caulfield12

Twins fourth in the division, behind the Tigers, Sox and Indians. Boston, Toronto THEN Yankees. Likes Oakland over Angels, said Seattle might threaten with better pitching.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2007 @ Apr 1, 2007 -> 03:45 AM) Konerko > Blake Iguchi > Barfield Uribe > Peralta Martinez > AJ (real close) Crede >>> Marte Pods > Dellucci Grady >>> Erstad Thome (healthy) > Hafner C.C > Contreras Garland > Westbrook Buehrle >>> Lee (not even close Vazquez > Byrd Danks/Sowers=To be determined. Garko also factors in at 1B, but Konerko is better obviously. I would take Barfield over Iguchi if I were building a team, but Iguchi for THIS Sox team. Uribe and Peralta is EVEN, at best, for the Sox Pods, no comment until I've seen him play the first 2-3 months Hafner is clearly better than Thome Garland and Westbrook is very even, edge to JG because of age Buehrle and Lee is pretty even, based on last year...over career, MB Sowers has a clear advantage on anyone we throw out there in the 5th spot

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 30, 2007 -> 03:56 PM) + Neshek + Rincon + Guerrier the rest is pure dogs*** or unproven young talent. Reyes came out of nowhere last year (like Jamie Walker), but they also had a plus arm in Crain and Glen Perkins helped late in the season as well. In fact, Guerrier and Willie Eyre were their last men out of the pen. Their 4-6 was much better than ours last year, and the emergence of Neshek really made a difference down the stretch.

QUOTE(spiderman @ Mar 30, 2007 -> 12:16 PM) That's rather ironic considering that Kenny Willliams was telling him in that recent interview that the national guys are getting the White Sox plan, and the locals aren't. I think it's different understanding intellectually/philosphically where an organization or GM is coming from AND still picking them 4th THIS season, and, as everyone has noted, there's such a slight differentiation between the top four teams in the division. Next year or the year after, the moves will make a lot more sense (or not), like the Sox trading Lee for Pods and letting Ordonez and Valentin go, allocating that money to pay 8 other players that helped lead us to a championship. If at least two of those pitchers (Floyd, Gio, Danks, Masset, Rasner) make a lasting impact, then KW will look pretty smart.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10096564 Ooops, I meant Scott Miller!

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 30, 2007 -> 11:00 AM) Of course, if we had the lefty with the 0 ERA in the pen instead of the lefty with the 6 ERA... If Logan is closing games this year, we're in serious trouble.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 08:06 PM) :uhoh BA 3 run HR Uribe had a two run RBI before BA's homer. Now we'll see if the bullpen can actually hold a lead, if Ozzie plays this one out for 'real' or just development. We need a win, big time.

Does anyone know the flagship station for the Barons? What radio station or call letters or dial numbers is it? Is the game on tonight?

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 01:07 PM) That's actually pretty interesting. Iguchi: 1066 | .280/.347/.430/.777 | 16.5 HR per season | 112K per season Eckstein: 2201 AB | .278/.347/.353/.700 | 4 HR per season | 50K per season Eckstein's American League numbers are shockingly similar to Iguchi's until you start getting into power numbers. Yes, Eckstein doesn't strike out much and that is a nice quality to have. In the field I'll take Iguchi without question, Eckstein couldn't make a throw from the hole or a quick toss to first on a double play to save his life. To call Eckstein 'terrible' was a poor choice of words, he's not, he's also a below average player in my opinion, not taking intangibles into consideration. In the end I'm taking Iguchi. And "intangibles" are the difference between a World Series and also-ran status of 90 wins. Many here seem to want to pin it all on Guillen (overusing bullpens and always relying on "matchups", Mackowiak/Anderson, pulling starters or not pulling them enough, using bench too much), but that's just one small slice of the entire story.

QUOTE(3 BeWareTheNewSox 5 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 12:46 PM) I think the season will depend on Vazquez and those bridge guys in the pen. I pretty much know what I'm going to get from everyone else (well Vazquez too, which is what worries me). Not as pessimistic as 4th, I've seen Sox spring trainings before, that changes nothing for me, but was a little worried in the offseason. Still though, we will compete. The division/leauge has some real good teams, but a lot of people overrate them a LOT. The bullpen blew 5-6 games in April and May alone, mostly due to Politte's ineffectiveness, but Cotts, Nelson and Jenks also. Then Jenks wore down in the 2nd half. We just need to survive the month of April without any major injuries and within 7-10 days of outstanding play within first place (or not being in 4th and having to jump two teams), aka hailing distance. The Twins came from 12 games back, but I don't see us having the two shutdown starters to win almost 90% of their starts like the Twins had in Santana and Liriano from June onward last year.

QUOTE(SoxAce @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 12:43 PM) First of all, your way off, more people were happy that we got Uribe and was excited about his potential. I loved Miles and so did most of the posters but we knew he wasn't our long term solution and was just a AAA player for us basically. And secondly, how in the hell would you know? You weren't even around here at the time. Other than that, I agree with you. It was my recollection from chisox.com at that time. There were a lot of posters who closely followed the minors back then and made regular trips to BIRM as well as North Carolina to see White Sox prospects play.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 12:33 PM) They're not terrible ballplayers, but you can only have so many guys like that on a team before you start lacking in production. David Eckstein is exactly what the Caridinals need...a cheap, non-terrible SS who's attitude they like. But if you start thinking that the only thing your team needs is more hustle...and forget that they have a couple guys, one of whom wears #5, that produce a hell of a lot of runs and can cover up for the deficiencies in other spots, then you're going to build a pretty crappy team. The teams that Eckstein are on nearly always are "winning" teams. Sure, Jose Guillen, Kevin Brown or Milton Bradley or Soriano have a lot more talent, but why do they never find a home? You need talent and "winning" players coming together to make a team, Carl Everett is another example. Yeah, he had a lot of talent when he first came up to the bigs with the Marlins and Yankees, but leadership isn't to be discounted either.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 12:15 PM) There were people upset with the Uribe/Miles trade? If so....then that's just too many people putting too much stock in minor league numbers. At the time of the trade, I would say it was 75% upset at losing Miles, 25% excited that Uribe could get it turned around with a change of scenery and a coaching staff and clubhouse that might push him to improve his work habits.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 11:22 AM) 1. 1 out of 4 2. 4 out of 4 3. 1 out of 4 4. Bust, I honestly don't know. So 6 out of 12. This applies to 2 of the decisions, both of which were probably decided since the beginning of the Spring, going against what was said just a week into the Spring. Just like Ozzie did with Podsednik last year right? A Mackowiak/Gload/Ozuna platoon in LF would have been just fine. I would have had no problem seeing Mack or Iguchi leading off against righties and Ozuna leading off against lefties but the completely incompetent Podsednik was left out there to rot in the outfield. I don't have much faith that Ozzie would be able to pull the trigger on such a move this season, his history suggests a much. KW learned his lesson too. (I HOPE) They didn't do enough scouting of Mackowiak's "reality" in CF (yeah, he'd played there before, just not well) to realize how exposed they were by relying completely on BA. When you trade away Young, Webster, Rowand and Reed to help make way for Anderson (Young's another story), then he tanks, you're in trouble that Ruben Rivera can't solve.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 12:08 PM) I can only imagine a team with Eckstein and Erstad as the 1-2 hitters. Grinders! Well, maybe we should just bring back Miles and Harris and pair them up. You would have thought JC had been re-crucified when that trade for Uribe went down, with the loyalty some of the minor league fans had to Aaron. That deal seemed to work out okay for the Sox. Long-term, I think they REALLY like Shelby at 2B, possibly Getz, although he profiles more as a utility guy if he ever makes it to the majors (similar to Angel Gonzalez and Pedro Lopez).

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 11:44 AM) Lost in the oh-so-important, make-or-break soxtalk saga of Brian Anderson: Joe Crede has had a great spring. Tad Iguchi finally heated up in the last week or so. Kong and JD had a very nice spring. Uribe looks fit and very ready to go. Ozzie says he's the key. Contreras has consistently said he feels fantastico and looks to be in terrific shape. Podsednik feels his legs are back and his shoulder problems appear to be gone. Thome got a ton of bats again this spring in hopes of avoiding the slow start that plagued most of his career until he got to Chicago and they sought to get him more AB's in ST. Pablo being Pablo. Our infield defense is f***ing great, particularly late in the game when Erstad moves to first. Of course all this pales in importance compared to who's playing CF. There are more positives to be sure. Top to bottom this is a very solid lineup, on par with Detroit's IMO. But they definitely have the advantage on the bump. You would think we LOST 90 games last year, instead of winning 90. I think some of the constant local and regional media blitzkrieg has soaked into Sox fans, the pessimism is back in full force. It's almost like we never won a WS. I'm not going to be surprised if they make the playoffs, I won't be surprised if they're around .500 either. This club could go either way. There are many positives with the line-up of everyday players, but the PITCHING concerns are still paramount in everyones' minds, to the point where each member of the rotation and bullpen has more question marks surrounding them coming into the season than "certainty." QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 11:51 AM) I'm sorry, I stopped reading when you said Tad Iguchi is replaceable and Buehrle isn't. Right now, it seems like the exact opposite. We have guys in the minors who could somewhat replace Buehrle. We have no one and there's no one in FA who is going to be as good as Iguchi. Not sure who you're responding to. At any rate, I have never once said Buehrle isn't replaceable. As far as 2B goes, Iguchi, at his age, won't get more than 3 years and $13-16 million. There are a ton of players out there like a Loretta that are comparable. In terms of Free Agents, you have Kent, Marcus Giles, you could move Eckstein from SS to 2B, and you can move Uribe or Cintron or even Ozuna there as well. I really like Iguchi, but he's not a priority for KW to retain if we have to completely rebuild this team. QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 11:53 AM) What exactly is it in this team's recent history that suggests that Erstad and Pods will be gone at any point this season if they don't perform? Politte release Development of Anderson (Lofton was dealt in 2002 for Diaz) Takatsu Ben Davis starting 2005 in AAA, eating that contract Koch trade to Marlins

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 11:33 AM) So, as far as I can tell, the optimistic post here basically is arguing for that optimism based on the White Sox beginning a successful rebuilding project. Yes, and the fact that if those players everyone seems to be complaining about the most (Erstad and Pods) fail to play up to expectations, they will be gone, and Sweeney, Anderson and theoretically Fields or Owens will replace them. Not sure that will make anyone happy either, but it will be a clear and obvious direction at least. How many season ticket holders we lose (25-33%?), that's an issue for KW and JR.

QUOTE(Hideaway Lights @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 09:55 AM) there are so many things wrong with this post I don't know where to start for onet thing, equating mark buehrle with "health and non-performance" issues seems thoroughly ludicrous given his track record prior to June 2006. And you don't think it's ludicrous to give Buehrle $12-14 million per season for FOUR years when he's lost velocity on his fastball, hasn't adjusted well to QuesTec and the new strike zone, has struggled twice with tipping pitches (how much of it is mental/psychological?) and we could get 2-3 high quality prospects that cost the league minimum? I think KW is taking all that into consideration. His spring results are not necessarily encouraging either, although it's JUST spring, we all hoped for SOME indication of improvement from him. This club can't afford to have 2-3 bad contracts on the books, which is what KW is guarding against.

QUOTE(Y2HH @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 08:46 AM) Because Sisco is like 6'10" and can kick Ozzie's ass, while Logan can't?! Because of how well Sisco pitched for most of 2005. It's the same reason the Cubs wanted to give Cotts another chance, despite how poorly he pitched in 2004 and 2006.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 08:26 AM) 1. The wild card here is Pods. He hasn't done anything to deserve the start in left. Brian should be in center and Erstad in left. I realize that leaves us without a lead off guy, but hey the coaches get paid big bucks to fix those kind of problems 25% 2. I agree with you 100% 3. I kinda agree with you as well. I think Haeger and Logon should be there. I'm not sure why we got so hung up on radar gun readings, but an outside 97mph fast ball is still an outside 97mph fastabll. Speed means nothing without accuracy. 25% 4. I agree with you. They might as well see what happens with Hall. It's not like we can get a FA catcher now that we won't be able to get in May. It doesn't hurt to wait and see. 100% If either Erstad or Pods don't perform, you will see Anderson in there. But that still doesn't solve the leadoff issue, and OG can't solve it either, only KW... It would have to be Ozuna, Iguchi or (gasp) Uribe, and none of them are winning options for a multitude of reasons. You could get by with Ozuna (against lefties only), but are we ready to bat Mackowiak leadoff? I guess they've used Catalanotto this way in the past, but it's going to make our offense become static again, like 2006, when Pods couldn't or wouldn't run. We might as well bring back Willie Harris, because KW had no desire to pay Pierre, Roberts, Mathews or Lofton even (that ship has sailed, no thanks on a return engagement). QUOTE(RME JICO @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 08:37 AM) NorthSideSox72, If Anderson makes the team but doesn't start, how is that 25%? Shouldn't it be more like 50%? The backup catcher was not that big of a deal in the overall picture since it was basically a non-factor last year. The bigger issue was a decent hitter who could hit LHP. We lost that and it was not addressed. Perez could have filled that need and subbed in for Thome or in LF against LHP. That would have taken away some of the impact of the Hall injury. Everything is a personal opinion, but none of us have the true reasons on why things are being done. On the outside looking in, Anderson should be the starting CF with Logan in the pen, but for some reason that did not happen. All we can do is speculate. Who's your leadoff hitter with Pods out of the line-up? Do you really want to see Perez "roaming" LF like some combination of Emil Brown, Manny Ramirez and Pete Incaviglia? You pretty much have to use Ozuna in LF at this point against lefties.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 29, 2007 -> 08:00 AM) Let's review the 4 big personnel decisions that Oz and company had to make during ST. Weve had discussions on all these individually, but I'm curious what people's perspective is when all the decisions were taken into account... 1. Brian Anderson vs Darin Erstad for CF. Decision made: Anderson makes roster, but as a backup OF. 2. 5th Starter. Decision made: John Danks. 3. Front 3 in the bullpen. Decision made: Masset, Sisco and Aardsma. 4. Dealing with the Hall injury. Decision made: Hall to go the PT route until May, and until then, going with Molina as the backup C (over Wiki). So, taking those 4, how do you feel Ozzie and company did? What percentage score to you give on each? Here are my answers... 1. Brian Anderson deserved the starting job, clearly. Erstad should be the 4th OF. But, at least BA is on the roster, which is something. I'll go 25% on this one, overall bad, but a little consolation. 2. Danks deserved it, and won it. The right decision was made. 100%. 3. Masset's solid enough. Aardsma isn't ideal, I'd rather see Haeger there, but at least its not Floyd. And there is simply zero good reason (that I can see) for Sisco to be there over Logan. Just stupid. So here, I'll have to go 50%. 4. I think this is the right way to handle the situation. And I agree that Molina is a better choice than Wiki. I suspect that if Hall is a no-go in May, we'll trade for someone, and that's a good idea. So I'll give the crew credit on this one. 100%. Average those out and its 68.75%. That's a "D". Anderson and Logan were screwed, but Danks, Aardsma (sort of), Masset and Molina were the right choices. I expect more from the manager than that. I hope Erstad and Sisco prove me wrong, but I doubt it at this point. If Ozzie has lost his confidence in Logan this week (remember last year against Hafner?), then it's the right choice for the ballclub. They've watched Sisco for two years at the big league level, and know what he's capable of...as OG said in the newspaper, there's a very short rein on him, and that he really didn't deserve to make the ballclub. Let's not forget, the last Sox reliever to go from A ball or Rookie ball to the majors was Radinsky. If they need to replace Sisco or let him start, Logan's not far away. Anderson versus Erstad, it's not who is the better player or who will be the better player, it's simply that OG and KW believe he gives us the best chance to win THIS year. If he fails, his contract is pennies and Anderson takes over, the same thing happened with Rowand and he survived Kenny Lofton and numerous attempts to take job away.

The odds are very much against more than ONE AL Central team making it to the playoffs to start off the season, we all acknowledge that, due to the weaker competition one of either Boston or New York will face in the AL East with the rest of their schedule. Even KC can win 72-76 games this season, especially if they get good pitching from 3 of their five starters. KW simply had to position this ballclub for the present and the future. Iguchi can be replaced, and there's no CERTAINLY no strong majority behind giving Buehrle $48-52 million over four years (health, non-performance) or Jermaine $45 million over 3 years (age, diminishing returns, see Soriano). One of the biggest questions right now surrounds the health of Jenks, but we have to remember we went through three closers in 2005. In MacDougal, Thornton, Masset, Aardsma and Sisco, we have FIVE more pitchers with the "stuff" to do the job. Even Logan can be nasty. There's always a sense that a veteran team might not be hungry enough, that they might get complacent or rest on their laurels (something Buehrle, Uribe and a few others have been accused of specifically, but something that subconsciously happened to much of the team). Realistically, the only way to compete in this division is to have the pitching, and we have four starters who might have pitched the best they are going to pitch in the major leagues. Can Garland get any better than winning 36 games in two years? Can Contreras ever pitch like he did from August, 05 through May, 06, when he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball? Is Buehrle done? Is Vazquez doomed to .500, no matter what team he pitches for? Ultimately, KW had to be prepared to slash payroll and go down into the $75-90 million range again, and risk losing 25% of the season ticket holders gained from 05. He has to look at every player on his roster as an asset that can be used to get the thing that he needs the most....potential #1 and #2 starters, something we might have ZERO of right now. Logically, KW views Danks, Floyd and Russell as potential 1-2 or even 3 starters. You can add Sisco, Thornton and Masset to that list. With the 4-5 starters, you have Broadway, Haeger, Phillips, McCullogh and a few others. It seems most logical to trade Crede, Dye and Buehrle short-term. If we go beyond that in cutting, we won't be able to compete in 2008. Then there's no reason to hold onto AJ, Uribe, Iguchi, Thome, Konerko, Garland, Contreras and Vazquez and we out and get pitching, pitching and MORE young/affordable/talented pitching. Traditionally, one or maybe two of every six pitching prospects makes an impact. If it comes down to it, you trade for Bailey and Hughes and give the Reds and Yankees enough talent to win their divisions, if it means not having to spend $15-25 million per year on top-line starters like Zambrano. Heck, Jennings and Buehrle look like the 2 and 3 options right now going into 2008 Free Agency. Not much to choose from there. Our draft positions haven't allowed us to get that Top 10 pick for almost 20 years now. We have too much talent to bottom out 100%, but we do have a commodity that every team in baseball wants, which is the top 15 players on our major league roster.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 28, 2007 -> 11:09 PM) It's been obvious all spring that this organization was going to keep the guys they traded for over the ones that earned a spot, and that 3 lefties in the pen was not an option. Hence Aardsma over Haeger, Sisco over Logan, and Aardsma and Masset being locks. Only reason Floyd didn't make it is we aren't carrying 12 pitchers. Sadly, that appears obviously how they are making decisions. And btw, I heard this on ESPN Radio at 6 PM, how did this thread take until it did to pop up? Well, they didn't force Floyd into the starting rotation over Danks at least. We'll see how well they wait to pull the trigger (it won't be like BA last year, you know that much) if Danks gets out of the box slowly and the team is in 3rd or 4th place and 4-8 GB. Last year, the standings allowed BA to stay in play much longer than a team like the Indians would have been able to stick with a struggling player (early on). Then it really gets interesting, if they have to go to Floyd or beyond. Then you have the doomsday situation, trading Thome or Konerko, Crede, Dye, Buehrle, Uribe, Iguchi, Pods, Erstad, Contreras, Vazquez, etc. Let's hope it never comes to that.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Mar 28, 2007 -> 11:03 PM) They had to take a younger player as the 25th man, it was going to be either Terrero or Anderson to fill the final spot on the bench otherwise there would be no one to backup centerfield. Oz would have taken a vet if he could have, the opportunity just never presented itself. Ozuna supposedly has been playing very well in limited time in CF (in B and minor league games), but your point is taken, there will be no repetition of Mack (or Pods, for that matter) in CF.

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Mar 28, 2007 -> 10:49 PM) Absolute bulls*** that Logan did not make this team. No defending this move. Looks like OG and KW are determined to go with experience (DE over BA, Sisco over Logan, Aardsma over Floyd) and they're going to go down fighting before they sell out and go with the full-court youth movement in 2008. The only question is whether KW makes another move with the catching spot or waits on the 50/50 proposition that is Toby Hall's "rehab" to the point where he can at least hit. I guess the only counterpoint is that they took BA over Eduardo Perez, otherwise, it's the veterans-first approach right now.