Sox breakout player for 2014?

[TheTruth05]

 

Tell me, is this also the year Gordon Beckham breaks out!?!?!?!?!?!

 

Honestly I think at Viciedo's age and working with HC Steverson will help him becoming more patient at the plate, work the count, and ultimately take control of that lively bat he has. Maybe it's wishful thinking but man that would be great if Dayan can put it together.

[sammy esposito]

how about Adrian Nieto for him to stay on the sox he has to make 25 player roster. A surprise starter? No room unless he can beat someone out as catcher.

 

[The Ginger Kid]

John Danks

[The Ultimate Champion]

My predictions:

 

Avisail will end up looking like the best/most complete position player.

 

Abreu will look elite at times, end with decent numbers for a slugger, but overall will impress. The contract won't look out of sight.

 

Davidson will not break with the team, will K a lot when he gets here, and will end 2014 almost as much of an uncertainty as he is now. But still part of the picture.

 

Eaton will impress when he's on the field. He'll hit the DL at least once and will constantly battle little injuries.

 

Johnson will hit a wall mid-season but finish strong. Will look like a 3/4 in 2015.

 

Gillaspie if he gets playing time will continue to improve.

 

I think we might get some big things out of Viciedo this year.

 

Adam Dunn will continue to suck my ass.

 

Q will be awesome.

[witesoxfan]

My predictions:

 

Avisail will end up looking like the best/most complete position player.

 

Abreu will look elite at times, end with decent numbers for a slugger, but overall will impress. The contract won't look out of sight.

 

Davidson will not break with the team, will K a lot when he gets here, and will end 2014 almost as much of an uncertainty as he is now. But still part of the picture.

 

Eaton will impress when he's on the field. He'll hit the DL at least once and will constantly battle little injuries.

 

Johnson will hit a wall mid-season but finish strong. Will look like a 3/4 in 2015.

 

Gillaspie if he gets playing time will continue to improve.

 

I think we might get some big things out of Viciedo this year.

 

Adam Dunn will hit 70 home runs and then turn into Superman.

 

Q will be awesome.

 

I didn't know you had such strong feelings regarding Adam Dunn.

 

/just having fun

Edited February 11, 2014 by witesoxfan

[Dunt]

I think Abreu will live up to the hype and have a monster season

[Jose Abreu]

I think Abreu will live up to the hype and have a monster season

^agreed.

[TomPickle]

Ervin Santana

[Jose Abreu]

Ervin Santana

You're right, we'll hit him harder than any other pitcher.

[2nd_city_saint787]

Adam Dunn

 

[brian310]

I think Abreu will struggle a bit the first two months but take off when summer hits

[Balta1701]

I think Abreu will struggle a bit the first two months but take off when summer hits

I'm hoping he comes into this season thinking he has something to prove since Cespedes and Puig have already made names for themselves. He's supposed to be better...he comes in ready to prove that...

[The Ultimate Champion]

You're right, we'll hit him harder than any other pitcher.

Hah

 

His balls

 

With the our mouths of our offense

 

Hitters vs. Santana during his career: .253/.315/.421/.736

 

White Sox (below) vs. Santana during his career: .223/.282/.419/.701

 

BATTER AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS

Gordon Beckham 26 5 1 0 3 6 3 6 .192 .276 .577 .853

Alejandro De Aza 16 4 1 0 1 2 0 7 .250 .250 .500 .750

Adam Dunn 15 3 0 0 1 1 3 4 .200 .333 .400 .733

Tyler Flowers 5 2 0 0 1 1 0 3 .400 .400 1.000 1.400

Avisail Garcia 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .667 .667 .667 1.333

Conor Gillaspie 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Jeff Keppinger 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000

Paul Konerko 40 8 3 0 0 5 3 10 .200 .277 .275 .552

Josh Phegley 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000

Alexei Ramirez 27 8 0 0 1 2 1 2 .296 .321 .407 .729

Dayan Viciedo 9 1 0 0 1 2 1 3 .111 .200 .444 .644

Totals 148 33 5 0 8 19 11 38 .223 .282 .419 .701

 

2013 Sox offense: .249/.302/.378/.680

2012 Sox offense: .255/.318/.422/.740

2011 Sox offense: .252/.319/.388/.706

2010 Sox offense: .268/.332/.420/.752

 

Maybe if the Sox have an offense like 2010 or 2012 they could do something against him. Probably not because the 2014 offense is going to blow.

 

Let's compare Santana's career line vs. opponents of .253/.315/.421/.736 to Sox team pitching stats now:

 

2013 Sox pitching vs. opponents: .256/.322/.408/.730

2012 Sox pitching vs. opponents: .250/.319/.405/.724

2011 Sox pitching vs. opponents: .261/.317/.397/.714

2010 Sox pitching vs. opponents: .264/.325/.395/.720

 

Let's compare now to the career lines of the main pitchers the Sox have run out over the last 4 seasons:

 

Edwin Jackson: .272/.339/.429/.767

Chris Sale: .226/.285/.353/.638

Jose Quintana: .258/.313/.406/.719

Gavin Floyd: .260/.326/.422/.748

John Danks: .259/.318/.421/.739

Jake Peavy: .234/.295/.378/.674

Dylan Axelrod: .302/.363/.489/.852

Philip Humber: .271/.333/.440/.773

Hector Santiago: .230/.335/.374/.710

Mark Buehrle: .276/.324/.430/.754

 

So yeah Santana is soooooo much worse than our average pitching staff performances & soooooo unlike the majority of what we've run out at least for the last 4 years that he's just gonna get crushed by this monstrous derpa derpa derpa offense we're all expecting to come bursting out of the gate yeah f***in right I call bulls***.

 

You guys are sucking wind here and you're not even 60 yards from the starting point you've got a long way to go with your bulls*** if you want to get to the finish line of any argument that has Ervin Santana as a substandard pitcher.

 

[The Ultimate Champion]

I think Abreu will struggle a bit the first two months but take off when summer hits

Cubans hate the cold.

[Jose Abreu]

Hah

 

His balls

 

With the our mouths of our offense

 

Hitters vs. Santana during his career: .253/.315/.421/.736

 

White Sox (below) vs. Santana during his career: .223/.282/.419/.701

 

BATTER AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS

Gordon Beckham 26 5 1 0 3 6 3 6 .192 .276 .577 .853

Alejandro De Aza 16 4 1 0 1 2 0 7 .250 .250 .500 .750

Adam Dunn 15 3 0 0 1 1 3 4 .200 .333 .400 .733

Tyler Flowers 5 2 0 0 1 1 0 3 .400 .400 1.000 1.400

Avisail Garcia 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .667 .667 .667 1.333

Conor Gillaspie 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Jeff Keppinger 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000

Paul Konerko 40 8 3 0 0 5 3 10 .200 .277 .275 .552

Josh Phegley 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000

Alexei Ramirez 27 8 0 0 1 2 1 2 .296 .321 .407 .729

Dayan Viciedo 9 1 0 0 1 2 1 3 .111 .200 .444 .644

Totals 148 33 5 0 8 19 11 38 .223 .282 .419 .701

 

2013 Sox offense: .249/.302/.378/.680

2012 Sox offense: .255/.318/.422/.740

2011 Sox offense: .252/.319/.388/.706

2010 Sox offense: .268/.332/.420/.752

 

Maybe if the Sox have an offense like 2010 or 2012 they could do something against him. Probably not because the 2014 offense is going to blow.

 

Let's compare Santana's career line vs. opponents of .253/.315/.421/.736 to Sox team pitching stats now:

 

2013 Sox pitching vs. opponents: .256/.322/.408/.730

2012 Sox pitching vs. opponents: .250/.319/.405/.724

2011 Sox pitching vs. opponents: .261/.317/.397/.714

2010 Sox pitching vs. opponents: .264/.325/.395/.720

 

Let's compare now to the career lines of the main pitchers the Sox have run out over the last 4 seasons:

 

Edwin Jackson: .272/.339/.429/.767

Chris Sale: .226/.285/.353/.638

Jose Quintana: .258/.313/.406/.719

Gavin Floyd: .260/.326/.422/.748

John Danks: .259/.318/.421/.739

Jake Peavy: .234/.295/.378/.674

Dylan Axelrod: .302/.363/.489/.852

Philip Humber: .271/.333/.440/.773

Hector Santiago: .230/.335/.374/.710

Mark Buehrle: .276/.324/.430/.754

 

So yeah Santana is soooooo much worse than our average pitching staff performances & soooooo unlike the majority of what we've run out at least for the last 4 years that he's just gonna get crushed by this monstrous derpa derpa derpa offense we're all expecting to come bursting out of the gate yeah f***in right I call bulls***.

 

You guys are sucking wind here and you're not even 60 yards from the starting point you've got a long way to go with your bulls*** if you want to get to the finish line of any argument that has Ervin Santana as a substandard pitcher.

It's not that he's bad, it's that

1. Our offense sucks

2. He's one of the most inconsistent pitchers ever. Multiple times he's gone from a 5 ERA to a 3 year-to-year, and he's due for a 5.0something this season.

 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Actually it was 4. He said he would have listed Abreu 2 behind Tanaka, but excluded them for their age. The other 3 were Johnson, Semien, and Davidson.

Actually excluded them because " I do not rank players with experience in a foreign major league as prospects ".

[The Ultimate Champion]

It's not that he's bad, it's that

1. Our offense sucks

2. He's one of the most inconsistent pitchers ever. Multiple times he's gone from a 5 ERA to a 3 year-to-year, and he's due for a 5.0something this season.

So basically what your saying is that your initial statement about Santana was bulls***. Good. Nothing personal Mr. Abreu, I'm very happy about your addition to the lineup, but I find it necessary to make sure people get the story straight on Santana. He's a quality pitcher overall.

 

Yes, he's inconsistent and can be maddening. He's much like Floyd which I've said a zillion times on this board, Javy too, but for the price he may be asking, and given our track record with those kinds of players, I think he's a nice fit for the team. EJax, Gavin, and Javy all had some nice years here under Coop. You can even maybe add Garland to that list who Sox fans also found maddening for a time until about 2004 IIRC when he first pitched under Ozzie and hit the 200IP mark or right around there. So basically he's not "due" for a 5ish ERA if he's healthy and in a comfortable situation, he may actually be "due" for another pretty good season which he has had a few of during his career.

 

Again, if the price is right, there's no good reason not to do it. Our best hope is a rehabbing Paulino. Santana adds a lot of depth and let's say both he and Danks have good seasons here next year, what kind of leverage does that give Hahn over the offseason with Beck presumably knocking on the door?

 

*Edit: I'll add Jose Contreras to my list here, too. Count had a lot more raw ability and talent than most guys, including better stuff than Ervin, but my god was that man a mess mentally when he got here. Coop fixed 'em.

Edited February 12, 2014 by The Ultimate Champion

[Jose Abreu]

So basically what your saying is that your initial statement about Santana was bulls***. Good. Nothing personal Mr. Abreu, I'm very happy about your addition to the lineup, but I find it necessary to make sure people get the story straight on Santana. He's a quality pitcher overall.

My initial statement was a joke, but I proved that Santana only kills us because our offense sucks.

[chw42]

Jose Abreu.

[The Ultimate Champion]

BTW anyone think that when we DFA Dunn it'll be on fireworks night? It might actually be worth hanging onto him for a few games just to do it that way. Sox fans in attendance will get the news immediately after the game & then as the news spreads and fans begin to rejoice the fireworks show will begin.

[The Ultimate Champion]

My initial statement was a joke, but I proved that Santana only kills us because our offense sucks.

OK.

 

And I proved that his performance is comparable to what the Sox typically expect and get out of their pitching staffs on an overall basis and his performance is also comparable to what we've generally been getting out of the mid and back of our rotation over the last several years.

 

Again: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/santaer01.shtml

 

He has had one bad year in the last 4 total seasons. To most people that's a positive trend and his 2013 season was a rebound to *normalcy* following more of uncharacteristic season, but to HaterTalk.com his 2012 was normal and all his good years don't count.

 

I also will post another stat here: .234/.306/.402/.708, which is the White Sox career line against Santana (440 PA) over what amounts to a 9 year career. Which of course goes beyond the projected 2014 offense.

 

[southsider2k5]

Great, another thread ruined by the Stiffies For Santana crowd.

[Quin]

WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT ERVIN f***ING SANTANA

[Baron]

WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT ERVIN f***ING SANTANA

 

Because the knuckleheads that are arguing to sign him didnt get to ramp up the assumption machine today.

[The Ultimate Champion]

Great, another thread ruined by the Stiffies For Santana crowd.

I like that one but TBH I'd prefer we be known as the Friends of Ervin Santana, or F.O.E.S.