's preposterous.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 09:03 AM) My point was that you could live with Avi's .257 AVG and .309 OBP if he were hitting for power. If his SLG was in the .450's his offense would not be the biggest problem. Of all the things that you can complain about Avi, his OBP and walk rate are not at the top of the list. Yes, if Avi's slugging was 85 points higher we'd all be a lot happier with him. That doesn't make a .309 OBP good, it just means he has numerous other flaws. If he only had one flaw, the OBP, I'd be a big fan. What I think you're trying to say is that based on his build, hitting for more power is an easier path to improvement for Avi than taking more walks. This makes a little more sense because we know the power is in there, he just can't apply it. In contrast, the patience might just be a lost art to him.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 05:58 PM) Ugh, I hate posts like this. We're coming off a poor season with a position player group who was historically bad and you're actually ripping fans that aren't satisfied with the addition of one impact player and two other solid positional upgrades. No doubt we're better, but the question is are we good enough to be legit contenders? The AL Central is going to be incredibly competitive next year and it is easily could come down to a game or two. Starting both Avi Garcia & Adam LaRoche in the same lineup without anyone pushing them for playing time is a recipe for disaster, especially when you consider how flush with OF talent the market was. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the front office didn't have the means to pull off a complete offseason, then they should have gone in a different direction and took advantage of the insane pitching prices. Right now, the Sox have half-assed and I don't get why you constantly applaud them for that. Hopefully they add another OF in the next few weeks and make this debate pointless, but until then let's stop ripping Sox fans who aren't simply happy with "better" than last year. Just want to call attention to this post because it perfectly, succinctly summarizes everything I think about the off-season. I couldn't agree more.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 03:35 PM) A person with a flat out racist platform. I really don't need to see anything else, I'm going to lose all respect for anyone who votes for that. For real. It doesn't matter whether Trump believes this stuff, or if he's getting ready to pivot to the middle, or if he's establishment, blah blah blah. A person who says these things and behaves this way doesn't belong in the White House.

QUOTE (Jose Paniagua @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 03:30 PM) Light em up: Scott Merkin ‏@scottmerkin 4m4 minutes ago Scottsdale, AZ More KW: "But you have to ask how much the Ferrari costs. We had a lot of great Ferrari ideas, let’s put it that way.” Scott Merkin ‏@scottmerkin 4m4 minutes ago Scottsdale, AZ More KW: "It’s like going down to the Ferrari dealership when you can only afford a Volkswagen. It kind of is what it is in some cases... Scott Merkin ‏@scottmerkin 5m5 minutes ago Scottsdale, AZ Ken Williams on CWS offseason pursuits: "Listen, we always check in on everyone that is of potential interest. But in some cases … LOL just came here to post this. Kenny, just shut the f*** up sometimes.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 09:39 AM) Dan Hayes ‏@CSNHayes 2m2 minutes ago Corey Seager, Justin Turner & Adrian Gonzalez all praised ex-Dodgers teammate, current #WhiteSox Jimmy Rollins. http://bit.ly/1XMCvXL I think this belongs in the Best Shape of His Life thread.

QUOTE (VAfan @ Feb 24, 2016 -> 02:03 AM) While all this ink -- page after page about Upton, Cespedes, Gordon, Eithier, Fowler, et al -- was spilled on finding a replacement for Avi, Rick Hahn went about plugging the holes at most of the positions that should have been HIGHER PRIORITIES. Before those positions were filled, a lot of people wanted the Sox to sell and rebuild. Once they filled those positions (weeks and weeks ago) and set the compass towards contending, that's when the focus of the board turned towards finding an outfielder. Rick Hahn even went out in interviews and said they were looking to add an outfielder.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Feb 22, 2016 -> 05:59 PM) Shuck is a 4th/5th OF, defensive replacement, once a week starter type. He just doesn't hit well enough against either side pitching to use as a platooner. It wouldn't surprise me to see Avi get to the .730 OPS range this season. He still has a pretty good walk rate (esp for this organization) and that might help him stabilize this year some. Still don't know why he gets beat on so badly (esp considering the $42 mill "professional hitter" was almost as bad). The professional hitter is making $42M and is thus difficult to replace. Garcia is cheap and has minor league options and was eminently replaceable this offseason. Combine that with him being a very bad baseball player, and it isn't that tough to imagine why he gets beat on. In 2013 he put up a .730 OPS and was worth -0.5 WAR because he can't play defense and he isn't a smart baserunner. The average right fielder had a .759 OPS last year. Do people not realize the mountain he has to climb to be a productive player? The average major league hitter walked in 7.8% of plate appearances last year. White Sox hitters walked at a 6.7% rate. Garcia was at 6.0% in 2015 and 5.6% for his career. So no, he does not still have a pretty good walk rate, even for this organization. Don't make things up.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 22, 2016 -> 01:14 PM) They finished what, 1 game back of the Pirates for home advantage in the Wild Card and 3 games back in the division? That was a race until the last couple days. Imagine hypothetically the Cardinals hit a wall the last week and only get to 97 wins. Suddenly the Cubs have a shot at home field against the Mets. Maybe it doesn't change David Murphy turning into Mike Trout, but that coulda been a different series right there. That series was one of the all-time beatings. If it coulda been different, so could nearly every series ever played.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Feb 22, 2016 -> 11:23 AM) Yes I did. It's not that ridiculous, but the lack of enemy stagger and the combination of them running out in the open is annoying. The AI uses a dumb strategy: running out in the open in the middle of a fire fight and then gets rewarded because you can't punish them for it. Yeah, you get some free shots and can occasionally get enough hits to put them down when they run at you, but the fact that they don't stagger when you're hitting them is stupid. It just seems like a game that is fighting itself. The setting and the premise are super cool and engaging. Then you have these super stupid enemies that really take away from the immersion the rest of the game brings. Also, stop it with the damn numbers when I hit an enemy. It's hard enough to see, which is a fair choice to make, but don't make it harder to see because there are number popping out of a guy's head. I think I'm more disappointed because of what that game could be instead of what it actually is. I'm not sure if that's fair or not. That's fine. I felt the same way about Destiny - I knew an hour into the beta that the game wasn't for me. It's been the exact opposite with The Division. I don't think I can explain why. Regarding numbers popping out of enemies, as a Borderlands vet that makes me feel right at home. =)

Guys the White Sox are the ONLY team that sometimes acquires old guys.

This is why we can't trade Erik Johnson. Whether this specific news is a big deal or not, Latos' health is just uncertain.

I'm continually seeing a banner for Cubs tickets while browsing SoxTalk today. C'mon AdChoices, you can do better than that.

Played a bunch of solo Dark Zone, whereas my experience with the closed beta was pretty much all in a squad of 4. Solo is way different and your options are a little more limited, eg going rogue is suicidal and you want to avoid large groups of players. It was still fun and a lot more tense, but playing in a team definitely seems like the way to go. Dark Zone needs something though, maybe more NPC's. I spent just a little too much time running down empty streets, and that's not fun or interesting. There was more than enough room to add enemies without making players feel like they're being constantly assaulted. Sponginess doesn't bother me because they've obviously made that decision consciously, and I'm excited to imagine all the directions combat will branch out once all of the skills are available.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Feb 19, 2016 -> 02:17 PM) Buehrle never really had this type of stuff written about him either. April 5, 2007: An optimistic Buehrle expects rebound season But he threw the no-hitter two weeks later. That's what happens when the good players get fluff pieces. They're usually reserved for the bad ones.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 19, 2016 -> 12:41 PM) Excellent work shysocks, thats exactly what I aspired this thread to be. I'm interested to see if Albers is in BSOHL Thanks. Gordon Beckham was actually inducted into the BSOHL Hall of Fame two years ago, so at this point he's just running up the score.

Feb 10, 2011: Beckham confident injuries are thing of past "I try not to worry about that stuff," Beckham said of the Sox's commitment to him. "It's out of my control. I don't want to build up that I have a lot to prove because if you do that, it's almost a letdown. "But I'm highly motivated and I've worked my tail off this offseason to be in the best physical shape I can be in. And I've got a much better idea of my swing and what I want to do, where I want to start it. I had a lot of issues last year of where my hands were. I have a much better clue of what I need to do to be successful." _____________________________ Smash cut to... Jan 28, 2012: At crossroads or not, Beckham has positive attitude "I wish it wasn't that way, but when you get kicked and knocked down, you see the person you are," Beckham said Wednesday during his fundraising event for the Parkinson Foundation while he was in town for this weekend's SoxFest. "You either can roll over and fold, or you can stand back up and do the work. You have to learn from some failure. I learned from a good amount last year, and it wasn't fun for me. It wasn't fun for any White Sox fan watching that last year. "But I'm still very positive about what we can do and what I can do. I'm not going to let anyone else tell me otherwise. That's one of the things I had to tell myself. It's about me doing what I do and worrying about what I do, as opposed to worrying about what other people think about this and that. It's not important." _____________________________ Smash cut to... Jan 2, 2013: Beckham 'encouraged,' embraces clean slate "In general, I felt like I turned a corner at the end of last year," Beckham said. "I don't know how to describe it, but I'm encouraged. I guess it's the first time in a while that I actually truly believed in myself." "To be honest, I want it as bad as they want it -- a lot more, probably," said Beckham of success. "I'm not going to say, 'This is the year I'm going to do all this crazy great stuff.' But I feel like last year, I came to the field and did it right. I didn't get down, frustrated a lot; played every night, showed up and did the work. _____________________________ Smash cut to... Jan 23, 2014: Gordon Beckham excited about White Sox moves "It was very trying on us and our patience, but it will be good motivation for this year to make sure we remember. We don't always want to harp on it, but we always want to remember what it felt like so we're not in that position this year." "That's the way years go. Something might happen, and it derails that. But knowing the kind of kid he is and how hard he works, the way he started that spring and how motivated he was, I expect that same thing this year from him." _____________________________ Smash cut to... Jan 28, 2015: Gordon Beckham 'in a much better place' upon his return to White Sox After just a few months away, Beckham said he thinks he is in “a much better place” than he was when he was traded. Hahn said it might help if Beckham feels less internal pressure in his second stint. “Getting away was good for me in general,” said Beckham, who played 26 games at multiple positions for the Angels. “I needed some time to reboot (and) work on my game. That’s something I feel I did in Anaheim.” _____________________________ Smash cut to... Jan 30, 2016: Braves' Beckham hopes for hometown career revival “It’s nice to be back home,” said Beckham, an Atlanta native and former University of Georgia standout who signed a free-agent contract with the Braves in December. “It’s definitely different, but I just feel very comfortable because obviously I live here and this is kind of my backyard.”

Can we use this as a catch-all for all the awesome things we'll be hearing about Garcia in the coming weeks?

Colleen Kane ‏@ChiTribKane 14m14 minutes ago Mat Latos said catcher Dioner Navarro was one of the draws to signing with the White Sox. Good relationship from time with the Reds. Take it for what it's worth, but even as a believer in framing I feel like this disqualifies the Sox catcher shuffle from being the worst move of the offseason.

Here are two facts. 1) The Sox will try to contend in 2016. 2) As of now, Avisail Garcia is their starting right fielder. Each day that passes makes it more likely to stay this way. I cannot reconcile these two facts. It does not matter why they are both facts, all the reasons lead to the same conclusion. Mistakes were made.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 01:34 PM) Can't believe I'm arguing on the side of 2k5, surely it's a new year! Pnoles had a piece on SSS the other day pedantically explaining an normal distribution to and how another 2 WAR would put the Sox closer to the occasional outcomes around 88 wins (and thus playoffs). Well OK, but every team in the Central other than the Twins is in the same damn boat. I'd much rather wait and see how things look in July and then see where the Sox are looking relative the division and wild card race. What Pnoles really never acknowledged is that the Sox are just as likely to fall on the wrong side of the distribution curve as the the "right" side. By waiting until July you get much, much more information on where your team is. Other than signing Fowler for a reasonable deal I really think the position right now is "wait and see". He acknowledged it by printing each team's playoff odds in his simulation in the article. Rebuilding teams are out to learn about their players. The Sox are out to win, they've already made that choice. By upgrading now, they slide their curve to the right, past or closer to the other teams in the division. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 01:50 PM) I have said all winter that I don't think it is fear. I think it is a limitation of resources. They have spent all winter trying to get someone, but haven't been able to. That tells me there is more to the story than fear. If they knew there were limitations that would prevent them from finishing the job, then as I've said all winter, they shouldn't have borrowed from the future to become a .500 team. If they didn't know, that's worse.

Sox 17th in Jonah Keri's power rankings, immediately behind Detroit and Cleveland. Twins 22, Royals 10. http://www.si.com/mlb/2016/02/18/the-30-pr...-power-rankings

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 10:42 AM) It's amazing to me how many people seemingly changed their mind in the last few weeks about being ok with Avi getting all the at bats in RF. The fluff pieces have worked, it appears. I am equally dumbfounded. Cognitive dissonance, I guess. Easier to focus on the tiny likelihood of Garcia reaching his upside than admit the front office's failure. None of y'all who are fine with Avi get to complain when the Sox fall short. I'm keeping a list (no I'm not).

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 07:34 PM) If you think the delta between Avi and Jackson in 2016 will be 3.7 WAR you're off your rocker. Austin Jackson is not putting this team over the top. There's a reason nobody has bothered signing him. I mis read his age earlier he's "only" 29 instead of 30 and you're going to be asking him to play a new position, RF -- FWIW he has a negative fWAR in RF in an ultra small sample size. Avi sucks but just like Viciedo the scenario is such that you pretty much have to give him another 300 or so PA to figure out if you can safely cut bait. A torn labrum is no joke and an obvious reason why he was unable to consistently generate bat speed or play any sort of defense last year. I'm not expecting him to turn into a 4 WAR player but would anyone be shocked if both him and Jackson finished around 1 fWAR this season? It really surprises me how many folks think the Austin Jackson is some surefire upgrade. I just don't think you've looked at his stats or watched him play since he left Detroit. He's clearly a player in decline that relies on his athletic ability (which is leaving him) for most of his value. FFS he had a .311 OBP and struck out 22% of the time last year -- and this was a bounceback for him! Jackson is a better player than Avi, nobody is going to dispute that. But there's more to it than just that. "You pretty much have to start this sub-replacement level guy while we're trying to win on the remote chance that he doesn't suck." You don't pretty much have to do anything. Garcia is a bad baseball player and he has not earned another half season. He just hasn't, he does everything poorly. I also find it incredible that you would mention Viciedo's name in support of Avi. If Viciedo taught us anything, it's that once you know a guy is bad, you stop giving him chances. Earlier in the thread you brought up the opportunity cost of signing Jackson. Well, the Sox are at a crucial part of the win curve. They're probably a .500 team right now. Luck will likely push them five games in either direction. The AL will be fiercely competitive. HERE is the key point of my post: The opportunity cost of rolling with Garcia is that he is predictably terrible again and you miss the playoffs by one or two games. I'm not even specifically advocating for Jackson, but even if I accept the claim that he'll only be one win better than Avi next year, that's fine. We need that one win. And I see an increasing number of posters saying, "Welp, just go with Avi, we can always replace him in July." No. I just outlined why you can't do that. And I wonder if Avi were on some random team and had done how he's done, would there be anybody on this board going to bat for him? No. He'd be just another bad player. There'd be no excuses about the number of full seasons, or his age, or injuries that sapped defensive ability that he's never had anyway.

No.