GreenSox

Maddon helped the Cubs win 6 extra games or so. Savvy trades for Rizzo, Arieta, Hendricks, Russell and a closer nabbed in Rule V were worth a lot more wins. And not a "proven veteran" among them, Kenny Williams.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Sep 29, 2016 -> 03:37 PM) I for one want a scrub down of the front office before this team makes moves and the coaching staff (minus MAYBE Herm Schneider). That makes two of us. It's hard to blame the budget when Hahn had no problem encumbering with the Sox with an albatross Shields contract. And then he squandered about $15 million in now dead money on veterans on their last legs that he and KW so dearly love. Their budget is probably higher than it should be, given the revenue. What the FO needs is some basic competence, if not some real skill.

Unfortunately this would mean that williams and Hahn will be back (a new FO would not retain Ventura). More years of Williams and Hahn clownshows is the real problem.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 25, 2016 -> 03:06 PM) It would be so White Sox if they come home and go 7-0 for 81-81. Leave 'em thinking you're close to competing. I think that's what this entire "play the starters basically every game in September" farce has been about. Fluffed up record plus injuries excuse = another chance for great team builders Williams and Hahn.

Excellent job with clinching-prevention while the Sox were in town. Now the Sox step way down in class. Let's see if they can hit .500 with a 9 gamer to close the season.

I know I keep asking the same question, but why isn't Coats getting Sept at bats so the Sox can at least get some feeling about what he has? I would think Rick Hahn has a pretty good read on Avi at this point.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Sep 23, 2016 -> 07:54 AM) You make it sound so easy. Who is available in free agency that is a high power and high obp threat that the Sox can realistically sign? Before answering just remember that 6/$68 million is the biggest contraft they've given out. No it's not easy, but you have to build a team. It takes some time. Hahn and Williams are either incapable or unwilling. Every year it's the same thing out of Rick Hahn....do a bunch of half measures, semi-plug some holes, but really fill nothing. Hahn will do the obvious, but nothing imaginative. The team looks pretty good on paper IF everything goes right. Then we get the Rolodex of Hahn's excuses. How about making a trade...like the one that got Eaton here in the first place. Oh, that's right, Rick Hahn stopped making those trades, preferring the Melkys, Samardzijas and Fraziers. But putting Eaton in CF when he transformed himself in RF is just inane. The excuse is injuries, as if Putnam and Petricka and Jackson are difference-makers. The injuries that really hurt the org. were Davidson and Tilson.

I think all of your stuff is really good. I read every feature story. I don't read all (or most) of the daily recaps just because I like checking the box scores myself. Others probably enjoy them regularly. I too prefer MiLB link- full box scores for both teams and I can check out oppositions. But the again if it's not linked I can just open it myself.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 23, 2016 -> 12:55 PM) Um, talent? How is that not obvious. Yep.

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Sep 22, 2016 -> 03:42 PM) Or get a RF with power and move Eaton back to CF. And then the Sox would have a mediocre CF. Yes Eaton doesn't have ideal RF power but it's his best position ( probably would be good in left too). The gaping HR hole is the easiest to plug- DH. Get a real DH and OBP and defense from CF and the Sox are much better. No reason to downgrade the defense again.

no Bevington was not a better manager than Ventura.

It's also a bullpen that has really 1 7th-9th inning arm (maybe 2); a rotation that has 2 studs and up and down Rodon, a #5 in Gonzalez and is clearly an arm short, and with no depth. What former all-star that another team is trying to dump will Rick and Kenny fall for this offseason?

Just play the bench. It is September...late September. Going through the motions from front office to dugout. And I pitch counts may be meaningless (although I think they do matter) but they also serve no purpose. Why take the chance in meaningless games? The front office apparently had its reasons (as they did nothing to stop them and Ventura has been pitching sale to high counts the last month).

QUOTE (Dunt @ Sep 21, 2016 -> 09:32 AM) Willful ignorance is never a good look. Neither is groupthink. Compare his historical RF defensive numbers to his CF and then get back to me about the concept of "Willful ignorance".

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Sep 21, 2016 -> 08:49 AM) No, not just in right field. Overall. He is on pace for 6-6.2 WAR this season. That is well above All-Star level, borderline MVP caliber. The reason his WAR is 5.7 instead of the usual solid 3.7 is because of his defense....as a right fielder.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Sep 21, 2016 -> 07:56 AM) He's one of the leagues best. Defensively in right field, yes. Great to see the White Sox playing him much of September in center.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Sep 20, 2016 -> 09:57 PM) I wonder how, if at all, this miscalculation by Hahn may impact the "trust" factor between him and JR in the future. Given the stories that JR had to be talked into this by Hahn you wonder now if this means Kenny assumes a bigger role again going forward...that maybe JR has doubts about Hahn's judgment. Just speculation on my part but this did cross my mind tonight. Mark That's the trouble with dumping Hahn (who, imo, should be dumped) - it's no better, and likely worse, with KW (who should have moved on years ago) back running the operation. Maybe Shields was KW's idea. The amateur scouting appears to have done a good job.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 20, 2016 -> 08:28 PM) Funny how they finally got rid of Danks, and a month later they picked up 2-3 years of a worse pitcher. It's incompetence...that trade is a fireable offense.

Robin is going down swinging. make sure the starter completely pitches you out of the game before making a move.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Sep 20, 2016 -> 11:40 AM) Ironically, Eaton has a lot of it. And you always try to get rid of him in your posts. I don't rip him. Just don't hero worship him. He's a good player one of the Sox best. And that's the problem. Certainly not his fault that the Sox haven't gotten better talent around him. The Front office- that I rip.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Sep 20, 2016 -> 11:04 AM) The blame here rests squarely on Robin's shoulders. They've got guys like Abreu, Frazier and Q that lead by example, character and grit. They've got intense, win-at-all-cost players like Eaton, Lawrie, Sale and Rodon. Anderson and Saladino seem like they've got fire. Avi busts his ass. Robin needs to get everyone else rallied. Seems like he can't. Eaton has never struck me as a win at all costs player. But TWTW isn't the problem with this org anyway: Talent is.

QUOTE (harkness @ Sep 19, 2016 -> 03:57 PM) Bye Robin. The talent this front office made available to Robin in a "go for it year" is even more culpable.

QUOTE (StrykerSox @ Sep 17, 2016 -> 02:19 PM) Saladino has had an 18 game hot streak (OPS of .935 in that span). Before that, he was at a .674 OPS. That puts him dead last among qualified MLB 2Bs. Now at .738, there are only five MLB two-baggers below him (Phillips, Gennett, Panik, Utley and Harrison). Let's not act like Saladino is some proven hitter who can only be prevented from starting at second next year by the acquisition of Moncada or better. He's had a nice 18 games, but he's been BAD for most of his career. If regular Tyler (as in the player we've seen for 88% of his career) shows up and he's a starter, we are going to sink hard. That's all fine, but Lawrie, the "proven veteran", had a OPS of .723 before he went down. how does that stack up? And the year before it was .706. Saladino is also a very good defender and can play all infield positions. No Saladino isn't an all star level player...but he also in his 2nd year. And it's not like the Sox have someone better. Further, they have much greater deficits compared to the rest of the league at other positions, like CF.

The Sox need a CF who can hit. Yes, there are more RF available for next season, which is probably one of the reasons why Eaton is back in CF (in addition to not wanting Shuck in the lineup as Ventura/Hahn "go for it" in September). They can sign a platoon hitter like Reddick and Hahn will lecture that he's "elite" (just like he did with Frazier and Samardzija). But Eaton leads the league in RF defense - finally a massive plus output - moving him is just more of the silliness.

I like Saladino but more power and more walks would help a lot. I like Sanchez too. Sox would have been better off just using those 2 all year v. Lawrie. They can trade Lawrie, but won't get much; yea they didn't give much, but some occasional positive arbitrage out of his FO would be nice.