FT35

What ever happened to Seth Beer? Is he out of the converstaion now?

Yep. Forgot about that.

Twins are the dark horse for me. That new pitching staff is starting to take shape—Romero, Berrios, Gibson. Plus Rosario looks like a budding star, with guys like Buxton, Sano and even Escobar. Dozier has several more good years in him. Plus they have Royce Lewis in the system. They could be a big FA signing or 2 away from a serious contender.

Yes...but think about what all he's endured...what he's been forced to watch. The Robin Ventura era of White Sox baseball was enough to turn the ever-optimistic Spongebob into a grumpy old "I told you so" grandpa. You have the Ronald Belasario closing experiment and his 8 losses and 4 blown saves, riding the Gordon Beckham train into the ocean, watching Viciedo self-destruct, DrakeGate, Courtney Hawkins as your ONLY hope in the farm system, 1064 Adam Dunn ABs in 2 years. Try to fill air time with optimism with all that going on! Hawk aged 15 years in 4 seasons because of the level of on-field product decay.

You're right...it shouldn't matter if the guys like each other, but I'm not saying it matters. I'm pointing out more along the lines of the culture being good. It's difficult to create a good culture that is focused on learning and development. Throwing in a guy who has a poor attitude and has struggled with alcohol issues isn't the best influence on a group of young players who are learning to play the game the right way. They might love him...but at this point, that type of signing probably isn't the best now that the ship is finally moving in the right direction after 12 years....

I wonder how long we’ll wait till we see Moncada (or any White Sox player) on some of the MLB made commercials. Maybe an all-star selection does it?

Sox have a good thing going—seems like a close group, very positive clubhouse, lots of learning—why take a chance of derailing that?

Obviously we won't be alone at the top when we start to get good. Who do you all think is shaping up to pose the biggest threat to the Sox during our contending years? I think Houston and the Yankees will still be around and great. Boston will likely stay relavent. Cubs will have a competitive core still. Washington will look different if Harper leaves. Toronto, Philly and Atlanta's prospects are starting to put them on the map and my surprise team is Minnesota. Why? Because they are always a thorn in our side when we are contending...they also have some nice players in the que. Yankees will be tough to beat...even with us roling out a Moncada, Jimenez, Robert and Anderson core every night.

And still playing at a high level. I like it!

Excatly. I am beginning to really dislike all the people out there who use the phrase "work smarter, not harder." No...we should work smarter AND harder. Push BOTH bars high and gain an advantage over all those who have decided to pick just one. I'm talking smarter in the sense that you should play as hard as your body will allow. If it's raining and you're hamstring is sore and you are wondering whether you should try to risk an extra base--then no, take the smart approach, run as hard as your body will allow to your base and be ready to go if there's a bobble or misplay of any kind. Run as hard as you can to first base all the time--If it's not fast enough, let the manager make the call to keep you out of the lineup for someone healthier--but as long as you're in there--you play as smart and as hard as you can. Know your body and it's abilities on any given day and be ready to play as hard as it allows without being stupid--unless you're in a game 7 situation and there is no tomorrow. In that case...keep playing hard with that bloody sock.

It's the only acceptable way to play the game. Hustle isn't always running into the walls, it's a mindset that improves every aspect of the game--mental sharpness, the will to win. You must apply it to every aspect of the game so it becomes reflex. He won't achieve any star profile without it. It is Renteria's job to make sure that his players are engaged and performing at their highest possible level at all times. Maybe if Moncada plays balls to the wall everyday for the next 8 years he can have a lazy moment--then people will look at it and say--yeah, he had a bad moment, but that's not the player he is and it probably won't happen again...THAT is when the free pass comes...not in his first full season in the major leagues when he's still being defined and bulding habits and team culture. We need to break those bad habits of disengagement and the "too proud to run it out" mindsets now--for everyone--we will not become a winning team on talent alone.

Good. Now he knows that the way to play for this team is to hustle. Message received. Hustle benefits the team 99/100 times--with the 1% fluke ankle twist/bruise in there. I'm ok with it.

I actually thought he meant “Michael Jordan” with the 45 comment! Anyhow...I think they will ride Anderson at SS. A Machado acquisition might force a mindset change on the left side of the infield, but I think many believe in him at SS. That’s a LOT of errors though...yikes. He kind of reminds me of Alfonso Soriano—they eventually pushed him to the OF.

Yeah, I think we will end up sticking to the template of buying an ace when we’re ready to make a run, even if we have 1 or 2 who have developed by then. Tough call on Rodon though. I mean you want him to be good, but good drives his price up right at the time he becomes a FA. Plus 2021 would be the earliest our window would start to crack open—so his current contract is not as important as his next. Is Carlos Rodon “The man” we will build our top teams’ rotations around? Cause I think if he shows us that more talent is developing between now and then (on bad teams), Boras will price him as such. We could take on significant payroll this winter...I don’t know how Carlos fits for a big extension with what he’s shown. Just need a larger sample size. Still lots of time to see I suppose.

Not a bad return for an injury prone Boras client.

Off the wall thought of the night...but Ian Happ sure looks out of place right now on the north side—with Baez running away with the 2nd base job and Almora Jr. doing the same in CF...could we put him to work?? They probably want a pitcher...Jones? Rodon? Ok I’m going to shut up now.

Don't know about Altuve, but closer to Brian Dozier's stat line with the lower average in there. Either way, I'll take it!

Fair. Just hope the return rate gets a lot higher. While I like him, it's tough to hang your hat on Yolmer Sanchez as the best your organization has to show for your player development staff. Especially over a multi-year sample. But I do agree--I see some evidence of fundamental knowledge with Yolmer. Just wonder if it was there before he came to us or as a result of being with our guys. A lot of this has to do with our drafting style--drafting tools and athletes over baseball players/fundamentals. Problem is, these guys breeze through their bench press drills, but struggle with the basics--the basic understanding of the game. I absolutely believe they have the skills to succeed and they are too good not to compete at this level eventually--but man, just looking at our track record of developing players to make a seamless transition to the big leagues is kind of shaky. Our MLB roster is looking more and more like a collection of our best organazational options, rather than guys who are ready to compete at this level. You can see why Rick Hahn and the front office made the decision to pull the plug on the direction of the White Sox...they probably saw this coming a few years ago and though...YIKES......Minus the guys we got in firesale trades, this year's team is mostly the product of decisions made in 2015-2016. Not good!

VERY MUCH agree with this. I've always been skeptical that they have had good teachers as coaches in our system. A lot of these kids are right out of college/sometimes high school and learning seems to stop their senior year. I haven't seen a fundamentally sound player produced by our system in a long time. I've seen natural talent graduated to the big leagues, and continue to refine itself at the MLB level but when was the last fundamentally sound player produced by our system? Who is still teaching them? I see Renteria teaching in games--but I agree with you 100%, it seems like the info is brand new to these guys. MLB players clueless to the fundamentals of the game. But boy they know all about the launch angle!!! They know that part really well!

I think the key is to build consistency in other ways--culture for example. They aren't ready to compete at the MLB level because they don't have a grip on the infrastructure of things. Competing in games in the final phase. They need to focus not just on learning, but the learning process. You have to stick to your guns amidst the chaos and I think if you look a little deeper, you'll see signs that we are doing just that. Building structure is critical. Rules. Repitition. Expectations. It's the dirty work that no one wants to be a part of. Honestly, from an instructional staff standpoint, you have to approach it like this. Continue to give consistent, correct information whenever possible. Constantly, vocally repeat the rules of the game and the correct ways to mentally process the game. Reinforce everything/always. Players will go through a pattern of receiving that information. It will go like this "duh, I know that" to "I know" to "I know w/annoyance" to "I know w/anger" to "why on earth do they keep saying this," to "these guys are crazy for saying this over and over," to "I'm done with this!" Once that happens...true learning is near! From there, they will entertain the instruction by focusing on it--usually first out of spite or pure entertainment value--then a positive result will come of it. That will get everyone's attention. Trust will build and since the process has been drilled so far into their heads, it will start to come easier and more naturally. It will start to show up in games and then it will start to impact the outcome of games. Once that happens it will become extremely important to everyone and they will start to make personal sacrifices in order to further the team goal, more importantly...they team "way." They will have learned how to play and win together. It's Pavlov's dogs. It's in all the text books because it's an actual thing. Ricky is doing that now. Defining what should be done, defining everyone's responsibility, definining the culture, defining the type of gameplay we're going for and having real, consistent positive/negative consequences for players along the way. Benching players is important if patterns develop that go against what we are going for. Watch "Miracle" and the way Herb Brooks teaches the kids on the Miracle on Ice team. Early on, HE looked like the crazy one and the tendency is to side with the players. Managerial credit is the LAST step to come around--not until the team starts to win consistently do you see the "this guy's a genius" comments start. Until then, it's rough going...why? Because in a complete rebuild, you don't start with how to win. You start with how to think...THEN how to play. Right now we are somewhere in that process and everyone's solution is indictive on where they think we are or should be in that process. Our people know where we actually are. Rick Renteria knows where they are and what to do. He's a professional with more experience than any of us doing this very thing. Let him work, let him bench, let him teach, and manage. The on-field product is horrific because they are in a state of teaching and initial learning. Seeing them getting blown out consistently just means that the opportunity is prime for messages to sink in. Players are more understanding to the fact that they need to listen closer. Managerial messaging should be "I will continue to show confidence in you as long as you are playing the right way...if you are not playing the right way, I will take you out of the lineup and help you by having you work with our instructional staff until you get back on track--then you will be back in the lineup." Mistakes don't get you out of the lineup--but poor effort will.

Anyone else find it strange that the April 15th game is being made up a month before the April 14th game? I guess it really doesn't matter, but still seems odd.

QUOTE (SonofaRoache @ Apr 16, 2018 -> 12:05 AM) That wasn't the point. The point was the evaluation of that trade shouldn't be Sale for 6.5 years of Moncada and Kopech, when history may show other options were better. Also, I said the trade needed to happen as it did and we shouldn't regret it no matter the results. I don't think this would happen--but even if Moncada was a bust (Gordan Beckham), having Kopech there in our competative window as opposed to a declining Sale (by the time that window gets here)...could be enough to win that trade. I think at the very least (assuming no injuries), you will have a very serviceable Mondaca with an above average WAR, and a top 3-5 TOR starter in the AL in Kopech in his prime (which aligns with your team's window), for 4 meaningless years of Sale. I don't hate that. The superstar in the deal might not turn out to be the guy who everyone thought it would be--but that superstar was in the deal.

QUOTE (soxfan49 @ Apr 8, 2018 -> 05:20 PM) I just can’t believe that anyone truly thinks that he looks fine and is not struggling. This is absolutely nuts I think he’s struggling from the standpoint of not getting hits to fall—not struggling to belong in the league. He looks and plays like a major leaguer—does not look out of place. That’s a big difference I think.

QUOTE (miracleon35th @ Apr 8, 2018 -> 03:37 AM) I liked Hawk and Wimpy. I always thought Stone liked the Cubs better and that he would have been more comfortable staying on the North side. Benetti? The nerdish look and routine just doesn't work for me.. Sox Math, the play shelf, pandering to Stone, the oddly configured straight man/funny man 9 inning comedy team. And God forbid you go too hard on Benny because he is handicapped. But that isn'y what this is about. He just doesn't cut it and cannot fill the shoes of Harry and Hawk who came before him. One thing that hasn't been discussed is the antipathy for the Cubs that both Hawk and Harry had as Sox announcers (yes, Harry used to wail on the Cubs). Sox fans loved that. Cub/Sox in Chicago is like the Hatfields and McCoys, Republican v. Democrat, Religious vs Agnostic. Right or wrong you take a side and that's pretty much it. Anyway, let's see what happens after a full season. Maybe people will get used to Benet and Stone's shtick. On the other hand maybe their routine will wear on fans, diminish fan interest, reduce ticket sales and advertising revenue, etc. That is what would make it obvious to ownership that it is time for a change. The Hawk/Wimpy combo was my favorite. Wimpy’s silly was actually funny. Wanted to throw this out there...what if Steve and Jason switched roles? Steve and his more serious approach calling the majority of plays, and Jason interjecting the humor on a less frequent basis? I think it might not be as much overkill. Also don’t think what they have would drive fans away—just gets annoying over time.

QUOTE (bmags @ Apr 5, 2018 -> 03:28 PM) Bennetti's call of Abreu's home run was great. That is something that develops with more time. Stone and Bennetti during the review process last night were great. That again, will develop with time. I do agree...this was a great call. Can't argue with that.