caulfield12

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 25, 2009 -> 06:27 PM) The problem is...it's useful to have someone to play the OF who is on the bench, and that isn't Nix. Pods's correct place right now is sitting on the bench or playing if Dye or Quentin need a day off. Ditto for Wise if he ever comes back. But frankly, yes, I want to see Brian Anderson get 90%+ of the starts in CF the rest of the season, regardless of which hand the pitcher throws with, unless he's injured. We're going to need Nix and Betemit for 3B soon enough...although it's nice to have Nix to sub VERY occasionally in LF and RF, he shouldn't be playing CF unless we want to lose a game as a result. It has worked with Nix playing out of position so far this year, but that doesn't mean it won't blow up in Ozzie's face eventually. Offensively, Nix isn't the type of hitter that belongs in the outfield either, he's clearly an infielder in terms of production/potential. In a way, it already did. Nix started in LF and almost ran into Pods coming over from CF, but part of that's on Pods as well for not being authoritative enough. And liners hit directly into the gap between two players are the hardest for one player to call the other off.

Poreda's #13 on the Prospect Hot Sheet. Not sure if that's been posted. Also, that Santana trade is looking worse and worse for the Twins...Smith hasn't distinguished himself with his first two big trades. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prosp...009/268168.html

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 25, 2009 -> 06:04 PM) Um, because Anderson was on the 15 day DL and Brent Lillibridge was awful in a way few mortals can fathom? So if you were KW, you would release Wise and/or Pods and just give Anderson the job (against all pitchers) for the remainder of the season? We might as well...especially if Pods shows no ability to steal a base besides getting picked off and being in the path of the throw or waiting to play against first baseman who throw like Frank Thomas to second.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 25, 2009 -> 05:57 PM) How come Hawk's not getting on Pods for all the weak fly balls he's hitting? The funny thing is that Pods is showing more ability to bunt now than he ever did in 2005 and 2006. The same reason that he's playing Getz about 85-90% of the time. Because he believes and trusts in that player. Now whether Pods is a part of the future (like Getz hopefully is), that's another issue altogether. If the White Sox are not within 10 games of the Tigers after that 11 game homestand to begin June, then Pods should be released or traded to a contender (if one can be found) and Anderson should be given the job for the rest of the season. If Jordan Danks really, really excels, then you can reward him with playing time in September, or you send him to the Arizona Fall League again with the idea of him competing for CF in 2010. If Anderson excels, you're in a really good position to have a great defensive outfield of Danks, Anderson and Quentin (RF). It would be nice to see for a change. Win-win situation.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 25, 2009 -> 05:51 PM) He's hitting .268 with 2 [real] extra base hits and has displayed some atrocious baserunning, the fact that he's getting the most PA on this team is just sickening. And before anyone mentions it Pods is hitting .231/.286/.308/.593 in the leadoff spot. I feel like I'm falling back into t la-la land again just as I did at the end of spring training. It's like I'm watching a different f***ing game. So you think the only reason Pods isn't released is simply because Ozzie has no other option for a leadoff hitter against RHP's besides Chris Getz, who he doesn't want to use in that spot for now?

QUOTE (fathom @ May 25, 2009 -> 05:50 PM) KW and Ozzie don't have the same view of BA as the other one does. Let's go along with the viewpoint of most that felt Pods would end up platooning with BA. Did KW acquire Pods with this idea in mind? Did he acquire Pods because he was the best option at the time or because there was a doubt that Anderson would be able to come back from his oblique strain? If KW knew Guillen would use Pods incorrectly (and that's pretty much anything but playing BA against all but the best RHPers in the game) over the course of the season, why acquire him? Would Pods still be on this team were it not for the failure of Lillibridge and the injury to BA? Eventually, it won't matter. They'll have to play Anderson, Fields and Getz pretty much every day just to get a true idea of what they have for 2010.

The best thing to do would have been to inserted Nix in as a defensive replacement late in the game for Fields...just like Brian Anderson is often used in CF.

Yesterday, Hawk and Stone were really questioning John Russell for not using McLouth (their best player) or LaRoche off the bench as lefty PH's. And, despite Jack Wilson's one HR per season...he got a fastball in the wrong location from Bobby. Now if the Pirates would have lost the game, a lot of people would question your best young player not appearing against Jenks, with a seemingly favorable match-up as a LHH against a RHP. Knowing Ozzie Guillen, do we really think at this point he's deliberately losing games or not trying to put out the line-up that he thinks gives the White Sox the best opportunity to win? Why would any manager do that? How would it possibly be advantageous to do so? When he saw Wise was struggling at leadoff, he removed him after 2 games. Isn't it possible he feels Pods is the better choice? Also, if Kenny Williams was concerned that Pods would take playing time away from Brian Anderson's development, why would he have acquired him...as he would have assumed, like everyone else, that Pods would be platooning with Brian. Do we really believe KW, Guillen and Cora detest Brian Anderson so much that they'd deliberately sacrifice games (and BA's offensively development) to prove a point? KW was the one last year who said BA would hit 25 homers with a .260-.280 batting average if he played everyday. Why would he acquire another player that might block that from happening...just to please Ozzie? That doesn't sound like KW.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 25, 2009 -> 02:04 AM) I'd like to see KC sweep Detroit. With Sidney Ponson pitching? So much for that thought. The division is clearly Detroit's to win now.

Two points. Ozzie as Mt. Vesuvius really doesn't have anything to do with his relationships with the players...it's an image that has been fostered by the media, part of it is artifice to actually take attention away from the players or a slump, part of it's Ozzie being Ozzie. The relationship with Orlando Cabrera seemingly was mended over the offseason, Vazquez never really had any problems with Ozzie (that we know of) until he called him out before the playoffs, and that was probably just a psychological motivational tactic because everything they'd tried to get the best out of Javier (good cop/soft gloves) hadn't worked, so they went with a little tough love. Cooper was probably harder in private on Javy than Ozzie ever was. There's Nick Swisher...and maybe someone will go back to Frank Thomas, but that was more on KW than the manager. In fact, if you ask all those pitchers on our team (and former pitchers like Garland, Loaiza or Garcia) who the best manager they ever dealt with in terms of giving a lot of rope to the starters was, most would undoubtedly say Ozzie Guillen. As far as this idea of ravaging and pillaging the farm system, there's no example of a player who came up through our system who has become a star somewhere else. If anything, Peavy should be encouraged that the GM is willing (unlike the Angels, for example) to deal prospects for results in the short-term. Frank Francisco is the only prospect (and he was only with us for a year after the Howry trade to the Red Sox) we've had in our system that has been a big success somewhere else, and he's gone through his own set of problems (injuries, chair throwing). If anything, you would wonder how the White Sox are only 5 games under .500 or how they're doing it with smoke and mirrors...they overachieved last year and are returning to "mean" a little bit this year. The White Sox have always been pretty good at developing players...that have major league careers...but we haven't done a good job in producing All-Star or superstar caliber players. I read somewhere where we were something like #10 or #12 in terms of major leaguers that had been developed in any given farm system (from studying all the Opening Day rosters). Maybe this was 2-3 years ago, and the ranking might have slipped to the middle of the pack now, but the ship is being righted.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ May 24, 2009 -> 03:38 PM) Jesus Christ dude, just stop talking already. Not even close to a key plot point, dude. They try to do that in every single Terminator movie...either melting or freezing, doesn't work.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ May 24, 2009 -> 03:34 PM) Even your analogies are strange. Apparently you didn't have time to see the new Terminator movie. What's not strange is losing the game in this fashion. Very normal, to the point where there's no real anger left.

QUOTE (BearSox @ May 24, 2009 -> 03:33 PM) Well, we went back to reality. Now, we are on the west coast vs. good pitching. That usually equals a lot of L's. It wouldn't be a surprised if Greinke ends up with more individual victories against us this year than we have in the entire season against the Royals. He's going to get at least 4 or 5.

QUOTE (Wanne @ May 24, 2009 -> 03:30 PM) Worst loss of the year.... At least I can say that I was at the worst loss in White Sox history. Not even that upset after Thursday or today...all the illusions of having a really good team in 2009 are pretty much gone by now.

QUOTE (Brian @ May 24, 2009 -> 03:28 PM) Huh? Bobby got two quick outs. How could you see that coming? Because when he gives up the tying run, he almost always gives up another run and the loss. It's the same as when he's in the game with a 4-5 run lead. It's going to be tough for this team to ever get back to .500 unless it happens June 1st though the 11th. We're likely to go 3-4 or 2-5 on this roadtrip. This team just doesn't have it this year...they have no identity.

Fields has the range of a fireplug that has been sprayed by dry ice jets for 24 hours. Jesus. You could just see it coming...one of those games where Jenks completely implodes. And then we have to face Santana, Saunders and Weaver...of course, and the Tigers lost, so we had a chance to actually get within hailing distance of .500

Bad break that throw didn't bounce into the stands for Brian.

It would be better just to stick Nix and Betemit over at 3B and get something out of that combination. Atta boy Alexei, way to stay in front of that ball. Ramirez created the double play by hustling on that ball that Josh muffed, too.

Because obviously Don Cooper could make him into a Cy Young award winner...

QUOTE (BamaDoc @ May 24, 2009 -> 11:33 AM) That would mean he is fat? And that he stole Uribe's/Jenks' blonde goatee dye? Betemit, as fathom has pointed out over and over again, would be fine against RHP. He has an OPS line of around 800 in that situation. Just don't play him as a RH bat against lefties, which Ozzie has seemingly done more often than the reverse this season. I will say this...I think Juan Uribe might have been the favorite person on the team (along with Crede, too) that we jettisoned. Buehrle even offered $1 million to JR/KW to keep him on the team, he's that loved in the clubhouse. Betemit, so far, hasn't been a good fit at all for this team. Would love to have a healthy Pablo Ozuna from 04/05 back, but that train left the station a long time ago. A Craig Grebeck/Paco Martin type of player.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ May 24, 2009 -> 11:26 AM) Cain would be an awesome pick up. Unfortanatley we don't match up with them as far as needs go. I'm sure KW will look into this. . . Renteria, Ishikawa and E. Burris are the statistical weak points of that offense. Ironically, 3B/SS/2B is our situation of most depth, most uncertainty and most "flux" as well. Even if we chose to trade him, Getz isn't going to be the centerpiece of any kind of trade to get a Matt Cain. And we're not going to trade Beckham or Alexei. If I were the Giants, I would rather wait on Ishikawa than hoping Josh Fields could come through, although one of those "change of scenery" trades and going to the NL might actually help Josh Fields (or Brian Anderson eventually).

QUOTE (beck72 @ May 24, 2009 -> 09:52 AM) I certainly wouldn't want to give up much for DeRosa. But if the price was doable, why not. I'm just having a hard time seeing who'd be at 3b for the rest of 2009, who could help fix the sox problems with avg. and OBP besides Beckham--who IIRC, hadn't played 3b before recently. As much as I like Gordon, playing 3b would be tough for him let alone trying to adjust to major league pitching. The only choice we realistically have is a Nix/Betemit platoon. There's really no other option, except for moving Getz from 2B to 3B (he could play there, and has experience) and putting Beckham at 2B or moving Ramirez off that position and leaving Beckham at SS. I agree that Beckham playing 3rd in the majors is much less desired than him staying at SS or playing 2B. Beckham has a better arm to play 3rd, but if you had to choose, I guess you'd rather take a chance for this season moving Getz there than trying Gordon at a completely foreign position to him. Plus, Gordo played quite a bit of 2B in spring training, specifically, with Alexei.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 24, 2009 -> 11:12 AM) Francouer is exactly the kind of hitter the White Sox are trying to avoid. Low OBP now his power is starting to wane. I read something Friday where he may be released if he doesn't pick it up soon. He's been that bad. Who are they going to play in the OF with Francouer and Schafer struggling so badly? Blanco? I wonder how much they are rethinking letting Josh Anderson go for nothing. He's been a very valuable part-time player for the Tigers. Picking up Anderson and Edwin Jackson for almost nothing, two of the better moves any GM made in the last six months in our division. Probably Mike Jacobs in KC would rank up there too, even though his OBP will always be low. They hadn't had a reliable threat at 1B since Mike Sweeney was healthy, and he was about as good at that position as Frank Thomas over there.

QUOTE (That funky motion @ May 24, 2009 -> 11:06 AM) How about for Matt Cain What offensive talent do we have to give up? Sure we could give them Fields or Nix, Pods, Wise, Betemit, etc., but none of those guys are going to comprise the kind of package that would get SF excited. Do they feel they're a JD or Konerko away from competing? Maybe, but then losing Cain would negate anything they gained offensively. Does SF realistically feel it can compete with the Dodgers this year? I don't think so. To make it work, you'd have to be willing to trade anyone/everyone in your minor league system practically besides Beckham and Danks...would rather have Cain (than Peavy), but he will be a more expensive acquisition in terms of talent because it's not as much of a salary dump as the Peavy deal. A more realistic trade would be to see what they would have to give up financially to get Zito out of there...and who would be willing to take him. This would be a lot like Thome/Rowand deal with the Phillies, maybe less talent would have to go in trade than Rowand, depending on the money SF was willing to subsidize.

Definitely don't mind Dye and Konerko hanging around for one more year. Would like to see Dye at $8-10 million instead of $12+ in this economy though. The ideal situation would be where Dye splits playing time in RF with a LH hitter (who that is, I have no idea, the closest we have in our system is probably Kroeger), spend about 30-40% of his time DHing, with Konerko and Brandon Allen getting the other AB's at DH. Konerko and Allen would also share 1B. Seems that Thome won't be appreciated around here until he's gone and we have to replace him. Using Flowers as a DH in 2010 isn't logical if you want him to continue improving as a catcher, and we're not sure whether Viciedo will end up at 3B, LF, RF, DH or 1B. Until his bat is ready, he needs to play a field position though, preferably 3B. It wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to start playing him at 1B occasionally...and maybe even in LF, although with Danks/Shelby/Gartrell/Cook, OF time is going to be pretty limited at BIRM. Then again, with all the money invested in him, if they REALLY wanted to try him in the OF, he would have to take precedence over any of those outfielders getting playing time...and, of course, he's not going to threaten Danks in CF, so Jordan will also get all the at-bats in the world leading off for that line-up we have down there.