A Little Phil Column

[elrockinMT]

2. Ken Williams is talking about the White Sox's need for more "balance'' in the lineup. I can't help but think of the Jim Hendry battle cry before the 2009 season, when he traded Mark DeRosa and added switch-hitter Milton Bradley (better from the right side, by the way) because he and Lou Piniella felt the Dodgers' sweep in the '08 playoffs had exposed the Cubs' lineup as being too right-handed, even if the Cubs' right-handed hitters had handled right-handed pitchers just fine during the regular season. I flash back to 2005 and see the White Sox winning a World Series with a lineup that was loaded with right-handed hitters, with only switch hitter Carl Everett and catcher A.J. Pierzynski breaking up the right-handed hitters. It seems to me that teams sometimes over-complicate matters when they lock in on the quest to add more "balance.'' Teams need good hitters, not right-handed or left-handed hitters. I wonder if Williams isn't trying to give him and his ownership group an excuse for not re-signing Paul Konerko when he talks about needed a left-handed hitter.

 

3. Does anyone want an arbitration-eligible closer? It seems unlikely that the White Sox can trade Bobby Jenks, but they will listen to any interest in him before non-tendering him at the Dec. 2 deadline. One possibility is to take back an arbitration-eligible hitter from a team needing a closer, or agree to send some money along with Jenks. The Sox have also allowed set-up man J.J. Putz to reach free agency. The bullpen that was the strength of their team in the first half of 2010 has been reduced to a work in progress.

 

[Balta1701]

I also flash back to 2005 and remember that Scott Podsednik, the leadoff hitter, was a lefty as well.

[jasonxctf]

I also flash back to 2005 and remember that Scott Podsednik, the leadoff hitter, was a lefty as well.

 

Personally I think the whole lefty/righty thing is overrated. If a right hander can hit left handing pitching, then who the hell cares.

 

2005 had the following LH..

 

- Scott Podsednik (507 AB)

- AJ Pierzynski (460 AB)

- Timo Perez (196 AB)

- Willie Harris (121 AB)

- Geoff Blum (95 AB)- Switch Hitter

- Ross Gload (42 AB)

- Joe Borchard (12 AB)- Switch Hitter

 

In total, not including the pitchers hitting, 26.07% of the AB were from left handed (or left handed able) hitters in 2005.

In 2010, this % jumped to 37.71%.

[Balta1701]

In 2010, this % jumped to 37.71%.

How many of those were wasted on Kotsay though? And, worth noting, our offense was actually better in 2010 than in 2005.

 

You're right that having a left-handed hitter who sucks is worse than having a right-handed hitter who is good, but I still think there's a clear benefit to some measure of balance.

[elrockinMT]

How many of those were wasted on Kotsay though? And, worth noting, our offense was actually better in 2010 than in 2005.

 

You're right that having a left-handed hitter who sucks is worse than having a right-handed hitter who is good, but I still think there's a clear benefit to some measure of balance.

 

 

No real disagreement here with your statement other than a good hitter is a good hitter regardless of right/left

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Personally I think the whole lefty/righty thing is overrated. If a right hander can hit left handing pitching, then who the hell cares.

 

2005 had the following LH..

 

- Scott Podsednik (507 AB)

- AJ Pierzynski (460 AB)

- Timo Perez (196 AB)

- Willie Harris (121 AB)

- Geoff Blum (95 AB)- Switch Hitter

- Ross Gload (42 AB)

- Joe Borchard (12 AB)- Switch Hitter

 

In total, not including the pitchers hitting, 26.07% of the AB were from left handed (or left handed able) hitters in 2005.

In 2010, this % jumped to 37.71%.

A couple reasons, usually because it allows the opposing pitchers to get into a rhythm easier since they can throw the same pitches to the same side of the plate (you can't always throw the same pitches to both lefties and righties) and also because going all one way, especially in the heart of the order, makes it easier on the opposing manager when he goes to the pen for a match-up by allowing him to keep the same pitcher in the game for more hitters.

 

Also, the 2005 team was an amazing team and very fun to watch, but the offense isn't any kind of model of success. It was the pitching and defense that won, specifically the sick bullpen and that historical run by the starters. A lot of different offenses win with that pitching staff.

 

Ignoring the need for lefties, specifically a lefty power hitter, just makes it even harder. However, that doesn't mean any lefty will do and we can't win anything without it.