caulfield12

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.

It's also why Thornton and Poreda look better as relievers (as of today). Both of them throw pretty flat fastballs. If Poreda can keep improving his slider and change, then he might be able to make it as a starter...but he really has to have at least one pitch that's 10 MPH slower than his 93-95 MPH fastball. In the first inning of his appearance, maybe he was just overthrowing and his fastball had little movement. If he's just pitching with his fastball, well, we saw what happened to Danksie today and what happened to Thornton when he'd get behind in the count and have to come with fastball after fastball, even at 96-98. I think it's a case like many pitchers that when you let up just a little, the ball actually has more life, even though it's travellling at a slower rate of speed. Garland is a perfect example of this with his sinker. Contreras is best when he throws a mid 90's FB and then takes even more off his forkball and doesn't throw it too hard.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Mar 9, 2009 -> 06:10 PM) I was at the game today. I'm in a hurry so I'll just give you a few highlights (and lowlights)/ 1) Aaron Poreda, he had a shaky first inning, but his fabled slider really worked for him starting in the second. If he can throw that pitch consistently for a strike he could be nigh unhittable. Definitely the highlight of the game 2) Wilson Betemit cannot field AT ALL. He either has no range or is extremely lazy. Make of that what you will. 3) Getz has some serious wheels, and a nice level swing. 4) Vicideo will chase after any slider, no matter where it is. This really needs to be addressed. 5) Owens is awful. (Barring one great defensive play) moving on. 6) Michael Restovich finds it awkward that I knew his name. Deal with it, Restovich. I know everyone 7) Lillibridge, Getz, Walker were nice enough to sign autographs. Got a good picture with Lillibridge, and told him, "Keep hitting, man and you'll make this team". He smiled, good for him. 8) Kenny Williams looks awesome in his skybox. That's an intimidating figure. 9) Harold Baines looks oblivious when you call him out. Hilariously so 10) Jeff Cox is awesome. Actually, Viciedo laid off a couple of breaking pitches that he was swinging at earlier in the spring. He did have to defend the plate, because he got down 2 strikes in his 2nd and 3rd at-bats and had to swing at pretty much anything close, which is natural. On the plus side, all of those offspeed and breaking pitches, he fouled almost all of them off and kept his plate appearance alive, especially the 2nd time up. Where they will try to get him out is with slightly above letter high fastballs or busting him inside and trying to tie up his hands...and then down-and-away. The old stereotype, young Latin players will swing at anything that's remotely close to the plate. The FB he struck out Reyes with was a perfect pitch almost. Dotted the black. Viciedo needs to cut down on his swing a little with two strikes, it seems like he's taking the same approach and the only way he could have hit that ball was to the opposite field, but he's flying out with the front of his body a little too much with that violent hack he takes. He's not getting cheated up there, one bit. It's why we have seen 2 400+ foot balls off his bat already. The ball that Chulk struck him up out with was another tailing fastball, this one high and inside and a ball for sure. One he chased because he got too anxious. Should have took a walk in this appearance, his day would have seemed better in comparison in the end... If there's anyone I am worried about right now, it's Lillibridge, Owens and Anderson. Viciedo will get things figured out quickly in Birmingham. Viciedo looked TERRIBLE today at the plate. Out in front of everything and completely off balanced. Give him time, he's going to have to adjust to a steady diet of breaking balls because that's the standard first rite of passage for all young hitters who have some success against the FB. He's at least making contact with those offspeed pitches and fouling them off, and he and Brandon Allen actually run pretty well for such big guys...not in the AJ/Crede/Konerko/Dye/Thome slow guys' camp.

Ramirez is going to have a post a .850-.900 OPS and win the Gold Glove at SS to be clearly better all-around than Quentin. I just don't see how he can improve his OPS much from last year unless his walk rate climbs, which usually doesn't happen with swing first, walk later Latin players (born and raised playing baseball outside of the US). He does run better, but that hasn't translated into stolen bases as of yet. Quentin is kind of a work in progress in LF, but he has been getting better playing out of his natural position. He might be our "flashiest" or "most dynamic" player, although Beckham might give him a run for his money there too, along with Viciedo eventually.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 9, 2009 -> 04:32 PM) OUR version of Darin Erstad was king of the 4-3 groundout. I think Thome has definitely taken over that title, at least unofficially.

"and stuff like that" C'mon Melton, are you serious? To say that twice in the span of 2 minutes???

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 9, 2009 -> 04:20 PM) Apparently Erstad never left. At least Erstad was respected throughout baseball, and everyone admired how he gutted it out playing through numerous injuries. I don't think Owens will ever have a season of 200+ hits. What did Erstad have that one season? Something crazy...the season he was actually healthy for a full year. PROWESS TO BE WILD BILL? Prowess tends to be a POSITIVE word, with a good connotation, you don't have a prowess to be wild. Maybe proclivity/tendency.

Grim works for the White Sox, senior director of broadcasting.... Highlights of this game, Getz and Poreda, that's basically it. Bad game. No Bill, with two strikes, you DON'T want to put the ball in play....Flowers, Viciedo, Beckham, Ramirez....all showing the rest of the pull-hookers (that's you Jerry Owens) how to go to the opposite field in ST. Lillibridge does it, but it's because his approach has been so horrible this spring.

Bob Grim, Director of Broadcasting and Ranger Rongey's supervisor. Melton is truly about as bad as Bill Walton or Magic Johnson. It's hard not to listen...it's like The Love Guru, only the baseball version. ViceeADO or EYDO? Get it straight. Thank god he's not paired with Santo. Viciedo chased that one of the zone. That's the ball all righthanders think they can get to. The first strikeout, perfect pitch location for Reyes. This one by Chulk was just impatience on the part of Dayan.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Mar 9, 2009 -> 03:46 PM) 9-12 since 2002. That's not a bad record against another team's ace. We didn't beat him head-to-head more than once or twice though, like Johan Santana. Their bullpen has just been that bad the last 2-3 years, with the exception of 2007. At least Konerko tried to go the opposite way instead of the pull-hook with the head down in exasperation look. I think everyone will have a new feeling about the Sox when we finally break up Dye/Thome/Konerko and replace them. Not that I won't miss them. But tired of watching them. Nice story Melton, great insight!!! Gee, Marte and Josh Barfield have been disappointing. There's some news. Melton forgets ROSS GLOAD. who he already used as a comparison earlier. Jesus Flowers, catch the damn ball. Geez. Kroeger is a valuable "TOOL"??? What? Is he a John Deere farm implement?

Melton was right about one thing. We couldnt't beat Sabathia. And the fact that he can now pronounce Viciedo's first name. That's marked improvement there. It's official KW. We have no CFer. Just in case you hadn't noticed. Take that back...Wise 2/4 with a homer and extra base hit in the B game against the Dodgers in the morning. He's officially the first option right now in Guillen's mind at least. Bad jump by Owens but he finally gets there. Some of his sliders have been flat...the one to the third hitter was much more effective. Not quite as good as Marte's slurve from the side when he could locate it, but it could be at least serviceable. Still don't think he's close to starting at the big league level yet, though.

Poreda would be better served refining his offspeed stuff in the minors. No news there. He has almost the same exact approach and look as Thornton without quite the same velocity, just a tick slower. The Sox would be better off with the much different look/repertoire of Richard as the 2nd lefty at this point. Reyes looks like he might have a rebound year this season with the Indians.

Viciedo hung in there pretty well against the curveball...that FB to finish him off was perfectly located on the outside corner. Viciedo at .250 now.