Free Tim Elko (Back in Jail)

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

33 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Worth pointing out that Lee and Thaiss have experience at other positions so maybe they have more flexibility beyond just catchers.

And Lee can run pretty good too.

Edited May 23 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

56 minutes ago, fathom said:

Isn’t all their value, if any, tied up to their throwing or receiving?  I don’t want to see those guys play first. I bet we see Sosa full time now.

Lee has power .I think he has decent value. Not outstanding but more than Thaiss which is why I'd rather see Thaiss traded . Some teams trust a veteran catcher more who can call a good game better than the inexperienced Lee.

Edited May 23 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[Jake]

I feel bad for Lee getting blocked here but he has a lot to prove with his bat. He really has never hit very impressively at any level, which will be a consideration for how eagerly you start moving him around to other positions. He's a decent athlete so he could plausibly play a corner OF spot, but he could just as easily be a major butcher out there.

Thaiss has some infield experience but he was a real butcher, which combined with his bat is the reason why he converted back to catcher.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

35 minutes ago, Timmy U said:

Your 1b rotation appears to be Sosa and Vargas with Rojas everyday at 2b/3b and Vinnie Capra as your key reserve. Palacios is an everyday player with Tauchman and Slater platooning mostly and Benintendi as the fulltime DH. Okay.

What ? No. Vargas every day 3rd. Sosa almost every day 2nd. Rojas  bench fill in at 3rd and 2nd.  I know he'll play more than I want since  Getz has hopes of trading him. I have no idea how they divvy up the OF since it's Beni, Tauchman ,Slater ( aka Slayer typoed), Palacio , Taylor.  You didn't mention Taylor .He's still there right ? Guess that's why you said Beni DH. Tauchman doesn't seem entirely healthy, maybe he DHs some and Palacio is strong side platoon OF.  Taylor reduced to PR spot starts all over and random PH if you want your PH to bunt.

[Jake]

I think most likely outcome is Rojas getting reps vs RHP at 3B, with Vargas sliding to 1B on those days. You could put Lenyn at 1B instead, but he's your best 2B defender which makes it kind of weird. A couple bad plays last week notwithstanding, Rojas has a strong record of defense around the infield.

Benny is your full-time DH. I assume Tauchman and Palacios man the corners in the OF against RHP. Not sure if they will platoon both of them. I don't think Taylor has played well enough to deserve regular starts.

[Bob Sacamano]

37 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

What ? No. Vargas every day 3rd. Sosa almost every day 2nd. Rojas  bench fill in at 3rd and 2nd.  I know he'll play more than I want since  Getz has hopes of trading him. I have no idea how they divvy up the OF since it's Beni, Tauchman ,Slater ( aka Slayer typoed), Palacio , Taylor.  You didn't mention Taylor .He's still there right ? Guess that's why you said Beni DH. Tauchman doesn't seem entirely healthy, maybe he DHs some and Palacio is strong side platoon OF.  Taylor reduced to PR spot starts all over and random PH if you want your PH to bunt.

Getz confirmed Vargas/Sosa at 1B. Vargas getting the start there tonight. But don’t blame Getz 😉 

Edited May 23 by Bob Sacamano

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

2 hours ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Getz confirmed Vargas/Sosa at 1B. Vargas getting the start there tonight. But don’t blame Getz 😉 

I know it's just a lil dig but seems like u guys thinks it's all or nothing with liking or disliking Getz. Far from it. Fair is looking at as much info you can dissect and making calls on each thing as they happen or waiting to see how things turn out . He isn't going anywhere. He will eventually like they all do.

It's just temporary until Rojas is gone anyway . Not sure it'll be Vargas back at 3rd. Do t see a lot of options there immediately or even near future unless you think Rsmos or Montgomery are candidates soon.

Edited May 23 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[kitekrazy]

7 hours ago, chitownsportsfan said:

Some of you guys are absolutely delusional. Vaughn is here because Getz is a coward and can't tell his boss he wasted 5.85 million. He has no trade value. 

This formula of the habitual losing small market teams.  Hope the shitty veterans will produce at the right time just to get shitty minor league talent.  That would work if there were more clueless GMs in the game but those are rare and we have one of them.

Luck happens once in awhile and shitty organizations and owners will have maybe 2 years of success and they go back to being shitty.   

[WBWSF]

This handling of Elko has to be one of the strangest things I've seen. I take it Elko doesn't fit into the future of the team. Yet we are subjected to seeing Taylor, Rojas and Palacios  every day in the lineup. Are these 3  players part of the teams future? Looking back at this Elko situation I can't understand why they called him up for a few days. 

[Lip Man 1]

26 minutes ago, WBWSF said:

This handling of Elko has to be one of the strangest things I've seen. I take it Elko doesn't fit into the future of the team. Yet we are subjected to seeing Taylor, Rojas and Palacios  every day in the lineup. Are these 3  players part of the teams future? Looking back at this Elko situation I can't understand why they called him up for a few days. 

All valid questions. Again why the Sox aren't willing to give him a legit chance is bizarre.

Getz's comment on him from a few weeks ago was telling.

But let's keep playing injury-prone, 30+ stiffs who won't do squat for the team now or in the future.

[WhiteSox2023]

38 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

All valid questions. Again why the Sox aren't willing to give him a legit chance is bizarre.

Getz's comment on him from a few weeks ago was telling.

But let's keep playing injury-prone, 30+ stiffs who won't do squat for the team now or in the future.

This, I will never understand.  The one thing the Sox continue to do in a rebuild…  play veterans that won’t be on the team beyond the season.  It literally makes zero sense.

[Bob Sacamano]

13 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

This, I will never understand.  The one thing the Sox continue to do in a rebuild…  play veterans that won’t be on the team beyond the season.  It literally makes zero sense.

I get it if they were playing veterans who might have value at the deadline. Rojas, Taylor, Slater? Nah.

[Timmy U]

13 hours ago, Bob Sacamano said:

I get it if they were playing veterans who might have value at the deadline. Rojas, Taylor, Slater? Nah.

For sure on the first two. I think someone might give you something for Slater. But I thought they would get something mildly useful for Thaiss and I was way off, so what do I know?

[Harold's Leg Lift]

11 minutes ago, Timmy U said:

For sure on the first two. I think someone might give you something for Slater. But I thought they would get something mildly useful for Thaiss and I was way off, so what do I know?

I don't think Baker is nearly as bad as people are painting him out to be. He's certainly not a high impact hitter but he does a couple things this team desperately needs like he can really run and play good defense.   They got a solid 4th outfielder type for a $1M backup catcher flyer. That's a pretty damn good return.  

[Timmy U]

11 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

I don't think Baker is nearly as bad as people are painting him out to be. He's certainly not a high impact hitter but he does a couple things this team desperately needs like he can really run and play good defense.   They got a solid 4th outfielder type for a $1M backup catcher flyer. That's a pretty damn good return.  

I hear you, but I don’t like R/R speed players as 4th outfielders. That tend to be up and down guys more than permanent fixtures.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

13 minutes ago, Timmy U said:

I hear you, but I don’t like R/R speed players as 4th outfielders. That tend to be up and down guys more than permanent fixtures.

Venable seems to really like platoons and pinch hitting so a R/R speed/defense guy on the bench could be a useful player on this team.  

[Bob Sacamano]

9 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Venable seems to really like platoons and pinch hitting so a R/R speed/defense guy on the bench could be a useful player on this team.  

I was thinking the same at one point yesterday. If he starts hitting lefties better, he could carve out a nice career as a weak-side platoon player.

[Lip Man 1]

Just a point, we have no idea even when this guy will be healthy enough to play do we?

[champagne030]

17 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Just a point, we have no idea even when this guy will be healthy enough to play do we?

Does it matter?  We should have done better in trade (not saying we were getting anything worthwhile).  But seriously, Baker has an extremely tiny chance at a ceiling of a RH hitting Getz.  Getz always gets his guys.....

[southsider2k5]

23 minutes ago, champagne030 said:

Does it matter?  We should have done better in trade (not saying we were getting anything worthwhile).  But seriously, Baker has an extremely tiny chance at a ceiling of a RH hitting Getz.  Getz always gets his guys.....

What did you expect from a mediocre back up catcher?

[champagne030]

7 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

What did you expect from a mediocre back up catcher?

I said weren't getting anything meaningful.  I'd rather take a shot on developing some 95 mph thrower that can't hit the side of a barn over someone who has a ceiling of a banjo hitting utility guy.  There's a zero chance we turn a no-hit guy into something, but there's a non-zero chance we could develop a pitcher.

[southsider2k5]

8 minutes ago, champagne030 said:

I said weren't getting anything meaningful.  I'd rather take a shot on developing some 95 mph thrower that can't hit the side of a barn over someone who has a ceiling of a banjo hitting utility guy.  There's a zero chance we turn a no-hit guy into something, but there's a non-zero chance we could develop a pitcher.

Of course, but those guys with 6 years of control are usually more expensive than a crappy back up catcher...  We got a guy with a utility player ceiling.  

[greg775]

The discussion is closed on the game thread as it was nicely heating up so to speak with differing thoughts.

What I was trying to say that got pointed out after my post about statniks is three homers isn't bad in 30 at bats. The guy would actually hit a ton of HRs at that clip. And as quin pointed out he had 10 K's. Big deal. I've been told K's and HRs are the way to go. Nobody cares about batting average anymore just as pitcher W/L record means nothing. In another lost season let Elko mash or fail. This idea you can wreck a player by rushing him is a cliche that is not true. Uh, Bobby Witt? He hit .254 in 2022 with 135 K's in 150 games. He had a .294 OBP. The next year he upped his homers from 20 to 30. Again he was not ruined by them rushing him at age 22. Elko is 26 for gosh sakes. Bring him up and don't treat him like u did Colas.