http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=3869

The White Sox are substituting activity for performance, which is one of the last steps before "unemployment" for a baseball management team. When signing Jermaine Dye to a two-year deal is the good move of the winter, it's a very bad sign. Actually, that shorts the pickup of Tadahito Iguchi, who was kind of a Japanese Ray Durham. Keep in mind that Durham had his last healthy, effective season at 29; Iguchi turned 30 in December.

 

Carlos Lee is now Scott Podsednik. Frank Thomas might be back in April, May or never. Aaron Rowand is presumably back, taking the place of the alien that played in his body last year. It's one thing to again hope that this is the year Joe Crede finds the keys; it's quite another to need it to be the case. The "small ball" concept should claim another victim this year.

 

The pitching staff isn't going to make up for the falloff in runs scored. Freddy Garcia and Mark Buehrle are mid-rotation innings guys who get paid like aces. They head a rotation that's long on hope--not just one, but two Cubans with shaky recent track records exiled from the Bronx--and short on anything you can rely upon. The bullpen is better, with two legitimate studs at the back in Damaso Marte and Shingo Takatsu. Ozzie Guillen did an excellent job last year in funneling most of the relevant innings to his nine or so best pitchers, perhaps Guillen's signature skill aside from being quotable. It won't be enough to patch for what is going to be a bad offense.

He forgets that we also got Luis Vizcaino in the Lee trade. Also, apparently to Sheehan, Rowand just had a career year last season (I guess he hasn't looked at any Spring Training stats). Buehrle and Garcia are #3's? What a pile of crap. And here's the best part...

 

Projected standings:

 

                    Record   RS    RA

Twins            93-69    812   730

Indians          84-78    845   817

Tigers            74-88    745   798

White Sox   71-91    749   856

Royals           64-98    722   938

Someone needs to get off the Twins' nuts. :headshake

Edited March 25, 200521 yr by Jabroni

I think I just read the most absurd comment of my entire life.

1) Buehrle get's paid like an ace?

2) Buehrle is a mid rotation starter

 

Joe Sheehan you are a f***ing dips*** moron.

Baseball Prospectus is usually a very good publication.

 

I read some of their preview this year for the Sox in their handbook and came away very disappointed.

 

The Sox are just going to have to prove people wrong this year.

The comments about Buehrle and Freddy and then the comment about Rowand are absolutely ludicrous. Oh well, Joe you're an idiot.

I think I just read the most absurd comment of my entire life.

1) Buehrle get's paid like an ace?

2) Buehrle is a mid rotation starter

 

Joe Sheehan you are a f***ing dips*** moron.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Send Joe Sheehan your comments here...

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/contact....rospectus+Today

 

:finger

I want that guys job, pay me big bucks to write like a dumbass wow.

 

I can't even get over those MB FG, and AR comments.

He forgets that we also got Luis Vizcaino in the Lee trade.  Also, apparently to Sheehan, Rowand just had a career year last season (I guess he hasn't looked at any Spring Training stats).  Buehrle and Garcia are #3's?  What a pile of crap.  And here's the best part...

Someone needs to get off the Twins' nuts. :headshake

 

More opinion and speculation from people who think Sabermetrics are the only form of measure in baseball. On paper things can look one way, in the field is where its played however. His analysis of Aaron Rowand is true to this, he makes speculation that last year was a career year. Aaron looked pretty good to me, nice compact swing and he has been hitting the ball not only with power but to all fields. A true scout would see this and say he projects to have a good year. Now BP runs his last 4 years though a formula that a math geek came up with(who never played baseball) and states that last year is the anomaly. BP is junk pure and simple.

Comment sent

 

 

How can you possibly say Mark Buehrle is a middle of the rotation starter?

This guy has averaged over 16 wins a season since becoming a starter. He also lead the league in IP. But nah, let's ignore that.

Career ERA+ of 125, but I guess that's just everyday run of the mill 3rd starter.

 

Maybe you should do a little more research before writing such assinine statements.

Edited March 25, 200521 yr by WHarris1

Comment sent

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Comment sent

How can you possibly say Mark Buehrle is a middle of the rotation starter?

This guy has averaged over 16 wins a season since becoming a starter.  He also lead the league in IP.  But nah, let's ignore that.

Career ERA+ of 125, but I guess that's just everyday run of the mill 3rd starter.

 

Maybe you should do a little more research before writing such assinine statements.

 

The statement would be more effective if you spelled asinine correctly.

 

 

yeah, that article is definately brutal...but i also think alot of sox fans need to realize that this team made alot of controversial and unpopular moves and that while personally i am as big of a sox fan as any other, i think alot of things need to fall teh right way in order for the sox to take the division. everyone on this website gets offended when anyone says that teh sox will finish anything but 1st. i personally think 71 wins is absurd, but everyone needs to stop getting so offended if someone predicts the sox to finish 2nd.

The statement would be more effective if you spelled asinine correctly.

Yeah, the one I sent him was proofread.

Joe Sheenen sucks ass. Anyone who thinks MB is a mid rotation guy doesnt know anything about baseball...

yeah, that article is definately brutal...but i also think alot of sox fans need to realize that this team made alot of controversial and unpopular moves and that while personally i am as big of a sox fan as any other, i think alot of things need to fall teh right way in order for the sox to take the division. everyone on this website gets offended when anyone says that teh sox will finish anything but 1st. i personally think 71 wins is absurd, but everyone needs to stop getting so offended if someone predicts the sox to finish 2nd.

That's not what bothers me in the article. Everyone has their own opinions on the sox new look and how they will do this year, however the comments he made about mark/freddy and aaron are just absurd.

Here's the comment I just sent Sheehan...

Your March 25, 2005 article on the A.L. Central was complete and utter crap.

 

1.) In case you didn't know -- we also got Luis Vizcaino in the Carlos Lee trade.

 

2.) Since you probably love stats so much -- Aaron Rowand owns a career .290 AVG, .342 OBP, and .475 SLG.  That's good for a career .817 OPS.  He is also hitting .500 (19 for 38) this spring with 3 homeruns and 5 doubles.  The alien's name that you speak of is Aaron Rowand.

 

3.)  Buehrle gets paid like an ace because he is one.  I'm sorry you are too clueless to realize this.  You obviously love pitchers like Kerry Wood and Mark Prior who have great "stuff" but can never even make it through an entire season.

 

4.)  One last thing...  Get your nose out of Bill James' ass, ya toolbox.

Edited March 25, 200521 yr by Jabroni

ROFL, he probably will disregard it due to cussing, etc but funny nonetheless.

Edited March 25, 200521 yr by WHarris1

For those who contact this mental giant, you might wanna mention the most important Buehrle statistic.

 

2.63 Road ERA

 

That's second to only Johan Santana in the AL.

 

No Buehrle argument is respectable without this detail.

4th behind the Tigers? I can't even name their entire rotation?

 

GMAFB. :headshake

 

 

This guy is getting paid for this crap?

I sent him a great e-mail, I hope it gets published

4th behind the Tigers?  I can't even name their entire rotation?

 

GMAFB. :headshake

This guy is getting paid for this crap?

That is cause it is not set in stone yet. Bonderman, Johnson, Maroth, Robertson, and it looks like Ledezma.

That is cause it is not set in stone yet. Bonderman, Johnson, Maroth, Robertson, and it looks like Ledezma.

 

And those guys are somehow better than Buehrle, Garcia, Duque, Contreras and Garland?

 

What is this guys smoking?

And those guys are somehow better than Buehrle, Garcia, Duque, Contreras and Garland?

 

What is this guys smoking?

He didn't say that...their #1 has very similar numbers to our #5, so no way he says that.

 

I think he did it based on the fact they have stars. He will assume Mags goes for .300, 30 hr, 100 rbi...plus there is IRod. I doubt he looked at Guillen as having a career year when he did for Rowand. Overall, it is not a very good comparison, but baseball is not played on paper.

The guy obviously has an impairment when it comes to comprehension of statistics.

 

Mark = LH Maddux. Doesn't any one really believe Maddux doesn't got rocked at the Cell? Look at his road #'s for pete's sake!

 

The past 4 yrs both Mark & Freddy are barely below Maddux in performance. The Cell effect on Mark puts him ahead of Maddux.

 

Would he refer to Maddux as a middle of the rotation innings eater over that time? I doubt it.

 

Lee's loss to the offense is going to hurt the most. He was a healthy & productive force all season long. But I think the overall dynamic of the team will compensate for that.

 

The rest of us having been saying sink or swim based on injuries.

He's choosing the swim route & he's picking it to be a drowning.

That's ridiculous.

I could spend a long time ripping into this guy, but I will keep it short.

 

The idea that Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia aren't worth the money they are being paid is ridiculous, especially after this offseason with the deals that Milton, Pavano, Wright, Benson, and Paul Wilson recieved. :headshake

Making us Sox fans proud. :headshake

 

What did he say wrong? He just said what a lot of us were thinking.