chw42

QUOTE (SockMe @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 04:16 PM) I think we will win the division just because of the pitching. WIth our staff all we need is a decent offense imo. Which we kind of don't have, thanks to our rotating DH filled with bad players.

QUOTE (chunk23 @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 01:08 PM) They corrected the PECOTA projections. Sox now projected to take 2nd at 80-82, and with significantly fewer runs scored. And 60 less runs given up.

Neyer's projections actually look somewhat right in terms of wins. PECTOA is an extremely conservative system...

Turns out JD turned down the Cubs' $3.3 million offer. I wonder why...

QUOTE (MattZakrowski @ Jan 29, 2010 -> 11:00 AM) A WAR of 2 is average. The fact is, Konerko gets destroyed because of the positional adjustment. Alexei had a down year, but I think he rebound, and his plate discipline continues to improve. As for Beckham, I think he'll be a good 2B, probably a tier below Utley, Pedroia, and Kinsler (and maybe Zobrist) though. For a starting player, it is. For any player, it's not. I don't really know what MLBN was getting at, but Konerko, Beckham, and Ramirez are still above average players.

Konerko's still slightly above league average. As a 2.5 win player, that's better than your average starting player. Gordon Beckham posted a 2 WAR last year in 100 games and he'll probably progress, so definitely above average. Even Alexei was slightly above average last year on a down offensive year. They really picked the wrong guys to call "average". Usually, when we talk about league average, we mean replacement player, which means a WAR of 0. All three of these guys are far beyond that level.

It's been too long. Well deserved spot for Derrick. He's really been lighting it up since his slow start.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 12:42 PM) Iguchi's diving play or D Wizzle's perfect game saving catch or Derek Jeter's backhand flip to Posada to nail Giambi in the 2001 ALDS Which one is the coolest? Wise's play. Anybody could have made the play Jeter made. That had more to do with his mental ability as a smart player than his actual skills.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Jan 28, 2010 -> 06:36 PM) hey dont worry.. they've got the Yanks finishing 3rd the Angels having the 3rd worst record in the AL only 3 teams winning 90 games, and all of them reside in the AL East. (after 7 teams had 90+ wins in 2009) Oakland winning the AL West Oakland winning the West? Hahahahaa xD

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 27, 2010 -> 02:38 PM) Thome is going to be a bench player, according to their early plans. If that's true, you won't get teh same production you're used to from him...which was declining as it is. But when you go to war, all plans go to hell. I'm pretty sure Gardenhire will notice that Thome>Young offensively and start playing Thome more when Young struggles, which will probably happen.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 27, 2010 -> 12:04 PM) Since when was Nick Punto the Twins DH? He's not. The comparison was done as a means of total offensive production, this does not include defense or positioning. When you take Thome out of the lineup, you have to put Punto or Young back in. If you want Thome in, you have to take out either Young or Punto because you have to assume that Cuddyer will now be at 3B and Punto will move to the bench. OR if Thome gets regular ABs, Young would go to the bench and Kubel will play LF. Either way, Punto and Young are both bad offensively, you can literally swap one out for the other.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 26, 2010 -> 07:03 PM) Because I saw him hit in the first half? Also, maybe playing less in the field and spending more time at DH would be good for his legs...which means better strength at the plate? What's the rules though on signing someone you didn't offer arbitration to? Also, how do we know this doesn't mean Carl or Robbie aren't coming back? Thome was obviously the better option, he's left handed, will provide better OBP, and will hit for about as much power. If they don't want Thome, I don't see why they would want Dye.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 26, 2010 -> 06:42 PM) THis is kinda interesting... From Merkins tweets... Could we be sneaking DYe in the backdoor under the cover of Thome? Why would you want Dye after seeing him hit in the second half of last season?

Wow, I guess the A's were impressed with his throwing sessions.

Why is it old guys who join this team love the number 17? First Griffey, now Vizquel?

*Sigh. We better sign an actual DH.

Notice how many former Dodgers are in bold, lol. I count 5.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 02:27 PM) But...there are more than a few teams out there who Damon in one of the corner OF spots would be an upgrade. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for him to sign as a DH if he can still find someone to pay him to play the field; you'd be paying that premium price for a guy who can still occasionally catch the ball. His defense diminishes his offensive value though. He's not much worse than Quentin in LF, but in RF, that's another story. I know some guys take pride in playing defense, but maybe Damon will keep himself away from the OF in order to stay healthy.

QUOTE (dmbjeff @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 02:21 PM) There are still alot of decent free agent options available. Damon, Thome, Orlando Hudson, Felipe Lopez, Dye, Delgado,Blalock. Maybe the Sox are so set in stone not to bring Thome back because they want flexibility from the DH spot as someone who can also play D. Maybe they want a guy like Lopez or Hudson, someone with good OBP skills, can play good defense, giving all the IF's a day off from time to time. Neither one of these guys are big power guys, but both would be excellent #2 hitters on this team, allowing Beckham to hit for more power lower in the order. Maybe they want an OF who can platoon with Quentin at the DH spot/RF. Someone like Damon comes to mind. Damon's a DH and nothing more. Having him in the OF scares me.

If we can get Damon for $5 million or less, I would be more than excited.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jan 24, 2010 -> 11:35 PM) The thing that makes it even more dumb, is not even about their offense as a DH. Vizquel is still very good defensively. You can't field when you are the DH in the lineup. Andruw Jones is still good in RF (serviceable in CF) You can't do that when you DH. Kotsay is very solid at 1B (meh to blah.. at the OF spots) you get the point. I would love this if say we got a solid LF/RF and Quentin was mainly the rotating DH guy who plays the field spelling guys. Or even Konerko in the infield if we got a very solid 1B (I was clamoring for N. Johnson all winter and it sucks that we missed on him) and you can rotate one of those guys spelling the other, just for their bat. But that is not the case. Vizquel's only value is his defense, his offense is Yuniesky Betancourt bad.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 24, 2010 -> 10:58 PM) bmags has just touched on this, but I don't think a whole lot of people anticipated in midsummer of last year that Thome could be resigned for $2 million either. Then again, Mr. Rongey, no offense intended, but the vast majority of people that contact you via your show are reacting in an emotional, illogical, and/or enebriated manner. This. Don't judge whatever we think by the impressions you get from the people that call into your show, most of them aren't exactly baseball intelligent.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 24, 2010 -> 03:54 PM) I'm somewhat confused by this, as well. During the season, almost every bit of feedback I'd get on Thome was that fans were sick of his HR-or-nothing game and that they needed to trade/release/bench him. And now that he may not be coming back, people think the Sox need to sign him? Just because some people have a perception that Jim Thome sucks and wants him gone doesn't mean he actually does suck and should be off the team. Not everybody has the patience or the know how to evaluate a player's true value to a team, especially since this season is a completely different circumstance than 2008 or even 2009. Besides, back in 2008, Thome's power on this team wasn't as valuable as it would be now or even last season. This team is lacking a left handed slugger to hit home runs and provide good OBP, the team we have now would have problems hitting 150 home runs and the average starter's OBP might be in the .325 range. In a ballpark where the home run is king, you have to be able to hit your fair share to win. I'm all for the small ball and timely hitting, but you need your slugger in the middle to drive them home too.

The best scenario happened in both of today's games .

QUOTE (ChWRoCk2 @ Jan 24, 2010 -> 09:13 PM) /Game Saints vs. Colts That's the matchup people were thinking when both were undefeated.