35thstreetswarm

This. I get to watch my favorite game again. That makes me happy. With all that's happened in 2020 I can't imagine summoning the energy to get outraged over changes to the rules and parameters of a baseball season. (Especially when those rules and parameters are ever-changing, essentially arbitrary and designed only to create fan enjoyment anyway - it's not like they're handed down on tablets from god)

I thought we had a separate armchair epidemiology thread? Anyway, psyched to see this team finally play together. Have they revealed anything at all about scheduling, even in principle? I'm imagining it will be heavily weighted toward in-division games? That would be a real advantage for us. Will interleague games be mostly regional (i.e. playing a lot of NL Central teams?)

I'm not falling for anything. I'm actually agreeing with you that this is the negotiation dynamic the owners are trying (and likely succeeding) to create.

MLBPA: "WhenAndWhere" MLB: "July 19, the ballpark" MLBPA: "Oh...well, I mean..."

I think we'd make the playoffs in 2021 under any format. But I'm a wild-eyed optimist

This stands to get the White Sox valuable playoff experience in a developmental season where they otherwise might not have gotten it. That's really all I care about.

It's safe to say that a) everyone can imagine the worst-case COVID scenario; and b) everyone understands (and frankly assumes) you believe it will come to pass. There's really no need to rehash the position over another dozen+ posts. That's not illuminating - it's venting.

He's definitely on the Ian Happ and David Bote HOF trajectory

I know - it's odd he seems so uncontroversial as 1/1. I guess the potential for outfield must be it, along with a perception that it's important to take the safety of a known quantity like Torkelson in a year with such unprecedented limitations on available player data (and maybe a weaker draft pool).

Vaughn 2018: .402/.531/.819, 23 HR, 44 BB, 18 SO Torkelson 2018: .320/.440/.743, 25 HR, 38 BB, 44 SO Vaughn 2019: .381/.544/.716, 15 HR, 59 BB, 33 SO Torkelson 2019: .351/.446/.707, 23 HR, 41 BB, 45 SO Torkelson 2020: .340/.598/.780, 6 HR, 31 BB, 15 SO

I've probably just missed it as I haven't followed that closely, but given Torkelson seems a lock to go 1/1, has there been as much agonizing this year about how short-ish RH first basemen should never be 1/1 picks? Maybe Vaughn blazed a trail by going as high as he did.

Our young players also need the development to keep our rebuild on track. I'd prefer more games to fewer, but zero games would be a disaster from a development perspective (in addition to a whole lot of others).

Agreed. I'd have a tough time justifying my fandom if I was a Cubs fan. Good thing I hated them already!

Nope, he had it right with "ignorant." What you declare as "science" (good trick, by the way! Ron Burgundy would be proud) is rejected by the actual scientists who make up the world's epidemiological community. "Hasten the spread of Coronavirus" is an approach favored by literally no one with credibility. That is because it is stupid.

I totally agree and am surprised this board isn't more focused on this side of things. This seems like a best-case-scenario for a team that is inexperienced but (we hope) at the beginning of a marked upward trend, and has a number of potentially key pieces that were set to arrive "late" in a traditional season.

There’s some reporting suggesting the possibility of “expanded rosters” in lieu of a minor league season: https://www.lookoutlanding.com/2020/4/29/21242000/sources-no-minor-league-baseball-in-2020-mlb-expanding-rosters-instead Whether true or not, this coalesces with a thought that’s been bouncing around in my head for a while: couldn’t the combination of delay and expanded rosters/relaxed service time restrictions be particularly advantageous (or at least interesting) for the Sox? Imagine a season where we can just start out with Kopech and Rodon in the rotation mix, Madrigal splitting time at 2nd, maybe even Vaughn thrown in as well? Maybe the roster management difficulties would be too great, but boy, it would be interesting to unlock all the potential late-season bonuses we’ve been looking forward to all at once.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-discussing-three-state-plan-with-one-hub-in-texas-as-possible-solution-to-start-2020-season/

Like

Even better.

It would appear the multiple people discussing the format of a possible 2020 baseball season in this thread do.

I'd feel pretty good about that. Not hard to imagine the Sox finishing top 4.

My first impression was: this switch would make our divisional prospects worse. My second impression was: ...but maybe this switch would make our League prospects (including wild card chances) better, and that ultimately matters more. My third impression was: who cares? It would be different and crazy and this already promises to be a bit of an "experimental" year anyway. That's where I am now.

Nah, next season is the one that would be the real kick in the teeth to interrupt. Maybe the one after that as well. I’m excited for this season, but it’s still just the warmup.

On the bright side, maybe no more worries about his innings limit...

They're in another forum (SLaM)