Lillian

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 10:23 AM) who are cletus and alvarez? are we seriously considering Rondon and a former speed skater to be in the plans any time before 2017/18? that would be a mistake....Anderson's going to get there first, anyway i'm also not sure that semien or sanchez should be counting on anything coming into next spring training...the White Sox better have a more appealing option for LF than Semien IMO, at least if they want to encourage the casual fans they're serious about competing Sorry, I meant Cleto. If he can harness his control, he has a chance to help in the pen. The reason I mentioned both Rondon and Alvarez is because they are part of the organization's middle infield depth.

The Sox do not have a single player of importance, who is near the end of his prime. Unless they sign Martinez, or make some other significant acquisition, they will likely not be ready to compete in 2015. For the following reasons, perhaps 2016 should be the targeted year to make a run: 1) There are several important pieces that have yet to prove whether they can be counted upon to be significant contributors. I’d be willing to wait a year to find out what they have in Rodon, A. Garcia, Bassitt, Montas, Cleto and at least two of the following group: Semien, Sanchez, Saladino and Michah Johnson. I’d also still like a better look at Wilkins. I was disappointed that the front office couldn’t move Dunn any sooner, so that Wilkins could have had more than 43 at bats, which hardly is sufficient to determine anything. 2) They are drafting high again this June, and could conceivably acquire another piece, who could contribute in 2016 3) This years free agent crop does not look all that enticing. 4) Next years free agents (assuming they don’t get extended) include names like Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Chris Davis, Alex Gordon, and Cespedes. Those names would be better fits than Victor Martinez, going forward, for a young team that wants to contend for a few years. Therefore, I would Trade Alexei, perhaps for a LH power hitting prospect, who is near ready. At 33, and with his contract, he could be a key to a couple of contenders in 2015. Which teams would have the greatest interest, and do any of them have a near ready LH power bat, who can play a position that fits the Sox (OF, DH, C, 3B)? Trading Alexei makes sense, if the Sox won’t be ready til ‘16. He would likely be slowing down enough by then, that his defense may no longer be elite. The organization has all of those middle infielders, at least a couple of whom should be ready to take over by '16, and who would benefit by one years experience, at the Major League level. Trading Alexei would help provide an opportunity to sort out the log jam in the infield. Saladino, Anderson and eventually Rondon could all become Major League Short Stops. If the Sox can build a solid offense, they may be able to settle for little, to no offensive production at SS, in order to put the best defense on the field. Rondon is the candidate for that scenario. There are several candidates for 2B including Sanchez, Semien, Johnson and Alvarez. If the Sox acquire V. Martinez, then Alexei could anchor the middle infield defense, for a Post Season run next season. However, if they decide to wait one more year, doesn't a trade of Ramirez make sense?

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Oct 16, 2014 -> 05:59 PM) Markakis is basically a maybe slightly more reliable De Aza for way more money. See, for example (assuming it happens), the Orioles letting Markakis walk, plugging in De Aza for lots of million dollars a year less. OPS over the last 2 years Markakis .707 De Aza .716 Don't know where he's getting this "gold glove caliber" reputation. Fangraphs has him with negative defensive ratings in each of the last 6 years. UZR does in all of those other than 2014 (fluke?). He's got a better arm than De Aza, probably makes fewer boneheaded plays, and has notably less range. In any of the next 4 years he's a decent bet to be a less valuable player than De Aza. Would it make much sense that the plan was to trade away De Aza making $4.2 million a year in order to sign a similarly valuable player in his 30s to a multi-year deal worth (my guesstimate) more than $10 million a year? This is a very astute observation, and practically irrefutable. They have been very similar offensive players, the last 3 years. Although, Markakis has been a little better vs. LHP. Defensively, de Aza has better speed, but Markakis has the better arm. That's why de Aza has been in LF, and Markakis in RF. I think the thing that made so many of us dislike Alejandro was his poor baseball acumen, particularly on the bases. To spend the additional amount of money that Markakis would require, to effectively replace de Aza would be very difficult to justify. The only way that would make any sense is, if the two minor league pitchers, whom the Sox acquired in the deal with Baltimore were really good prospects. However, that doesn't appear to be the case. I'd guess that the front office is looking for a more significant upgrade than Markakis. That player should either be a left handed hitting power hitter, or an exceptional defensive player with speed and a decent average, which would be feasible if they find that left handed power bat to DH.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Oct 8, 2014 -> 07:53 AM) They would lose their 2nd and 3rd round picks and the slot amount for those picks. Let's pretend that the Sox bonus pool is something like $6.5 million total. 1st round pick: 3.2 Million 2nd Round pick: $1.1 million 3rd Round pick: $750,000 (Those numbers are completely hypothetical). Not only would the Sox lose the 2nd and 3rd rd picks, instead of a $6.5 million draft pool, they'd have a tad over $4.5 million to spend total. Does this make sense? Yes, that explains it Thanks

I understand that our #8 Draft pick is protected. However, please explain exactly what the Sox would lose, if they signed Melky Cabrera and Victor Martinez, aside from a ton of money.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 22, 2014 -> 02:10 PM) obsessed, you are, with people of lefthandedness. You arent Ned Flanders, by chance? You're funny. No, I'm not obsessed with "lefthandedness". I'm simply pointing out that Sanchez is hitting over 100 points higher as a left handed batter. Does that not suggest to you that he might not be the switch hitter, he apparently aspires to be? If it were me, and I were hitting .325 from the left side, and only .222 from the right side, I might be inclined to see if I could do a little better vs. lefties, by just staying on the left side of the plate. I have no idea how he has done in his brief career, prior to this season, but that is a pretty dramatic split, wouldn't you say?

Take a look at C. Sanchez' split stats. He has been terrific batting left handed, vs. RHP: AVG .325 OBP .381 SLG .444 Do you think maybe he should try giving up switch hitting? He's hitting more than 100 points higher, when batting left handed. I personally favor Beckham's successor to be the one who provides outstanding defense, with decent offense. Sanchez has the defensive skills, and so far, has demonstrated pretty good offense, especially for his age.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 11, 2014 -> 12:35 PM) This clearly explains why Abreu has had such a good year with guys like Gillaspie and Dunn hitting behind him (who, BTW, have both played fairly well this year and represented enough of a "threat" so as to force opposing pitchers to throw to Abreu). I just found an article which makes your argument: http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/i...without-fielder I'm going to study it, because I'm afraid that I am one of those ignorant, missinformed fans, who still believes in the validity of the "line up protection" concept. Perhaps you're right, and this article may convince me. My mind is open. Regarding Abreu's success, in spite of the lack of protection. I think that we are already beginning to see opposing teams pitch around him. I posted some conjecture on that point, before the season started. I speculated that Abreu would probably start out very well, but once he had proven himself to be a real threat, that teams would start pitching around him. However, if the article which agrees with your position, is right, it shouldn't matter. We'll see.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 11, 2014 -> 11:31 AM) This is what Miguel Cabrera has seen behind him the last 3 years: 2012: .313/.412/.528/.940, 152 wRC+ 2013: .279/.362/.457/.819, 124 wRC+ 2014: .321/.386/.556/.942, 152 wRC+ Here's how Miguel Cabrera has performed: 2012: .330/.393/.606/.999, 165 wRC+ 2013: .348/.442/.636/1.078, 191 wRC+ 2014: .304/.364/.508/.872, 137 wRC+ In this particular sample, the theory is immediately debunked. If Jose Abreu is a good hitter, he will hit well. It won't matter a heck of a lot who hits in front of behind him. If it did, you'd have to imagine it would affect the others directly in front of or behind him as well, and nobody has hit particularly well out of the 2 hole this year. I'm sorry, but I don't follow your logic. How do those stats "debunk" the "theory"? Is there really any doubt that it's important to have a solid threat batting behind the kind of dominant hitter that both Cabrera and Abreu represent? Entering a series, an opposing team would otherwise simply make the conscious decision not to let that particular hitter beat them. He would subsequently be pitched around the entire series. He would not likely be able to produce much, aside from the walks.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Aug 11, 2014 -> 10:42 AM) Wilkins being a lefty power bat has made him Lillian's top prospect He may not be the "top prospect", but he could well be the most important position player prospect, precisely because of the need, which he could potentially fill.

The argument that the Knight's new ball park plays like a bandbox, isn't valid, when applied to Wilkins. He is not hitting cheap homers. He is strong enough to hit the ball out of any park. It is also encouraging that he doesn't strike out too much, for a guy putting up big power numbers.

Another point, which I made in a previous post, is that a left handed power hitter, to protect Abreu, is a top priority of the organization. There are very few candidates to fill that role, whom they could acquire in free agency, even if they were that eager to spend big money. Wilkins is the only player in the organization who could potentially fill that need. Why not do everything possible to try to get a better "read" on his chances? What is the point of leaving him in AAA?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 11, 2014 -> 09:10 AM) You're comparing MLB numbers to AAA numbers. That kills the validity of any argument you make immediately. You're comparing Jose Abreu to Andy Wilkins. That kills the validity of your argument. Also, Adam Dunn is one of the best DHs in the league against RHP, so I have no idea why you would say he's one of the worst and just assume it to be correct. I hate to be so absolutely blunt here, but this is one of the worst arguments for Andy Wilkins I have seen on this website. I have no problem with him getting a chance at some point, but simply saying "his AAA numbers are kinda close to Jose Abreu's MLB numbers but they're still worse!" and "Adam Dunn sucks" are not good arguments. You completely misinterpreted my point. First of all, Andy's numbers are not "kinda close", they're very close. But who is arguing that he would put up the same numbers in the Big Leagues? I certainly am not. The point I was making is that his numbers are impressive enough to consider him a top 20 prospect. Moreover, Adam Dunn is not good enough to be blocking his potential development, especially since he won't be back next year, and the trade deadline has passed. The larger point, which I didn't make, is that we will never know if Wilkin's is going to be able to hit Big League pitching, unless he gets enought at bats in the League. As some have pointed out, a September call up is always subject to criticism, owing to the reduced level of competition on opposing rosters, which also contain many Minor League call ups.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 11, 2014 -> 09:11 AM) Yes, you are setting a triple A players numbers against a major league players numbers and saying it is the same No, I'm not. That is precisely why I qualified the comparison.

I didn't say anything about his being able to perform at the same level, in the Big Leagues. All I am saying is that Wilkin's performance is impressive enough to merit some time with the parent club, and certainly enough to rank him ahead of a lot of guys in the organization who are not putting up numbers even close to being comparable.

The following set of stats by two players are strikingly similar: PA Hits 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG 444 122 29 1 31 86 31 98 .304 .363 .613 452 124 30 1 28 76 28 82 .295 .338 .570 The first line belongs to MLB’s leader in HR’s and RBI’s The other set belongs to the AAA International League’s 25 year old leader in the same two categories. One is considered an amazing hitter and new super star. The other isn’t even ranked in the top 20 prospects, of the White Sox, a team whose farm system is very poorly regarded. He also doesn’t appear to be worthy of replacing Adam Dunn, one of the worst DH’s in the League, in the parent club’s line up. Something is very wrong here.

In addition to the very impressive numbers that Wilkins is putting up, there is an intangible factor here. To not give him a chance, sends the wrong message to our Minor League players. He could justifiably ask; "What do I have to do to earn a shot?" After all, he's being blocked by Adam "freaking" Dunn. The organization has previously stated that any young player who could prove himself, would be given a chance. What better time to demonstrate that they're sincere, than now?

I agree that the Sox should make every effort to dump Beckham, and give as many at bats as possible to one of their promising, middle infield prospects. However, Carlos Sanchez is my personal preference. He seems to have made the necessary adjustments, at each successively higher level of play, and at the young age of 22, is having a very productive season repeating AAA. His splits are especially intriguing: IN 263 AB as a left handed hitter he has been terrific: AVG. .338 OBP .392 SLG .468 His numbers from the right side are not nearly as good, which leads one to wonder if he might be better served by abandoning his switch hitting, and just bat exclusively left handed. Hitting from the left side would also maximize his ability to successfully bunt for hits, thus employing his plus speed. Sanchez is regarded as the best defensive middle infielder of the bunch, currently being considered, which includes Micah Johnson, Marcus Semien, and T. Saladino (TJ Surgery). Moreover, he profiles better at 2B than SS. Sanchez would seem to be the best candidate to replace Beckham. I see Semien as a possible platoon with Gillaspie, unless, or until Davidson figures it out on both offense and defense. That is, of course, if he can at least demonstrate the ability to hit respectably at Charlotte. That team has put up some very impressive offensive numbers, in games in which Semien hasn't really done much.

Most of you don’t seem to share my enthusiasm for Sierra, and that’s quite understandable. After all, he has never really been able to establish himself as a regular, despite his many tools. He is appealing to me, because he can also provide plus defense in the outfield. Eaton and Garcia will almost certainly comprise 2/3 of the outfield, and I don’t think that the Sox should sacrifice defense to fill the final spot. So, with that in mind, if the Sox acquire an outfielder via free agency, it should ideally be someone who could be that left handed, middle of the order hitter to protect Abreu, and a player who can provide plus defense in the outfield. Melky Cabrera seems like the best candidate to fill that role. He is having a pretty good year, especially vs RHP. I’m still hopeful that Wilkins is going to continue to progress, and keeping the DH spot open for him is also a positive. If the Sox signed a pure DH, that would preclude any chance of Andy making his way into the line up. Here is a potential line up vs. rhp: CF Eaton SS Ramirez 1B Abreu LF M. Cabrera RF A.Garcia DH Wilkins 3B Gillaspie vs RHP / Semien vs. LHP C Flowers 2B C. Sanchez That team has a nice balance of hitting, from both sides of the plate, including two switch hitters. It sports a good OBP, and adds one veteran to a generally young group. It would provide solid defense, especially up the middle, and features pretty decent speed. The best part is that it would only require one free agent acquisition, for which there should be plenty of money. Just add that one rh starter, and fix the bullpen, and they should be able to compete. I'm rooting for Viciedo to finish strongly enough to net them some pitching help.

Apparently, I need to revise my list of the "biggest needs" for the 2015 Sox. 1) Bullpen, 2) bullpen and 3) more bullpen. I was thinking that with Putnam and Lindstrom back, and maybe one more piece, that they might be OK next season. After the last few games, it appears they may need more than one more piece. They need two lefties; a LOOGY and a solid LH set up man. They also need a closer.

QUOTE (flavum @ Aug 3, 2014 -> 05:38 PM) Cleto's last 5 appearances: 7.2 innings 2 hits 1 bb 13 k I heard the other night, that he was throwing 99-100.

Today at 1:31 PM The two biggest needs for the Sox next year are: 1) A middle of the order, left handed power bat, to protect Abreu. Without that protection, opposing teams would simply neutralize Jose's bat, by going around him. 2) A right handed starting pitcher, to balance the rotation, which is dominated by southpaws. It still seems unlikely that the Sox would keep a rotation consisting of the top 4 starters all being left handed. They will need at least a #2, or #3 to balance Sale, Quintana and Rodon. Even if Danks is not gone, a RHP has to be in front of his spot in the rotation. Unless trading Alexei fills one of those two needs, I don’t see the point. There is no elite defensive replacement SS in the organization, who is ready to take his place, and of the best candidates, none are likely to be as good offensively. The $10 million that he is owed is not going to represent an obstacle to the front office spending elsewhere, and is not out of line with his value. Perhaps, by the end of next season Tim Anderson, or Rondon will be ready to inherit the SS position, but until then, I don’t see Semien as being a replacement, whom we could expect to provide Alexei’s elite defense, much less his offensive production. Additionally, since I favor trading Viciedo, Alexei being a fellow Cuban teammate for Abreu, might be an important intangible to consider. Sanchez is the best defensive second baseman in the organization, and his ability to hit from both sides of the plate make him my candidate to succeed Beckham, who most of us seem confident will be gone. I love Micah Johnson’s offensive game, but unless he can improve his defense, I’m not sure that it makes sense to sacrifice defense, up the middle, for a guy who is probably best suited to bat lead off, where the Sox already have Eaton. Even if Johnson could play LF, the Sox may need to use the opening there to make room for a LH power bat. De Aza has to be the most dispensable outfielder, and Sierra has much better tools to take his place. He’s also much younger, and would have no impact on the payroll. If you read some of the scouting reports on him, from the last 2 or 3 years, he is purported to have significant power potential. I had the impression that he was more of a defense and speed guy, but the reason that he has been considered so intriguing is, in large part, due to his power potential. Given that power potential, he provides a more attractive option than Viciedo, as well. He’s only 6 months older than Dayan, and is a very good defensive player, with speed and a great arm. Moreover, Sierra’s power is not derived from the kind of violent, big swing that Viciedo employs. That is likely to result in more contact and a better average than Dayan will be able to achieve. Neither Viciedo nor Sierra have realized their potential, and given the vastly better tools, I’d opt for giving Sierra the playing time. Viciedo does also possess a terrifc arm, but that’s the only other tool he has, aside from the ability to hit for power. As long as Sierra’s projected power potential is legitimate, why not let the player who can contribute in so many other ways, get the chance to develop it? And, of course, Sierra would not negatively impact the payroll. Although I was on board with the practically unanimous view that the Sox needed to upgrade the catching position, I’m very encouraged by Flowers’ recent ability to “square up” pitches. Ever since he donned the specs, in favor of contacts, he has really looked dangerous. This is the first time, all season, that he seems to have an idea of what he’s doing with the bat in his hands. Earlier in the year, even when he was hitting for average, he almost never barreled the ball up. We all remember that crazy streak, during which he got so many “duck snorts” and other lucky hits. I love his hitting to right field, and if this new approach allows him to have decent at bats, his power will ultimately become a factor, Tyler is extremely strong. Defensively, I don’t know how he is rated, but he passes the “eye test” for me. I like his pitch calling, and pitch blocking, and he has a strong and accurate arm. My 2015 lineup: CF Eaton SS Ramirez 1B Abreu DH The LH Power Bat? (I’m hoping that Wilkins is for real. He may be a long shot, but at least he has a better chance than a certain former star, for whom I was hoping last year) LF A.Garcia 3B Gillaspie vs RHP / Semien vs. LHP RF Sierra C Flowers 2B Sanchez I have trouble imagining that Davidson could be ready to contribute, any earlier than late next season.

Have you all seen these videos?:

If you want to have some fun, compare this year's stats for Wilkins and Abreu. Before someone points out the obvious fact that we're comparing AAA with MLB performance, I'm not suggesting that Wilkins is a left handed version of our Cuban Phenom. Nevertheless, it is interesting to get some perspective of the numbers that Andy is compiling. In virtually the same number of plate appearances, they have some quite similar numbers. Rather than sight specific stats, I'd simply suggest that you take a look, including the splits. Wilkins' power is not a function of the Knights' new ball park. He has put up very similar numbers on the road. Moreover, his home runs are more often of the tape measure variety, rather than the cheap kind. This is just his first full season at AAA, and he is continuing his career pattern of making the adjustments at each successively higher level. The fact that he is the only left handed power bat, in the entire organization that offers any hope for filling that void, validates the argument that he should be brought up, and given an opportunity to try to make the adjustment to Major League pitching. The last two months of the season could provide some better insight into whether or not the Sox need to look for a middle of the order, left handed power bat, via trade, or free agency. As several here have suggested, there is nothing to be gained by giving those at bats to a, soon to be departed, Adam Dunn.

These old scouting reports are interesting: http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/2010/...andrew-wilkins/ http://www.chicagonow.com/future-sox/andy-wilkins/ I wonder at what point he will be considered a "prospect" again.