JUSTgottaBELIEVE

7 of 10 for Gio. ? Carry this momentum into next season and he’d be a solid back of the rotation starter. Then, suddenly, the rotation looks pretty darn respectable assuming Kopech lives up to his billing. First look at Big Mike tomorrow, can’t wait!

Another QS for Gio. 7 for his last 10 ?

Absolutely. Also worth noting he's been a better shortstop this year than the one starting for the north side team (the guy once ranked as a top 3 prospect in all of baseball).

Rodon is controlled 3 more years. Like I said, you either trade him for a haul within the next couple years or he's a TOR starter on the next playoff team. He's every bit as important as Giolito and Lopez. Not sure why you are so down on TA. He's already a solid starting SS at age 25 at an incredibly affordable price for another 6 years after this season. Why the big rush to move him into a utility role?

That makes no sense. Rodon and Anderson aren't part of the future but Giolito and Lopez are? I'd say Rodon and Anderson are bigger parts of their future than Giolito and Lopez. If he continues performing at this rate, Rodon is either a top of the rotation starter on their next contending team or he's a huge trading chip. TA is an average to above average starting SS. Those don't grow on trees either.

Do we know for certain Jerry will still own the team in 2024? He'd be 88 years old.

It's definitely dramatic but I think this team needs a guy like Kopech to shake things up. Will be interesting to see what kind of impact he has on the rest of the pitching staff.

Rodon? TA? TA is on pace for a 2.5 fWAR season. Huge progress from last season. Would be great if 5.0 fWAR from TA and Moncada combined is their floor moving forward. That's a good place to start.

Not saying he’s been good this year but without question he’s been better of late and giving the team a good chance to winin majority of his starts. If their future #4/5 starter can give them quality starts 67% of the time, I’d take it.

6 of his last 9 starts are quality starts. That’s not bad. Each of those times he’s given the team a chance to win and that’s all you really want out of a guy projected to be at the back end of the rotation moving forward.

Team is improving and with the second wave of prospects coming I expect to see it continue. Having a few guys to solidify the rotation makes all the difference in the world. If Kopech can come in and give 6 innings and 2-3 runs per start on average, that’s another guy in the rotation that gives you a chance to win each time he takes the ball (much like Rodon). With Eloy close to a promotion, there’s another guy that I would expect to have a profound impact on the lineup. He’s the kind of guy that makes everyone around him in the lineup better. It’s starting to come together and I still think they are on track for the division crown in 2020, especially with a few key free agent signings the next two winters. Exciting times on the south side!

Huh? He’ll be 22 going on 23 when he’s promoted in mid-April. Not absurd at all. In fact, it’s nearly the same exact age in which Carlos Rodon made his debut.

But that 32.4% strikeout rate = BUST. And his near .400 BABIP is unsustainable, you know

Again, who cares? All I care about is who ends up being the best MLB player for the Chicago White Sox, not some silly minor league home run contest that has no bearing on wins/losses for the Sox. You continue to find reasons to complain just to complain.

yup, and for a guy that hates strikeouts (tom longo), that 32.4% strikeout rate in A-ball not looking so great for Gorman if his bat is the carrying tool...

Rather than make a silly bet on something that doesn't matter, how about a bet on who has the better MLB career? Edit: We can use fWAR as the objective measure of "who has the better career" unless you have a better way to measure it.

Sure, the power surge to the point of MVP candidate would be great but I don't expect that. My point is I think he can still be an above average regular without a big increase in power. If he's a 2.5-3.0 fWAR/season player during his Sox career, I would consider it a very successful pick. That type of production would likely exceed that of India and Singer over the same timeframe; the two other guys being discussed with the #4 pick.

Why are you comparing Madrigal's power to Gorman anyway? Those guys have completely different skill sets. If Madrigal had Gorman's power he'd be a top 3 prospect in all of baseball. Likewise, if Gorman had Madrigal's hit tool, speed, and defense he too would be a top 3 prospect in all of baseball.

Doubt he was taking PEDs when he was hitting 0-5 homers a season through the minors and first two full seasons in MLB. Despite hitting 9 home runs combined between 2003 and 2004 he still combined for 5.5 fWAR between those two seasons. I'd take a consistent 2.75 fWAR/season from Madrigal all day.

How many home runs did Brian Roberts hit his first season in professional ball? How are Alec Bohm and Jonathan India hitting so far in A ball?

One, service time. Two, they don’t want to lose that #3 draft pick. He could be the difference between the #3 pick and #5 pick. I think a case could be made either way on whether he should have been promoted by now.

I almost forgot how much of a workhouse Clemens was in his early Red Sox years in particular. Good god, he averaged something like 260 innings and 12 complete games during his first 7 full seasons with the Red Sox. Again, pre-juice he was a remarkable pitcher and a guy Red Sox fans loved having on their team despite his personality. FWIW, I expect kopech to be 10x more likeable than Clemens ever was.

If he’s a consistent 17-20 game winner and perennial Cy Young candidate, you’ll like having him on the team regardless of his personality. Most Giants fans liked having Barry Bonds on their team too...

Clemens was a Cy Young award winner at age 23 well before the juice when he looked like this: http://www.espn.com/blog/sportscenter/post/_/id/47756/this-day-in-sports-roger-clemens-rocket-blasted-past-a-whole-bunch-of-mariners