Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 5, 2009 -> 01:39 PM) I personally think Zambrano has a higher upside the next few years than Peavy. He was a Sox fan growing up because of Ozzie. Maybe Ozzie being his manager plus Zambozo being new to the team, adjusts his attitude a bit. Frankly, I couldn't believe the Sox would have been able to get Peavy for that package and the money is virtually the same. I would make this trade in a heartbeat if I were KW. As for Hendry, right now he may think Peavy is better than Zambrano, and the Padres we know are in. There definitely is a huge risk, owing a guy like Zambrano that kind of money is risky, but it also could pay off huge. If I'm KW and it was possible, I definitely would do it. No way you trade that same package for Zambrano. While I agree that attitude would be less of an issue here, he's simply not the same caliber of pitcher as Peavy. More importantly, he's owed $18 million/yr for the next three seasons and has been on the DL a bunch of times the past couple of years (IIRC).

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 5, 2009 -> 01:12 PM) Viciedo is a lock to be in the top 100. He's young and getting better and better with more experience and I expect to see a significant increase in power the 2nd half of the season. Viciedo will be a White Sox next year and I'd rank him as the #2 prospect behind Jordan Danks with Poreda sliding in at 3 just ahead of Tyler Flowers. The main reason is the pure upside of Danks/Viciedo. Viciedo has a shot to be a Miguel Cabrera type. Not saying he will, but he has massive power potential and an ability to hit for a very high average. I f***ing love his swing. I don't know if he'll learn to draw the walks or not, but if he develops that he has the ability to be a HIGH HIGH HIGH impact player and I expect him to rank in the top 25 to 30 prospect by the time this season is done. If Jordan Danks keeps playing like he's playing, he'll be in the top 25 to 30 as well at seasons end. Cfers with his tools, mixed with the minor league prodution, aren't a common occurance. Poreda I have where he his because of that nice sinking fastball but I also love Flowers. I'd say all four guys, if they play well, have a shot at being top 50 guys. I don't know if anyone else in the system has a shot at getting into the top 100 though. Hudson/Carter have a chance if they pitch really strong at higher levels. I wouldn't anticipate any of our top picks making the list unless we draft Scheppers or something or whomever we draft signs immediately and just puts up ridiculous numbers. So you don't think Brandon Allen has a chance at cracking the Top 100? It's a close call in my book whether Baseball America includes him. Personally, I think he should make it, but the lack of power this season will definitely hurt his case. It's too bad, because his contact and walk rates are getting better. I think an increase in homeruns and doubles will happen in the second half. The only other guy I see having a shot is Hudson, but his control and ground-ball/fly-out ratio have gotten a lot worse since his promotion to high A. I think he'll rebound, but he'll need to be down-right dominant in the 2nd half if he wants to move back into consideration.

QUOTE (VAfan @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 04:26 PM) Nate McLouth, the gold glove winning CF for the Pirates, just ended up in Atlanta for 3 minor league prospects, one rated #4, another #7, and a third unrated. Further, McLouth is 27 and signed for 3 more seasons. He's got speed, some pop, and enough of an eye to have an OBP in the mid-.300s. I don't follow the NL that much, but am I wrong in thinking this guy could have been the answer we've been seeking in CF since Aaron Rowand rode out of town? Plus he's a lefty with some power, and by next year when Thome is gone, the Sox will have no one who can fill that job. What am I missing? Couldn't we have bettered Atlanta's deal and filled a glaring hole in our lineup and roster? Yeah, we easily could have bettered Atlanta’s deal, but McLouth is simply not worth the cost. We have a very good CF and leadoff prospect in Jordan Danks, who is probably a 1 - 1 ½ years away. Once Danks is ready, we’d have to move McLouth to a corner spot, where his production would only be league average at best. No reason to waste valuable assets on a short-term upgrade in CF. Also, it’s pretty clear that Kenny’s focus right now is a front-line starter who can help this year and in the future. We shouldn’t trade any of the young players we have in AA unless it’s for a right-handed, stud pitcher who’s locked up for several seasons. If we need do an upgrade at CF or 2B, we should be able to find some cheap short-term options once we get closer to the trading deadline just because of the economy.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 12:07 PM) I'm with you Rock. I should have qualified it by saying "until JorDanks arrives". The lineup I'd like to see post ASB: 1. Beckham 3B 2. Getz (a lot to prove still, granted, but a good handler of the bat, and you just KNOW Ozzie will love bunting GB over to 3rd after those leadoff doubles, to get that 1-0 lead. Needs to get steady AB's soon, so we know what we have, or don't have) 3. Q 4. JD 5. Thome 6. Paulie 7. Missile 8. AJP 9. BA (His potentially good OBP will help the lineup turnover, while his terrible situational hitting will do the least damage here) I've ALMOST given up on Fields, but I can see him as backing up 3B and 1B, as well as occasional DH against lefties - though Thome's been hitting LHP better of late. I think he's trade fodder, not that anything good will be sent our way for him. His chances of becoming a valuable piece in a trade are nearly gone. I don’t like moving Alexei out of the 2-hole. He’s been extremely productive there, especially with his speed and improved walk-rate this season. Once Quentin comes back, I think you got to keep riding Pods in the leadoff spot (and unfortunately in CF) until he gets injured or unproductive. At that point, you hope that Beckham or Getz has shown enough to hit one of them at leadoff and put BA in CF. As for Q himself, I’d hit him 6th until he gets his s*** together and then move him back to 3rd in the lineup. I really like the idea of the high-OBP of a healthy Quentin (if even possible this season) and Thome in front of Dye, Konerko and AJ.

My Top 10 prospects excluding Beckham: 1. Aaron Poreda 2. Jordan Danks 3. Dayan Viciedo 4. Brandon Allen 5. Tyler Flowers 6. Dan Hudson 7. Charlie Leesman 8. Dexter Carter 9. John Shelby 10. Jon Gilmore