caulfield12

I'll agree with that...we don't know exactly what we have on our hands with Alexei at SS yet, but I doubt he'll win the Gold Glove this year. Then again, those "spectacular" Aaron Rowand plays in Yankee Stadium or Icuchi's throw while parallel to the ground and some of Alexei's more amazing playoffs (did he just do that??) tend to cement a reputation more than the actuality of play. I would hope that Alexei and Getz would give us at least an average to slightly above average ML double-play combination up the middle. That's why Tyler Flowers mystifies me a little too...I just can't get past what I saw out of him defensively this spring, but hopefully he'll make rapid progress the next 18-24 months at that position. Otherwise, we'll have a Jr. Mike Piazza or Victor Martinez essentially playing out of position.

Well, the argument for the Sunday-Special line-ups is always going to be 2005. Because the bench players got regular playing time that season (compared to many teams), players like Ozuna, Blum and Willie Harris were ready and able to make key contributions in the playoffs and World Series. That all kept our regulars fresh and allowed them to get a "second" wind in the final weeks of the season, and carried right over into the playoffs. Sometimes there is a method in Ozzie's madness. It worked last year, even though it's incredible looking back how it all played out and how just about everything possible went right for us the final five days of the season...and wrong for the Twins.

Farmer and DJ said that Ozzie was talking about this and he had told them Fields could be "great" defensively if he could keep his legs squared with his shoulders...that, basically, his "base" or legs were too wide and it was limiting his range. Of course, one wonders why if Ozzie notices this, and Cora worked with him a little in the offseason...why he's still struggling down there. Of course, if he even hits .300 in the regular season, he would be a huge asset unless he made 35-40 errors defensively, but what are some of the theories? That he's thinking about it too much because he knows everyone is examining his defense with a fine tooth comb? That it's the sun/glare in Arizona (explaining his slow reaction time)??? The funny thing is that he has very good (for 3B) speed on the basepaths, or at least above average, but Viciedo and certainly Crede had much faster instincts and better range down there (from when I watched Dayan)...I guess this is kind of like Anderson not being superfast, but being but much quicker to balls in CF than Wise and Anderson. Same idea. Or Jerry Rice never running faster than a 4.6-4.65 forty time, and yet you almost never saw him get caught from behind when he was eyeing a touchdown and had open field. Maybe we'd just be better off with Fields moving to 1B to replace Konerko and Viciedo at 3B eventually.

The question is if BA could put up a 740 OPS playing on an everyday basis. That's about the "break even" point for him...otherwise, it might make more sense to play Wise against some tough righties if he can close to approximating an 800 OPS against righties that Anderson has struggled mightily against. Let's say the Anderson/Wise platoon can give you a 770 OPS...or even 800 OPS. Is that worth it to sacrifice Anderson's defense for 30-70 OPS points? That's where the argument becomes a very interesting one. With Dye becoming ever more limited in terms of range in RF and Wise a defensive nightmare in center, I tend to favor the argument (and this is basically based on the idea that last year was a fluke for Wise, or anomaly) that playing Anderson everyday would be best, as long as he's nowhere need the leadoff spot and Getz and Ramirez are at the top of the line-up and not Wise/Anderson/AJ.

Knowing 2.25 (2.75-3 before the last 30 minutes) Marley & Me 3.25 (I'm a former Lab owner) Rachel Getting Married 3.5 (very good "dark" performance by Anne Hathaway) Yes Man 2.5 Dragonball Evolution 2.5 Confessions of a Shopaholic 3.0 Valkryie 3.25

But can anyone really say this team looked better heading into 2008? I mean, of course, CF is an issue...but KW obviously passed on Taveras and some of the other options out there (like Pierre or Andruw Jones), so there's certainly the possibility he will make another trade at mid-season or that Edmonds might come here and be paired with BA. There's Cabrera, GMJ, none of them are "obvious" solutions, but it's not easy to trade for Nate McLouth or the develop the next Grady Sizemore/Curtis Granderson. I think if Chris Young had been here in Chicago playing, we might have been more appreciative of his overall game, but I still think at least 50% of the fanbase thinks we're better off without him or that we somehow won the two Vazquez trades in the long-term (that all depends on Flowers, and, to a lesser extent, Gilmore/Rodriguez) I really think we have to find out what we can get out of BA with regular playing time and then if things don't work out, we cut our losses and move on.

Lillibridge is just at the right place at the right time. He happens to be lucky that there are two LH OFer's fighting for just one spot and that he's one of the most versatile players on the roster in terms of where you can put him on the field and having some pinch-running opportunities. That said, he hasn't shown a knack for stealing bases or playing even above average defense yet this spring. Those are two huge concerns, because nobody expected much out of him offensively. If you look at all of our other players, Crede/Rowand and now Anderson/Fields have really had to wait their turns. I think the same thing will happen with Richard, Poreda and Marquez. I'm assuming they still take Richard, but I think he needs to show something his final times out or there will be some question marks. Clayton had been very good until today's shellacking. In fact, the White Sox have had a hard time developing players because they're always in a "win now" mode and can't often wait or be patient with players like Borchard or Anderson. Perhaps time will tell us a mistake was made with BA if he goes on to success elsewhere, but I don't think Borchard was going to make in anywhere in baseball with all of his swing deficiencies. From the looks of it, Lillibridge is going to be severely limited offensively...in other words, he's 2009's version of 2007 Andy Gonzalez, but we won't have to play him all the time, and the major difference is we have players like Betemit, Nix and Beckham so it's not like he is the only middle infielder we possess and there are no other options. If he can hit, Escobar might be the best of them all at SS, assuming Beckham ends up at second. Of course, that all could change if they decide to move Alexei or make a trade. Jordan Danks is certainly not a guaranteed stud in CF at this point, and Shelby might be better suited for one of the corner spots than CF. The main reason Lillibridge makes this team is simply to play SS instead of Betemit, to PR in late game situations and possibly as a CF back-up as well. He would be the final player on the roster, unless you think of Miller/Lucy as that player, or MacDougal/Williams. I wouldn't be entirely suprised to see them take Williams over Richard if Richard becomes unglued the final week or so of ST. I think the odds are definitely against Marquez making the roster at this point, too. The interesting battle is with Broadway, MacDougal and Carrasco.

But is that the "real" Nix though...? He only had about 15 at-bats, right? I was actually favoring Nix over Getz at the start of camp, because of his defense, but Getz has been perhaps the most impressive player in camp (not counting Fields' offense) so far. One thing Farmer and DJ mentioned about Getz. That he's really good going to his left, but not so good at balls up the middle. So he positions himself a little more towards 2B to protect that side and because he feels more confident getting that ball heading into RF than the does making the really athletic plays against his body on balls up the middle.

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 09:57 PM) Not trying to sound negative, but we'd need a damn miracle to win the division unless most are players are hot (I guess CQ and Alexei is great for starters) and the rest of the division s***s again (like last year) considering I think technically the Sox are a much more vulnerable team than they were last year. When you look at it, though, we have a lot more depth in our pitching staff, although it it appears to be a more bit more fragile than in years past with health concerns about Buehrle (now), Colon and Contreras. Undoubtedly, one or two of them will break down at some point this season. However, CLE has Carl Pavano as their #3 right now...that's enough to make their position dubious. Is Ben Francisco going to continue to improve? Is Shoo an everyday player or a platoon guy who had one good half? Is DeRosa capable of putting up Cubs-like numbers in the AL, or did he have a career year? Barfield and Marte are failures....what about that infield defense? Not very good at all...except for Cabrera. Hafner might be done. Victor Martinez is a 1B/DH masquerading as a catcher and blocks Shoppach's bat. Martinez is clearly worse than AJ, and that's quite a statement. What will they do with Garko now? Why the heck did they trade Fr. Gutierrez's solid defense? Will the real Carmona stand up? Is Cliff Lee (or John Danks) really THAT good or was last year a mirage? Minnesota still has no answer (not Ayala) for their RH relief problems. Nathan is a bit of question mark coming off his very average 2nd half (compared to his normal high standards). Punto as the everday SS??? Look at his average in 2007 and you'll see why there are concerns. Young still hasn't blended in with Gardy and the overall organizational atmosphere over there. Span was a huge lift to them, and Cuddyer was injury-riddled and scares me a lot less than Span because he's a terrible defender and similar to Joe Crede batting-wise. Will Crede last? How long? Will Mijares be as good as he was down the stretch? Without Mauer and Span, this is a very average team, unless Liriano returns to 06 form. Not only that, but Baker/Slowey/Perkins/Blackburn all overachieved compared to their projections...can that continue? How will Morneau fare without protection in the line-up? Will Carlos Gomez manage a 700 OPS ever? There's not a team in our division without 5-10 points of obvious vulnerability or weakness. Unless Ben Revere charges into the majors, Viciedo, Beckham, Poreda and Porcello are all rookies that could have a huge impact on the race, and we have 3/4 of those guys. And we have more budgetary flexibility than any of the teams out there.....CLE added DeRosa and Wood, they can't afford to extend their payroll, especially with all the economic problems on the Cuyahoga.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 09:37 PM) Well I at least hope Kenny is out there looking around anyway. PS you've got a weird sense of humor, Caulfield. I do like it though. I guess it's because I just watched Valkryie two nights ago...and I wrote a term paper in high school on the Holocaust.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,2905815.story Well, we shall see how long into the season KW will go with things "as is"...or if we have to trade in some of our newfound minor league depth for another solution. I would call it the Final Solution, but then I would sound like Joseph Goebbels.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 01:30 PM) <!--quoteo(post=1854409:date=Mar 26, 2009 -> 12:15 PM:name=caulfield12)-->QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 12:15 PM) <!--quotec-->I guess need is relative. Does anyone know how our OBP out of the leadoff and 2nd position compared to the rest of the AL last year? I just had to check. And shockingly the Sox were 3rd to last, thank god for the uber-incompetence of Toronto and Oakland. TEAM OBP1 OBP2 SB1 SB2 OBPa SBa OPS3 RBI3 Baltimore 0.372 0.350 40 4 0.361 22.0 0.862 110 New York 0.364 0.349 38 15 0.357 26.5 0.863 112 Detroit 0.359 0.351 13 8 0.355 10.5 0.766 92 Kansas City 0.358 0.343 20 8 0.351 14.0 0.700 78 Boston 0.322 0.377 49 18 0.350 33.5 0.915 131 Texas 0.357 0.338 27 7 0.348 17.0 0.837 130 Seattle 0.361 0.329 44 11 0.345 27.5 0.822 107 Cleveland 0.372 0.317 39 10 0.345 24.5 0.686 88 Tampa Bay 0.352 0.326 10 41 0.339 25.5 0.851 103 Anaheim 0.364 0.302 39 6 0.333 22.5 0.789 100 Minnesota 0.318 0.335 36 15 0.327 25.5 0.837 89 Chicago 0.339 0.301 15 13 0.320 14.0 0.878 113 Toronto 0.336 0.300 12 5 0.318 8.5 0.782 83 Oakland 0.285 0.306 14 14 0.296 14.0 0.688 69 OBP1 = OBP from #1 hitter OBP2 = OBP from #2 hitter SB1 = SB from #1 hitter SB2 = SB from #2 hitter OBPa = (OBP1+OBP2)/2 SBa = (SB1+SB2)/2 OPS3 = OPS from #3 hitter RBI3 = RBI from #3 hitter Sure OBPa isn't a clean average but there isn't a huge difference in PA between the #1 and #2 hitters and there's no way I'm going to do the leg work required to come up with a clean average. The funny thing is, if we had the pitching of either Toronto or Oakland last year, I still think we would have taken the division. It's arguable. I just have this sinking feeling about Linebrink and Dotel both being as effective as last season...maybe even Jenks is due for a bad season by his standards, and the only pitcher I think really capable of being dominating (after Thornton) is MacDougal. Surprisingly, he's quietly pitched himself back into the picture. I guess with Oakland, we could blame the likes of Cunningham, Cabrera, Sweeney and Carter if their offense doesn't produce...so strange to see almost half their line-up (Carter will be there later, along with Aaron) have White Sox connections. If I was a Blue Jays fan, I would be pretty pessimistic about the future in terms of competing again in that division. Wonder if the Rays regret trading Edwin Jackson now? Probably not.

Not sure about being selfish...I know the organization really pushed Pods (post ASB 05) and Willie Harris (another example) to be more aggressive with their speed and utilize it on the basepaths, but both became hesitant. I think the same thing was happening with Owens early in ST, he was getting thrown out over and over again and started to lose his aggressiveness. That's his biggest weapon. I still think MacDougal might end up having a bigger role in this season than many expect. Definitely the line-up depends on Quentin...and probably getting an injection at some point from Beckham, Viciedo or a mid-season move from KW. We have the luxury this season of taking on some salary we didn't have in past years from what we've been led to believe. Everyone keeps talking about Lillibridge, Corky, Williams....but I think those concerns are overplayed. Williams likely won't make the team because they will take Richard as the 2nd left and people will at least enjoy Miller's defense...he would be the 2009 equivalent of Brian Anderson's 2006 campaign in limited dosages. I think Colon will be better than expected and Contreras about .500 with 150 IP and a 4.50 or so ERA (a little like Javy minus the IP numbers and fewer K's, unless he really gets that forkball/FB combination of his rolling again). Contreras was actually very good the first two months of the season, then he kind of lost his confidence and I think he was also trying to pitch through pain as usual.

They're actually short one reliever in their pen...the Japanese pitcher (Koboyashi or something like that) who was so good for them in the first half has been a disaster to the point where they had to shut him down and there are still big-time concerns about him this spring. Sowers was once considered a pretty high level prospect. Zach Jackson didn't do well in ST, but Lewis was really solid last year....compare his stats with Clayton Richard, although hopefully we can manage not to overexpose CR by keeping him in the bullpen and not having him face line-ups 2 or 3 times in one game. Westbrook should also be coming back at mid-season, and Laffey's in the picture. too. Haven't seen enough of Huff to make an informed decision about his abilities.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 03:32 PM) Nope, tried to take 2nd on a wild pitch. Along with leading the Cactus League in errors, we must have at least 15 (probably more) "mental errors" on the basepaths this spring, and we can't blame the minor leaguers for most of them (not to mention the horrible success rate on steals). Being aggressive is one thing...but the White Sox have run themselves out of countless innings this spring. Hopefully it won't carry over into the regular season. At least Marquez is starting some sort of streak of giving up runs every appearance...I think his days are now numbered as well, just like Poreda (despite him being KW's "prize catch" of the off-season, along with Viciedo and Flowers).

For some reason, I thought he was like Bret Saberhagen and always did well every other year...at any rate, Konerko is definitely due for one last solid .280-30-100 season in his career with a .375 OBP and .525 SLG at least.

A lot to overcome....potentially the worst defensive team (replacing CLE) in the division, the worst baserunning (certainly the slowest) and then the complete lack of fundamentals. At least Getz has been a bright light so far, and hopefully Konerko can follow-up his hot start and approach of focusing on hitting the ball up the middle and to the right side into a good April/May start. Isn't he due for a nice season, it's an odd year? Don't tell me Thome got thrown out too trying to stretch his hit into a double? That looks a lot like the last few seasons, 3 hits and one run in an inning.

Obviously, if Wise fails and Owens is no longer viewed as a viable option, then they'll have no other choice but to play Anderson everyday (or prematurely give up on Ramirez at SS and bring up Beckham, which seems as likely as Betemit playing CF instead of Wise). It seems everyone has been waiting for that for the last 2-3 years, just like Sox fans patiently waited for KW to admit that Aaron Rowand might be more than a fourth outfielder. Now I'm not going to dare to project Aaron Rowand's numbers from 04-08 on Brian Anderson for his next five seasons, but we just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best. There's going to be a tremendous amount of pressure on both Wise and Anderson if they are hitting in the leadoff spot. If the team struggles out of the box and they are forced to go to Getz, that puts even more pressure on Getz than there would be if they just started batting him there now. Unfortunately, it seems that they're being set up for failure. OTOH, the organization has really babied Anderson along the last couple of seasons hoping he matures and gets some more confidence up at the plate. He'll have nobody but himself to blame if he hits .225 this season.

I don't see Chris Getz being transitioned to CF. We already know Lillibridge could end up there, because of the presence of Beckham, Betemit, Getz, Nix, etc. I just don't see Getz having the type of range, athleticism, range and instincts to play that position. He is very challenged to play SS...he can do it adequately and better than Betemit, who has five seasons' worth of time there, but putting Getz between two slower/limited corner outfielders make about as much sense as putting Beckham at the same position. Actually, and I'm just guessing, but I think Beckham would be a better CFer than Getz. I prefer to stick with Jordan Danks and Shelby as two of the longer-term options and just hope that we catch lightning in a bottle this year. With the offense that we SHOULD have, we can afford to have a CFer with a 700-750 OPS, but he has to be a superior defender as well. Can we really project Chris Getz to get an 800-850 OPS to make up for his projected defensive inadequacies in center?

I guess need is relative. Does anyone know how our OBP out of the leadoff and 2nd position compared to the rest of the AL last year? I'm sure we were probably in the bottom 3 of AL teams at both those spots. AJ doesn't belong anywhere above 6th in the order, and he's really a 7th or 8th place hitter at this point in his career with the expected downturn quickly approaching. Quentin, Dye and Ramirez exploding last year allowed us to cover up this inadequacy, and maybe Josh Fields becoming a legitimate offensive force will invigorate the line-up, but is there a single team with a demonstrably WORSE situation in CF??? I guess the Astros if they are starting Bourne Supremacy again, and maybe the Reds with Taveras...but you won't get very far naming teams that have a more galling situation to start the season at that position. At least with Carlos Gomez, he has the explosiveness and raw talent and youth on his side, with our three-headed monster, none of those factors can be added into the equation. I bet there there are at least 10-15 AAA teams and 5-10 AA teams with better options than what we have now in CF and at leadoff. By the way, are the Twins going to start Cuddyer and leave Span on the bench? Obviously, Delmon Young, after a winter of trade rumors that Gardy wanted him out of town, didn't end up getting moved...

We have double-insurance at 3B with Viciedo, and Javier Castillo even opened some eyes in camp, too. Not to mention the possibility of Beckham ending up at 3B, SS or 2B, we're seemingly well covered at 3 infield positions.

I think he's going to get more used to it...his frame is very slight, so there's always this idea that a superthin or superheavy player (like Fielder of Viciedo or Frank Thomas) will wear down, but I guess the heavier players are in better shape late in the season than at the beginning, while Alisay is just skin and bones, at least that's the theory. Of course, the Cuban season is much shorter, so he wasn't used to it, and it got Iguchi a little bit too....the dog days of summer.

I only have Macchu Piccu in Peru, the Great Wall and I will count Angkor Wat in Cambodia, although some lists don't include it. 4-5 more to go for that particular Bucket List. Most lists have the Colosseum in Rome, Petra in Jordan, the Great Pyramid and Sphinx, Christ the Redeemer in Rio (that one to me doesn't fit as well...)

Poreda is too much, sure. But the Yankees/Cashman and every team in baseball know that we need a legitimate, everyday CFer as well as an experienced leadoff hitter. Those don't come cheap... I think the conversation would be centered around Clayton Richard, Allen, Shelby and Danks...one of those four guys. Allen might be a bit superfluous with the glut of 1B/DH types they have on the team now, in Swisher, Nady, TEX, etc. The White Sox can't afford to part with Richard yet, so it would most likely be Shelby IMO.

They're going to want more than Morel or Javier Castillo...it's going to be someone like Poreda or Brandon Allen and a second #10-20 prospect.