caulfield12

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 20, 2009 -> 07:27 PM) So you are saying assists don't measure anything then mention the number of assists Anderson has. That coupled with your observation that because he has been taking pitches that are balls is going to cause his strikeout rate to rise makes me wonder if you can really objectively look at Brian Anderson. While Anderson might not have the traditional "gun" in the OF, it is plenty strong enough. He is also very accurate and gets himself in position to make the proper throws. I really don't think his defense is something even his biggest detractors can argue. 1) Can we really argue that ST assist totals create a theorem that BA has a "great" or "plus" arm? 2) I never, once....on any message board...have said that Anderson doesn't play "good/great" defense. I just don't believe his throwing arm (or Rowand's for that matter) were/are so great. Anderson's is stronger than Rowand...and he doesn't overthrow so many balls into the mound or balls that bouce 5-6 times b4 they get to home plate, but he's just not very accurate usually. 3) If he doesn't swing at the first couple of pitches...good MLB pitchers will pick up on that and carve him apart. In the Rays' series, I suppose we can just go with another theory that BA "got lucky" never to receive first pitch strikes and got ahead in counts and was able to get some walks and a few scratch singles. Relying on that to continue won't/can't be a "new" offensive theory...as BA down 0-1 or 0-2 usually equals death by lethal injection for baserunners.

At the rate things are going, they might be suggesting a position change in the minor leagues for Ramirez. I wouldn't be shocked to see him sent to BIRM to play CF if his problems continue for 2-3 more weeks. Viciedo is also struggling mightily in his adjustment to American baseball...but it's just 40 at-bats for both of them. Seems that most Latin players really struggle in April in the cold weather. The question is, of course, who would play SS? Lillibridge? Getz, Nix and Betemit aren't capable of playing that position on an everyday basis for long stretches of time, and you'd have to think the chances of Alexei coming out of it are greater than Lillibridge putting up an 800 OPS from here on out. A lot of it will depend upon the standings. If we're in hailing distance of first place, they will continue to be patient with Beckham and let him develop defensively.

Nix just had an RBI...3-1 Barons into the 5th. Beckham is 1 for 3 and Shelby has two walks. David Cook has an RBI triple. Ely pitching pretty decently so far tonight. FWIW, Jacksonville is 8-2 and has been the best team in the Southern League up til this point in the season. Ely just got tagged for a 3 run homer off the scoreboard...4-3 JAX going into the bottom of the 5th. Good game. BTW, have a game Ben Gordon. Flowers with infield single to left side, Allen double, Cruz 3/3...2 rbi single up the middle for Nix gives him three RBI's for the game, 7-4 Barons, two on for Beckham. Three run, bases clearing double (second hit of the inning) puts the Barons up 10-4...7 runs scored in the inning with Allen up, Beckham had walked. All runs scored with 2 outs. Top of the 7th...Nix and Beckham are put on the bench for Hudson and Retherford.

When is the last time that assists from the outfield measured anything, usually, but the worst outfield arms or defenders that were constantly challenged by opposing 3B coaches like Carlos Lee or Alphonso Soriano? C'mon. I realize Rowand and Anderson are like Immortals to some here, but this is getting ridiculous...above-average arm strength has magically morphed into something more than it is. Brian Anderson has all of 4 outfield assists in 244 games played in his career. Lance Johnson had 11 assists in 1991 and 1992. One Dog had one of the worst arms in the history of the game...rivaling Juan Pierre, Jerry Owens, Scott Podsednik and Johnny Damon. To have a "plus" arm on the traditional scouting scale, you'd have to be at 60+. There is no way that Brian Anderson has a plus arm...maybe 50 or 55, but not a 60 or above for his position.

If we do bring up Nix, where/how is he going to play at all? He'll be behind Betemit on the PH list...and Nix can't play any other positions on the field besides 2B. We're not thinking of benching Ramirez or sending him to Charlotte, and Getz can't play SS more than "adequately," so I'm not sure how he (Nix) fits. If he sits on the bench like Betemit, his hitting won't be much of a weapon at all, because he has missed so many ST at-bats and now he'll just be playing his first games in a month...

I'll wait for the sacrifices and great throws, although I might be waiting a while on Anderson to produce those. Some people thought Rowand was a good thrower, when he was a really average arm. Anderson is above average, but he's far from Larry Walker or Roberto Clemente.

If you offer MacDougal arbitration, you're locked in paying him a minimum of $2.12 million next year. Based on the last couple of seasons (and the caveat, everything can and will change...), there's no way they won't wash their hands of him.

Shelby and Danks (when he's theoretically eligible to be traded) probably wouldn't be the centerpieces of any trade...they are closer to Michael Morse than Olivo or Reed (at the time of the trade, when he was named minor league player of the year by some publications). If we're to make a blockbuster move, it probably will be Poreda + Shelby + one more piece (#11-20 prospect). Lillibridge and Nix won't bring us anything back in return. Among that core group of Fields, Viciedo, Allen, Beckham and Flowers, you have to figure at least two will either be traded or not make it with the Sox as "impact/starting" players over the long-term.

Well, people are already starting to get on Fields for not hitting any homers (although one or maybe both of his triples so far would have been out of Comiskey on any summer day without a gale force wind blowing in or across). The thing is, everyone was "hopefully optimistic" Anderson could get up to a 300 OBP. Now we're talking 350? The biggest problem with this approach is that he will start to get a reputation for NOT swinging early in counts...he will get down 0-1 and 0-2, and then his K rate will dramatically escalate. Anderson has been making decent contact...Fields is the one whose swing is getting bigger and he's looking more like a slugger in terms of his K numbers without any homers to back it up. As long as Josh has his share of doubles and triples, it would be okay if he only hit 15-18 homers...but I think many were expecting 25-30-35 homers, a .230-.240 average and 300 OBP. I think May will be a good test for Anderson, Ramirez and Fields. To see what kind of hitters they're really going to evolve into...April is too difficult, with the inconsistent weather, domes, rain, sleet....Chicago and Detroit weather.

But you know KW...John Shelby III might become the "poor man's Chris Young" and be featured (unfairly) as one of our future stars. Hopefully, he'll get lost in the Beckham, Flowers, Allen and Viciedo spotlight and be able to fly under the radar a bit with Jord. Danks. I know Scenario really really likes Shelby, but I haven't seen enough of his swing in person to give an opinion whether it would hold up against major league pitching or not. The strikeouts and walks are 2 things to look at....for sure.

John Shelby III, if he really has a good season this year, could force his way into the club's plans for 2010 too...there's no solid consensus that Jordan Danks is actually a better prospect than Shelby. Many scouts think Shelby might have an even higher upside, they're probably the two most athletic players in our entire system.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 20, 2009 -> 07:41 AM) 1. Using RBI's as a measure of performance is silly, since it is dependent on others. 2. Brian has plenty of power, but right now is focusing first on making good contact and being selective on pitches - which is EXACTLY what he should be doing to get himself into a rhythm. Once that becomes natural, the power will return. This is sort of basic hitting stuff - you cannot power your way into contact, but you can contact you way into power. 3. 740? He has to have a 740 OPS to be valuable? Where do you get that magic number from? And further, since most of his competition (Wise, Owens) would be lucky to get a .700 OPS much less .740, and Brian has superior defense, I'd say he's valuable even at a much lower level. Then how do you explain Uribe's consistent performance in hitting about 20 homers and 70 rbi's? Or AJ Pierzynski's numbers? As far as the 740 OPS, I think that is based on not being in the bottom 25% or 33% of ML CFers....break even point for a CF to be considered below average offensively.

Dye and Thome...maybe one will be back, as the primary DH, but at a much reduced price...certainly not $12-13 million. If Dye is back, it should be as a full-time DH, and I'm not sure he is quite yet ready to give up OF play. Maybe the idea situation would be for him to share/split time with Brandon Allen next year and also some time in the outfield as a "transition" year in his career. Konerko could DH and/or Allen could play 1B against the really tough righties. Dotel...10-15% chance of return, with his contract not looking like much of a bargain, the odds are we won't offer arbitration...unless he just has an incredible year and stays healthy. Contreras...5-10% chance of return MacDougal...1-2% (you can never rule anything out 100% with this guy, they seem bound and determined to keep giving him chances, so there's always the possibility he figures things out for at least a half season, like Politte did)

Every player thinks they should be starting and/or are good enough to start, or they wouldn't have made it the majors. The problem is, just like Toby Hall, is that there's a time and place for everything, and Swisher didn't know when to draw the line. When you're playing horrifically, that kind of act wears thin pretty quickly. Then, when you pout, at a time when the White Sox are struggling for their playoff lives...and the manager is depending on a 30+ year old journeyman for a spark when you have a guaranteed four-year contract, well, that just doesn't sit well with too many people in a clubhouse. It just came across as a "me first" attitude. Thomas could be that way about his stats, every player is to an extent (like O-Cab with his errors)...but there's a time and a place for putting the team first, at least openly. You can think and feel that you're being treated unfairly or even ostracized, but suck it up. You're an adult, or should be. I think the Cabrera thing was a bit overblown (and he learned from 09, Cabrera realizes/ed what a closed fraternity baseball is and how it really made things difficult in the FA market this offseason, just like AJ coming off his 04 SF season) with Ozzie, and EVERYONE got frustrated with Vazquez (and MacDougal now)...but Swisher going was a case of addition by subtraction, just like the Tigers and Gary Sheffield.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Apr 19, 2009 -> 09:21 PM) First off, Ramirez has been awful so you can't use that argument right now. I'm sure he'll bounce back, but you are complaining about 0 RBI from Brian when the guy that is right in front of him in the lineup hasn't done anything. And, yes, I believe a player with a .400+ OBP is an asset to any team. Anderson has scored 5 runs in the last 4 games. He's been valuable despite not meeting your OPS requirement. Quit playing the race card. I liked Uribe and I like Anderson. Uribe versus Anderson has nothing to do with race actually...we lived with Uribe's "horrific" offensive numbers for half a decade. If you average out 2004-2007, Uribe gives you 20 homers, 71 RBI's (out of the bottom of the order, nobody can say that Uribe wasn't sometimes "clutch" or that he wasn't one of the best on the team in driving in runners from 3rd with one out with a sac fly). 492 hits in 1959 AB's, a .251 batting average. An OBP of around 280-290 and SLG between 425 and 450. OPS 04=713 OPS 05=698 OPS 06=678 OPS 07=682 So I'll set the bar even lower with my expectations...even though Anderson should walk more. Is it fair for me to expect a 680+ OPS, OBP of 300+, 400+ SLG and a final line of 250, 20, 70 out of BRIAN ANDERSON? I don't see why not? Plus, with baseball changing, I would expect GM's to look for more offense from an outfielder than the most critical defensive position on the field. A decade ago, you might have gotten a different answer from GM's because of all the young offensive stars in the AL, but why shouldn't Anderson be able to drive in 60-70 runs from that spot in the batting order?

QUOTE (danman31 @ Apr 19, 2009 -> 08:20 PM) He has 6 starts including today's effort. Anderson is the 9 hitter. 9 hitters don't drive in runners. I'm ecstatic he is getting on base at a superb rate. There is more value to that than slugging .385. If Getz or Lillibridge had only 25-30 RBI's batting first, we could live with that. If you look at the type of the hitters we should have in front of BA....AJ, Ramirez, Fields...he will have quite a few chances to drive in runs over the course of a season. He has to be at least occasionally successful at that. Do you really believe BA would be an asset on this team with a sub 700 OPS and 8-12 homers and 40 RBI's? We might be able to survive that (like the first half of 2006), but he would still be in danger of losing his job. An inarguably better player, Aaron Rowand, was constantly doubted by KW. There's no reason to think that would change with those type of numbers. Sure, if he hits 20-25 homers with 60-75 RBI's, you will never hear me say a bad thing about him (by the way, those are numbers that Uribe reached every year from 2004-2007), but only time can tell. People were constantly trying to get rid of Uribe over the last 3 years, and he was a Gold Glove-caliber defender, so if Brian's numbers are similar to Uribe's, KW will try to replace him.

QUOTE (BobDylan @ Apr 19, 2009 -> 04:33 PM) Agreed. Anderson's walk rate will start to fall, because opposing pitchers will see he's not swinging early in counts and put him down 0-1, 0-2, and then it will be sayonara (if they have good control, which most MLB pitchers do). So, in the next weeks, he needs to start squaring the ball up better on the bat (driving the ball into the gap, most of his hits haven't been liners exactly...like the play today that Garza makes 9 times out of 10) and he also needs to become at least somewhat dangerous with RISP. Most of Brian's hits have been "Getz-like" so far...in fact, Lillibridge actually is hitting the ball with more authority the last 2-3 games than either Getz or Anderson. Summary: he hasn't done anything to lose his job, far from it, but a little bit more will be expected...some doubles and timely RBI's, for example

I said this in all threads we've had about BA. He has to get his OPS to 740 to be an effective player for us, that's not unreasonable to expect. Second, he has to start driving in runners (at least occasionally) when they're in scoring position, which he hasn't done (he did hit the ball hard but AJ couldn't score from 2nd last night). Right now he's at 701. As long as he's in that 720-760 range, then I'll never have any complaints about Anderson because of his defensive abilities...and I'm sure Ozzie won't have any problems either, even if he's in the 650-700 range, AS LONG AS we're still winning games. DeWayne Wise had a .385 SLG percentage after being taken out of the starting line-up...Brian is still struggling to get close to .300. As I said, we'll have some real numbers to look at with BA after he faces Balt, Toronto and Seattle, especially as those home games will be in cold/er weather with teams sporting pretty solid pitching.

Porcello tears through the Mariners, continuing the Tigers' string of very decent starting pitching...only one ER (homer) in 7 IP. Three way tie for first in the AL Central.

Brent Lillibridge=Jason Tyner Speaking of Tyner, Abreu has seven stolen bases already.

Because Owens has no experience playing RF and Brian has a much better arm...it's logic. Looks like the Indians are finally going to lose to the Yankees and the Twins will sweep the Angels.

BA trailing .646 to Betemit's .669 OPS...Lillibridge almost up to 600.

He was always a good field/no hit guy until recently... July 12,2006 - Traded by Astros with Mitch Talbot to Devil Rays for Aubrey Huff and Cash considerations

It seems like we've led almost every inning (except for 7-8-9 in Game 2) in this series...pretty close to dominance. And the Yankees (hard to cheer for them) have taken the lead over the sorry Indians' bullpen 4-3. But good start by Pavano. Of course, when we face the Angels...it will be against their Top 4 healthy starters. Sucks that Minnesota always seems to get the breaks with scheduling somehow. Perkins with a 1.57 ERA so far on the season.

Prediction...Anderson HR here. Or not. It would have been a homer at the "Little K" in Kansas City, though.