caulfield12

Well, at least on paper, the Indians have a more anemic offense than the White Sox...that's something to celebrate!!! And it looks like with CLE losing 3-0 to the Blue Jays, we can pull into 3rd place all alone with a win tonight over the Royales.

But Sox director of player development Buddy Bell admitted that although Viciedo's talent led to certain expectations, they were limited. "I don't think we had any expectations other than getting him to do different things he needed to do," Bell said. "Coming from a different country, just understanding the culture, understanding what we do here is a lot to take in, in one year. "The game is played a little bit different than what he's used to. It's played at a little bit of a slower pace in Cuba, and when you get over here, there are certain things they have to do that they're not used to, like running balls out. The perception that you get from Dayan sometimes is that he's not ready or prepared, but he's the greatest kid in the world. All you need to do is tell him what he needs to do, and he's terrific. Those are the kind of things he has to make habit. Quite honestly, he's got to do better, but offensively and defensively, he's making great progress." Last season, Viciedo hit .280 with 12 home runs and 78 runs batted in for Double-A Birmingham. In 10 spring training games, he is 4-of-22 (.182) with a run scored, two RBIs and seven strikeouts. And the numbers game is not in Viciedo's favor right now. Although he played well enough at third base last season for Birmingham, the acquisition of Mark Teahen from Kansas City to play third for the Sox, complete with a three-year, $14 million contract extension, has essentially forced the Sox to look to first base as a possible destination for Viciedo with Paul Konerko and backup Mark Kotsay both becoming free agents after this season. "We're kind of going back and forth with that right now," Bell said. "[Viciedo] is going to play a little more first than he ever has in the past because of the depth we have there right now, and we feel like Dayan is probably a better fit than the other two guys (Kotsay/Konerko or Flowers at 1B???), so this is probably his quickest path." The other problem with Viciedo playing third is that he is listed at 240 pounds, but he looks considerably heavier and needs to improve his physical condition. "I think that's fair," Bell said. "But he's a typical 18-, 19-, 20-year-old. Your body kind of gets away from you like when you go to college, but we have him on a fairly strict program, and he's starting to lose some of his baby fat." Viciedo said it "doesn't matter" whether he plays third or first but agrees his weight is a concern. "Right now I feel healthy, but I know I have to lose a little more weight to be more comfortable playing," he said. The Sox love his hands and his power at the plate. "We're still working on his feet," Bell said. "Part of that is changing his body. He's kind of a young hitter right now where he gets out of control, so we have to kind of back him off a little bit, which is really hard. But I'd rather do it that way than have a guy who's passive that we've got to push. We've got to get him more under control, more balanced. But he's got great ability. I think it's just going to take a little bit more time." Bell compares Viciedo to Cuban-born Angels first baseman Kendry Morales. "He was supposed to be the next great thing," Bell said of Morales, "and he had to spend a few more years in the minor leagues, and now he's one of the better players in our league. I think it's very similar." Being the next great thing does have its drawbacks. But Jordan Danks, who played with Viciedo in Birmingham and became close friends with him despite the language barrier, said it did not appear to faze Viciedo. "I think he handles that weight [of expectation] really well," Danks said. "He was born to play baseball. He said he knew that as soon as he got drafted out of high school. He was real mature at a young age, and I really don't think it's that big of an adjustment for him [to be playing in the U.S.]." Guillen said he still has high hopes for Viciedo. "I expect a lot of things from him," he said. "He's a different type of guy. He doesn't look like a Latino. He's so laid-back and sometimes with Viciedo acting that way, people think he's lazy, but no, that's the way he is." www.espn.com

We should have just trotted Fred Lewis out there and saved a lot of heartache and money wringing our hands over Juan Pierre at this twilight stage of his career as a speed-based player.

Thunderbolt, substitute Viciedo for Konerko at 1B (salary dump) and you have a deal, haha. Teahen would be benched/utility/spot play. I actually would rather see what Morel could do...since we already know what we've got with Mark. Heck, I'd rather see Wilson Betemit...almost...if he was hitting like in ST 2009. The lead paragraph of Dick Kaegel's story at KCRoyals.com asks a question that's provocative, if also preposterous, in nature. "Can a pitcher win the Cy Young Award without winning a game?" If Zack Greinke's season continues like this, he would make for quite a test case for the BBWAA. Greinke made the mistake of allowing a solo home run to Evan Longoria on Sunday, and it cost him and the Kansas City Royals a 1-0 decision to the Tampa Bay Rays. Tough as that result sounds, it is not atypical for pitcher or team. After six starts, Greinke is 0-3. He's on pace to finish with 214 strikeouts, an 0.98 WHIP, an ERA of 2.27 ... and a record of 0-19. As long as his health holds up, Greinke will win his share of games this season. He is too skilled and no one is that unlucky. Plus, the Royals are 10-15 overall, which is bad but not awful. Yet. They're obviously capable of providing some form of support offensively. Greinke is aware he won't go 0-19. Probably.

I really cannot fathom how any GM who came up under John Schuerholz could have such a near-sighted, short term view of the big picture and baseball talent. Royals are going nowhere, they basically just rang the death-knell on Gordon's career with the Royals by placing him as a lower priority in the pecking order than 2 average utility players in Callaspo and Getz...3 really, as he was technically replaced by Aviles, the ultimate grinder that could even "out-grind" Getzie. Just one of the most idiotic decisions I've ever heard/seen a FO make. The Royals have not a single snowball's chance in hell of competing against the Twins and Tigers without any middle relief to speak of.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 3, 2010 -> 05:08 PM) I think he'll finish around .280/.325/.345/.670, his ISO could very well be lower than .065. There's just no way he's "done" at this point in his career but he Cell is just one of the worst parks imaginable for his game, not a lot of room in the outfield for balls to fall in front of outfielders or squirt past them in the gaps for hustle doubles or cavernous gaps to pick up triples especially compared to Dolphin and Dodger Stadium, unfortunately he's not strong enough to take advantage of easy homeruns available at the Cell. I would love to hear the institutional meetings with Ozzie, Hahn, KW, Reinsdorf, etc., when this point was raised (about how his game would or wouldn't translate both to the AL and to this particular home field for 81 games) and how it was effectively rebutted by someone, and who was it that made the strongest arguments for PIERRE after Ozzie? Hahn? Walker? Gellinger? Scouting department? Buddy Bell? Hard Art Kusyner/Grady Fuson (joking...)

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 3, 2010 -> 05:09 PM) What the Sox need to do is have Peavy get his head out and start by blowing away a horrific KC team tonight. The starting pitching simply has to do what everybody felt it would do ... be one of the best fivesomes in baseball. The offense is putrid, but it has had nights where it has scored some runs and even scored some runs late. It's all about the starting rotation. The team has to start winning some series. Have we still won just one series? Yep. And a 2-2 split with the Blue Jays. 3-0 sweep of the Mariners was our only clear victory.

And the Royals have officially replaced the Washington Nationals as the dumbest organization in MLB, also edging out the Pirates in a vote that wasn't even relatively close. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. | It made no sense, the Royals finally decided, to keep third baseman Alex Gordon buried on their bench. That conclusion prompted Sunday’s decision to option Gordon to Class AAA Omaha where, presumably, he can get regular playing time. Infielder Mike Aviles will replace Gordon on the big-league roster. The move came after manager Trey Hillman left little doubt before Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay that he views Alberto Callaspo and Chris Getz as the regulars at third base and second base. Gordon did not start any of the last three games after Getz returned Friday from the disabled list. Plus, Gordon had only six hits in 31 at-bats in 12 games since returning himself from the disabled list. Getz had just one hit in 10 at-bats in the last three games but his value, Hillman said, goes beyond numbers. “It may not be those standout things like a double in the gap or the great diving play every night,” Hillman said. “But he’s going to turn the double play. He’s going to range up and the middle and, especially, into the 4-3 hole. “Occasionally, he’s going to do something you like seeing a baseball player do. A base-hit bunt (Saturday) with two outs and a runner on third base was a big run. He’s going to find a way to get his hits.” Gordon entered Saturday’s game at first base after replacing Billy Butler as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning. Club officials indicate Gordon could be a long-term fit at first if Butler switches to designated hitter next year when, presumably, José Guillen departs after concluding his three-year contract. Trading Guillen could create that opportunity at some point this season. Either way, Gordon seems unlikely to return to third base any time soon. “At this point,” Hillman said, “we definitely like Callaspo at third base. Obviously, the bat needs to be in there. It’s the most useable (defensive) spot, and I think he’s pretty good at it.” Aviles started Sunday for Omaha at Iowa before leaving the game for a pinch-hitter. He is expected to be in uniform Monday when the Royals open a three-game series in Chicago. The Royals opened the season with Aviles on their 25-man roster but optioned him to Omaha after he made only two reserve appearances in the first five games. He batted .271 in 17 games at Omaha with one homer and eight RBIs. Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/02/19185...l#ixzz0muVbwbLB

There are ways around it, VPN (virtual private network), proxies, hiding your IPS address anonymously...but i an in a public internet cafe in Xi'an (home of Terra Cotta Warriors), so no such option Technically, Fecesbook would be the right phrase, but it was just a TYPO, lol.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 3, 2010 -> 04:48 PM) Another non story. I really don't think KW needs another month to conclude he needs more talent. I think he may now regret calling it an offseason after he acquired a leadoff man who can't get on base much and a third baseman who doesn't hit or field all that well, and thinking his piss poor 2009 offense was poised for a turnaround. Too funny...TWO Sox fans both using the exact, particular phrase "piss poor" to describe the Sox.

As long as the ultimatum isn't directed at "fair weather fans" for not supporting this team, attendance issues (we'll be #22 after this series in MLB), having to pay the electricity bill somehow, only being able to spend 50 cents, etc., then it's cool...but he dareth not engage mano a mano against loyal White Sox fans for NOT supporting the piss-poor miasma of an organization he's down-graded us to like a bad credit default swap that's worth pennies on the dollar.

I think saying Young never developed as a hitter is like saying that about Mike Cameron at the same point in his career...maybe disappointment compared to the high ceiling possible, but he's far from done as an impact major league ballplayer, not even close. I'm not even sure Josh Byrnes would trade Young straight up for Gordon Beckham, to tell the truth.

That Meche deal for $55 million raised eyebrows at the time, and is still met with quizzical acceptance by GM's throughout the game...

What does it say? Twitter, Fecebook, Myspace, youtube, hulu.com, etc. are blocked in CHINA by the "GREAT FIREWALL."

I was referring more to the Kyle Lohse, Kip Wells, Todd Wellemeyer, Joel Piniero, Sidney Ponson, etc., types that have dotted their roster for the past half decade. That wasn't about Pujols' future allocation...it was simply tightening the belt strings. Jocketty's clashes with his own front office and ownership were also part of the equation there.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 3, 2010 -> 02:44 PM) Take a look at why Dunn's name came up in this thread. Why? Because even at his current contract level, on a 1-2 year deal, he's easily movable if he accepts arbitration. What NL teams would actually put him in LF, with the renewed MLB focus on versatile, cheaper players who can defend, run and hit? I think there might be 3-4 AL teams, but it's not a risk without careful consideration being undertaken. You really think KW would take Dunn...when we could have had a much cheaper version in Jim Thome?

Disagree about Buehrle, simply because he's been horrible for a month now after Opening Day. Still, he'll turn it around for 2-3 months and be the Buehrle (dependable version) we all know and love, and that every opposing GM would love to have on their roster, IF IF IF they could afford him. I do agree with one aspect, the Cardinals have been much more budget-conscious and have gone with the "diamond in the rough" theory of acquiring starters since overspending from 1995-2005 in this area.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ May 3, 2010 -> 02:48 PM) Eh.. maybe other moves would be made to fill the hole at second base and in other spots. I'm sure they would. Two examples, why putting all the eggs in one basket doesn't make sense 1) Pre-season 2005 asset allocation (or re-allocation)....Ordonez, C-Lee and Valentin out 2) Tearing apart the 2005/06/07 rotation when it became too expensive.....Garcia, Garland and Vazquez, at one point the starters (along w/ Buehrle, Contreras) were making $55 million combined for just five roster spots, obviously too overloaded in one area...look at the results in 2007. A cheap Bobby Jenks made it possible then, but no more...as well as Dotel/Liney. There's just no way with uncertain revenue projectability (.500 clubs mean diminishing attendance) that the White Sox could ever again afford the contract numbers being speculated here for A-Gone. Certainly not with Peavy and Rios on the roster to pay.

Who would you guys take at this point, Brandon Wood or Alex Gordon? Or stay with Teahen? Assuming we could find a large market team to take his contract off our hands...he would be like the Xavier Nady of the Yankees minus the eye-popping offensive numbers. Then again, that jetstream to RCF, maybe he'd put up 18-24 homers in a season batting 9th?

http://espn.go.com/mlb/beanecount We're 6th in the AL in Beane Count, only 0.7 behind the Rays...YAY!!!!! 25 INDIANS: The league's lowest-scoring offense averages a .692 OPS. Four Indians beat this average, and one is Jhonny Peralta, who is hitting .227. (Steve Buffum, The B-List Indians Blog) 26 (24) White Sox 10-15 No AL team is getting less from its leadoff spot (.255 OBP, zero extra-base hits). The recently demoted Juan Pierre has been bad, but the "solutions" have been worse. (Jim Margalus, Sox Machine) from espn power ratings/www.espn.com Sorry, that bolded line made me laugh, and also conjured up visions of our CF "solutions" since 2005 or our 5th starter "solutions" from 2001-2004, Colon/Contreras in 2009, Garcia in 2010.

So maybe we should move out of BIRM, haha? Actually, if you had AA "padded" stats for players like Allen or Viciedo, Morel or Danks, that were like Albuquerque or Charlotte...well, scouts know to adjust for park factors and not just read stats on the net.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2010 -> 08:09 PM) Lucy might have a career as a second catcher who hits for crap but calls a good game and plays solid defense. That is about his best case scenario. I don't think anyone who is familiar with his career to this point expects anything more. See Josh Paul or Humberto Quintero.

Moore would ask for Gordon Beckham and work down from there. Sometimes we really overvalue our own players and undervalue others.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ May 3, 2010 -> 10:12 AM) It doesn't really work for losing teams. The 2003/04 White Sox were undoubtedly very talented, more than a .500 team, especially the 2003 version. You look at our starting line-ups offensively (Maggs, Thomas, Ordonez, Valentin, Konerko, etc.) back then, they were light years ahead of this current reincarnation. Catching lightning in a bottle once was like the mutual fund director who had a 1351% rate of return and crushed the S&P, causing him to think he could beat the index consistently year after year. It can't be done, everything absolutely broke perfectly in 2005, a once in a 25-50 year eventuality for the White Sox organization historically.

Balta, why would a team like the Nationals take the risk that he (Dunn) accepts and they end up with a contract they don't want on their hands? Not that they have a clue what they're doing over there, but their philosophy is hard to discern....more like Dayton Moore, for every Hochevar/Moustakas/Hosmer, there's a Gathright, Crisp, J. Guillen, Bloomquist, Ankiel, Pods, Kyle Farnsworth, Juan Cruz, that's kind of a head-scratching veteran sign when they should be in total youth rebuild, etc.