caulfield12

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5945/g...3NxNn6RaACFCLcF Carl Pavano averaged a pretty "decent" 6 1/3 IP every time out with the Twins. His ERA was a very solid 2.82 if you take out one really bad start....and this is over a span of 11-12 starts, is it just a blip on the radar, we'll see. 7 QS/12 total starts Even his "non-quality" starts were 5 2/3-4, 6-4 and 7-5 (IP/ER)...with their offense, he at least gave them a chance to win those games. In other words, he gave his team a very good chance to win 10/12 games, and even the one where he went 4 innings with 5 ER didn't put his team in an impossible hole to dig out of...he also went head-to-head with Verlander and wiped him out, in a year when Verlander was one of the five best AL pitchers and at one time looked like a Cy Young candidate. There's a reason the typically penurious Twins gave him $7 million and are verging on having almost the same payroll as the White Sox...and if they know one thing, it's pitching and how to get the most of it. Think of all those guys like LaTroy Hawkins, JC Romero, Rincon, Guerrier, Reyes, Breslow, Mijares, Neshek, etc., that came out of seemingly nowhere to become reliable members of the bullpen. We've had a few, like Politte, Cotts and Thornton, but not nearly as many or as consistently as the Twins.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 9, 2010 -> 11:42 AM) Unfortunately, I can also argue against this, although this will be why they play the games. There are a number of issues one can bring up that are decent arguments for why the Twins rotation this year will be better than last year. 1. Injury. They lost Slowey after 90 innings last year. He's expected to be ready for ST. 2. Duensing, who was their best pitcher overall in the innings he pitched, was a mid-season callup last year and will be there for a full season this year. He put up their best ERA in their rotation, 3.64, but only got 84 innings. 3. Pavano will be there for a full year, if he stays healthy. This isn't like adding a Cy Young winner, but if he simply repeats his last season, that adds depth to their rotation that it didn't have to start last year. 4. The dome actually didn't help the Twins last year. Most teams put up better ERA's at home than on the road. The Twins had virtually the same ERA on the road and at home. The Twins starting rotation had one of the best ERA's in the league on the road and one of the worst ERA's in in the league at home. It's entirely possible that moving out of the dome could therefore bring benefits to the Twins rotation rather than harm. These points may all be proven wrong easily by another injury or a struggling pitcher and I'm not 100% convinced by any of them. But just as there are reasons to think the Sox offense underperformed last year, one can argue that the Twins starters underperformed last year. Pavano would have had very close to a 4 ERA if it wasn't for one of his starts being disastrous. He was very solid, nobody expected him to come close to pitching like a 3rd or even 4th starter at the beginning of the year....maybe the one smart move Shapiro made was in acquiring him last offseason on the cheap. The Twins have lots of "strike throwers" and that will be a huge advantage in the colder weather because not as many runs will score due to walks/runners not earning their way on base. Blackburn is tough. Perkins has a great arm....and you never know what you're going to get with Liriano, although the odds of his returning to 2006 form diminish by the year. This will be his "make or break" year IMO. Baker really struggled for most of the year, but he's a lot like Floyd, he has the ability to be a front-line starter, at the very least a 2. So you go: Baker Blackburn Pavano Duensing Slowey Liriano/Manship/Swarzak/Perkins They have quite a bit more depth at the back end than we do, although HUDSON at least profiles to eventually be better than all those guys fighting for the fifth/sixth spot for the Twins. On paper, there's certainly no ace, but I would take a lot of those pitchers at the back end over Garcia, too. We'll see what happens with Hudson, if he gets the Brandon McCarthy "managed" treatment or gets thrown into the fire from the beginning of the season.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Feb 8, 2010 -> 03:09 PM) Delmon Young's always been terrible. Hudson's been on a steady decline for the past few years. Makes sense. Nice article about the horrendous Twins corner outfielder combo: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/pity-nick-blackburn Basically, Cuddyer and Young's defense erase any offensive value each brings to the table. But couldn't we say the same thing about Dye/Pods/Quentin last year defensively? Well, I just hope they don't sign Joe Mauer to a six-year contract today. That would really suck. And I'm not going to root for him to get injured...no matter what, you have to respect him as an opponent and admit he's become a truly great player.

You could see this one coming a mile away. The Twins weren't going into the season with Harris AND Punto starting, and they didn't feel they could count on Casilla, Tolbert or Buscher.

HMM.... I think it says more about the lack of speed and a baserunning threat, especially in the first half of the season. If you don't fear the runner (like opposing pitchers did with Pods in 2005), then there's no reason to throw the #2 hitter fastballs unless behind in the count. Alexei really struggled with breaking stuff for most of the season...that would be another reason. Konerko was solid for most of the season, but yeah, if you had 2008 Quentin and first half 2009 Dye behind the 2 hitter, that changes things, too.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 2, 2010 -> 01:32 PM) That's true, but part of Crede's value was also playing the field, and the way he plays 3B puts a tremendous amount of strain on his back. If Crede were a full time DH or played mostly DH, I would guess that he could remain relatively healthy. You also have to look at Thome's swing, which has a tremendous amount of torque in it...not unlike Tiger Woods' swing putting a tremendous amount of pressure on his knees, hips and back. Same idea. And I'm not so sure about Crede being healthy even if he was just DHing. The only thing that makes sense now is that Ozzie and KW would look really silly for passing on Thome, hyping the DH by committee idea, then getting another version of Thome in Branyan who just might end up having more injury problems than Thome while commanding even more money. Compound that with Thome putting those numbers up for our most hated rival and it's a recipe for PR disaster and oodles of Phil Rogers and Cowley "exposes" all season long, like when Chris Young played pretty well in 2006 and Vazquez wet the bed, it seemed every two weeks there was an article about KW dealing Young.

He also has the option of showcasing himself by signing a short-term deal with an independent league team...although I think (if I were his agent at least) that he'd want to get an MLB contract signed ASAP, because there's always the risk of injury

If Damon retires, he won't make it to the HOF! Oops Johnny, nobody thought you were going to actually make it (personal website glowing "bio" to the contrary) anyway, but there's nothing like a little false bravado and desperation... Comments like this make me appreciate the likes of Jermaine Dye all the more. You'll never hear him make similar comments to what Boras and Damon are putting out there, too funny. Exactly. He totally misplayed this one... It is almost like he is left field already. Not to mention the fact that it probably doesn't sit too well with Carlos Guillen, either.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 07:57 AM) If Danks doesn't hit 30 HR...then the only way he'll ever being a starter big leagues is if he cuts down on the strikeouts by like 33% or more. Otherwise he'll be hitting .250 or below with 10-15 HR's. See Anderson, Brian. I like Danks' swing (even though it's big) a lot more though. They're both big/rangy athletic outfielders...and I think Jordan definitely has a bit more explosiveness or speed in terms of stealing bases, too. Brian was quick and very fast once he got going because of his strides, but not what you'd call a "burner" either. You still have to assume it's going to be difficult to have Danks and Mitchell in the OF at the same time unless both develop 18-24+ homer power or Mitchell learns how to steal 50+ bags per season. Seems he's pretty raw in that aspect of his game at this point.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 31, 2010 -> 03:11 PM) AJ has mega-blonde hair, it's hard to top that... Edit: Just remembered, Swisher. Don't forget Uribe's blonde goatee, too. As far as superstars who still bring out fans, you have to also count Pujols as someone who draws by his presence alone. Maybe the last couple of years, teams have always drawn more than individual superstars, but you also have/had the phenomenon of Japanese superstars bringing out droves of fans. I was at Dice K's debut in Kansas City and it was crazy, more media than a World Series game. Almost surreal for Kansas City. But yes, in general, even someone like Hanley Ramirez isn't drawing many fans, by themselves. Some of the individual pitchers, if you look at their attendance at home versus other starters and correct for weeknight/weekend games, Greinke and Halliday have had a tremendous impact on ticket sales, too.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 11:31 AM) I think Renyel Pinto or Taylor Tanksersley could be had from the Marlins for a lot less than Scott Downs. Honestly, if i had run of this team i'd sign Damon, Leslie Anderson, and then float Kotsay to the Marlins as a one-year replacement for Ross Gload. From the way these situations always go, I would be surprised if Anderson ended up being able to play before the 2nd half of the season in the US. But definitely, I'd take him over Maya (of the Cubans, along with Arguelles). If nothing else, he would be insurance for Flowers/Viciedo not making it at 1B/DH if they move Tyler...although I think the odds are still 50/50 he stays at catcher.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 11:27 AM) I agree with you about Oakland. I think that is an option of last resort. Sounds like Boras is trying to drum up interest from Detroit, maybe moreso than here because of his distaste for our FO as well as the Andruw Jones connection you have mentioned before. I would be shocked if we did sign Damon, but I suppose stranger things have happened. I don't see how Damon would fit with the Tigers. They already have Cabrera and then five outfielders fighting for at-bats (Ordonez, Carlos Guillen, Austin Jackson, Raburn and Thomas). Assuming Ordonez is RF/DH, Guillen is LF/DH, Jackson for CF and Raburn and Thomas both deserving of playing time, it doesn't make sense. And I think they just spent their final wad of money on Valverde.

Damon in the line-up (over the Jones/Kotsay combo) means 844 runs scored instead of 808...big difference. Of course, repeating that .365 OBP and almost 500 SLG won't be easy for him at age 36.

Well, I'd much rather pay Damon $4-5 million and try the "audition by committee" bullpen approach that failed so miserably before than spend that money on Downs. No way do I spend that money on Scott. Ever since David Riske, we've been failing to offer arbitration to most of our veteran players at the end of their contracts. I just don't see how you spend that kind of money on the last roster spot compared to investing it in Johnny Damon, who very well could be an impact bat and the last piece of the puzzle in our roster construction.

You could probably add Viciedo and Jordan Danks into that depth chart as well.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jan 29, 2010 -> 12:01 PM) Leslie put up huge numbers last year, and consistently has a high average and a high OBP. "In 2008-2009, Anderson batted .381/.490/.572. He finished 5th in the batting race behind Michel Enríquez, Yulieski Gourriel, Yorelvis Charles and Giorvis Duvergel. He also won a Gold Glove at first base. He left Cuba following that season."http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Leslie_Anderson Vladimir Guerrero's name also was derived from the Russian presence in the Caribbean/Cuba in the 60's and 70's.

QUOTE (3E8 @ Jan 29, 2010 -> 08:06 PM) A lot should go to Herm and our training staff too. I think we often forget what an incredible boon they are to our organization. We must be constantly beating time played predictions because as a whole the Sox are exceptional at limiting DL trips and keeping necessary ones minimum length It is a BIT amusing how 90% of the credit goes to KW, Hermie and Don Cooper and about 10% goes to Guillen/Cora/Baines/Walker, etc.

Well, there was a LOT more heartbreak in the 60's and 70's because of the nature of the American League. There weren't three divisions with a wildcard. If the 2005 team would have ended up not making the playoffs, I think you could make a much stronger argument that would resonate with White Sox fans. 2005 changed everything. Nobody writing today remember the Black Sox Scandal or lived through it, I'm sure if this article was written in 1955 it'd be a quite different one. The Cubs also have the Billy Goat, Leon Durham/1984...1989 was forgotten because of the earthquake, 1969 will ALWAYS be used as the example of blowing a huge lead, along with I think the 64 Phillies. Who was that left fielder that muffed the ball again? Brant Brown? And the Cubs have blown their own lead in the final weeks, too.... The White Sox suffered because of mostly bad teams and cash-poor ownership for three decades, although a lot of Sox fans fondly reminisce about the 1977 South Side Hitmen team...the closest thing to that was the 2000 and 2006 teams (first half) in modern club history. When I think of losing baseball franchises, the Cubs and the Indians are the ones that come to mind, and the Indians have been to a couple of World Series in the last 15 years.

Well, that's logical (and I'm not sure it's taking defense negatively into account for Ramirez and Beckham in 2009), but Beckham's going to be a Top 3-5 second baseman in the majors (silly to compare him to 3B in the long term) and I think Ramirez, while perhaps never putting up Soriano-esque homer and stolen base numbers, is a Top 7-10 SS. Konerko signed a "fair market value" deal after the World Series, actually a bit below what a couple of other teams were offering. Because of the economic depression and due to the fact that 1B/DH/corner outfielders are now taking significant pay cuts, he's probably overpaid by about $4-6 million, but that's okay. Still would have regretted losing him more, although maybe if Contreras, Linebrink and Paulie had signed shorter contracts we would have been in much better shape financially.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 28, 2010 -> 10:00 AM) caulfield, thank you for the thoughts. There is no question that I should be respectful in how I criticize the team, but that's really not a mandate handed down from somebody above me. It's just common sense. You can criticize management, coaches and players, but you shouldn't be a foaming-mouth idiot when you do it. After all, I have to see those people every day and I have to be accountable for what I say. Mariotti wrote whatever he wanted (and let's be honest here, he wasn't being fair, he was being ridiculous) but in the 4 years I've been doing this job, he was never in the locker room one time. Whatever you're willing to say about people on the air or in print, you better be able to say to their faces. Nothing wrong with being respectful. In fact, it's the right way to do it. I won't apologize for that. There's just a right way to do things and that's how I choose to do it. What you don't know is that perception varies. I've had Kenny say to me on at least two occasions that he thought I "hammered" him in a couple of interviews I did. I was really surprised by that, because I thought I was simply asking fair questions of him. He wasn't angry or anything, he just said it sort of matter-of-factly but with a grin. It was just kind of funny, because I didn't see it that way. It could be because, believe it or not, I think he's a bit nervous in media situations. He's definitely nervous speaking in front of a crowd. I've also had a few players and coaches unhappy with me for things that I've said. It happens at least a few times a year. And sometimes it's for something minor, like Podsednik, who was upset a couple of years back that I suggested he might be good in a bench role. He didn't like that, but it wasn't unfair to say. It also didn't affect us after that. He understood I have a job to do. But, I also wouldn't say I'm in Jerry's "inner circle" either. I don't talk to him all that much, and it's very brief when I do speak to him. I don't even know what the guy thinks of me. He might think I'm terrible for all I know. The ultimate decision of whether I do this job really isn't his, it's up to the station. Wills, by the way, was very good and he's got himself a pretty good job right now. I like him very much. But, believe me, when the Sox lose I'm as upset as anyone else. I mean, I try to forget about it by the time I get home, but I hate it when they play like garbage. Thanks for your thoughtful response. In the end, all White Sox fans are on the same side, we want the team to win and to always be proud of them. Whether we're from Red States or Blue States, we're all dyed in "purple" Sox fans....just kidding. Frustration can get the best of anyone on certain occasions (I remember three games in my lifetime, the one where Denny Hocking ended it with a homer against Foulke, the Carlos Gomez/Jenks game at the HHH in late 2008, the time I woke up in Colombia, South America and really panicked when I saw the ESPN Deportes scoreboard showing the White Sox had blown a huge lead against the Kansas City Royals), but we settle down eventually and get over it and act (hopefully) like adults. It's interesting the comment you made about KW. He went to Stanford, he's ultra-confident (almost too sure of himself, seemingly), and yet there always seems to be that transcendant desire to prove others wrong or "to prove he's smarter than everyone else." Perhaps some of that insecurity and nervousness is masked by that "combative/prickly" facade that he has with fans at events like SoxFest or with the media from time to time. Perhaps part of it grew out of his frustration with the negative portrayal in "Moneyball," the criticism after the Ritchie trade, the Sirotka fallout, the Berry/Barry mistake, he made a number of them in his first view years on the job. Then there was the confrontation with Frank Thomas that didn't sit well with everyone, either. I've gone from being on the fence about KW to being a huge supporter (2005 being the most obvious reason, of course), and I find myself defending about 90% of what he does. FWIW, having a GM with a chip of his shoulder is usually a good thing, it's the current manager that most fans are worried has been resting on his laurels a bit in recent years, the Mike Ditka Syndrome to an extent. With that said, I'm 100% an Ozzie supporter, too. He gave us a championship in our lifetime, and I'm not sure how many other managers could have done the same thing....to keep that team from totally collapsing in September and then making them feel so relaxed that they just cruised through the playoffs and halfway through the 2006 season believing they were the best team in baseball.

But Bob Grim, Chris' boss, is a member of the White Sox FO, right? That's where it gets murky/tricky...the lines get crossed even more with mergers and shareholders in different media conglomerates around the world and country.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 28, 2010 -> 07:57 AM) thanks flaxx but i wasn't talking about soxtalk mgmt. Rather the incessant posting from Rongey criticizing anyone who doesn't think the white sox management is acting in the most rational sane course, and when he gets a chance to, he acts for ESPNs. I'll admit to taking the same shot a day or two ago. I know it's not easy to be in the position he's in, he can't be completely candid like Ozzie Guillen, Jimmy Piersall or Harry Caray, etc. In fact, over time, I think he's matured quite a bit from the very first days in terms of engaging with callers and figuring out which ones to dump or not to let go on and on forever with the same points or monopolize their air time without even asking a question. He doesn't get frustrated as easily, I think that's the biggest difference. Of course, when you're the new guy, people will compare you to past hosts, and a lot of Sox fans really liked Dave Wills, and he was also very open/honest sometimes with his frustrations, more like he was "sharing" the pain of fans than trying to rebut their arguments. It's a fine line...definitely. As an employee of the White Sox first and foremost, people will understand anything he says on-line and some will assume or extrapolate it as the "team position" on many issues. He naturally has to be more careful with what he says...and I know he wants to share his unique insights and the level of access he enjoys is obviously better than a Joe Cowley or Mariotti that aren't/weren't respected by the team/players/management. In fact, after Director of Community Relations, he has the job that I once coveted when I was getting my MS in Sports Administration and starting to work with the Augusta GreenJackets. I gave up that dream after only a couple of seasons because I was too impatient AND I thought it would be very difficult to make it into the front office without having been an MLB player or at least having reached the high minors. Now things are changing in that regard, Daniels in Texas, some of the new GM's with the Epstein/MBA/Ivy League backgrounds as well as the SABR GM's like Ricciardi and DiPodesta. Another thing to consider, I'm sure he grew up with Jack Buck and Mike Shannon. Cardinals' fans tend to be more "genteel" and respectful (not necessarily more knowledgeable, but certainly not as confrontational) and I think that's part of the way he approaches his job...he's part of Jerry Reinsdorf's family, there's a tremendous amount of loyalty shown to those who make it into the "inner circle" in White Sox FO and I hope he can continue to progress in his career.

I agree with witesox....Kubel's getting better and better as his knee is bothering him less than after the reconstruction. Some Twins' fans I know would argue that he's actually better than Young because Delmon has so many bad habits on the field that haven't been corrected since his days with TB...the same "lazy" habits which have caused Gardy and Smith to look into possibly dumping him the last two offseasons. Some theorize Smith is "forcing" him on the fans simply because the Garza/Bartlett deal looks so one-sided and he stills hopes to get some return out of his investment. Count Branyan as another player on this list who was looking for a multi-year deal -- the first of his career -- but hasn't gotten one, and won't. The Mariners tried to re-sign him for a single year in November, but he turned them down, and GM Jack Zduriencik subsequently continued his quest to assemble a team that allows no batted ball to fall to the earth by trading for Casey Kotchman in January. The White Sox, who once seemed to be composed entirely of first baseman/DH-types, could actually now use a first baseman/DH-type, and they might represent one of the last options for one of 2009's breakout players. www.espn.com

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jan 27, 2010 -> 09:48 PM) Well in fairness to Law, he is a stats guy. Floyd was posting 6 K/9, 5 BB/9. That's not a Major League pitcher. Gavin Floyd's turnaround was seemingly unforeseeable by everyone other than Kenny and his scouting team. I bet there are a ton of ESPN types who were wrong on Edwin Jackson in 2009 or Jon Danks in 2008, too. Or giving up on Homer Bailey after 2009. Just imagine if we could have pulled off that Bailey trade, knowing what has happened since. :-( By the way, where is Chris Carter? I've seen him ranked 20-35 on some Top 100 lists out there.

If Thome is getting 300-350 at-bats against primarily LHP, his SLG/OBP/OPS numbers would INCREASE, not decrease. Average Thome's numbers with Delmon Young/Kubel, and they have to be an even stronger team unless Thome absolutely falls off a cliff, but I don't foresee that happening.