6 minutes ago, IWokeUpLikeThis said:

Yes, George owns Windy City Limousine. He also has a Windy City Limousine patch on the back neck of his M&M’s jacket. 

Why in the world is he addicted to that damned jacket then. He must get paid by Mars Corp or something.

 

1 hour ago, DoUEvenShift said:

Has anyone ever sat in the Scout Seats? If so how was the experience?  I was thinking about pulling the trigger soon. (I see tickets in the $250-$300 range on stubhub) 

I concur, this is not a good season with the closure of the lounge downstairs, you need to go upstairs for any decent kind of beer or drinks, and it's a cluster with the lack of staffing / Chicago COVID rules at this point.

1 hour ago, Capn12 said:

Collins: 24-22 in games started at catcher. .522
Grandal: 31-21 in games started at catcher. .596
Zavala: 14-7 in games started at catcher. .667

The point from me wasn't, we need Grandal in the lineup, so the quoted stats above are skewed. The point was, we need Grandal BEHIND THE PLATE, and clearly, stats support that.

Zavala (37th) is out catching Grandal (44th) in the one thing Grandal can do well behind the plate, pitch frame.  

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/catcher_framing?year=2021&team=&min=100&sort=4,1

Zavala has a .768 OPS, and is $18M cheaper. Grandal is a sunk cost. He is an upgrade offensively, but definitely not a savor, or worth $18M more per year. If he was, the team would be playing a hell of a lot worse than .667 baseball they are when Selby Zavala is catching. (Grandal's percentage is .596).

• .768 OPS / 109 + OPS
• Young, healthy, ML minimum salary
• Superior pitch framer
• .667 team winning percentage in Zavala starts (vs. Grandal's .596)
• 2020 was the same story, as McCann held a 17-10 .630 record in games started vs. 17-15 .531 for Grandal (Collins 1-0 in his lone start).

Collins has been majorly disappointing since Grandal's latest injury, but Zavala cannot catch every ball game (same with Robert who needs rest, regardless of the poor present options to back him up). Just grateful Zavala stepped up when his opportunity arrived. He is playing 3+ out of every 5 turns through the rotation, and has been a huge asset to the Chicago White Sox.

 

Shoving a whole bunch of different small sample sizes into one post doesn't make it a larger sample size.

1 minute ago, WhiteSoxFan1993 said:

Shoving a whole bunch of different small sample sizes into one post doesn't make it a larger sample size.

$73M (Grandal) vs. $2.4M (Four Zavala)

Is one worth the difference, or can the money be better spent across the roster. That is what I have questioned since the signing. Keuchel is another contract to consider regarding overpaying when there are also other glaring needs (like the perennial hole in RF).

 

11 minutes ago, South Side Hit Men said:

 

I concur, this is not a good season with the closure of the lounge downstairs, you need to go upstairs for any decent kind of beer or drinks, and it's a cluster with the lack of staffing / Chicago COVID rules at this point.

Zavala (37th) is out catching Grandal (44th) in the one thing Grandal can do well behind the plate, pitch frame.  

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/catcher_framing?year=2021&team=&min=100&sort=4,1

Zavala has a .768 OPS, and is $18M cheaper. Grandal is a sunk cost. He is an upgrade offensively, but definitely not a savor, or worth $18M more per year. If he was, the team would be playing a hell of a lot worse than .667 baseball they are when Selby Zavala is catching. (Grandal's percentage is .596).

• .768 OPS / 109 + OPS
• Young, healthy, ML minimum salary
• Superior pitch framer
• .667 team winning percentage in Zavala starts (vs. Grandal's .596)
• 2020 was the same story, as McCann held a 17-10 .630 record in games started vs. 17-15 .531 for Grandal (Collins 1-0 in his lone start).

Collins has been majorly disappointing since Grandal's latest injury, but Zavala cannot catch every ball game (same with Robert who needs rest, regardless of the poor present options to back him up). Just grateful Zavala stepped up when his opportunity arrived. He is playing 3+ out of every 5 turns through the rotation, and has been a huge asset to the Chicago White Sox.

 

The idea, being...we're paying Grandal, either way. The 2 best options are pretty clear, and hopefully we don't carry Collins on the roster, just because those that make decisions, don't want to admit to another bad draft pick.

1 minute ago, South Side Hit Men said:

$73M (Grandal) vs. $2.4M (Four Zavala)

Is one worth the difference, or can the money be better spent across the roster. That is what I have questioned since the signing. Keuchel is another contract to consider regarding overpaying when there are also other glaring needs (like the perennial hole in RF).

 

If you could guarantee Zavala puts up a 109 OPS+ for the next 5 years, of course you should unload Grandal's contract, but I think we all know that's incredibly unlikely.

Also consider that this lineup is already righty heavy and you'd be unloading what has been the best lefty bat this season.

Best case scenario is that Zavala plays well enough the rest of this year that the Sox don't feel the need to find a backup catcher in free agency.

2 minutes ago, Capn12 said:

The idea, being...we're paying Grandal, either way. The 2 best options are pretty clear, and hopefully we don't carry Collins on the roster, just because those that make decisions, don't want to admit to another bad draft pick.

Agreed. Not sure if Collins has one more chance to gain sustainable improvements both offensively and defensively. I was hopeful he was able to make the leap to perhaps be a starter when Grandal's contract was up, but he may not even be in baseball at that point. Hopefully Seby can play at his current level, and possibly continue to work defensively and hit well with regular at bats.

@WhiteSoxFan1993 - I agree, time will tell whether Seby can have sustained success at this level, though there are many low cost catchers available each offseason/trade deadline as well if he does not work out. With the Sox payroll increasing by over 50% since his signing (high $120M to around $170-$180M based on who the retain / sign), Grandal's contract isn't as significant as it was when it took up nearly 15% of payroll. Hopefully he is committed to working with our top pitchers, and is able to catch 90-100 games each of the remaining two seasons. He can have significant ABs in the playoffs, as he did last year, so the priority this season is to get him to the point he can catch most of the playoff games.

lets baseball

Reynaldo a lil wild

that....was fine

Just now, Heads22 said:

that....was fine

Agreed, satisfactory. 

Lopez with a nice 1st inning. If he could give 5 innings tonight that would be great. Bassitt is going to be real tough.

I'm surprised we haven't seen more extreme opposite field OF shifts against TA

Lopez > giolito 

Cesar keeps getting screwed by umpires 

That is a high strike

I really don't understand how you can look at this lineup and decide to bat Cesar 2nd

Just now, maxjusttyped said:

I really don't understand how you can look at this lineup and decide to bat Cesar 2nd

Well he is their best bunter 

That was quick 

If you blinked, you missed the first inning.

10 pitch 1st for Bassitt

11 minutes ago, JoshPR said:

Reynaldo a lil wild

Having trouble commanding the fastball.  Lots of tail

Just now, fathom said:

Having trouble commanding the fastball.  Lots of tail

same problem stone pony often had.

1 minute ago, fathom said:

Having trouble commanding the fastball.  Lots of tail

If he doesn't know where it's going, then neither will the hitters.

cromulence