caulfield12

Ray Durham for Jon Adkins Ritchie for Wells/Fogg/Lowe James Baldwin for Onan Masaoka and the "wrong" Berry giving up Frank Francisco in the Carl Everett deal... the Richar/Aaron Cunningham deal Carlos Torres for Mike MacDougal

At the back of the pen, they have Soria, Farnsworth and Juan Cruz now. Could be pretty strong...perhaps better than our pen, but I'm feeling more and more confident about Linebrink than I was before ST.

Richard at 2.45 now. Basehit for CQ. He had some really good swings yesterday...starting to heat up. LOL at internet questions for Royals' broadcast coming from White Sox fans. BTW, these are NOT the Royals' regular radio broadcasters. These guys are pretty horrible, but still better than Melton. This guy from the KC Star (Dick Kaegel) is putting me to sleep, he makes Gonzalez seem like Joaquin Phoenix in comparison. Didn't know former Sox farmhand Heath Phillips had an outside chance to make the Royals...out of the inning, wasted opportunity there, Dye needs to pick it up.

Great sign for Fields. Opposite field homer for Josh Fields to RCF. He made the comment the other day about trying to do this more often, nice to see it happen in reality. Of course, it is Horacio Ramirez and not David Price. So maybe we have to take it with a grain of salt. Getz with a two out double that was "smoked" and pulled down the RF line. Youngsters tearing it up, Quentin/Dye still struggling a bit. Beckham with 5-3 GO. ROYALS UP in top of 2nd Butler K's after a 4-3 GO by Jacobs. Richard gives up second hit...but still pitching pretty well it seems. A walk puts runners at 1st and 2nd with our old nemesis Ross Gload trying to make the team and perhaps slated for AAA again with Jacobs trade. Kroeger down to .370, Fields .357, Getz .318 and Beckham at .350. Two scoreless innings from Richard, his ERA is down in the mid to low 2's now. Gload with lazy pop to CQ to end the threat. Struggled a bit with his control that inning but got out of it.

Wise is winning the job, but it's more that Anderson and Owens are losing it...KW and Ozzie know that Wise is a competitor and "fearless" but that he's just a stopgap solution, at best. Eventually, he will cool off. It could begin on Opening Day. I'm just hoping the platoon is Anderson and Wise and that Owens is "disappeared."

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 12, 2009 -> 02:07 PM) Kroger can play all OF positions if needed and 1B. I like Becks playing SS today, maybe they are thinking about putting him there and Lexi in CF? Nope....more logical to play him there, because he doesn't have a back-up at that position, besides Betemit....whereas there are three other guys competing for time at 2B. Eider Torres will be insurance in AAA and back-up Lillibridge and play 2B too if they keep Getz and Nix in Chicago. Funny, the MLB.com box score has Jose Guillen and not Teahen at 2B. OUCH....Josh Kroeger with a big mental error that allows Crisp to get back safely when he was picked off. That doesn't help his case, much. Wise now 8 for 14 (.429) in ST, not counting his B game the other morning against the Dodgers where he had a homer and triple. Richard with another scoreless inning....gave up single to Crisp, had him picked off, but got the GIDP with Beckham starting it and then a 4-3 PO by Getz.

That and I think they've given up on Broussard making any contribution... Wise with a base hit or an error on Teahen? Supposedly Cashman was inquiring about him coming to NY to play third. Wise now hitting close to .400 this spring. Yeah, finally a successful stolen base. Dewayne Wise wins the job (3/12/09). Get em on, get em over, get em in. RBI groundout to Gordon (Alex) by CQ. Confusing, I keep hearing Gordon and thinking Beckham!

Let's just hope Owens keeps 1) getting thrown out on the basepaths or 2) striking out or grounding out to 2B or popping up weakly to CF...

The Brewers' radio announcers thought that Owens really "blistered" the ball to the opposite field, lol. Why he can't do that more consistently, instead of patented 4-3 Thome PO, is beyond me...

Updated 3-11-09 Catchers Gary Bennett (37) Johnny Estrada (33) (an interesting name) Toby Hall (33) (the pie guy with weird facial hair has seen his shoulder problems basically end his career and any power at the plate) Paul Lo Duca (37) - Type B, not offered arb (KW looked at but backed away) Ivan Rodriguez (37) - Type B, not offered arb First basemen Richie Sexson (34) (one year deal as a bench player to complement Thome against lefties?) Second basemen Ray Durham (37) (former Sox might end up retiring?) Damion Easley (39) Esteban German (31) (put up an OPS of around .900 not too many years ago, very versatile but a BRUTAL outfielder, will get picked up by someone) Mark Grudzielanek (39) - Type B, offered arb (surprised he hasn't caught on, Mark Loretta-Lite at this point in his career) Shortstops None Third basemen None Left fielders Moises Alou (42) - Type B, not offered arb (retirement?) Esteban German (31) Luis Gonzalez (41) - Type B, not offered arb (I remember when his gum was auctioned off on Ebay for thousands of dollars at height of DBack days) Jay Payton (36) Dave Roberts (37) (anyone also glad KW didn't ever sign him a couple of years ago?) Shannon Stewart (35) (ditto Roberts, former adversary with Twins who got old and injury-prone fast) Center fielders Jim Edmonds (39) (will KW go to Edmonds if Owens and Anderson continue to stumble? getting late...) Right fielders None DHs Frank Thomas (41) - Type B, not offered arb (sad ending to Thomas' career) Jose Vidro (34) (was once one of the most feared hitters in the NL, he ended up a little like Carlos Baerga) Starting pitchers Paul Byrd (38) - Type B, offered arb (will come back at midseason for contender on half-season deal) Orlando Hernandez (43) (would White Sox look at him again for final spot in pen?) Chuck James (27) (injuries, youngest pitcher on list) Jon Lieber (39) Pedro Martinez (37) (supposedly threw 92 the other day, Dodgers interested?) Mark Mulder (31) (still trying to get picked up and offering tryouts/exhibitions of his new arm angle, Thornton product) Odalis Perez (32) (bizarre career and decisions for this pitcher the last 2-3 years both by him and other organizations like Royals and Nats) Sidney Ponson (32) (pitched Netherlands over DR in shocker, will get about the 10th chance, more than Steve Howe, to have a comeback) Kenny Rogers (44) (retirement?) Curt Schilling (42) (shoulder surgery recovery, Cubs?) Ben Sheets (30) - Type A, offered arb (lost more money than any player this offseason, rehabbing with Rangers' trainers and specialists) Relievers Joe Beimel (32) - Type B, not offered arb (one of the NL lefty set-up guys not too long ago) Shawn Chacon (31) (attack on former GM has left him blacklisted apparently) Chad Cordero (27) (comeback trail, Twins?) Scott Elarton (33) (injuries plagued career) Keith Foulke (35) (White Sox might be willing to give him one last look?) Jon Lieber (39) Aquilino Lopez (34) Will Ohman (31) (White Sox interest?) Al Reyes (38) Ricardo Rincon (39) (was once part of the most one-sided traded in recent baseball history) Duaner Sanchez (29) (too young not to get another look, very good set-up man not too long ago...hurt?) Rudy Seanez (40) - Type B, not offered arb (former owner of 102 MPH FB has hung on as journeyman forever) Julian Tavarez (36) (see Seanez) Mike Timlin (43) (see Tavarez) THANK GOD SOMEONE signed Denys Reyes and he's gone from the Twins...and they didn't get Juan Cruz. A double-whammy. And Mauer is having some aches and pains already in ST. Has anyone noticed how Crede is doing up there so far in ST?

"Pitchability" is the new buzzword this season from Cooper I think... MacDougal, Sisco, Aardsma, etc.=no pitchability, but live arms

Speak of the devil, Cowley on the same subject....coincidence or not? ''I've talked to enough people now to where I think I know why we're perceived a certain way. We are not predictable in what we do. We don't follow the mainstream thought process in regard to numbers. We don't make decisions based on the prediction of numbers, whether a guy has been in the big leagues last year or in the minor leagues. ''We're more looking at what he has to offer us and how we can fine-tune whatever he does, whether he is a pitcher or a hitter.' ''It's a combination of all of it,'' Williams said. ''If you're looking from the outside at the past success of a Gavin Floyd or a John Danks or even a Jeff Marquez, they say, 'Well, now they have this guy, so that means they have a hole at that position.' ''Well, I'm thinking, 'Really? OK.' Because you know what: There is a little history here where we've made decisions that are a little unorthodox, knock on wood, that have seemed to kind of work out.'' Not that Williams is satisfied. As he sat in his golf cart Wednesday, rather than dwell on the positives he has seen in camp, the talk quickly went to looking for a leadoff candidate to step up in the final three weeks. ''I've been shopping outside the organization for years,'' Williams said with a laugh when asked if he might have to go the trade route. ''I still remain positive and hopeful for guys like Jerry Owens. I know that Dewayne Wise isn't scared of anything ... we'll see. ''I wouldn't have a problem if Ozzie wanted to go that way [with Wise]. I also wouldn't have a problem if he wanted to go with a guy that would set the tone of the game off right by battling, fighting.'' No matter what the Sox decide at key positions, will it change the outside perception of the 2009 team? Williams might not be the best person to ask these days. The guy in the black hat stopped caring about that a few years ago. From looking at all his quotes the last 24-48 hours, he did say something else very interesting...that Nix was the hitter among the four (Lillibridge, Getz, Beckham, Nix) who was best-suited for coming off the bench. Perhaps that's some clue about the idea of Nix platooning with Getz and Lillibridge going down to Charlotte to get regular at-bats as the starting SS...?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 11, 2009 -> 07:14 AM) Fortunately, we still have some time. If Kroeger can continue to show well with the bat, and be at least competent on the corners and maybe not horrible to spot start at CF, then I'd love to see him get the 4th OF job, with Anderson starting. Anderson falters, Kroeger steps in. Both falter, and we have Lillibridge as an option, and whomever is in Charlotte (Owens, Cook, etc.). For the poll, if it had to be now, I went with BA in CF, Getz and 2B and leading off. You're more likely to see Jordan Danks, John Shelby III or John Van Benschoten in CF than David Cook.

QUOTE (scenario @ Mar 11, 2009 -> 09:27 AM) Living proof that you don't need to know what you're talking about to be a sportswriter. I really think what has happened is that Cubano, being overwhelmed by the pro-Beckham forces within the message board world, has started a campaign of sending checks to Chicago writers to get positive mentions of Cuban players in the articles. Just kidding!!!! You know I've got your back... Ramirez had a breakout season for Pinar del Rio in 2007, hitting .335 while leading the league with 20 home runs and 195 extra-base hits. At the same time, however, his place on the national team had become less secure due to pressure from several young prospects, most notably Héctor Olivera. Some analysts viewed his power numbers as a fluke, while defensively he had been stationed at second base, his least comfortable position, after a series of injuries to teammates. Questions have also been raised about his true size: Ramirez is variously listed between 6’1” and 6’3”, and 170-185 lbs. To the naked eye, he seems to belong toward the lower end of that range. It was at this moment that he decided to leave his country and pursue his career in the United States. As Peter Bjarkman wrote at www.baseballdecuba.com, for the reasons stated above, “he may have left Cuba at the precise moment that his resume was at its fullest.” For his part, Ramirez expressed confidence in his power stroke, telling reporters that he “want[ed] to be a slugger” and had talked about it with Dominicans Alfonso Soriano and Juan Encarnación during the WBC. Alexei Ramirez left Cuba one week ago and now is a potential major leaguer. Regarding the first issue, I was quick to point out on the heels of the 2006 World Baseball Classic that Alexei Ramírez was one of my half dozen choices (along with Ariel Pestano, Frederich Cepeda, Pedro Lazo, Eduardo Paret and Osmani Urrutia) as likely immediate impact major leaguers. An outfielder for Pinar del Río during most of his first seven Cuban League seasons, Ramírez was only recently relocated to second base in the national team starting lineup for this past summer's Pan American Games in Río de Janiero. The switch came in part as a result of the suspension last March of national team third baseman Michel Enríquez (Isla de la Juventud) and the consequent shifting of Yulieski Gourriel from second to third. But it also came as a result of the log jam of talented young outfielders now flooding the Cuban League, most especially Granma's Alfredo Despáigne (20) and Yoennis Céspedes (22) and Santiago's Alexei Bell (22), the trio that awaits to inherit national team starting roles when Cepeda, Urrutia, Yoandry Urgelles and Giorvis Duvergel display the slightest signs of decline. Ramírez enjoyed a breakout season this year for Pinar del Río, not only batting .335 and smacking a surprising league-leading 20 homers, plus topping the circuit in total bases with 195, but also finishing in the top ten in runs (ninth), hits (fifth), RBI (second), game-winning hits (eighth), and slugging percentage (second at .574). Ramirez runs like a long-legged deer, has a solid outfield arm, displays good if not exceptional range at second and shortstop, and boasts surprising power in his frail-appearing 6-3, 172-pound frame. Built along the physical lines of a young Ernie Banks or Hank Aaron, Ramírez has great wrists and an exceptionally quick bat, as well as excellent plate discipline; nonetheless he is a line drive hitter and not primarily a home run slugger and his 20 round trippers this past winter were perhaps something of an aberration. With the likes of Alex Mayeta and José Julio now in the league, Ramírez was not a likely prospect to defend his home run crown in the coming National Series. He may therefore have left Cuba at the precise moment when his resume was at its fullest. Agent Jaime Torres (José Contreras's agent) has already been signed on by Ramirez who has announced his intentions to shoot for the big league contract which will undoubtedly be forthcoming. Torres claims that his new client "will make a big league roster right out of spring training" and this may well be the case, given the Pinar del Río star's speed and versatility, as well as his rather potent bat. For those numerous nay-sayers gleeful about any Cuban losses or failures, it will be most disappointing to learn that the departure of Alexei Ramirez will have negligible impact on Cuban League baseball as a whole and on the vaunted Cuban national team in particular. Santiago second base prospect Héctor Olivera played brilliantly on the Cuba B team during the recent Rotterdam World Port Tournament and impressed this writer and the MLB scouts on hand with his exceptional defensive range and offensive bat speed. Olivera could move right in at second for the November Taipei tournament without a beat being missed. A second scenario might have Michel Enriquez returning the national team lineup in the not-too-distant future (now that his suspension has been lifted) and Yulieski Gourriel thus moving back to second. If Alexei Ramirez is notably missed it will be by his home team in Pinar del Río during the upcoming National Series campaign, but not likely by the constantly renewing national team juggernaut. It is not an unreasonable speculation that one reason for Ramirez departing the Cuban national squad at this point in time may well have been the pressures of Héctor Olivera breathing down his neck; Alexei may well have sensed that his days were numbered in the Cuba A starting lineup and his big league prospects would never again be higher. The Cuba B team sent to Rotterdam in August possessed enough talent to rival Cuba A (Pan Am Games gold medalists) as almost assuredly the second best squad on the international scene. As this author and others have noted in recent years, the seemingly endless supply of Cuban talent has been cycling through an exceptional peak in recent seasons, and the departures of disaffected players like Contreras, Kendry Morales, Maels Rodríguez and now Alexei Ramírez seem only to provide the necessary openings for young studs like Alfredo Despáigne, Yadel Martí, Yoennis Céspedes and Héctor Olivera who wait rather impatiently in the wings. Bjarkman reallly makes me laugh. He argues with calling every baseball player who leaves Cuba a "defector," and basically says don't let the door hit you on the way out. He's basically just an apologist for the current regime, Cubano is right to take his words with a grain of salt. Where he got the idea the Ramirez had "excellent plate discipline" is beyond me. Maybe that's in comparison to the rest of the other players on the island!!! His speculation about why Ramirez left is even more ludicrous/ridiculous. It's not a secret...his wife is Dominican, they have two kids together, and he wanted to be with her, first and foremost. It wasn't a siuation like El Duque or Contreras. Having had a foreign wife, I understand that the easiest thing to do is to go where she is, rather than bringing her to your own country. Peter Bjarkman, baseballdecuba.com (should be beisboldecuba!!!!)

I have never been that impressed with Gregor as an insightful writer, I even prefer Cowley to him....and Rogers is like Peter Gammons in comparison. I think it's funny what he said about Anderson...I guess some people (and I don't know if it's the case here) tend to think that black athletes are more athletic/faster, and they are surprised by the likes of a Mickey Mantle or Josh Hamilton, etc. Maybe we all do it...my assumption (the eye sees what it wants to see) that Ramirez has more range than Beckham, for example. I would say that Wise and Owens might have more of an initial burst in the first 10-20 meters, but Anderson is a long-strider and might catch up with them in a longer race, like the 200 or 400 M. I wouldn't even say that Owens looks "sprinter" fast these days, although they were acting during the broadcast like the slightest slip-up by the 2B would result in him being safe. That's another thing that kills me about Owens. Why pull the ball to the place on the infield where you're most likely to make an out? If he could use his weak/dilapidated/weathered gate from Boo Radley's house in To Kill A Mockingbird swing and just guide the ball on the ground towards the left side, he'd have a much better chance of getting some infield base hits.

I think they need to let Kroeger play every day in CF in AAA for at least a month before they throw him out there into center with the Sox. I wouldn't even want them to convert Alexei back to CF with only three weeks of ST left, but I guess I could live with it...though only if I knew it meant that Owens would be out of the organization altogether. What everyone has to be afraid of happening is that Owens/Anderson/Wise will struggle and then the White Sox will either have to put Ramirez out there and bring up Beckham, 2) use Kroeger, 3) make a trade or find someone off the scrap heap like Jim Edmonds. It seems that you don't win the AL Central in April and May, but the Tigers in 2008 and the White Sox in 2007 certainly proved you could lose it with one or two bad months of play. We'll see if Kroeger and Corky Miller can keep up their level of play the next 3-4 weeks. Same with Beckham and Nix...and we'll have to hope that Lillibridge, Anderson and/or Owens wake up. Wise just isn't a regular starting player...at best, he should be part of a platoon with Anderson.

QUOTE (Cubano @ Mar 10, 2009 -> 05:54 PM) I believe prior to the 2008 season, there were many CF in the market. Andrew Jones, Tori Hunter, Patterson and few others. There were 5 or 6 and then Alexei. There were not too many SS. An SS with offense is in high demand. Obviously, nobody knew Alexei but when he becomes a free agent, he should $$$$$$. Rowand and Fukudome were two of the other better-known CFers we looked at...and luckily didn't sign. It will be interesting to see whether KW and JR will tear up Alexei's contract after this year or the next, assuming he does as well as he has. He's probably one of the best/cheapest FA signings in the last five years in terms of production versus contract dollars. Ramirez aside, Sox' infield defense an uncertainty By Scot Gregor | Daily Herald StaffContact writerPublished: 3/10/2009 12:21 PMSend To: Editor's note: As the countdown continues toward the April 6 opener for the White Sox, Daily Herald Sports Writer Scot Gregor will offer his analysis of each position on the team and the key issues facing the club this season. Q. As it stands today, are the White Sox stronger or weaker defensively than they were a year ago? Gregor: The White Sox project new shortstop Alexei Ramirez as a Gold Glove caliber defender, but all in all they are going to be weaker. Whoever replaces Ramirez at second base - Chris Getz, Jayson Nix or Brent Lillibridge - is going to pale in comparison with the glove. And the Sox have already conceded that new third baseman Josh Fields is not going to play the position nearly as well as the departed Joe Crede. Lastly, don't forget about the loss of Juan Uribe, who was a defensive whiz at third base, shortstop and second base. The new center fielder, likely Jerry Owens or Brian Anderson, should be much better than the departed Nick Swisher, who is better suited at first base. Q. Does Carlos Quentin have the tools to be the right fielder of the future, or is left field the right spot for him? Gregor: If you can play one corner spot, you can usually play the other one, too. Right field is tougher because of the angle of flyballs (UMMM...not to mention you need to have an above-average throwing arm too, Scot), but Quentin has the speed and arm to eventually replace Jermaine Dye if necessary. Don't expect Quentin to bring home a Gold Glove at either position, but he is good enough to get the job done. Even better for the Sox, he plays outfield with no fear. Q. With a couple of lumbering guys in the corners, how crucial will center field be this season? Gregor: Very. The AL Central is stacked with center fielders that cover a lot of ground (Grady Sizemore, Curtis Granderson, Carlos Gomez, Coco Crisp), so the White Sox are comparatively weak here. Owens has shown an ability to run down balls in the gap, and Dewayne Wise also has good speed. Anderson isn't as mobile, but he is a solid defender and easily has the best throwing arm of the trio. Q. Name the one everyday starter who you think is the most underrated defensively? Gregor: First baseman Paul Konerko never gets much defensive praise, but you'll often see him on highlight reels. Picking balls out of the dirt is a difficult skill to master, and few do it better than the Sox' captain. Q. What does Josh Fields have to do to shush the comparisons to Joe Crede? Gregor: Find another line of work. Fields can go through the entire 2009 season without making an error, and he'd still draw an unfavorable comparison to Crede. It's something Fields understands, and the comparison actually should help ease some of the pressure. (Thanks for they hyperbole, Scot, but I'm still not sure why the comparison is "easing" some of the pressure? Only if he was projected to be the next Brooks Robinson and BETTER than Crede would there be pressure on him? Not sure I'm buying that line of reasoning.

The problem I've seen so far from Ramirez isn't fielding, it's "flicking" the ball over to 1B without making a full, strong throw with his weight behind him. Instead of showing off his arm like Valentin or Uribe would do, he's showing that he has the arm strength to throw flat-footed without a stride and still throw runners out pretty easily. This will have to be corrected, as it will end up in some batters being safe at first if he's not careful. I'm not sure it's showboating or gamesmanship, it's just a "flashier" style of play that many Latin players pick up...maybe because they're fighting off so much competition, they try to do things differently (not quite as fundamentally) than Tom Emanski and Fred McGriff would prefer. The question unanswered in this thread is the corollary. Why did everyone project Beckham from the very beginning to end up at 3B or 2B? It can't be simply due to the fact that it was assumed Ramirez would be the starting SS in 2009. There have to be other reasons. Running Speed: He has average speed and is better once underway. Base Running: He's got good instincts and is an excellent baserunner. Arm Strength: His arm grades out as average to a tick above and plays fine from shortstop. Fielding: He's a very natural defender, but he's fighting his size a bit at short and might profile better as a second baseman. Range: He has above-average range. Physical Description: Beckham is not an imposing figure, nor does he look particularly imposing at first glance. Strengths: His bat. He's got outstanding hitting skills and more than a little power. He plays the game the right way. Weaknesses: While he's fine at short for now, it might not be the best long-term defensive home for him. Summary: At first glance, he doesn't stand out. But then you watch him play for a little and can't help but be impressed. Beckham has quality at-bats and some pretty good pop, which is surprising, considering his size. He's capable of being an excellent defender, but might be better suited at second as a pro. He's the kind of college infielder who should come off the board quickly. mlb.com I've seen Beckham play once or twice at SS so far, and 2-3 times at second base, and I've listened to most of the WSCR feeds or opposing broadcasters. I think Ramirez has a couple of things right away that stand out. Like Ray Durham, he's incredibly athletic tracking down bloopers, getting to balls you would never dream a player would get to (Durham, of course, wasn't a good 2B overall, especially in the 2nd half of his career). Ramirez has one of the best arms in the game from any position. You could argue their range is similar in terms of lateral movement, but I'll still give Ramirez the advantage just from what I've SEEN so far. Ramirez definitely is faster, but that's not the same thing as first-step quickness and lateral movement (see Crede, Joe for an example). All things being considered, Ramirez has the better arm, is a bit more athletic, is faster, and has, at worse...even range with Beckham. That's why you see Beckham at 2B or 3B and not Ramirez being moved around the diamond. Ozzie and Cora SHOULD have a better feel for this than any of us, both were middle infielders and know what it takes to be successful out there.

FWIW, if Contreras and Colon are close to 100%, the defense isn't nearly as much of an issue as it would be with Marquez inducing a lot of groundballs with his sinker and Clayton Richard out there. Poreda would get more strikeouts (probably) than those two, but we've been complaining about our speed and defense for seemingly a decade, and it's never going to be quite what we want it to be, because the focus will always be on offense first playing 81 home games at USCF. Someone (not sure which thread it was) said that USCF might not be an "offense first" stadium because someone like Jerry Owens/Mackowiak might give up a couple of bloopers or Texas Leaguers that should have been caught...while that's true, it's okay if the player at that position can make up for his defensive mistakes with his bat, which Owens really can't do. Even when we did have speed, Pods wasn't a very good LFer and had a poor arm. He got to some balls because of his speed that someone like Quentin might not have reached, but Quentin's still a better OFer. Heck, burly Michael Restovich is a better OFer than Pods. And even with Brian Anderson, it's fairly reasonable to expect he could hit 18-24 homers with a .240 AVG and maybe a .725-.750 OPS. Not great, but he wouldn't kill you, either, because we SHOULD have above-average offense from every position on the field, with the possible exception of 2B. If we had Beckham at 2B and Ramirez at SS, we would arguably have above-average production from every position on the field (assuming Konerko's healthy and in the same form he was in the final six weeks of the season when he hit 9 homers). We're never going to have a team that trots out 8 great defenders and 8 great offensive players. It just doesn't work that way.

Yep, one and the same. I actually thought Reyes looked pretty good out there, but, hey, I'm not Keith Law, so maybe I'm wrong.

Let's look at total chances per inning...another measure. Kinsler .658 A. Cabrera .625 Jose Lopez .601 (he's NOT a good defender and the M's pitching was very bad last year, so more opportunities, more batters per inning) Polanco .587 Cano .581 (also not a good defender, better than Soriano, but not a Top 5 2B) Kendrick .571 Alexei Ramirez .565 Mark Ellis .561 (always known as a good defender, probably moreso than for his offense) Brian Roberts .559 Grudzielanek .556 Alexi Casilla .545 (he's good enough the Twins were considering moving him back to SS) Pedroia .533 (this is largely a product of the Red Sox pitching staff giving him fewer opportunities, your 2008 Gold Glove winner) Iwamura .515 The reason he was lower among the qualified is that there WERE ONLY EIGHT OF THEM in the AL...NOT A LONG LIST. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fieldi...umn=rangeFactor In terms of Range Factor, he's very squarely in the middle of the pack. Of course, who is #1? Ian Kinsler, one of the worst defenders in the AL. Kinsler, in fact, is the outlier, everyone else is bunched up. Pedroia, the Gold Glove winner, is down towards the very bottom (for reasons listed below). Kinsler plays on that fast infield, where there is a premium on opposing batters putting the ball on the ground and in play...and the Rangers' putrid pitching for years has given Kinsler and Michael Young more opportunities out there than Jon Daniels would prefer. Plus, there aren't very many high K/IP pitchers on that staff either, so more chances. There are so many other factors in these statistics... How good your overall pitching staff is (team ERA), how many strikeouts they accumulate (taking away fielding opportunities), the type of infield you play on (surface), the number of fastball "dominant" pitchers (which would result in more balls hit the opposite way) on the staff, etc. I don't buy any of these ratings, personally. It's one interesting measure. I would agree that Iwamura isn't a very good 2B, and every stat puts him near the bottom. Statistically, you know who would be #2, both in terms of quant rating and total chances per inning??? JUAN URIBE, .632, 5.66 That tells me something, because Uribe has LOST a lot of range over the last couple of the seasons, and the weight gain is a primary reason. Yet, according to two statistical measures, he's the 2nd best secondbaseman in all of MLB. Which probably explains why he couldn't get a major league contract. The quants thought they had the stock market risk figured out and we ended up with Long Term Capital Mgt group (two Nobel Prize winners for Econ) and then CDO's/derivatives. These statistical programs actually created more risk in the system. In terms of baseball, they might be a useful tool, but they put, for instance, Nate McLouth at the bottom too in CF and he won the Gold Glove. Because of his throw during the ASG? Trust your eyeballs. They'll tell you that Ramirez has a 70+ arm on the rating scale (behind only Furcal, Dunston, Uribe, Valentin in his prime) and that his arm will make up for any number of mistakes out there...is he going to be great? I don't know yet. But I think he'll be very good, just as he was a very good (but not great) 2B, playing a new position in a new country for the very first time in the heat of a pennant race, when he wasn't used to such a long season. But I guess we expect perfection.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 10, 2009 -> 07:42 PM) Kroeger can play CF. He was called a good athlete and was a college WR. The problem with that argument is that so was Jerry Owens... Between his bad reads/jumps and noodle arm, he's definitely in the bottom 33% of CFers defensively, overall. If he had an average arm, you could argue he's close to the middle of the pack. There has to be SOME reason all these teams have never tried him in CF in recent years (like the DBacks, Cubs and now Ozzie in ST)...and why's he being referred to as a possibility for back-up corner infield and 1B (Ross Gload-ish) instead of as a competitor for the starting CF job.

Sometimes Anderson doesn't think out there...he's a very good athlete playing CF instead of a "natural" baseball player like Beckham who happens to be athletically-gifted...he misses the cut-off man or just has brain cramps, whether in the field or on the basepaths. (Yes, I realize he had a really good throw last week to nab someone trying to score at the plate). Still, it's the evil of two lessers (or three lessers) or the lesser of three evils argument, I suppose. Who will hurt the White Sox the least as a regular? If you stick him the 8 or 9 hole, I'll vote for Anderson at this point. Not because he has really "won" the job, but just because the other logical choices are worse.

The best defensive alignment is certainly Nix at 2B, Lillibridge (or possibly Ramirez) at SS and Anderson in CF. Offensively, you'd have to go with Beckham at SS, Getz or Nix (2B) and Ramirez/Kroeger in CF. Just from what little I've seen of both of them, I would prefer Ramirez over Beckham at SS because he has a little more range and a better arm. It's where he (Ramirez) most wants to play, feels confident and it should be his position to lose, as he waited for one season playing out of position for O-Cabrera. Guillen recently said that watching Ramirez at SS would make "White Sox fans forget about him (Guillen) at that position..." You're not going to hear him make that remark about Beckham. Read into it what you will. Putting Beckham in CF is not and never will be an option. He could arguably play a corner OF spot, but then his bat isn't as nearly as valuable a tool/weapon as in the middle infield. It's pretty obvious that Getz, Beckham and Ramirez are the most talented hitters to play at the top of the line-up. Probably, hitting Beckham first and Ramirez second and putting Getz (or Nix) down in the 9th hole would be ideal. I just can't see giving Getz 50-75 more at-bats in a season than someone as dynamic at the plate as Alexei. We can look at Owens, Wise, Lillibridge and Kroeger and say they're not ready to be regular players (either offensively or defensively) or they just aren't starters on a major league ballclub. Playing at USCF, the focus will always have to be on offense first, that's why we can get away with AJ at catcher. It's also why I wouldn't be surprised to see an almost "double-switch" approach with Corky Miller late in games to put him in a position to throw out opposing basestealers....and they certainly have to work with Floyd, Contreras and Jenks with holding runners on. I don't even like Brian Anderson's defense THAT much, but I'm willing to put him out there for as long as he can hit .240 with 15-25 homers and 10-12 stolen bases. I'm not convinced he can hit .240 going against the best RH pitchers as well...but I'm tired of hearing how he would be Torii Hunter, Jr., if he only received regular playing time and could get into a rhythm. I'm a little bit like Melton is on MacDougal...my patience is wearing thin, but I think Anderson will have one last legit shot to be a regular and that will be the end of it. Ozzie is smart enough to know Wise can't stand up over a full season in CF, just like it was obvious Mackowiak and Erstad couldn't it. If we had Quentin in RF, Anderson/Jordan Danks in CF, Ramirez at SS, Beckham/Nix/Getz at 2B and Viciedo at 1B (actually, I think he'll be fine at 3B, and his arm was as good as advertised) we'd have only average or below average defense from Fields (who looks like he could be at least "average" if 100% healthy and confident...you can imagine that his offensive game taking off would have a corresponding positive influence on his D), the catching spot (although AJ's handling of pitchers and game-calling isn't added into the equation by measurement/quants) and I'm sure we could find someone who would be better than Quentin in LF (maybe Shelby or a FA).

I agree, except I'd rather have the much more dynamic hitter in Ramirez in the 2 hole and put Getz at the bottom of the order instead.