Offseason Part 3 - Because Part 2 Was a Dud

[chw42]

1 minute ago, maxjusttyped said:

 

Pham absolutely fell off the face of the earth in the 2nd half last year. 

[maxjusttyped]

1 minute ago, chw42 said:

Pham absolutely fell off the face of the earth in the 2nd half last year. 

I think it was just a weird BABIP thing. I didn't look into the EV numbers, but his ISO, K%, BB% etc were basically the same in the 1st and 2nd half. I know guys can fall off the cliff at 34, but I'd expect him to be pretty good this year. I wanted him as a depth signing if Conforto isn't a real possibility.

[caulfield12]

6 minutes ago, maxjusttyped said:

I think it was just a weird BABIP thing. I didn't look into the EV numbers, but his ISO, K%, BB% etc were basically the same in the 1st and 2nd half. I know guys can fall off the cliff at 34, but I'd expect him to be pretty good this year. I wanted him as a depth signing if Conforto isn't a real possibility.

He lost his power....he was the coldest hitter in baseball for two months, the best hitter in baseball for two months and then tailed off with pretty much the entire offense the last 5-6 weeks of the season.  But he's also a very bad defensive outfielder, to boot.   Which you can hide in LF if he's going to hit like expected.

Edited March 24, 2022 by caulfield12

[chw42]

25 minutes ago, maxjusttyped said:

 

I just noticed who reported that. Is that Boob's son?

[Chicago White Sox]

50 minutes ago, chw42 said:

I just noticed who reported that. Is that Boob's son?

It is

[Chicago White Sox]

This is another good point that has been overlooked.

 

[maxjusttyped]

8 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

This is another good point that has been overlooked.

 

Sox had the right idea stealing a pitching coach from the Giants and that's been a huge success. How many years until they realize the same thing needs to happen on the hitting side too?

[Jack Parkman]

24 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

This is another good point that has been overlooked.

 

Yeah, what happens if most of those ground balls start turning into outs? 

[caulfield12]

18 minutes ago, maxjusttyped said:

Sox had the right idea stealing a pitching coach from the Giants and that's been a huge success. How many years until they realize the same thing needs to happen on the hitting side too?

Who is Conforto's favorite personal hitting coach?  Just use the Giolito arbitration "savings" as a down payment on a retainer.

[caulfield12]

6 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

Yeah, what happens if most of those ground balls start turning into outs? 

Or most likely, double plays...with Josh hitting at the bottom of the lineup behind the boppers, unless TLR can turn back the clock to a decade ago when Harrison was actually a very solid #1/2 hitter.

Edited March 24, 2022 by caulfield12

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

2 hours ago, maxjusttyped said:

Conforto and Gardner are down to being the last 2 outfielders left that you can comfortably say are better than replacement level.

I didn't realize Gardner was out there. Obviously a lot less sexy than Conforto, but he would come cheaper and probably on a 1 year deal, and is somehow still a 1.5-2 fWAR guy late in to his 30s, and remarkably healthy for a speed guy. 

I'm at the point now where I would actually be fine with that. Platoon him with Engel if you must.

[caulfield12]

6 minutes ago, ChiliIrishHammock24 said:

I didn't realize Gardner was out there. Obviously a lot less sexy than Conforto, but he would come cheaper and probably on a 1 year deal, and is somehow still a 1.5-2 fWAR guy late in to his 30s, and remarkably healthy for a speed guy. 

I'm at the point now where I would actually be fine with that. Platoon him with Engel if you must.

Then you're sending Vaughn to the minors, or playing him in LF with Jimenez at DH and Gavin Sheets likely traded as part of a package for pitching?

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

16 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Then you're sending Vaughn to the minors, or playing him in LF with Jimenez at DH and Gavin Sheets likely traded as part of a package for pitching?

Vaughn to DH (Should be Eloy, but that doesn't appear the be possible), Sheets on the bench, getting occasional starts at DH and LF. But also completely fine with Sheets getting traded for an SP.

[maxjusttyped]

32 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Then you're sending Vaughn to the minors, or playing him in LF with Jimenez at DH and Gavin Sheets likely traded as part of a package for pitching?

I'm not calling you out specifically, just in general, I don't understand why everyone is acting as if the entire starting lineup will stay healthy the entire season. That is not how this works at all. Vaughn can still play a ton even if another outfielder is added to the mix.

[caulfield12]

22 minutes ago, maxjusttyped said:

I'm not calling you out specifically, just in general, I don't understand why everyone is acting as if the entire starting lineup will stay healthy the entire season. That is not how this works at all. Vaughn can still play a ton even if another outfielder is added to the mix.

As long as he gets to play 4-5 days per week....no less than 4.

[MiddleCoastBias]

1 hour ago, ChiliIrishHammock24 said:

I didn't realize Gardner was out there. Obviously a lot less sexy than Conforto, but he would come cheaper and probably on a 1 year deal, and is somehow still a 1.5-2 fWAR guy late in to his 30s, and remarkably healthy for a speed guy. 

I'm at the point now where I would actually be fine with that. Platoon him with Engel if you must.

Gardner is going back to NYY, that's expected. They've even been saving his locker for him in their spring training facility. His agent even said in February that he prefers to finish his career in NY.

[Chicago White Sox]

Hey Rick Hahn, just a reminder that injuries happen:

• Adam Engel: 124 
• Eloy Jimenez: 117
• Luis Robert: 101
• Yasmani Grandal: 53
• Tim Anderson: 25
• Andrew Vaugh: 17

That’s six key position players who missed over 10% of the season due to injury.  And yes, I know we were the victim of extreme bad luck, but hope ya’ll are ready for Leury Garcia as a near everyday guy, plenty of Gavin Sheets in the OF, and lots of Zack Collins behind the plate!

[Balta1701]

49 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Hey Rick Hahn, just a reminder that injuries happen:

• Adam Engel: 124 
• Eloy Jimenez: 117
• Luis Robert: 101
• Yasmani Grandal: 53
• Tim Anderson: 25
• Andrew Vaugh: 17

That’s six key position players who missed over 10% of the season due to injury.  And yes, I know we were the victim of extreme bad luck, but hope ya’ll are ready for Leury Garcia as a near everyday guy, plenty of Gavin Sheets in the OF, and lots of Zack Collins behind the plate!

The White Sox were also in the top 5 teams for fewest games spent on IL last year, so to me the idea that the 2021 White Sox saw extreme bad luck in health is extremely dubious.

[Two-Gun Pete]

12 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

The White Sox were also in the top 5 teams for fewest games spent on IL last year, so to me the idea that the 2021 White Sox saw extreme bad luck in health is extremely dubious.

I was just about to post the same thing. Do you have the link, though? 

 

I will agree with Chicago White Sox that there are a handful of players that have not-insignificant injury histories that a MORE prudent GM would have planned for.

Now, add in the occasional square peg being forced into a round hole (Vaughn and Sheets). And add in your geezing geezers in the roster (Abreu, Harrison, Lynn, Keuchel, Kelly), and now you've got a risk factor that a competent FO really shouldn't ignore.

But, to CWS' point, those bozos ARE ignoring this very real risk.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Two-Gun Pete

[FoxForce2]

11 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

The White Sox were also in the top 5 teams for fewest games spent on IL last year, so to me the idea that the 2021 White Sox saw extreme bad luck in health is extremely dubious.

But the extended loss of Robert and Eloy was a loss of concentrated value. Extreme bad luck? Maybe not, but the concurrent loss of those two was pretty much a sharp stick in the eye.

[bear_brian]

Ironically the Sox played some of their best baseball without those two.

[caulfield12]

1 hour ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Hey Rick Hahn, just a reminder that injuries happen:

• Adam Engel: 124 
• Eloy Jimenez: 117
• Luis Robert: 101
• Yasmani Grandal: 53
• Tim Anderson: 25
• Andrew Vaugh: 17

That’s six key position players who missed over 10% of the season due to injury.  And yes, I know we were the victim of extreme bad luck, but hope ya’ll are ready for Leury Garcia as a near everyday guy, plenty of Gavin Sheets in the OF, and lots of Zack Collins behind the plate!

Hence the trade of Kimbrel and Adolfo for either Caratini or Alfaro (two homers already this spring.)

That dramatically improves one position and should free up at least another $8-12 million the TDL.

[Balta1701]

5 minutes ago, Two-Gun Pete said:

I was just about to post the same thing. Do you have the link, though? 

 

I will agree with Chicago White Sox that there are a handful of players that have not-insignificant injury histories that a MORE prudent GM would have planned for.

Now, add in the occasional square peg being forced into a round hole (Vaughn and Sheets). And add in your geezing geezers in the roster (Abreu, Harrison, Lynn, Keuchel, Kelly), and now you've got a risk factor that a competent FO really shouldn't ignore.

But, to CWS' point, those bozos ARE ignoring this very real risk.

Spotrac has a tracker. I was slightly wrong, they were the 6th healthiest, not 5th. It’s early and I’m at the dentist, sorry.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/disabled-list/2021/cumulative-team/ 

[FoxForce2]

6 minutes ago, bear_brian said:

Ironically the Sox played some of their best baseball without those two.

For all of TLR's flaws and faults as a modern manager, I have to give him some credit for effectively juggling the lineup. Of course, getting first class SP through the AS break and a lightning-in-a-bottle April from Mercedes didn't hurt.

Edited March 24, 2022 by FoxForce2

[SouthSideGeorgia]

15 hours ago, fathom said:

Feels like today is the culmination of all the stupid decisions coming to a head.  Giolito screwed and Kimbrel reminding us he still sucks makes this a crappy Sox day.  

Just want until today when the Sox face Rodon…