Lillian

How long has his thumb been injured? Could that explain his recent slump?

Thanks for the great write-up, as always. Since Cordell had formerly also pitched, do you know when he started to concentrate on hitting? That is important, as it could partially explain his slower rate of development.

One of the biggest obstacles for Anderson is his inability to draw walks. We all know that. The problem is that, when the League knows that a hitter will swing at bad pitches, that is pretty much all he is going to see. It's very hard for any hitter to produce when he is not pitched to. It is imperative that he learn to take bad pitches. If he could establish a reputation of being a patient hitter, with a decent eye, then pitchers would have to throw more strikes to him. It's only then, that we may ever discover what he could do as a hitter. I'm afraid that if he never acquires the ability to take pitches, and draw walks, he is never going to be a good hitter. I understand that most of us know all of this. The point is that Tim Anderson needs to understand it. It's not just that taking his walks would improve his OBP, but he needs to dispel pitchers of the notion that he will swing at bad pitches. The same circumstance is what is keeping Avi from fully realizing his potential. For the first half of the season, when he was among the leaders, pitchers had every reason not to give him much to hit. Yet, even then, he was still not drawing walks. Like Anderson, he just does not have good plate discipline. I'm glad that Hostetler, and his staff, is so committed to finding hitters who have a good eye, and the ability to draw walks. It's a shame that this has only recently been made a priority for the organization. Hopefully it will pay huge dividends.

I understand that he played in the PCL this year, however his numbers are better than any of our guys at Charlotte, this year. When you also consider his defensive prowess and good speed, he is not a bad prospect. How long has he been concentrating exclusively on hitting, as he was a two way player, earlier in his career? I'd like to see the Sox employ him in LF and Engel in CF, next season, while Rutherford, Jimenez and Robert get some seasoning in the Minors.

There is a lot to like about Guerrero. I love his good control and changeup. There seems to be so much emphasis on velocity, but today's hitters seem quite capable of hitting 95 + MPH fastballs. That's not surprising, as they see so many high velocity pitches, especially in the last 3 innings. Lot's of bullpens have several guys who throw that hard.

Which lefty has the best chance to make the starting rotation, especially if Rodon leaves?

Does any of this discussion change anyone's expectations for the 2020 starting rotation and bullpen? What is your best guess for the pitching staff, based upon the current talent in the organization? My guess would be Rodon (unless he's traded), Kopeck, Lopez, Hansen and Cease. I don't know what to think of Giolito. Do you guys think that he'll make it? Fulmer, Burdi and the rest of the top guys would battle for bullpen spots.

Because he has recently been hitting more homers, yet striking out more, in a previous post, I suggested that he may be swinging for the fences. In checking the game logs, I discovered that he has drawn the "hat trick" 8 times, this season. Interesting that in 4 of those games, he also had a homer, no other hits, just one homer, in each of those 4 games. His last 5 games seem to make the point even more dramatically; 4 hat tricks and 3 homers, with no other hits. I wonder if he has an injury, and if not, it seems likely that he is swinging for the fences. Whatever is causing this troubling development, let's hope it stops.

Thanks for all of your input, gentlemen. It's an interesting discussion. Statistical analysis leaves out a few things, for example; Fox was terrific at executing the hit and run, something else that is not emphasized nearly as much, now.

Thanks "Oldsox". It's a shame that today's fans never had a chance to watch a guy like Nellie Fox. Who knows how he would have faired against today's tremendous pitching, but he was fun to watch. In the same way, I'll bet we would have enjoyed watching Ty Cobb. Those hitters played a different kind of game than the one that has evolved. Which version of the game is better, is a matter of personal preference, but it was indisputably different.

Eloy would be the youngest player on the Baron's roster, but so what? He'd probably be the best, as well.

I hope that didn't sound like sour grapes. I love the trades and also believe in our future. It's just that it struck me as though it seemed surprising to some how good Moncada and Jimenez might become. To the contrary, I think that the front office is counting on that.

They better be. They cost the Sox one Super Star pitcher and another, pretty close to that.

Of course, power hitters strike out, and that's fine. However, little guys like Madrigal might be better served forgetting about hitting homers. I understand all of your points and recognize that the game has changed. That does not negate the point regarding choking up. It didn't seem to hurt Bonds' and he was the definition of a "power hitter". At any rate, don't mind me. I'm just a "dinosaur". Much about the game is very different from when I first became a fan, in the 50's. Perhaps there is just no longer any place in the game, for a hitter like "Little Nellie".

Wow! So, Nellie Fox wasn't a good hitter. In his 10 prime years, between ages 23 and 32, he never struck out as many as 20 times, in one season. In that period, he only hit below .300 4 times; .296 twice, .289 and .285. He didn't have the natural tools of today's players. He wasn't big, strong or very fast. Yet he had a terrific career and was key to the Sox offense, as pathetic as it was, in those days. He was a great '2 hole' hitter, with lot's of sacrifices. He was also very adept at executing the hit and run. Oh well. That was another era. The point is that a guy like Madrigal is not going to be a slugger, or big run producer. He could do worse than to model himself after a guy like "Little Nellie".

In my "time zone," as Hawk would say, I grew up with Nellie Fox, as the face of the franchise. That guy choked way up on the bat and exhibited some of the most remarkable bat control imaginable. He could seemingly hit the ball wherever he wanted, and he almost never struck out.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 23, 2017 -> 10:37 AM) Aluminum bats are a bit different and he did hit .380. Ok, so he hit .380, which means that he might hit .400, if he choked up a little. I understand, it just isn't done anymore. Is there some reason that a hitter can't effectively choke up, on an aluminum bat? You have probably read this article: https://jugssports.com/why-dont-players-cho...the-bat-anymore

I agree. Even if Avi were to regress, it is too risky to let him go for anything other than an elite prospect, because if that prospect fails and Garcia continues to realize the potential, which he has now demonstrated, that would be hard to live down. There is no hurry with making a decision about his future with this team. If he sustains success and is recognized as being a really good player, then they could consider trading him, in exchange for someone of comparable value. At this point, most of you feel that no team would be ready to provide that.

It doesn't appear that the next Draft has any clear #1, at least not yet. If there are several players, especially a mix of position players and pitchers, whom are all regarded as being of similar potential, what's wrong with prioritizing need, or giving deference to some organizational strategy?

Madrigal is the "poster child" for my "pet peeve," regarding choking up. Why a player his size would want to have his hands, way down on the knob of the bat, makes no sense to me. He is not going to hit much for power, so why not just become an elite contact hitter. He obviously has talent and is highly regarded, but a guy like that could probably be significantly better, with the enhanced bat control, which choking up affords. Hardly anyone ever does it anymore, not even with 2 strikes on them.

I agree with both of you, and don't see the need for more outfield and first base prospects. If Robert, Rutherford, Jimenez and Adolfo all become legit contributors, one of them is going to have to move to first. My guess would be Jimenez, or Adolfo, with Jimenez being the most likely. The middle of the order bats will probably emerge out of those 4 prospects, plus Burger, Moncada and Collins. Moreover, if Sheets plays his way into the mix, there wouldn't be any room for one of those guys to move to first. I didn't even include Basabe or Fisher, which only adds to the crowded outfield prospect picture. Pitching is still the most expensive and fragile part of the equation. I'd rather accumulate more depth in that department. If the Sox ended up with a surplus, they can always be traded for other needs.

It just doesn't seem completely coincidental that his recent power surge has been accompanied by all of the k's. But like you guys say, if he can keep his OBP up and hit the long ball, I'd take it.

Collins could be trying to hard to hit homers, which might account for all of the strike outs. He has a great eye, so it isn't a matter of pitch recognition. I suspect that he's simply swinging too hard.

Kumar Rocker and is already topping some mock drafts. This young "monster" is very intriguing, especially if Coop could work with him:

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jul 21, 2017 -> 05:25 PM) On his way to W-S? It's only an hour, up the road, but I haven't heard anything.