caulfield12

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 23, 2009 -> 05:31 PM) 5 baserunning blunders in 4 games for Podsednik, can he make it 6 in 5 or even 7 in 5? We'll see. Looks like they missed the hit and run sign last night, I think it was Nix. Pods got off to a terrible jump and was looking bat at the plate way too much for it to have been a straight steal.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ May 23, 2009 -> 12:27 PM) First off, you're underrating the hell out of the C position by comparing that position to RF, 2B, and so on. The catcher is the only offensive position on an AL field that determines what pitch is going to be thrown and where. The catcher's #1 responsibility is the pitcher, not offense. Remember back in 2005 when we first got AJ after having all those minor league scrubs back there for years? Remember how many f***ing times Jon Garland especially, but others, would shake off AJ and then give up a HR to Kevin Mench or something? Remember what it felt like to get a veteran back there who actually knew what the f*** he was doing? It was wonderful! And you can credit Ozzie and Coop a whole lot for that '05 pitching staff, but I guarantee Jose Contreras and Jon Garland don't "figure it out" and Brandon McCarthy doesn't throw the ball with confidence in a playoff race with f***ing Josh Paul behind the plate. I couldn't give two s***s how many HR my catcher hits as long as he's got the starting staff on the right track, and as long as his pitchers feel more confident with him behind the plate. AJ has his shortcomings as far as baserunners go, but aside from that, he's been pretty damn good and the hole he leaves when his contract is up will not be an offensive one. Kelly Shoppach is awesome. He was the throw-in in the Marte-Crisp deal because he was seen as more of a defensive guy. Shows you how much respect those guys get... I'd love to have him, but that is not happening. The 2006 Tigers and 2007 Indians' staffs did very well for themselves without catchers who were known for their game-calling. Yes, AJ is overlooked and ridiculed for some of the things he's not very good at (like throwing out runners, although this is 60-70% on Cooper and the pitchers), but there's also a lot of help to be had from the bench in terms of pitch calling. Whether Flowers will have the knack for that, it's hard to say. It's also hard to quantify the offensive damage he will do and how that also will give confidence to a pitcher, instead of having an offense like ours that causes our starters to go out feeling they have to pitch shutouts every time. Going along with your Kelly Shoppach line, wouldn't you rather have him than Ryan Garko? Garko's clearly a better hitter, but isn't Shoppach much more valuable on the trade market? I know you'll tell me Brandon is more athletic and left-handed and that's why he's MUCH more of a player than Garko, but that guy isn't chopped liver as a hitter, certainly not against the White Sox. If we're projecting Brandon Allen to hit 30-35 homers or 15-18 homers at the major league level, it makes a huge difference. Obviously he hit like 29 home runs last year, you just have to wonder if he'll do it on a consistent basis. And no, I don't think we can pencil in Flowers for 25-35 homers just because Hawk says he has as much power as any hitters in the majors today. Obviously there's a lot more to it than batting practice, Joe Borchard proved that much.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ May 23, 2009 -> 11:54 AM) No, not at all. An average or worse defensive C who will K 150+ times per season is not exactly my cup of tea, no matter if he gets on base a lot and hits home runs. I'd much rather get an above average defensive C who can handle a pitching staff, especially a young one, and can hit above .250 while doing some fundamental things with the bat. They're cheaper and IMO more beneficial to the team. Why is AJ a huge hole? That's not a hole at all once AJ leaves. Just go out and trade for another Gerald Laird, like the Tigers did. The only reason C was a hole before we got AJ is because we kept on trying to develop minor leaguers like Josh Paul, Mark Johnson, Ben Davis, etc. while sticking Sandy Alomar out there. We didn't look to acquire someone who could do the job. Give me the veteran who knows how to deal with a young pitcher, not some minor leaguer who has only been catching for like 3 years at the time. You'll never, ever, ever hear me b**** about offense from SS or C as long as who we have there is playing and leading on the field. While Brandon is by all means a better hitter and more athletic than Tyler Flowers, Tyler Flowers is better because he's a weak defensive catcher. That makes no sense. Allen > Flowers. Both will make the bigs because of their bats and Allen has the better bat. Also, Paul Konerko was a C. Usually guys that can hit like that are hard to find because they get moved to other spots that are meant to keep them healthy and extend their playing careers, while (usually) upgrading defensively. The Sox way of doing things in recent history seems to be that they want young hitters at the catching spot, and I don't agree with that at all. I'd rather have Donny Lucy or Cole Armstrong out there hitting a buck ten than have some home run hitter who the pitchers don't have confidence in. Hopefully Flowers becomes at least adequate, but to say he's better than Allen because he's been converted to a C is pretty shortsighted IMO. Matt Wieters isn't the best prospect in baseball because he's a catcher. He's the best prospect in baseball because he's Matt Wieters, a rare combination of awesomeness in multiple areas. A little paragraph on him: Scouting report: Wieters does everything well but run. He has tremendous plate discipline and bat speed and the ability to hit for average and power from both sides of the plate. He's remarkably agile behind the plate -- especially considering his size -- with good hands and an above-average arm. He has performed well handling pitchers and calling games with a quiet leadership that is a big plus. He's an outstanding defensive player at a key defensive position with the mentality of a leader, and he also happens to be a switch hitter who can hit for average and power from both sides of the plate. Imagine Victor Martinez, but a lot better. He could play any position in baseball and as long as he had the above description he'd be topping prospect lists. Being a C is a very valuable thing, but only if you're good at it. What does it matter if Flowers can't stick at C? Trade him or move him to 1B/DH then and get a REAL catcher. It's not like the future of the Sox is dependent upon whether or not Tyler Flowers can play defense. He has a bat and that is his value at this point, not his defensive position, because he isn't at the point yet where you'd consider that a strength. He's a 1B/DH trying to learn a new position at this point. The "C" next to his name is not going to make a GM skeptical of him as a 1B long-term trade for him. The idea is he is a hitter, and if he can successfully to convert to a good defensive catcher than that is gravy. And I don't know what will happen with Viciedo or Flowers, but as long as Allen keeps making the contact he's been making, and as long as he keeps showing the eye he's been showing, then he doesn't NEED any back up plan. This kid is a legit middle of the order hitter. As long as Flowers is better than Mike Piazza or Victor Martinez, that kind of offensive output from catcher gives you a huge advantage over many teams that have defense-first catchers. That was one of our huge pluses last year, getting a lot of power up the middle from Alexei Ramirez. Nobody has a 2B like that in the AL Central. Not to mention that this factor is heightened by the park factor of USCF. You can get away with lower than average performance offensively if you have Gold Glove caliber type outfielders, for example, Franklyn Gutierrez and Endy Chavez. Even then, you're seeing Seattle struggle because they don't have enough offense, and Beltre was expected to be a 25 HR, 90 RBI type performer this year. The problem with that theory is when you're not getting much from 3B (speaking of positions with 150+ strikeouts with no power projected), which is expected to be a position that contributes quite a bit (although this is decreasing on a yearly basis, it's hard to name more than 5-7 really good players at this position after the likes of A-Rod and Wright), it puts additional pressure on SS, 2B, CF, C, etc. If you look around our division, Redmond, Shoppach and Buck/Olivo all have started for stretches of their career and could be "full-time" players. The White Sox have an obvious weakness in this area. And going out to find a catcher via trade or the FA market...a catcher that will give you 25-35 homers, is going to be prohibitively expensive.

Mauer's going to make a ton of money, and the assumption is the Yankees make a run at him...any team signing him should let him remain at catcher. His bat is far too valuable. You have to put him at 3B (like Bench), 1B or DH (alternating).

“I was humbled by the Chicago White Sox and their interest in me,” said Peavy, who refuted a teammate's speculation that he had reservations about White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. “It's certainly not an easy thing to do, especially when an organization has as much pride and commitment to winning as the Chicago White Sox. We told 'em we're not closing the door to anything.” Asked if he might tell the Padres that he's not willing to be traded, Peavy said he'd rather keep his options open. “I want to do what's right and fair for everybody's best interest,” he said. San Diego Union Tribune He's just simply going to wait until July 31st when one of those larger marker teams in the playoff hunt in the NL can guarantee his $22 million. Simple as that. No matter what the PR and spin doctors from both sides add to the conversation.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ May 23, 2009 -> 10:27 AM) I would say so. His defense is really really raw. He can't just switch to OF in the majors, he will have to learn that in the minors. His O is still very raw, too. Bad K/BB ratio, limited power right now even though the potential is great. Let's not forget Alexei was 26 last year IIRC and Dayan is 20. Huge difference in development. If he makes it to the majors at 23, I would say that is very solid, especially since we control him for awhile. Well, in that case, I think Beckham would struggle anywhere from quite a bit to a lot on the defensive side of things if he played SS. He's only 2 behind Viciedo with 7 errors already. 2B would probably be THE best position for him, although it seems the organization/KW/Buddy Bell will try him at 3B before they give up on Getz...or even start thinking of him (Getz) as merely a utility player, which is what was the projection by quite a few scouts when he was drafted. There's definitely a lot more patience with Getz. You get the feeling that the move to 3B the other night was the dawning realization that Fields can't hit or field the position, Betemit definitely can't field it or hit lefties and Nix might not be able to hit enough or consistently. From Ozzie's comments in the post-game, he seems to be confident enough in Alexei to say he will be the starting SS going forward and that the opening would be more likely at 2B or 3B for the immediate future.

We can say that Viciedo obviously needs two more years based on his first seven weeks ever playing in the US? Well, we also could have said Alexei Ramirez needs to go to the minors twice...and we probably would have been wrong twice.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ May 23, 2009 -> 05:52 AM) The opt outs would kill a deal with any team. No team is going to give any player that kind of power. Picking up his 22mill option should not be that big of a deal because it's only for 1 year and,come 2013, 22 mill may not seem to be an exorbinant amount for a #1 pitcher. I would still do the trade in a second,minus the yearly opt out, because,even though the young talent has potential,they could just as easily be failures. Peavy is a proven #1 and 27. You have to take the chance when you can get a guy like that. I'm not sure of the exact numbers but wouldn't Peavy be making less than AJ Burnett until that final year? Burnett's a .500 pitcher. But AJ Burnett's contract was a very silly one, too. The Yankees were in that position because of the likes of Hughes and Kennedy (and many other pitching prospects) falling flat on their faces. They had to overpay. There's just too big of a future injury risk, as well as placing future financial restraints on the team...it's the chicken and the egg. With only 23K in attendance on Thursday against your traditional rival (who you've just beaten twice in a row) AND with awesome weather and then 23000 on a Friday night late in May, it's a little scary to think of committing to contracts like Jake Peavy's and then end up having to dump like the Cubs will in a year or two.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ May 22, 2009 -> 03:51 PM) All the reports said it was 2 pitchers. The most detailed report said it was 2 low-level pitching prospects out of a group of at least 4 which the Pads would be able to scout as the season went on and decide upon later. If Brandon Allen was in that deal I think it would have come out, and I for one would not trade Brandon Allen for Jake Peavy. He's in Beckham territory IMHO and by far our 2nd best prospect. Dude is making great contact with a great BB rate and brings huge power from the left side along with some speed on the basepaths. Yeah, we should keep this guy. If Flowers can actually catch, wouldn't you have to rate him ahead of Allen? Of all the positions in our line-up at the major league level, that's the one place (AJ) where there's currently a huge hole if he goes down for an extended period of time. While Brandon is athletic and left-handed and a logical replacement for Thome, it's a lot easier to find a 1B/DH than a catcher (assuming he is one) with the offensive ability of Tyler. The other reason I think Flowers is important is because Brandon has Dayan Viciedo and Tyler himself as "insurance" at DH/1B in case things don't work out for whatever reason with him in the future. If Tyler Flowers doesn't stick as a catcher, what plan do we have at that position for going forward? Pretty much none!

KW will wait for that long 10 or 11 game homestand in early June before he makes any final determinations. Detroit won't keep winning every game...but we're in the unlucky situation (compared to teams like the Twins and Royals) of having to face a healthier Angels team getting better and better instead of right after the Adenhart accident. It's a lot different to face that team with all their healthy/veteran pitchers intact, obviously. Of course, we also have to face Greinke and Meche again, but we need to go 3-4 on that trip to LA and KC and not 2-5/1-6.

QUOTE (Palehosefan @ May 22, 2009 -> 07:53 PM) Seems to me that Retherford has earned a shot at 3B more so than Beckham at this point. If they're going to bring him up to inject some life into the offense (assuming Nix continues to struggle), Retherford makes a lot more sense to give a 7-10 day trial than Beckham. There aren't nearly as many negatives to CJ flopping as there would be if you tried Viciedo or Beckham.

I'll vote for BA to start the rest of the season. Interesting day for BA yesterday....he had three singles (he and Josh have suddenly joined the singles club after being expected to combine for 50+ homers) 1) Misplayed a ball into a double by taking the wrong route...he cut across instead of choosing an angle closer to 45 degrees and it got over his head...probably would have had it if it was left-handed 2) One of the worst throws I've ever seen on a ball to shallow center I didn't even think they'd try to score the runner 3) Had to make a jumping/desperation catch on Carlos Gomez or he would have given up an inside-the-park home run...Soriano-esque on that one Then there was Dye turning around twice with a laser hit right at him and finally over his head and of course Mr. Betemit. And then there was Pods tipping over a homer by Tolbert that kept floating in the wind to LF...at least not off his head!

Well, there's always Maria Verchenova, the latest Russian teenage sensation, this one in golf.

Maybe he knew what he was doing? Runs scored/runs allowed differential 27. San Diego Padres -44 28. Chicago White Sox -47 29. Baltimore Orioles -51 Washington Nationals -51 One thing is for certain, Ozzie Guillen will win the Pythagorean Manager of the Year award this season...

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ May 21, 2009 -> 11:02 PM) Abreu didn't have a position here, hindsight with the injuries he could have played, but they weren't going to sign him and bench Dye or Thome or platoon. I think they value players, and they value Peavy high, their scouts probably ok'd him for the longterm and they saw a unique opportunity that didn't pan out. Money was there for Hunter, Fukudome and Cabrera in the last few years, if they want a player, they'll be flexible Also, we didn't have a Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller (once considered an elite prospect) in our system to trade, so that Cabrera deal wasn't really that close from everything we've heard. Interesting some of the biggest trades that didn't go down... Erstad for Garland Soriano for McCarthy Peavy today Miguel Cabrera Dye for Bailey/Dickerson Garland to the Astros (Hirsch, Taveras, etc.) "missing" out on Hunter/Rowand/Fukudome also, not trading Buehrle, Contreras, Dye, Garland and Vazquez in 2007...in retrospect, it would be interesting to see what would have happened, but it's very difficult to give up the 2008 season even if it would have meant we might not be struggling as much in 09

Well, they would have to do extensive medical examinations to avoid another Sirotka situation, but that's S.O.P. It wouldn't hurt to have Dr. Andrews look at him, either. The two WBC's are worth taking into consideration, as well. But it would definitely be a shot across the bow against the Cubs, who certainly aren't looking like sure things anymore in the NL Central. Well, I asked for an "ace" and wondered where it was going to come from...so if KW pulls this off, we can't say he isn't trying hard or is just bagging this year or waiting to completely rebuild in 2010...unless he brought him in with the idea he was going to "flip" him to another organization and get prospects he liked even better than Poreda, like Fernando Martinez, someone of that ilk. Can a player waive a NTC twice within the span of one calendar year?

This would put the talk about JR never taking pitchers (even though this wouldn't be a FA deal) for 4+ years and being "cheap" to bed for quite awhile. Remember how much of a fight there was in the FO about whether to give Buehrle a contract of that length, and he was one of our homegrown World Series heroes and the most popular player on the club to many. FWIW, Mark isn't the type of guy to complain if another pitcher was brought into the fold at a higher salary. It would definitely energize and motivate the fanbase, not unlike the trades for Contreras and especially Garcia in 2004. It also would put us over a financial barrel if anything went wrong with Peavy, either injury or non-performance...KW's financial flexility, which was one of the selling points of shedding salary of veterans over the next 3 years, would be reduced substantially. Note to KW...it would have been nice to do this before we let the Tigers get out to a lead, but of course it's not too late. One wonders if KW and Towers spoke at all about this option before the season started. If we had added Peavy then, we wouldn't have heard quite so much about the 11% season ticket price increase.

They probably meant that the Sox would promote Beckham to Charlotte and move him to 3B, with Viciedo staying at 3B for the Barons. Just a thought....too early for anyone to think about moving him off SS or where he will end up in the majors in 2010 until we watch the major league team for at least another 4-6 weeks.

Retherford isn't close to being the caliber of a Biggio, that guy's going to be in the Hall of Fame, a lock. He certainly doesn't have the speed. He could make it as a utility player, but he doesn't have the defensive ability of a Nix or Uribe...it's a great story, sure, but nothing more at this point. The major issue with this Peavy deal is it would be insane to take on that kind of a contract, and it runs counter to everything we've ever seen KW do...with that much money being committed to, there's no way we should have to give back more than Poreda/Richard or Poreda/Shelby. If Peavy had a proven track record of success in the AL, that would be one thing. But if he was injured and/or didn't perform well, a player like that taking up 20-25-30% of payroll (possibly), it's just not justifiable. To think Danks or Beckham or other names is pretty crazy. 90% of the trade would simply be clearing that contract off the books for the Padres. You could perhaps compare it to the Garcia deal, but he was only on the books for three years. This one would be PROBABLY through 2013, a 4 1/2 year commitment to the fifth highest paid pitcher in baseball. And Ozzie was more personally involved in that 2004 decision, and also getting Sweaty Freddy to agree to a contract extension. It would be the biggest risk KW has ever taken, dwarfing the Wells/Lowe/Fogg for Ritchie move.

Wood is really shaken up. He just can't throw a strike with the slider or the curveball. Can't believe Wedge can keep his job with the Indians on the verge of being 9 1/2 games off the pace... Looks like they might have to trade Lee and DeRosa this summer. Two outs...bases loaded, just struck out Teahen with one out and bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th. The pesky David DeJesus at the plate. Wood survives. KC 2 GB, Sox and MINN 5.5 GB, CLE 8.5

yay, alexei....awesome clutch play to end the game and keep the tying run from coming to the plate sox win, 2-0 without Lillibridge now

QUOTE (SoxAce @ May 20, 2009 -> 08:41 PM) Liriano is not quite there yet post TJ. He needs that extra year. He'll be good next season, just has to take his lumps. (though he's in the Verlander camp struggling against us) Liriano is lacking control and he can't throw that slider at 89-91 MPH anymore. He will have to use the change-up more often unless he wants to pull all the ligaments in his elbow apart. Dad gummit, Tigers win again, 6 games over .500 and rising. Seems strange that BA's OPS is lower this season than his career OPS, but he has had a lot of singles this season. Still better than Nix and Lillibridge in CF, though.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 20, 2009 -> 08:30 PM) Pods chokes...he really is bad at driving in runners. That's the one area we really miss with Juan Uribe and Crede gone. By the way, are you still in favor of starting Betemit at 3B against Blackburn tomorrow?

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ May 20, 2009 -> 08:16 PM) Alexei honeymoon officially over , wow Beckham looking more and more like a SS here. Beckham isn't close to being ready. Both Gordon and Viciedo have close to 10 errors already. That's what, 3, on Ramirez??? Ramirez is just starting to heat up offensively...he's taking some walks, making things happen on the basepaths, he's starting to warm up again with the weather.

Verlander, after really struggling early, has his BAA at the .212 mark and is at a pace for roughly 300-330 strikeouts. He's Zach Greinke again except flying under the radar because of the horrible start he got off to this season. The one thing about Verlander is he isn't able to pitch deep into games because of all the strikeouts and some wildness, but he doesn't need to worry about it with the bullpen they have going right now. Six games over .500 now unless the bullpen implodes like Kerry Wood last night against KC.