tray

Hard to maintain focus on the need for a Closer when the Sox only score one run. On that note, bring up Kyle Teel.

Plesac is a great choice for color commentary. He will make you forget the Benetti / Stone broadcast team so fast it isn't funny.

The infield with Vargas, Meidroth, Sosa and Elko should have been given more time. Yes Sosa is not the best defender but he has a strong arm to turn double plays, has decent range and above all, he is starting to hit. Elko needed another week or two to adjust. Now the Sox are going to really jumble the infield mix in by bringing up Colson. I have a feeling he is not going to hit, will make errors at SS and there will be calls to DFA him.

LOL @WhiteSox2023

Plesac, the other big man from Gary, as a mlb pitcher, was a Sox killer. I did not look up the stats to verify that, but I would not be surprised if they bear my memories of him out. Too bad he didn't play for the Sox.

Signing my cousin Capra must mean we won't see Colson up from the Minors any time soon, and if we do, the Sox will hedge their bets by having a back-up plan.

LH or RH swing ? I recall that he launched some balls LH with an uppercut swing. Brooks is a young player that might be trying to do too much to impress.

Those vile comments were too close to home for me on several fronts as well so I can begin to understand how Liam is outraged by this. He might be on to something when he opines that the sheer evil behind some of the most outrageous comments have only been made worse by the rise in sports gambling. That makes sports and player performance more than just a game for gamblers.

I pretty much agree that Elko should have been given a longer look. That said, sending Vaughn and Elko down seems to make sense if the purpose was to cut down on non-competitive at-bats, easy strike-outs in key at-bats, double play balls, and especially in Vaughn's case, a lack of speed on the bases. One theory is that the Sox could be manipulating the roster to eventually open up a roster spot for Colson. I hope that isn't the case.

Stone commented yesterday that in prior years, pitching was the most sought after commodity in baseball, but now "power" is. I share that view with him. Yankees figured that out long ago, maybe a real long time ago.

For the time being...pencil Vargas 3b, Meidroth SS, Sosa 2B, Elko 1B, and Vaughn DH. Elko is an athletic defender at 1B with a long reach, good arm and great hands. He stays if he hits home runs at a decent pace. Speaking of Elko someone I know thinks that, head on, he reminds them of Travis Kelce.

We were jumping up and down complaining about Eisert going in to protect a one run lead. Hard to win too many close games with a terrible bullpen.

That's some good sh1t there.

Eisert. Cross your fingers. This guy is aweful.

Exceptional (better than average) power for a middle infielder. https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/video/brooks-baldwin-homers-2-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-field

Venable foolishly played Brooks in LF where he looked bad on a few balls hit to the wall and no doubt felt bad about that. He is a shortstop not an outfielder. The thing I liked about Baldwin was that, as an infielder, he had exceptional power. 3 and almost 4 HR....more than a lot of other players on this team. He started over-swinging and striking out so ultimately, he put himself on the cut list.

There is a lot to be said about evaluating players based on their work habits, motivation, and possibly commitment to winning and to the team. That was not my point but it may have been yours. So you can safely remain in good stead with other disagree-ers. My point was about the evaluation of hitting skills. There are players in the Minor league that scouts should evaluate based on their abilities to consistently see and hit the ball. Very simple. IMO as a fan only, Colson Montgomery's ability to hit at the major league level is questionable. Braden Montgomery is the opposite. He puts the bat on the ball. Same with K Teel. Nevertheless, Sox org. keeps pushing Colson Montgomery with every development tool at their disposal even though he may well be a lost cause and conversely waiting on players like Braden and Kyle T. to "develop."

IMO..."player development" has been be overrated specifically when it comes to the ability of players to hit the baseball. OK Vargas shows short term improvement by holding his bat up higher, but arguably, that is not player development. That is a tweak for a great baseball player who plays excellent defense and already had innate eye/hand coordination/ bat skills. Compare the development resources being afforded to Colson Montgomery and the results. Look, some players are born with the eye hand coordination and the physical tools to be good hitters. Others just waste time pursuing a dream that is never going to happen or with players like AV, hit a plateau in their careers that they will never transcend. IMO, with some exceptions I am sure, a good sense for talent evaluation is far more important than player development.

So let's say ishbia or some conglomerate like Live Nation owned the Sox in 2024. What do you think they could have done to elevate the Sox line-up, rotation and bullpen ...not just incrementally, but enough to compete with the Cubs? Two or three FA signings? Uh no. Did you watch any of the 3 games ? The Cubs line-up is stacked ...8 deep now and likely will add a hitter to bolster it further. Maybe not far from the '27 Yankees. Look, the Sox were the worst team in baseball last season and they just faced one of the best teams. It is what it is. The WSox are not going to build a line-up like the cubs have for a long, ,long time. Star FAs will become available in the future but most will sign elsewhere, including with the cubs. As for now, to paraphrase Dennis Green, the cubs are who we thought they were. Crown their ass and grab some bench. I know, it hurts, but it is what it is. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you just get your ass kicked. Ouch.

LOL, they are utility players on one of if not the worst team in baseball. There are no long term position players on this team beyond Vargas and possibly Meidroth. Sosa and Baldwin can occasionally hit with power which is why they are in some games.

I expected a little more from our best starters. They lacked confidence in their pitches and threw too many gopher balls. Venable should stop spitting and focus on motivating this team to play their best against the Cubs. Only a few players looked like they did.

Maybe think outside the box and consider bringing up a few top pitchers from the Minors to act as short inning starters (1or 2 innings) ....or wait to bring them up as rotation starters next year with high inning loads and increased expectations.

I watched the game on TV. Shane left some hangers in the zone that got smashed. Thaiss sucks. There is no reason he is on the roster and Teel is in the minors.

Kyle Teel would likely have made at least one of the two tags that Thaiss missed. Bring up Teel now rather than later. Stop wasting time, a precious commodity for professional baseball players who have a short time window to play in the majors. I was disappointed in Shane today because he didn't have his usual stuff and left too many hangers that got smashed. He just wasn't on and Thaiss called a sh1t game.

Stay out of Murphy's Bleachers for a while. Bullets flying yesterday.