Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (iamshack @ May 24, 2011 -> 04:06 PM) Peavy's contract bugs me infinitely more than Rios'. See, I disagree with that. I supported both moves at the time, but I was a much bigger fan of the Peavy pickup. The value of an ace is significant in the post-season. Getting a guy with ace potential is practically impossible, unless you have a Dan Haren package of prospects available or have $150 million to spend in free agency. So I was glad KW rolled the dice on Peavy, even if there was a reasonable chance it wouldn't work. I'll happily take such a risk if it improves my chance of winning a World Series. A good CF on the otherhand is easier to attain, especially if you're willing to spend $55 million. I was still willing to gamble on Rios due to his immense potential, but I had much more worries about him due to his past struggles.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ May 24, 2011 -> 11:14 AM) I'm getting tired of caring about underachievement, to be honest. I'm craving a rebuild more and more with each passing day. Wow, I can't even imagine the b****ing on this website if we were to rebuild. We would be terrible for years to come with no guarantee of this amazing future everyone associates with rebuilding. We're better off going for the division and hoping to maintain our large payroll. That's really the only way to compensate for our bad minor league system and have a chance of competing. I'm not prepared to be the Pittsburgh Pirates for the next seven years. Remember, we won't go over slot, don't have much of a presence in Latin America, and don't have enough tradable assets to replenish our system. We'd have to suck Pirates style to get the young talent to needed to successfully complete a rebuild.

The problem with Pierre is two-fold. First, even if you look at his history, his offensive contributions aren't that good, unless you love SB's. He has no power and doesn't walk that much. Add in the fact that we have a potential difference maker waiting in AAA, and it appears we are forgoing production because we need the prototypical leadoff hitter. So even using his historical numbers, we're not optimizing our offense by playing Pierre everday. Second, and more importantly, you can't just look at historical numbers. You have to scout the player and see where he is physically and mechanically to project for the future. That's where the real problem comes into play. Pierre looks like he has lost a step and his SB numbers support that. If that's the case, and it's not due to injury, then waiting for him to perform at prior levels is stupid. He just wouldn't be the same player. No matter how many singles Pierre hits in a week won't change these points. IMO, Viciedo is the better option right now and should be playing. Unfortunately, philosophical and/or financial reasons are preventing what is an obvious decision to maximize production.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 21, 2011 -> 05:24 PM) Instead of saying Dunn is a worthless piece of s***, they blame Ozzie for batting him third. Guess what? He's on the roster and a slugger with a history of doing well. You bat him third or fourth. He has to produce. But he sucks, so blame Ozzie for batting him third. In my world that's dumb. You are a walking contradiction. I have seen at least three occasions where you've said Dunn is garbage and should be batting 8th. Now you are saying that Guillen has to bat him third? Which one is it? Are you dumb or is Ozzie an idiot? You can't have it both ways.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 21, 2011 -> 05:20 PM) I'd like the Lilly lovers to at least admit one thing. Do you feel stupid for throwing a tantrum when the Sox kept Lilly over Lastings Millidge? I've blasted Lillibridge in the past like many on here, but never wanted Lastings Millidge over Lilly. Do you feel stupid for slobbing on Jenks' knob last season when he was pure garbage?

I really don't think we'll sell off important pieces before early to mid July. I honestly believe Reindsdorf will give this team an extended chance before blowing it up. I'm sure he realizes how painful the rebuilding process would be if we had a legit firesale. Based on the state of our farm system, we're talking four or five years minimum before you are competitive again. That could cripple the franchise for years to come. Even if he may have to take a financial hit this year, he's got to take that risk if there's even a small chance of making the playoffs. Plus as soon as you sell off parts and admit defeat, you can kiss most fan interest and walkup sales goodbye, so any loss in salary will partially be offset by a loss in revenue. All things considered, Reinsdorf should stick with this team until closer to the deadline even if they hit another slump in the near future.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 19, 2011 -> 09:38 AM) I blame Greg Walker Why not? When 90% of the offense is underperforming, there's got to be something wrong our players' approaches at the plate. Do other teams experience such team-wide slumps? Maybe, but definitely not as frequntly as our team has in the Greg Walker era. The offensive struggles can't just be on the players. There is absolutely no harm that a new hitting could cause. I guess Konerko could regress a little, but everyone else can only get better. How could guys like Rios and Beckham do much worse?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 19, 2011 -> 09:38 AM) I blame Greg Walker Why not? When 90% of the offense is underperforming, there's got to be something wrong our players' approaches at the plate. Do other teams experience such team-wide slumps? Maybe, but definitely not as frequntly as our team has in the Greg Walker era. The offensive struggles can't just be on the players. There is absolutely no harm that a new hitting could cause. I guess Konerko could regress a little, but everyone else can only get better. How could guys like Rios and Beckham do much worse?

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ May 18, 2011 -> 12:31 AM) Dayan's the special one. If I was KW, I'd let him keep working hard to earn it. See if he can stay on this roll of plate discipline for the rest of May. Hopefully Pierre can get hot for 2 weeks and fetch something. Like what, a frisbee? Pierre is beyond worthless. Hell, unless he's willing to play in the minors, his season could be over if we were DFA. I doubt any major league teams would take a chance on him without playing well in AAA first.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 18, 2011 -> 01:37 AM) The problem becomes what the Sox do at leadoff next year, because they seem unwilling to consider other possibilities other than a scrappy singles hitter (Lillibridge the behemoth notwithstanding). Barring something ridiculous, Viciedo should be the opening day left fielder next year and they won't have a traditional leadoff hitter whatsoever anywhere on the roster. This is a huge problem and a huge reason Guillen must go. If he's our manager, LF will always be reserved for a scrappy leadoff hitter. Viciedo and Quentin in the corners is too much power for Guillen. It would remind him too much of Lee and Ordonez. Unlike most AL managers, he'd rather infuse some speed there. If Guillen does return in 2012, the only way Viciedo and Quentin are both in the OF is if a more tradional leadoff is brought in for 2B or 3B. Otherwise, I could see him trying De Aza out there or something similar. Let's just hope Guillen is gone by the end of this season so we can become a normal AL team again.

QUOTE (Lillian @ May 18, 2011 -> 06:34 AM) I didn't finish reading all of the posts, but it should be noted that replacing Pierre with Viciedo would require another move. That's because Ozzie insists on a stolen base threat at the top of the lineup. Lillibridge is the only even slightly viable candidate for that spot. Therefore, you would have to find a place for Lillibridge in the infield, with Viciedo, Rios and Quentin in the outfield. As others have stated, McPherson is simply a left handed power bat off the bench, taking Teahen's place. Viciedo is right handed, and needs to play every day. There is nothing wrong with this move. The Pierre issue still has to be addressed, but this move is an entirely different matter. Is there anybody else around who the Sox could acquire to play either 3RD or 2ND and fill the lead off spot? Beckham could always go back to 3RD. I still like Lillibridge but it appears that Ozzie doesn't want to go that way. Unless we can find a prototypical leadoff hitter, Viciedo will not replace J. P. in LF. What a shame. Lillibridge is not an everyday option. Take a look at his minor league numbers before proposing that. He can be our 25th man while he's still producing, but do not move him into a role where he will surely fail. If we called up Viciedo and Ozzie demanded a somewhat speedy leadoff, then go with Vizquel against righties (50% at 2B and 50% at 3B) and Ramirez against lefties. You'll get much better production at the leadoff spot and in LF. The problem here is obvious. Ozzie manages to personal philosophy and not team strength. He'll continue throw Pierre out there everyday despite better options being clearly available. He's a terrible manager and I'm worried his stubbornness will cost us this season.

QUOTE (ptatc @ May 17, 2011 -> 05:18 PM) I know you dislike Ozzie but this is what he and most other mangers will do. You can let it frustrate you all you want but it's not changing. Then KW needs to make it change. He can tell Ozzie to start Viciedo on a regular basis in LF or he can lose his job. He should not give a f*** what Ozzie believes makes sense. KW needs to do whatever gives his team its best chance to win and that is calling up Viciedo and DFA'ing Pierre. Time is running out. If I were KW, I'd make these moves soon, because missing the playoffs will probably cost me my job.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 17, 2011 -> 04:05 PM) At some point Kenny just needs to tell Ozzie "I'm bringing up Dayan, you need to play him and that's that". Exactly. But why hasn't KW done this already? Is he afraid of upsetting Ozzie or does he actually believe Pierre will turn around too?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 16, 2011 -> 12:56 PM) Well, I'll give Ozzie credit..."He's got to play everyday" is 100% the right statement, even if its said for the wrong reason. I agree, it's him failing to recognize the massive hole that is LF that's the problem.

Looks like Pierre will be leading off for the foreseeable future: Also, there's apparently no reason to call up Viciedo: Honestly, KW needs to DFA Pierre soon or we'll be stuck with him leading off until it's too late.

QUOTE (iamshack @ May 15, 2011 -> 09:54 PM) I think had KW had a manager like Joe Maddon or Mike Scoscia who would have been able to intelligently partner with him to put together a plan for winning club, we would be singing a drastically different tune. I agree with this, but at the same time he supported the decisions to DH Kotsay, start Wise, and have Pierre leadoff despite being terrible. As much as I like KW, I can't give him a free pass for decisions an entire message board can quickly tell are stupid. Something changed with him. Maybe it was his divorce, the Wilder fiasco, or something we don't know about, but he's been making more poor decisions lately than good. I'd like to give him one more chance, but we continue sit here with the same manager trying to play NL style in a bandbox in the AL. His refusal to make any changes is my last straw with him. I think I'm finally ready to try something different.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ May 15, 2011 -> 02:39 PM) They raped us so bad that the following off-season they tried to trade him and couldn't find a taker. But you clearly admit Swisher had a bad year with us, and yet you expect KW to get something of value in return? Swisher is a pain in the ass to have as a teammate. The dude never shuts up. I also find it funny that the "proven player" only seems ok when it's used against KW or Ozzie. It wasn't acceptable when I argued this team would hit when they were slumping because practically the whole team is a group of proven players, but it works for Swisher? Who really hasn't been much better since leaving here. I'm not saying that was a good trade overall, but the only player who I really miss in that deal will end up being Carter. I could make half my starts in Oakland and put up the numbers Gio is. You can have that Ryan Sweeney garbage too. Well at least we got Dan Haren in the deal too.

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ May 15, 2011 -> 01:58 PM) Who knows what Ozzie will do, but I wish he would start Viciedo in LF and bench Pierre. Let Omar start a lot more alternating between 2B and 3B as the leadoff man. When Omar is not starting, let either Ramirez or Rios lead off. Agree with this, although I'd use Omar more at 3B. We're going to need Beckham to come around if we want to make a comeback.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 15, 2011 -> 10:07 AM) I am amazed at how much better at being a GM soxtalk posters are compared to the guys who are paid big bucks to do this job. Over the years, so many people here knew right away certain trades were bad. So tell me what KW knows about Juan Pierre that we don't. Since he's the GM and can never be wrong, there must be something Pierre is doing that statistics don't justify. I guess I shouldn't question him allowing his manager to lead off the player with the lowest WAR in the majors. Like you said, he does make the big bucks.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 12, 2011 -> 03:21 PM) The biggest issue is we have our worst hitter getting the most at bats every game. This is by far the biggest reason why Ozzie and KW need to go. Anyone who watches baseball on a regular basis can tell how bad Pierre is offensively, especially when he can't steal bases. To bat that player first each and every game makes me want to vomit. How our manager and GM can't see this makes me question their knowledge of the game. Hell, even Phil Rogers was ripping into giving Pierre the most at-bats this past off-season. That should show how blatantly obvious this problem really is. Worst of all, we have better options sitting in AAA. There's just no excuse whatsoever for this nonsense.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 12, 2011 -> 12:56 PM) Where has he ever said anything like he wouldn't take him out of games because he respects him too much? Well he has said he won't take away Pierre's greenlight on the basepaths out of respect.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 12, 2011 -> 12:39 PM) Hm. I think you might be stretching it a bit calling him a "very good hitter" already. An .840 OPS last year in the majors and an .838 OPS in AAA this year (after a terrible start due to his hand) is pretty damn good for an OF. Plus he is young and will continue to get better. I still don't get how he is not a fit for this team.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 12, 2011 -> 12:33 PM) Wait you really believe that Ozzie is worried about what Juan Pierre thinks of him, and that is why he is playing LF everyday? Ozzie won't use Vizquel in certain situations out of "respect", so yeah I think he'd give Pierre an unusually long leash for the same reason. We're talking about his favorite player here. Pierre works hard and is great in the clubhouse, which I think would make it hard for Ozzie to pull him out of the lineup. The other problem is that Ozzie wishes he could have nine Pierre's in his lineup, so convincing himself to pull one may be impossible.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ May 12, 2011 -> 12:22 PM) Rios Ramirez Dunn PK CQ Teahen Viciedo Beckham AJ This is what I think the Sox should run out there. Rios and Ramirez are interchangeable. The defense would be terrible, but we need to score. I like the general idea behind that lineup, although I'd rather not use Teahan at 3B. Give Vizquel more starts at 3B against right-handers and perhaps lead him off. Bat Morel 8th when he plays. I love AJ last though. That should be a no brainer, but nothing is ever simple with Ozzie.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 12, 2011 -> 10:57 AM) I don't know if a bat like Viciedo's is really needed right now. I'm want to see Jordan Danks sometime soon. No offense, but I don't understand the logic of this post. Viciedo is a very good hitter. Do we not want those? He'd be replacing Pierre, so we'd be receiving an increase in AVG, OBP, and SLG, while lowering the team's CSs. That sounds like a significant upgrade across the board. As for Danks, how is he the hitter we need? He does nothing better than Viciedo other maybe draw a couple more walks and steal a few more bases. Does that make him a better fit for this offense? I'm hopeful that Danks is making progress with his swing, but you do not call up a guy with his strikeout history because a good couple of weeks. He would most likely get destroyed up here, which would simply stifle any progress he was making. Viciedo is ready and should be up here right now. Unfortunately, Ozzie and KW are willing to throw away this season by giving our worst hitter the most at bats on the team. Hopefully it will at least cost them their jobs.