Seeing Roch tied up on a 3-1 inside fastball (89 mph) is the type of stuff that has to concern scouts

31 minutes ago, fathom said:

Seeing Roch tied up on a 3-1 inside fastball (89 mph) is the type of stuff that has to concern scouts

I'm sure it does. His swing will definitely look different in pro ball though.

23 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I'm sure it does. His swing will definitely look different in pro ball though.

Who's the last first rounder the Sox started out wanting to change his swing?

Burger had that arm bar thing going at Missouri State, t or h bar, whatever...

Can't remember much about Madrigal or Vaughn at draft time...those flaws would later be exposed.

Levu continues to look like the best overall UCLA hitter...ofc a power hitting RBI machine vs. middle infielder.

Also can't remember the last time the White Sox took a position player that wasn't drafted for need at the big league level...obviously Colson and Teel already in place, not to mention Bonemer/Carson.

Everyone and their mother expects a position change for Bonemer, though.

Roch season over. Another disappointing game. I do have concerns with how the bat will play against elite pitching

I await all the Getz sightings at Georgia Tech games now.

Obviously I’m Team Lackey, but how do you maximize his playing time with Teel on the roster as well?

26 minutes ago, fathom said:

Obviously I’m Team Lackey, but how do you maximize his playing time with Teel on the roster as well?

Easiest thing is 1B/DH...harder would be 2B or CF/LF.

Or you trade Teel for more pitching.

No real reason to believe JR will pay Murakami big bucks, either.

28 minutes ago, fathom said:

Obviously I’m Team Lackey, but how do you maximize his playing time with Teel on the roster as well?

I wonder if moving Teel off catcher is crazy? Would he have the chops to play a different position? I'm a little worried about his durability already with the injuries this season. Might be a boon to his durability and longevity to not be catching every day?

We already know Lackey has crazy positional flexibility. He's an athlete. I just feel like moving him off catcher full-time would be insane.

Edited June 1Jun 1 by DirtySox

Lackey 0/3 R

Burress the better game so far today.

Edited June 1Jun 1 by caulfield12

1 hour ago, DirtySox said:

I await all the Getz sightings at Georgia Tech games now.

Sure hope so.

Lackey intentionally walked (after two strikes, 0-2 count TLR style) to put tie runner at the plate with two outs but next batter K'd.

11-8 Oklahoma leading late

1 hour ago, caulfield12 said:

Easiest thing is 1B/DH...harder would be 2B or CF/LF.

Or you trade Teel for more pitching.

No real reason to believe JR will pay Murakami big bucks, either.

If there ends up being a salary floor he may have to pay Murakami.

23 minutes ago, HoosierSox said:

If there ends up being a salary floor he may have to pay Murakami.

Not even sure where or how you get $600+ million of new spending across those 12 teams.

Skubal Murakami Sato (if posted)

Peralta, Bichette (player option, likely he stays in NY) Chisholm, M.King, Imanaga

MLB Trade Rumors

2026-27 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings: April Edition

It's never to soon to look ahead to next winter's free agency! Find out who joins Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta at the top of the class.

2 hours ago, fathom said:

Obviously I’m Team Lackey, but how do you maximize his playing time with Teel on the roster as well?

2 hours ago, DirtySox said:

I await all the Getz sightings at Georgia Tech games now.

They've been well represented at GT and ACC tourney. One reason I don't like catcher at 1:1 is that they don't play all the time.

6 hours ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I'm sure it does. His swing will definitely look different in pro ball though.

Is that typical for a first round pick, much less 1/1, to need a new swing?

The Sooners and Yellow Jackets meet for a trip to the Supers on Monday at 2 p.m. CT. The game can be seen via ESPN+ and heard on The REF 99.3 FM/1400 AM or nationwide on The Varsity network app.

The winner awaits Big 12 champion Kansas after the Jayhawks (45-16) swept through their Lawrence Regional. With an OU win, the Sooners would head to Kansas for its 11th Super Regional appearance in program history and first since 2022.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/ucla-stunned-no-1-national-seed-eliminated-from-ncaa-tournament/

Even BA is pushing the Brandon Crawford parallel/SFG angle now.

Now comes a month and a half of waiting.

Cholowsky entered the season as the consensus favorite to be selected first overall in July’s MLB Draft. He’s still a strong candidate. But whether he ultimately hears his name called first remains one of the most fascinating storylines in the class. Momentum around players such as Grady Emerson and Vahn Lackey has only intensified as draft day approaches, and the debate at the top of the board feels more open than it did a few months ago.

That discussion will play out over the coming weeks.

What won’t change is what Cholowsky accomplished at UCLA.

There is an odd historical parallel that now feels impossible to ignore.

Brandon Crawford and Cholowsky are the only two shortstops in UCLA history to play for Bruins teams that entered a season ranked No. 1 in the Baseball America Top 25. Neither team escaped its own regional.

Crawford went on to build an accomplished MLB career and is one of the most beloved players in San Francisco Giants history.

Maybe fate has another connection in store. Maybe the Giants will find a way to make Cholowsky the latest Bruin shortstop to head north to the Bay Area.

Edited June 1Jun 1 by caulfield12

FanGraphs Baseball

Brandon Crawford | SS | FanGraphs Baseball

Brandon Crawford baseball statistics, splits, graphs, game logs, and more. Comprehensive player stats on FanGraphs.

30.9 career fWAR 6.2/4.3/4.1 three peak years....exactly 47% of his fWAR across those three seasons

29.6 and counting fWAR through age 32 season

6.6/4.8/4.2 fWAR three highs 53% of his fWAR across those three peak seasons

FanGraphs Baseball

Dansby Swanson - Chicago Cubs | SS | FanGraphs Baseball

Dansby Swanson statistics, splits, graphs, game logs, and more for Chicago Cubs. Comprehensive baseball stats on FanGraphs.

Edited June 1Jun 1 by caulfield12

Well. Joe Doyle now has Lackey over Cholowsky as his #1 draft prospect. He has a great podcast comparing the two players in so many facets. I believe this one is free? Very much worth listening to.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/ep-224-vahn-over-159762084

Edited June 1Jun 1 by DirtySox

That podcast is going to cement @fathom 's anti Roch stance even further.

2 hours ago, DirtySox said:

Well. Joe Doyle now has Lackey over Chowlosky as his #1 draft prospect. He has a great podcast comparing the two players in so many facets. I believe this one is free? Very much worth listening to.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/ep-224-vahn-over-159762084

60-49 hard hit rate advantage

2% barrel rate advantage

huge discrepancy in ops

speed and throwing arm

best overall swing mechanics...

ascendancy/rising trajectory over last 2-3 seasons vs plateauing/peak reached last year

age

biggest personality/star power charisma...Rikuu Nishida infectious smile and positive attitude vs quiet/stock competency

that gets you to about the halfway point

5+ fWAR catcher versus 3-4.5 fWAR SS

the fact that there's only 3-5 elite catchers in the entire sport....versus 10-15 at SS, including Colson already

Edited June 1Jun 1 by caulfield12

45 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

That podcast is going to cement @fathom 's anti Roch stance even further.

I’m not anti him, I just wanted to be impressed by him this year to feel like the Sox were getting a stud and I never got the feeling after the early home run barrage that he was anything amazing.

For all the talk about Cholowsky's numbers with wood bats, I hope nobody looks at Lackey's. Or his sophomore year to that point as well. I've seen one hit wonder college guys before. Why is Vahn Lackey different?

8 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

For all the talk about Cholowsky's numbers with wood bats, I hope nobody looks at Lackey's. Or his sophomore year to that point as well. I've seen one hit wonder college guys before. Why is Vahn Lackey different?

Getting better every single season?

Or peaking/plateauing early?

Look at Ethan Salas. Top 10-15 milb prospect to out of the Top 100 and then back again like Colson.

Development is not always linear. But in this case, it has been.

2025 numbers at GA TECH...higher average than Cholowsky this season

.347

.421

.500

.921

A lot of scouts had Lackey on their top 15 lists based on his dynamic physical tools alone coming into this year's college season.

But who knows....based on two games, they're taking Burress, lol. He was head of the class when this mock came out.

Edited Monday at 09:17 PM5 days by caulfield12