Two-Gun Pete

No, you try to attack me over the obvious, which is that this team did not need another closer. When I show data proving it, you attack me. When I illustrate how silly [snicker] Relief Pitcher ERA, over a microscopic sample size is, you attack me again. It's all so "WSI" of you. Either we all "toe the line" and think the same way, or the other party is "whining" or "crying" or whatever. Sorry, but I'll never contort my mind into believing that Kimbrel was ever a good idea. It was an incredibly dumb idea that did nothing for the 2021 team, while making the 2022 team and beyond older, worse, and more expensive.

Yup, since we're going "back in time" with our RP analysis, Ruiz's 2.53 ERA was such a tragedy. And Heuer's 2.79 [snicker] ERA was horrific, right? [Look into who gets charged with "earned" runs if they inheirit a runner.] Also, really? a 6.2 or 6.1 or 4.1 IP sample size? Why not limit it further to ONLY tuesday afternoon games in July? That way, we'd get a representative sample of a useful metric [snicker, RP ERA] that has true meaning. Also, I didn't cite "whole season" WAR, I sorted it to the pre-TDL totals. Yes, Hendriks accumulated 1.6 fWAR out of the 4.1 the team accumulated before the TDL.

Thanks for the latest iteration of, "Fun With Sample Sizes!" July 2021 IP: Ruiz: 9.2 IP Kopech 10.0 IP Bummer: 4.1 IP Crochet: 6.2 IP Heuer: 8.2 IP Foster: 6.1 IP Burr: 9.1 IP I mean, 6.1 or 6.2 IP are truly illuminating, amirite? And "reliever ERA," that's so modern and advanced.

I know, right? Fun with sample sizes, AND [snicker] relief pitcher ERA? The year 1985 wants its pitching analysis back.

Incorrect. Atlanta, who were ~.500 at the TDL, had more HOLDS than our SOX. Atlanta had only 12 more HOLDS, despite their RPs appearing in 68 more games, and throwing 40 more IP. More appearances = more opportunities for holds. Kinda like more PA = more opportunity to produce for batters. So, bat Leury 3rd.

Incorrect. Fewer appearances generally = fewer HOLDS for a pen, because of fewer opportunities for HOLDS. However, this was a pen with the fewEST IP, and 2nd fewEST appearances, yet they managed middle of the road HOLDS. This was not a team that had any need for a closer.

Incorrect. If your manager would rather wear down the rotation instead of using the bullpen, your RPs have fewer opportunities to accumulate fWAR and HOLDS. Despite the fact that the SOX bullpen had the fewest IP and the 2nd-fewest game appearances at the TDL, the pen STILL produced middle-of-the road HOLDS totals. That was a pen that punched above its weight, given the limitations on appearances by the manager. And yes, Hendriks was quite good as well.

LOL, was that the "eye test" metric you're using? Sorry, but numbers don't lie. You [and more importantly, RH] were dead wrong on that. I knew it BEFORE they squandered assets on Kimbrel, pretty much the rest of SOX fans discovered it this offseason, which leaves just you and RH to defend this move.

We'll use THESE NUMBERS from Fangraphs, which show the different MLB bullpens by the TDL last season. The SOX were: 5th in fWAR at the TDL, despite pitching THE FEWEST IP in MLB up to the TDL, 10th in FIP at the TDL, 6th in SAVES, and 12th in HOLDS IOW, they were REALLY, REALLY good [based on fWAR], despite pitching the fewest IP in the game. They were top 10 in Saves and middle of the road in Holds, proving that they didn't have "one reliable reliever at the time," or else one of these stats or the other would have been weak. Of course, since SOX RPs appeared in the 2nd fewest games, and had the fewest IP in MLB at the TDL, the HOLDS category was suppressed by the fact that TLR doesn't know how to use a bullpen in the 21st Century. So what, exactly, were you trying to sell us to carry water for the FO again?

So, you claim that the 2021 Chicago White Sox had a bad bullpen? By what metric? Or, are you simply defending the Kimbrel trade to carry water for the FO?

Wait, what?

And its cute that you think that 1 measly season out of the top 10 in attendance over the past decade had anything to do with GarPax being canned. The "Fire GarPax" chants at the All Star Game, the billboard, and in every other way fans provided the proper feedback had nothing to do with it, amirite? Instead, according to you, Bulls fans should have criticized their fellow fans, just like some do here. Got it.

And Quin brought up a cogent point, WRT GarPax. Prior to them stepping down, pretty much everyone I know who are/were Bulls fans wanted them gone. They didn't waste their time "whining" and "crying" about their fellow fans who rightly criticized GarPax and the Reinsdorfs. Even scrubs fans who are also Bulls fans criticized them, and were stunned at how incompetently the Bulls were run. And now, look how far they've come, without having impossible draft lottery luck. Smarter FO decisions lead to a sea-change in fortunes for the Bulls, not bitching about the fans that rightly criticized them. And I think there are lessons for the SOX and their fans from the Bulls and their fans. We as SOX fans SHOULD criticize the hell out of the FO, until they do better. And yes, with better FO decision-making, this org could rule like tyrants over the ALC, and regularly challenge for pennants and WS. But bitching about your fellow SOX fans is pretty useless. No true fan wants to "hurt" the team they love. True fans just deserve better than we've been given.

And I agree with all of this. But let me ask you: If we as a fandom act like obedient lackeys, and give those assholes in the FO a free pass, scrubs fans-style from 1970 - 2015, do you think there's a snowball's chance in hell that anything will change? Or do you think JR will simply be happy counting his money? For me, I believe that we should put those clowns on notice basically everywhere and every way possible. Because they've shat themselves over and over again.

Yes, you SHOULD hold this organization accountable. It is YOUR right to verbalize displeasure, but it is also YOUR responsibility to give them the proper feedback and [Gunny Hartman] "the proper motivation" to get their heads and asses wired together correctly. Otherwise, this org would become a profitable Washington Generals, if JR had his way: In second place, and in the black on his PNL statement every single year. And yes, you should have wanted GarPax to trade Deng, and you should have been irritated that there was no real reason for that move to not happen, and for those two to have been in charge. Once they [rightly] moved on, THEN you can let them off the hook. Similarly, once KW/RH, Getz, Hostetler, and basically everyone not named "Marco Paddy" are rightly terminated, I will also let them off the hook. I promise. But letting them off the hook for even a heartbeat BEFORE then is a quick road to loserdom, because they've committed several fireable offenses both this offseason, and over their tenures. That said, you wanted to talk about how they could possibly improve? I'm game.

Well, I appreciate you [indirectly] agreeing with me. But why don't you direct your IRE at the FO [where it rightly belongs], instead of at me? Any of us could have seen that TLR needed to accept supervision, or to accept assistance with managing the team. And any one of us could have seen that spending money in FA this offseason was and is vastly superior to them overspending on RPs, then having to reactively try to save the day by trading the last bits of value in the system later. And yes, I agree with YOU that the more VV and Keuchel shit their pants, the more likely it is that RH makes a desperation move that he DIDN'T need to make if he acted proactively.

I appreciate that you like me better than most. But honestly, you're basically asking for an "Offseason Do-Over," in terms of the acquisitions. Beyond that, you're asking for TLR to be supervised by like, ANYONE, and we both know that won't happen. Or alternatively, you're asking for TLR to lower himself to accepting the counsel of his assistants, and we similarly both know that ain't happening. We've lost a couple games ALREADY, based on TLR's decisionmaking. And, we've probably lost another game or two because they just "HAD TO" do what they did this offseason, and fail to replace Rodon. It is what it is.

I kinda hope this game gets postponed, so that they can STEW awhile at how shitty they've been in recent games.

You mean TWTW? With "High Energy" Harrison, we've got all the TWTW we can handle.

So, in other words, you want this FO to have a "DO-OVER" in terms of doing shit they SHOULD HAVE done this offseason? Shit that most of us could have seen as necessary back in, oh I dunno, the instant the 3rd out of the 9th Inning of Game 4 in last year's ALDS? Good luck with that.

Or maybe they could have gone: Yimi Garcia instead of Cripple Kelly, saving $3MM, and signed a warm MiLB body instead of Velasquez. If they wanted "High Energy" Negative WAR, they could have still signed him and Cueto. But, as I said all offseason, I would have gone Suzuki ($8MM this year) instead of Pollock (at $14.5MM per spotrac) as well.

Couple things: 1. Rodon, even if he only were to pitch ~100-140 IP, would have helped in the postseason. This is because the difference between 100-140 IP of Rodon, and whatever VV gives before he's DFA'ed is a HOME series vs Houston/TB/TOR, instead of another road curb-stomping. Because Vince Velasquez sucks at baseball, and Rodon is, like, GOOD at baseball. 2. Holding onto an obese $16MM option on Kimbrel prevented any action on anything else WRT the rotation. An insured ~$18-20MM contract for 100-140 IP of Rodon was a damn necessity for this roster, as I knew in the offseason, and you've discovered these last 3 games. Holy fucking shit, THIS. Fucking this. Rick Hahn, go fucking figure out what the cost of 1 WAR is in FA, BEFORE you make stoopid decisions. If you don't know what things cost, how can you be an informed consumer? And if, as a MLB executive, you can't figure out what one WAR costs, you're a fucking moron.

Fixed.

I like your optimism, sir.

And there's also no chance he gets 2/$44MM with a QO attached to him. I stand by the previous post, even if Rodon would have gotten ~$19-20MM for this year. Adding negative WAR, whether its VV, or Josh Harrison, is deleterious to your team's chances.