shakes

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Feb 9, 2010 -> 12:09 PM) Once again, the Sox had one of the better rotations in baseball last year, we still finished in third place. The problem was our offense. Of which, Jim Thome was our best player, and Dye was likely in the top 5 even despite a miserable second half. We have replaced players like Thome and Dye with Juan Pierre an OBP-challenged lead-off man who will maintain a better defensive advanatage then Pods, but struggle to get on-base. Next we will be counting on Alexis Rios to bounce back, Beckham not to have a a sophmore slump, Teahen to turn into the guy Billy Beane projected him to be, Konerko to fight off decline for another year, Kotsay to repeat a three week hot streak from last year, Jones to become the player he was 4 years ago, and Ramirez to stop being a space cadet and shape up for the first month of the season. If all these work out, we might have a better team. Right now, I'm smelling a whole lot of if coming off this plan. I'm not even arguing they don't have a lot of questions in their offense. They do. But from the opening day roster of last year, the Sox have significantly improved the pitching staff, the defense, and possibly the bullpen. It just seems crazy to me that Minnesota has as many questions with their starting staff, as we do our offense, but people are already conceding the division. I could take the same pessimistic view about their starters 1-5, as you just did with our lineup.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 9, 2010 -> 11:42 AM) Unfortunately, I can also argue against this, although this will be why they play the games. There are a number of issues one can bring up that are decent arguments for why the Twins rotation this year will be better than last year. 1. Injury. They lost Slowey after 90 innings last year. He's expected to be ready for ST. 2. Duensing, who was their best pitcher overall in the innings he pitched, was a mid-season callup last year and will be there for a full season this year. He put up their best ERA in their rotation, 3.64, but only got 84 innings. 3. Pavano will be there for a full year, if he stays healthy. This isn't like adding a Cy Young winner, but if he simply repeats his last season, that adds depth to their rotation that it didn't have to start last year. 4. The dome actually didn't help the Twins last year. Most teams put up better ERA's at home than on the road. The Twins had virtually the same ERA on the road and at home. The Twins starting rotation had one of the best ERA's in the league on the road and one of the worst ERA's in in the league at home. It's entirely possible that moving out of the dome could therefore bring benefits to the Twins rotation rather than harm. These points may all be proven wrong easily by another injury or a struggling pitcher and I'm not 100% convinced by any of them. But just as there are reasons to think the Sox offense underperformed last year, one can argue that the Twins starters underperformed last year. 1. Slowey needs to prove he's healthy and even what he was for 150 innings in 2008. He was pretty hittable last year even in the time he was healthy. 2. Duensing has a lot left to improve. His peripherals were nothing special, and nothing about his last couple of years in the minors tell me anything different. I'm not all that impressed with him. 3. I expect very little out of Pavano. Overall, he was a below average pitcher last year, at best. I'm not confident he can repeat what he even did last year. 4. Is Liriano healthy, or is he just showing some flashes in winter ball? He needs to prove he can hold up for even a half season. Every one of their starters has question marks attached to them. I think they have the worst starting rotation amongst all the contenders in baseball. They have no stoppers in that rotation for times when the bats are cold. I think they would be the clear favorite, because the offense is down right scary, but I can't have any faith in a team with that pitching staff.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Feb 9, 2010 -> 10:28 AM) It's very simple. It's not about the weather, it's not about the dome. It's two things. The Twins have improved their team, we haven't. The Twins won the division last year, we didn't. The controlled temperature is a huge part of the dome, so it is also about the weather. I have no idea how you think the Sox haven't improved their team from last year. The Twins haven't addressed their biggest weakness which is the starting pitching, and their defense may be weaker. The offense is improved, but that was a strength already. Why are so many people ignoring their starting pitching? It was one of the worst staffs in the AL, and has done nothing to improve. They also lose the advantage over visiting hitters in the dome, and have question marks with their defense. If the Sox had their rotatation I would be very pessimistic about their chances.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 8, 2010 -> 06:16 PM) I disagree. They have changed their team. It isn't Nick Punto beating you with a bunt that somehow plates 2 and gets him to third anymore. There isn't one game in the Metrodome last year you could say the reason the Sox lost was because of the strangeness of the stadium. You probably could say they were defeated before the game started several times, hopefully that will change. Who knows what will happen with Target Field. They seem to be stacking up LH power hitters, so they probably know something. The Sox don't have many of those. It may be a disadvantage. They have changed their team drastically. As a whole, their team is probably going to be slow and powerful. The defense will take a step back. Just look at the middle infielders they acquired. They are probably the slowest SS, and slowest 2b in the league. They are both still good defenders, but don't cover a whole lot of ground. A lot of balls are going to get through the holes, and a lot of balls are going to land in the OF with the corner outfielders they are planning on playing. I haven't seen enough of Span to know what he'll be like full time in CF. Speed and defense no longer come first for the Twins. They are basically going to try and slug teams to death. It's kind of a total role reversal. I'm sure they know how the new park will play out, and that's why they've adjusted. It's hard to say what kind of effect the new park will have, but I'm sure their bats will be effected a bit in the weather. The Sox have struggled to hit in April, as have the Indians, and Tigers in the past. I expect that to happen to the Twins. They are also playing mainly day games in April(you were talking about average highs, but you forgot to mention average lows in the low 30's, hence the day games). It's a big adjustment. The Twins played almost 100 games in a dome last year. Nobody can say with any certainty how it will play out, but it will be different.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Feb 8, 2010 -> 02:15 PM) Hardy is not nearly the defensive SS he used to be and Hudson has been awful recently as well. Look at the other metrics... If you are going to measure a team's defense you have to include the bench, of course. The Sox have like 23 Gold Gloves available as replacements between Jones/Vizquel/Kotsay. Hardy is a lumbering SS with below average range. He is sure handed and has a good arm, but he won't get to a lot of balls you think he should. He's a case where UZR severely overrates him as a defender. He's one of the reasons I really still can't put a lot of stock in UZR. They miss the boat badly on more than a few defenders. It looks like the Twins defense could take a pretty good step down from their past teams. Their outfield defense will be awful and they have some flyball ptichers.

QUOTE (Cubano @ Jan 11, 2010 -> 10:29 PM) I wish you are the Sox top scout and decision making. I agree with you. They need to stop BS with Viciedo and send him to RF. Another exciting and promising offseason in Camp Cora. Last year it was more of the same. Fields is history. Viciedo was a colander in AA. I forgot who else trained with Cora. So you think he should be a RF?

QUOTE (docsox24 @ Jan 7, 2010 -> 11:08 PM) No. You don't move a 21 year old power hitting 3b off the position for a 28 yr old journeyman. It had nothing to do with Teahan. They decided DV can't play defense there. No doubt. If he can't play the position there is no reason to keep him there, just because his perceived value would be higher. His value is his bat. That's what needs to get developed. He had a lot to adjust to last year.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Dec 23, 2009 -> 09:25 AM) I don't agree with this. Jon Link and John Ely have some decent potential and we gave them both away in the Pierre deal. Ely was nearly dominant in AA last year and Link also showed real promise (though he's an older 'prospect' so his upside probably isn't as high). Ely is the guy I hated losing...he lead league in strikeouts and was a big winner, at only 23 years old he was certainly one to factor into the Sox future. That said, I do like Pierre in LF. His numbers were solid last year, he can get on base, run and catch the ball. He'll help. As is the case with Sox prospects, we can never get too comfortable with them. I expect Hudson will be gone within the next year or so. Ely had a good season, but this will probably be the highpoint of his career. He has very average stuff, he generally pitches in the mid 80's with a change up as his best pitch, and no real breaking pitch to speak of. He was another safe, low ceiling, advance throught the system fast, college pitcher, just like Broadway and McCullough. He is nothing more than a throw in to a deal. Nothing would ever be centered around him, and losing him is really an afterthought. He has more value to the Dodgers, than he ever could with the Sox.

Pierre, Teahan, and possibly a dh/outfielder are the only regulars that are brand new to the team. Bench players are turned over nearly every year. Carlos and Alexei are going into their third full season with the White Sox, while Beckham and Rios were only there for partial seasons, I don't think anyone is worried about Beckham, and Rios has been in the league quite a while now. As most do, I would really like to see another bat added, but I feel better about this lineup already than I did going into the start of the season last year. Fields, Getz, Anderson/Wise, and Alexei at a new position were in our starting lineup. That is really scary to think about(not to mention Colon and Contreras rounding out the back end of the rotation). As others have mentioned, this was a really bad offense, and change needed to happen. Only time will tell if these are the right changes, and management is counting on bounce back years for certain players, but I like where they're at. Even if another bat is not acquired, we haven't lost any prospects of value this offseason, and something can be done in season. But to address the original question, no I don't think too many changes took place. There may be more in store. AJ, Konerko, Quentin, Alexei, Beckham, and Rios all finished the year with the team. It's really not that drastic.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 16, 2009 -> 02:12 AM) I still don't understand why we just don't play Danks. Some thought we were rushing Beckham and he did great. Baseball should start to be like other sports and not be afraid to play some of these guys right away. I'd rather rush Danks than play Pierre a lot wouldn't you all? 100% No. Beckham and Danks are on a completely different level as prospects. They don't even belong in the same sentence. Danks contact rates and pitch recognition have a long way to go. He strikes out way too much for the minor leagues, his K numbers would be huge if he started out with the big club. He has holes in his swing he needs to fix before he comes up. He's far from a sure thing, and by all acounts is not yet ready. What makes you think he can play now? And what makes you think he could out hit Pierre?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 21, 2009 -> 06:29 PM) Seattle. Why does everyone assume he would play in Seattle? Matsui doesn't have a good relationship with Ichiro. In fact, it's been long talked about that they don't like each other. Just recently, Matsui backed out of the WBC when Ichiro committed. Their rivalry supposedly goes back to when they were teenagers. Just because they are from the same country doesn't mean they want to play with together. Look at Renteria and Orlando Cabrera.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ Aug 12, 2009 -> 10:02 AM) I might very well be the only guy on the planet with a road grey #22 Josh Fields jersey. You're not alone.... .....I'm sure Josh still has his.

I deplore ESPN and only tune in to live sporting events. With the NFL and MLB networks, I see no reason to tune in for these particular sports. I'm still waiting for a more available college football/basketball alternative. They have some good writers on their website, but now almost all are for insiders and I refuse to pay. They care only about ratings and entertainment value, and since they have been Disneyfied(You may not find that in Websters), they are just a running joke. What bothers me most, is they now only care about breaking a story first, or taking credit even when they don't, and so often their reports are false. They have lost all journalistic integrity.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Aug 1, 2009 -> 11:33 AM) What poor stats? Swisher’s had one bad year. That being for the White Sox last year. Including that year, Swisher still averages 28 homeruns, 86 RBI’s, an OBP of .356, and an OPS of .811. You can’t ask for much more from a guy who isn’t terrible at 1b, or any of the OF positions. He's certainly been trending down since his excellent year in 2006. His numbers are nothing special for a 1b/corner outfielder. He's bounced back a bit this year with a couple of really hot stretches, in a good lineup and a great homerun park for a lefty. The biggest problem I have with him is his approach. He is patient to a fault. I don't like seeing him up with risp, he looks at too many good pitches, thinking of drawing a walk instead of driving in runs. It's why he has never been a very good rbi man, and can't be a good middle of the lineup hitter. It's also why his average keeps going down. He sees his best pitches early in the count, often watching them go by, and never changes his approach with two strikes. All this while he seems to have lost a bit of bat speed the last couple of years. He rarely seems to make hard outs. I just think the league has adjusted fairly well to him, without him making the adjustments back.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Aug 1, 2009 -> 11:19 AM) Look at how many times Jim Thome has struck out. What does he add to the team? Walks, OBP and Power. These are all assets that Swish brought to the team. The problem being, in a good year, he had about 10-15 less homeruns in him then Thome, and sadly for Chicago Media and fans, he also brought an outgoing, personality with him. What does Swish have over Thome? He can play defensive priority positions in the infield and outfield. He's also not nearly as productive of a bat as Thome, even in the twilight of his career. I'm not saying Swisher isn't a useful player, but he's a liability for what his contract is becoming. Not to mention, I can't stand his approach at the plate, and I don't think he's even as good as the poor stats he's put up the last couple of years.

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Jul 31, 2009 -> 10:42 AM) What Toronto is asking for is obscene. If I was Toronto I'd keep the guy and anchor that good young staff around him. They already have several excellent prospects, many of which are already doing good things at the big league level (Romero, Cecil, that Rezpek...however you spell his name guy). They wanted Holland and Smoak from Texas, with TWO more top prospects. I don't think we have a single pitching prospect in our system near as good as EITHER Holland or Smoak, yet we think we can obtain this guy? I don't mind bringing in more pitching, but feel like moving on these Halladay types is counter-productive given our GLARING need in Center Field. I think we have quite a few better pitchers in our system than Smoak.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 20, 2009 -> 02:21 PM) Anderson is actually pretty quick on the basepaths, though Wise can actually steal and BA really doesn't do that well. Its not about any sort of logical argument. At all. Its a personal thing - some combination of not liking BA's attitude, or Ozzie liking Wise, or whatever. Ozzie is not the GM. This was Kenny's decision. And the logic isn't that hard to figure out. BA has an option left. If Carlos comes back and aggravates the injury, or if Pods gets dinged up in CF, than Anderson can come back up. It's not likely Wise will get picked up, but he might, or he might refuse his assignment. This is just to have some depth, for the next couple of weeks, to see how things go. Hopefully, Kenny can acquire a bench outfielder better than BA or Wise.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 17, 2009 -> 03:27 PM) Which has higher odds, Alex Rios putting up another 800+ OPS season at USCF in our new "reinvigorated" line-up in 2010/2011 or Jordan Danks? Obviously, Rios has more of a track record and he's still a young player, one of those "change of scenery" moves that have worked so often with pitchers, and SOMETIMES hitters in KW's tenure. Although we don't see nearly as many "Walk will fix him" (teal/green or not) comments, so that's a bit of a concern if you do swallow that. Getting the Jays and JP to give up a Thome like subsidy will cost the White Sox Danks/Poreda OR Richard OR Hudson and probably one more piece. It kind of goes against everything that's been said recently about attendance/economy/sponsorships going forward, but it's really depressing to think with all that money coming off the books that we couldn't even afford ONE contract like Alex Rios, then we're in for an interesting ride. Of course, the Rios trade idea has one flaw...it still doesn't address the leadoff hitter issue. Getz is more valuable to us (or Nix, for that matter) than he is in trade to another team. But I don't see Chone Figgins getting anything approaching $10 million per season over more than 3 years because of his age and injury history. Speed players always decline as they reach their early to mid 30's, especially in the post PED's era. If you're worried about leadoff, just bring Pods back. They will have an open spot at DH for any one of our elder/injury prone outfielders. Figgins is a big injury risk and hasn't played a regular CF in a while. And I think someone will overpay him on a 2 or 3 year contract.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Jul 17, 2009 -> 12:16 PM) Rios is just too much of a risk even if the Jays swallowed half his contract I think. His numbers have declined badly since 2007, and this season he has a .634 OPS away from the Skydome. In fact over his career, his OPS is almost .100 less in away matches than it is at home. Plus he's not very good defensively in CF, so you'd probably have to play him in RF. He's an excellent CF'er defensively. He's being wasted in RF in Toronto, but there has been talk of Rios moving to CF and Wells going to RF next year. I know his numbers have been trending down, but last year was far from a bad year. Especially, if those numbers are for CF. His OBP was not very good, but he still threw up 70 extra base hits, including 47 doubles, and 32 stolen bases. This was in a pitchers park on one of the worst offenses in baseball. He's a great buy low candidate. I can't believe people are saying they wouldn't take him for half his contract? But, people want DeJesus or Teahan? Has anyone seen what we've been sending out to CF since 2005?

It's an interesting thought, but right now I think they need the outfield depth, and I think he would bring very little in a trade. I've given up believing he will ever be more than a 4th or 5th outfielder. The offseason would be a better time for this. http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/wh...T-joe03.article

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ May 7, 2009 -> 05:41 AM) From what i am told, the rules are based around your opinion meshing with the prevailing opinion on the site. They wouldnt let me join because of my super suspicious yahoo email address, so I cant be for sure, but a lot of the people who have gravitated here have said "I disagreed with XXXXXX and next thing I knew, I was out" The rules have nothing to do with your opinion, and again I have never seen anybody banned for having a verying opinion. They do not allow personal attacks, which leads to about 99% of the bans, which are not permanent. The yahoo email address thing has to do with some issue with spam.

QUOTE (Cali @ May 6, 2009 -> 02:19 PM) Haha Wow, that is sad.... And also really untrue. I have been a member of both boards and I don't get the hate. I have never seen venom spewed about this board over there? There are some really smart Sox people over there, and some really great Sox historians. And if you follow the rules you will not get banned, regardless of your opinion. There are some people ,on both boards, that are really outspoken and at times obnoxious. But, thats been the case on every message board I've ever posted at.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 31, 2009 -> 08:51 AM) So has anyone said if Colon was actually "pitching" yesterday? Was he featuring all of his pitches or just working on one? Was he throwing his fastball in the 90's or in the 80's? Was he using his out pitches? Colon and Contreras both topped out at 93 yesterday, which is a good sign. Also, keep in mind that they both started late in spring training and the hitters are well ahead of them right now. It wouldn't surprise me at all, if they are both working on a particular pitch, or throwing to a certain side of the plate. Hitters will pick up on these things.

He also had problems with Dye. I've never heard of anybody having a problem with him. Orlando was labeled as a team leader, but Ozzie had to pull him into his office and ask him to be more of a leader. He didn't lead all year and then called his teamates out in the press for not wanting to win. He also called out his manager in the press. When you have a problem with management and your teamates, it's time to go. Oh, and it's not the first place he's been run out of. Good riddance.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Mar 24, 2009 -> 09:21 AM) I thought he was ok too (RZR rating wise for 2008 I think he was around the league average IIRC). Really surprised that the Yanks are gonna go with Gardner out there to start the season, but I guess they're putting a premium on defense this season. They're putting a premium on defense at that position, but their defense as a whole could be pretty awful.