I think league average is something we'd really like to have and that was his point....

 

He can hold it down and not be a problem with the team until you get a guy with some real star potential

I'd love to have that too....but Gillespie is not and will not be a league average 3rd baseman. He has shown nothing in his past to project to such. He does look like he could be a valuable platoon player who could pinch hit and play multiple positions within the infield.

I think there is plenty of reason to believe that Conor can be a 1.5-2.0 WAR player, as he is on pace to be a 1.1 WAR player in his rookie season. We don't have to assume that every player will either stay the same or get worse. He should be our starting 3B until further notice

The league-average OPS at 3b this year is .731 and Miguel Cabrera's carrying a ton of that. 14 teams are getting a .701 or lower OPS out of 3b this year. Yes the Sox are one of them, but he does not need an .800 OPS to be league average.

Getting to .750 would be a major stretch. He barely posted any season of .750 plus in the MINORS. And that was the minors. There aren't many people projecting this guy to be a league average 3rd baseman. Could he by dumb luck pan out, sure, but his track record and tools don't necessarily indicate you spend a bunch of time on him.

 

Tyler Flowers, he's a guy you give time (look at how many .800 +, including .900+ OPS seasons he had in the minors and that went along with a good toolset). Not that Gillespie has bad tools, he was a supplemental 1st rounder but he really hasn't given you many indications of breaking out and being a regular 3rd baseman on a GOOD major league team and I want to be good.

 

Getting to .750 would be a major stretch. He barely posted any season of .750 plus in the MINORS. And that was the minors. There aren't many people projecting this guy to be a league average 3rd baseman. Could he by dumb luck pan out, sure, but his track record and tools don't necessarily indicate you spend a bunch of time on him.

 

Tyler Flowers, he's a guy you give time (look at how many .800 +, including .900+ OPS seasons he had in the minors and that went along with a good toolset). Not that Gillespie has bad tools, he was a supplemental 1st rounder but he really hasn't given you many indications of breaking out and being a regular 3rd baseman on a GOOD major league team and I want to be good.

A .750 OPS would be nearly in the top 10 3b in the league.

A .750 OPS would be nearly in the top 10 3b in the league.

Just because the 3rd basemen in the majors suck horrifically doesn't mean I'm going to sit around and stick with someone like Gillespie. The Sox need to find a legitimate 3rd baseman (or at least a guy with the potential to potentially be that guy). Gillespie does not project to be an every day 3rd baseman. And as he has gotten more at bats, he's actually been worse.

 

After posting a > .800 OPS in April, he has hit .177 and .239 in June/July with his June being a sup .600 OPS. That said his July despite the low average, was his 2nd best OPS (~.750). If he can hit homers like he did in July great, but he doesn't exactly project as a big power hitter (however, 20 hr's from 3rd base is fine and I wouldn't put that past him). I will say this...I'm all in favor of giving the entire year so that we have a better idea of who / what Gillespie is.

The point here is that there should absolutely no sense of urgency to move or bench Conor Gillaspie. As soon as there is a prospect that looks like a future 3B or there is a veteran 3B that can help you contend, that's when Conor becomes a bench player.

Just because the 3rd basemen in the majors suck horrifically doesn't mean I'm going to sit around and stick with someone like Gillespie. The Sox need to find a legitimate 3rd baseman (or at least a guy with the potential to potentially be that guy). Gillespie does not project to be an every day 3rd baseman. And as he has gotten more at bats, he's actually been worse.

 

After posting a > .800 OPS in April, he has hit .177 and .239 in June/July with his June being a sup .600 OPS. That said his July despite the low average, was his 2nd best OPS (~.750). If he can hit homers like he did in July great, but he doesn't exactly project as a big power hitter (however, 20 hr's from 3rd base is fine and I wouldn't put that past him). I will say this...I'm all in favor of giving the entire year so that we have a better idea of who / what Gillespie is.

Of course, as I keep saying, you don't necessarily know who a guy is even from his first full MLB season, or even more than that.

 

He's shown some potential wtih the bats. I don't think he has the power he showed in July with those couple homers, but I absolutely think he's going to wind up putting the ball in play more than we've seen so far as he grows up and that will make a big difference with his average and OBP.

 

I'm hoping he can hop in as a .725-ish's OPS, cheap, good fielding 3b who we bench against tough lefties for whoever we stick on the bench next year. That's fine, this team could compete with that in a couple years and that's pretty close to a league-average 3b. If something better comes along, great, I promise not to be mad, but he's not that far away from respectable numbers during what is basically hsi rookie season.

Remember when Morel showed a lot of pop at the end of his rookie season?

 

That didn't last long.

Remember when Morel showed a lot of pop at the end of his rookie season?

 

That didn't last long.

I'd like to hope that he was showing promise but was killed by his back going out.

Remember when Morel showed a lot of pop at the end of his rookie season?

 

That didn't last long.

Josh Fields in 07 even more so.

 

Remember when Morel showed a lot of pop at the end of his rookie season?

 

That didn't last long.

 

Gillaspie has proven far more at the MLB level than Morel, thankfully

Dayan taking groundballs at 3rd today.

Unfortunately, our top prospect plays the same position as the guy tied for the lead on our team in WAR. This is why you can't simply dump Rios, you need to try to move Rios' production to another position(s). Avisail can be pretty good in RF and it won't improve our team because we have to subtract our best player to get Avisail out there.

Really great post. I agree you can't simply dump Rios, the sox need to target a team that has need for RF (Philidelphia comes to mind) with a some interesting 3B prospects a step and a half away from the majors. Maikel Franco and Cody Asche. Asche is getting a major league cup of coffee right now and he reminds me of Joe Crede for a hitting perspective, except he is left handed and has a bit better hit and power tool, everything I've read said he has a ok arm for 3B as well and his defense is a work in progress and will end up just average.

 

Joe Crede 23 years old in the IL

.188 ISO

.307BABIP

20.3K% 8.8BB%

..276/.349/.464 17 HR

 

Cody Asche 23 years old in the IL

.191 ISO

349BABIP

21.3K% 7.8BB%

.295/.352/.485 15HR

 

Dayan taking groundballs at 3rd today.

I thought of this the other day. I'm 100% he would be a butcher there. They moved him to begin for a reason. But man it would help so much if he could stick there.

I thought of this the other day. I'm 100% he would be a butcher there. They moved him to begin for a reason. But man it would help so much if he could stick there.

 

Give him a shot there the rest of the way. It would give Garcia at bats, and it would probably help us get that #1 spot!

Give him a shot there the rest of the way. It would give Garcia at bats, and it would probably help us get that #1 spot!

Ha I guess if you look at it that way then I'm all for it.

It would be really cool if Dayan could play 3B

 

I remember when we signed him and we were hearing that he used to be a great SS in the Cuban league

Gillaspie is perfectly fine as a platoon partner at 3B. The problem is the .337 OPS against lefties in like 42 PA's. He's got a .750 OPS against righties.

I really wanna know what that last deal Hahn was close to making. Stone said it was a major deal, names just aren't out. Anybody wonder that?

I really wanna know what that last deal Hahn was close to making. Stone said it was a major deal, names just aren't out. Anybody wonder that?

 

I'm more interested in whether this deal can be recreated in the offseason

I really wanna know what that last deal Hahn was close to making. Stone said it was a major deal, names just aren't out. Anybody wonder that?

 

 

Stone speculated about Dunn and Texas afterward. Not that that deal was available but just speculation. Stone also hammered the team and management pretty hard. He mentioned all of the moved that other teams made and then said when you add "Keppinger and Lindstrom" that isn't exactly getting it done. Yikes.

Stone speculated about Dunn and Texas afterward. Not that that deal was available but just speculation. Stone also hammered the team and management pretty hard. He mentioned all of the moved that other teams made and then said when you add "Keppinger and Lindstrom" that isn't exactly getting it done. Yikes.

 

We did the right thing. We played it carefully, knowing that it was likely or possible that last year may not be repeated - so we left ourself in a position where we could still blow it up. Our payroll situation is absolutely fantastic and you can thank Rick for that since he didn't blow his wad on free agents.

I'm more interested in whether this deal can be recreated in the offseason

No way. The other team loses the value of the veterans in the key 2 months of the season. We still should be able to move some of these guys along, but we won't get the same deal our way. That's assuming it was for veterans, and not for Sale, Quintanta, etc.

No way. The other team loses the value of the veterans in the key 2 months of the season. We still should be able to move some of these guys along, but we won't get the same deal our way. That's assuming it was for veterans, and not for Sale, Quintanta, etc.

 

Well it's just tough to say. Team X may still see position Y as a position of need heading into next year and would rather bark up our tree where we can provide discounts on already below-market contracts in exchange for their young guys/prospects that they deem expendable.

I could easily see the deal having been Santiago or Quintana for a young, major league 3B from another non-contender.