caulfield12

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.

The "no-defense/all offense" option would be Betemit at SS with Alexei in CF. Of course, then you'd have to play Lillbridge against lefties, about 20-25% of the time...I guess you'd have to go with Getz/Betemit at the top of the order versus righties and Getz/Ramirez versus lefties. Or maybe it would just become obvious which one (Alexei or Betemit) was most comfortable with that spot in the line-up. We would have plenty of offensive firepower, the only question is how many more runs that line-up could potentially cost us defensively.

This goes way way back. Brien Taylor...Hensley Bam Bam Meulens...Kevin Maas...Shane Spencer. What the Yankees have done (like KW) is picked the homegrown players (Cano, Soriano, Rivera, Bernie Williams, Joba, Pettitte, Posada, Jeter, etc.) that would pan out and tried to maximize the return/value for those that were not part of their long-term plans.

At first I thought it was confined to Carlos Lee and then Brian Anderson...or that the spirit of Jose Valentin's man-moustache had disappeared. Why is our baserunning so bad? I think Josh Fields specifically has made at least four bone-headed outs already this spring, and maybe I missed a couple...today he tried to advance to 3B on a hard ground hit in front of him with Cabrera right behind him. Is this inexperience? Lack of playing time at OSU as he concentrated more on football? His desire to show off his health and newfound slightly above-average running ability? Or systemic minor league coaching failures over the last decade. Between not being able to steal or having the technique (players like Ramirez and Anderson), we have others like Owens who can't simply be effective. It reminds me of Willie Harris or Pods after his injury in 2005, never the same after that first half on the basepaths. Then, Getz and Ramirez were BOTH picked off...yet we lucked out twice. Getz was hit in the back by the throw from 1B and Cabrera whiffed on the tag on Ramirez because his slide was so unexpected and dangerous that he wasn't where Cabrera thought he would be (of course, had he torn his ACL or broken his ankle and been safe instead of being leaving without a scratch, we'd also be pissed off...except for those happy to see Beckham!) Do we have the worse successful stolen base percentage in the majors this spring? I just don't get it. The players with above-average speed (Lilli, Anderson, Owens, Getz, Fields, Ramirez, Wise) all have had their moments on the basepaths, but particularly Josh Fields. Of course, he's hitting about .450, so it's hard to complain, but it will be more of an issue when he does that and it costs us a real game as often happened with C-Lee/El Caballo. Is it hopeless? Any thoughts or answers? Does anyone see this is as a real problem going forward, or is there a fix? (Obviously with Owens and Wise, probably not). Also, can Wilson Betemit play CF? (Joking...sort of)

Melton called him Bob Jerren....too funny, it's Geren. Now the hitters (like Cunningham) are missing that high FB completely to fouling it to the opposite side...all good signs for Colon. Looks as if he is responding to being called out (in a way) by Ozzie to show his real stuff at this point in the spring.

Colon is looking sharper with his FB and location this inning. Let's hope he doesn't fall apart in his 3rd inning like Poreda did yesterday after flying through the first 2.

QUOTE (kane0730 @ Mar 25, 2009 -> 03:04 PM) REAL quick 1-2-3 for Colon. Only 5-6 pitches. Hard to tell the velocity watching online. I would guess 87-90 MPH. Cust just pulled a fastball, that usually doesn't happen when he's on his game. Sweeney looks like he's gained 10-15 pounds since a couple of years ago.

DJ just called him Derek Lillibridge (former Braves pitcher)...Lilliquist. Anderson is the #7 prospect in all of MILB...kind of a like a LH Jon Rauch but with a much better fastball. More like a kid the Mariners had who was hyped, can't remember his name, but he never panned out for some reason.

When I saw the thread title, at first I thought that Tim Burton was doing a remake of Plan 9 from Outer Space (the legendary worst movie ever made in the history of cinema, by Ed Wood) but had changed the name to the even scarier "Option D in CF." KW knew what he was dealing with going into this season...nothing has changed one iota, with the possible change being Lillibridge and Ramirez moving back there with Beckham's continued progress. Still, I would rather take my chances with Viciedo the next four years...and it's telling that the Yankees aren't even thinking of starting Swisher in CF, and that option was never on the table according to Cashman from the time of the trade. In fact, they would start Cabrera over Swisher in center, although it would appear that Melky might end up re-establishing SOME value in the minors this year and maybe he tears it up again when/if Gardner struggles. We passed on Taveras, an oft-debated move. Supposedly, we passed on Dickerson and Denorfia in the past...as recently as the Dye for Bailey rumors, but I'm not sure what we can believe there. Ankiel might make the most sense...we'd have to put together a deal centered around pitching I think...Poreda/Richard/Marquez and one of our #10-20 prospects. Then again, defensively, we'd have a huge mess on our hands, worse than right now even when Wise and Owens man the position. Of course Ankiel has the arm strength, well maybe optimistically it would be a Nick Swisher/Griffey situation out there. Not sure what Edmonds' plans are. Crisp and DeJesus aren't going anywhere soon, and certainly not to a divisional rival. Marlon Byrd is tempting too, but can he replicate what he did last year? Blanco would perhaps most fit what KW and Ozzie are looking for, then it comes down to price, as mentioned. Cabrera would be worth a gamble, not so costly right now...but there's also no guarantee of success offensively, and he's definitely not a leadoff hitter based on last season, either. McCutcheon and McLouth are out of the question in terms of having to give up too much talent. Fred Lewis or Willits would be my last options of those listed. I just don't think KW is ready to take an untested kid like Josh Anderson and throw him out there into the AL Central pennant race...they had their chance to look at him more closely when they were debating the prospects coming back in return for Vazquez, so it might be possible they could rekindle the sparks for another deal, although who we'd give up or be willing to give up is another question entirely. You'd like to say Brandon Allen or Shelby, but neither one alone would get it done, and Allen is LH (a weakness in our system) and the heir apparent to Konerko in two seasons if Flowers isn't moved from catcher or Viciedo to 1B instead of LF/RF.

It's interesting that we're seeing Lillibridge in the starting line-up in CF. They should have done this about 2-3 weeks ago, though, if they were really serious. I think they just want to see how well he does out there out of curiosity, and because they know what they'll get with BA/Owens/Wise already...if he's a legitimate option to Anderson. You can't say he would be taking time from Wise or Owens, except for the fact that one of those guys has to go and Lillibridge has the most versatility (not saying he's shown anything offensively) of anyone left on the roster, along with Getz, Ramirez and Betemit. I think MacDougal versus Carrasco and Marquez comes down to the final week. Poreda eliminated himself with those four walks yesterday, the hanging slider to Sizemore and walking the 8 and 9 guys in the line-up, among other things.

MLB.com's Scott Merkin talked to White Sox starter John Danks, who recently turned down the team's offer of a four-year, $15.5MM extension (Gavin Floyd accepted the same offer). Danks was excited by the offer, but his agent advised him not to take it: "I was thrilled to death. I was advised that it wasn't the right time for that deal, but at the same time, never in a million years, never did I think I would have turned down a guaranteed 15. It was a hard decision, but that's why I pay my agent. We'll move on from there." So at least the desire to stay in Chicago is evident with Danks. Danks mentioned two more times that he turned down the offer on the advice of his agent Jeff Berry. He even admitted, "When I heard $15 million, I was like 'Heck yeah.'" Berry wants Danks to wait until after '09, when he'll be arbitration-eligible for the first time. Presumably Berry has his eye on a Jon Lester deal. Just hope Danks doesn't go all Cliff Lee second season version and end up regretting passing up the guaranteed $15 million.

Well, it would be nice if Nix was ready...Kroeger, based on his performance, really deserves the opportunity, certainly over the other veteran in camp, Ben Broussard, who is really looking at retirement I would imagine. The main problem with that is Betemit or Getz playing SS, although I think Chris could handle maybe 10-12 games there. I would rather have him at SS than Betemit, I think...although Betemit's LH bat makes sense backing up 3B, SS and 1B. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Contreras, after having so long to rest his arm and now being 100% healthy, back at 93-96 MPH with his FB either.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-2...0,5403058.story Seems that Ozzie is really waiting for him to at least get his FB back into the lower 90's again. I don't think we'll ever see the Colon who would gain strength during a game and raise his velocity to 96-97 and even touch 98 in the late innings, but he has to throw at least 90-92 MPH to be effective IMO. His FB has always had a ton of late movement, so the velocity isn't as important to him as someone like Jenks, Thornton or Brandon McCarthy. With Richard as option #1 if Colon isn't ready for Opening Week, there's a lot of pressure on Poreda to hold off Williams as the second lefty out of the pen. This need might be mitigated a little bit by the seeming demise of both Hafner and Mauer, but Ozzie appears determined to have at least two lefties in the pen for late game match-ups. Outside of that, everything seems pretty settled...maybe the debate between Carasco, MacDougal, Russell and Marquez for the final spot in the bullpen...and Kroeger versus Lillibridge for the final spot on the team. Lillibridge would need to go for the next week to lose that job, it seems. He did hit the ball hard at least once yesterday off Carmona...maybe that's a positive sign. Owens APPEARS to be on his last legs with the White Sox, literally.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Mar 24, 2009 -> 10:36 PM) You have no idea how much I hate computer generated numbers/stats/records (even though BP nailed the Sox right on the head in 07). Many computers but very few managers (Korea's Kim is a lot like Ozzie, more gut/instincts) would have pitched to Ichiro in the 10th the other night. That's why baseball is so fun to talk about...numbers can frame debates, but they are certainly not the main determining factor out on the diamond.

It's looking like Richard, Poreda, Marquez, Carasco and MacDougal at this point (two of those guys, perhaps three). I wouldn't be surprised if Mike, with the strikeouts he's been accumulating, is given one more chance to re-establish his value and maybe we don't have to eat his whole salary. The Indians could definitely use another arm in the pen, but you know KW won't send him there would it could bite us in the butt. You have this strange notion Wood might go down with an injury and MacDougal gets it together and has a better year than Jenks. Things like that always seem to happen with relievers. Wasserman and Russell are looking better than in the first stages of camp, but we have options on both I'm sure. Not sure how serious they are about Egbert (or Kroeger), it's hard to get a reading on that. You don't see their names come up very often...you assume they're destined for AAA. I would love to see them keep scanning the waiver wires or look to make a deal though for CF....Kroeger and David Cook might even come into consideration. I just hope they keep Beckham at 2B and don't put him in CF, that seems HIGHLY HIGHLY unlikely, though.

Anderson leading off won't last for very long anyways. As far as the comment earlier about "platoon" situations, there are obviously going to be some players like Beckham and Viciedo that would face all hitting when they come up. Others, like Anderson and maybe we'll see it with Fields/Betemit (Wilson facing the toughest righties), Wise/Owens etc., it's just about putting young players in the best position to succeed and gain some confidence. Well, in the case of Owens/Wise, it's simply maximizing your OBP and SLG. But being a platoon player is like the "utility player" kiss of death, unless you're Mark DeRosa. Getz or someone like Aviles on the Royals will fight against it every season of their careers, just like Aaron Rowand did at the beginning of his career.

Poreda sometimes is crisp with that slider and other times he kind of just "flips" it up there...Ozzie isn't going to have much patience with 4 walks in one inning, especially when two of them were the bottom hitters in the line-up. Poreda isn't going to have the luxury to work on that slider in pressure situations in the big leagues...needs more seasoning. Looks like Russell and MacDougal are still under consideration for that final spot in the bullpen. And it sucks, but Wise and Owens bringing nothing to the table defensively almost forces the hand of the White Sox to stick BA out there....Wise playing 60-75% of the time in CF just has disaster written all over it. To beat a dead argument into the ground, I would have much preferred Willy Taveras to the mess we're looking at. I'm almost to the point where I'd be open to seeing more of Lillibridge out there, but we haven't seen much of that, at least yet.

Was that ball hit by Getz an error by Gimenez or a double? Guess they called it an error. Haven't seen the ruling...I guess he shattered his bat on the inside fastball and ended up helicoptering the barrel down the line, distracting the fielder...but the ball did go between his legs. Getz always seems to do something positive, with the walks, hustle, speed..."little things."

The Indians' announcers are really impressed with Poreda. Said his fastball seems to have late life, that, like Thornton, he looks deceptively-fast...and that he's successfully gotten into the kitchen of 3 hitters already. Made the comment he (Thornton) just needed to challenge hitters with that stuff and stop nibbling and just go after hitters. Has anyone heard that Poreda might be leading Marquez for the last spot in the pen now? Is Carasco still perceived as a sure-thing to make the OD roster?