kitekrazy

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 02:28 PM) I've noticed a trend where you post on a topic and talk about how topic X is a major failure. You don't have answers to any of these said failures, but you do acknowledge that they are failures over and over again. It's not his job to do that. It seems evident in this organization that the same people have not move this organization forward. The solution is to replace people until you get better results and it's not going to happen anytime soon.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 01:40 PM) Devils advocate, but do you consider him a finished product? I guess the real question is does this organization have the ability to improve him.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 29, 2015 -> 09:19 AM) Pretty much. The only other way around it is huge spending on 23 and older Cubans and/or the Asian market. However, with the success of Kang with the Pirates, you'll start to see more openness as far as the Korean leagues, imo. He's the second guy after Choo (recently) to make an impact (not counting Hee Sop Choi and Chan Ho Park). The White Sox went to Takatsu and Iguchi and then seemingly abandoned that market, for whatever reasons. My biggest problem is that I'm just not convinced Ventura and KW are the right leaders for this new generation of baseball....I still think they're too traditional/old school. That said, the White Sox had the biggest gain in defensive shifts from 2013 to 2014....they went from 73 to 534 in one season. No other team in the 2014 Top 13 was under 249 shifts in 2013, so that has been a big organizational change. Asian players seem to know the game better with fundamentals but it seems some of them don't last as long in MLB. Cubans don't seem as fundamentally sound at least for the Sox.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 05:02 PM) Rather than the question being asked, I'd be more interested to know how all players fare upon switching from one league to the other. Not interested in what it kinda sorta seems like players do, but rather actual data on the topic. I think AL pitchers do better in the NL. They basically have to pitch to 8 guys.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 29, 2015 -> 12:24 PM) He had half a dozen different chances to take a job where he could have written his own story and rules if he didn't like it here. Not only did he not want the jobs, he didn't even want to give the other teams a chance to talk him into them. I think $$$ has a lot to do with it. He was paid well as an asst. GM.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 29, 2015 -> 12:33 PM) A more general lesson that might be applicable to the White Sox and to other teams this offseason, and in other recent offseasons, is that it is very difficult to rebuild through the free agent market by paying for full-priced, multi-year talent. Especially if you don't have the roster to carry your team without that person. This cycle will have to repeat until they fix the farm. Trading bad players only expands AAA with maybe some hope one of them will be lightning in a bottle.

He stopped being a Tiger and now he's a Sox.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 06:00 PM) Well, then isn't it on the GM to find the RIGHT players who are internally-motivated, knowing their manager isn't exactly noted in this regard? It seems the rest of the season, we'll be going round and round in circles between the players, manager, coaching staff, Hahn, KW and Reinsdorf (organizational culture/loyalty) assessing blame. Should get old fast, since we've already spent the first half of the season on that same discussion and argument. They seem to find a lot of mentally weak ones and the ones they don't are home grown. No clutch, all choke.

In Ventura's defense, it's really difficult to have confidence in the pen lately. It's starting to look like last year.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 10:12 PM) Chris Young, Chris Carter, Michael Morse (peds case)....Daniel Hudson while it lasted. Miguel Olivo lasted for quite awhile but never quite lived up to his potential. Sweeney was good enough as a part-timer to get a decent offer from the Cubs but never lived up to Hawk's spring training hype. Of course, Nick Swisher couldn't have been more of a disaster with us and did fine with the Yankees and that short porch, well enough to get another sizable contract. It seems like the crap players we get rid of seem to do quite well against this team like Swisher and remember Wilson Betamit.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 12:52 PM) "The short definition of insanity". Watching this team will do that to you.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 01:12 PM) I think it is an anomaly as well. There is no reason in 2016 this team cannot get back to the 2014 success they achieved.......................... POST OF THE WEEK!

Another mentally weak loss. Who was your pick in Bloke to Choke?

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 08:14 PM) Exactly. Teams in playoff contention need a reliever who throws plenty of ground-balls and can strikeout quite a few hitters. Putnam should bring back a solid prospect or two if the Sox decide to trade him. How often has this worked in the past 10 year? This organization is bad at developing players or the scouting makes mistakes. Most likely they would get a pitcher out of it. Teams with losing records trade out of weakness unless it involves a Chris Sale type player. How many deals happen like the Cubs got?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 02:39 PM) If Robin Ventura put a catcher hitting about .175 fifty or sixty games imto the season, into the 2 hole with a team struggling, he would be called a moron. Ventura is trying to fimd a two hole hitter. Melky, Alexei, Beckham, Gillaspie, Shuck, Avi have all hit secomd. What the hell else is he supposed to do? Why don't you just tell us what the correct philosophy is and who the guy batting secomd should be. At this point he is tryimg to find something that will work. Nothing has as of yet, but he is still trying. That "philosophy" seems pretty sound. Philosophy is meaningless when you don't have the guys for it. So far no everyone has failed.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 04:55 PM) whether he is or isn't i will keep that answer to myself. however i still keep in the back of my thought processes the KW was the key architect or our great minor league system since 2000. Players that fit the Kenny model are still around or developed or acquired makes me believe Kenny still calls the shots.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 04:31 PM) Is the answer still Gio? Rowand? Gio is about it. They get bad players and pass them on and get bad in exchange.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 04:42 PM) Well, it's an "issue" until they are able to trade some of these guys. Until, for example, they get rid of some of these contracts they signed last offseason, I'll expect that they'll think "oh we can just retool this on the fly this offseason" and then fail mightily while doing so....again. What they get in return due to poor scouting will fail also, the exception might be a Coop'll fix em. Then that may last a year.

Next up players who got better leaving the Sox.

Does this end the argument that Kenny still has a lot of control?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 01:25 PM) 1. Dump as many of the guys we have right now as possible to come up with that money. 2. Actually develop some of our own players to fill a role or two. 3. Then use the money saved in step 1 to actually sign guys who can make a difference when we have a roster around them. 4. Do a better job of scouting players before we sign them. I don't think that is an issue with this organization. So far the they produce the same results with #3 because of #4. #2 is also a failure of #4.

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 12:17 AM) Team I'm pretty sure. The Sox would be crazy to pick up his option. I wouldn't rule it out when they don't have a replacement. That's why players like Flowers are still here.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 12:21 AM) I already included Podsednik. Edwin Jackson was terrible in Arizona and pitched quite well for Cooper. He hasn't been as dominant since. Peavy won the 2007 Cy Young...how much of his struggles were the AL (see Tigers) and how much the injuries, hard to say. Definitely disappointing overall. And even Davidson and Vizcaino blow the acquire all DBacks theory. Juan Uribe comg over from the Rockies for Miles would be another. Seems we need to stay in the NL West for our talent. I still like Uribe. He's always on winning teams. I remember Steve Rosenbloom saying Kenny couldn't acquire enough ex Royals and ex Indians which were losing organizations. They need to get scouts and instructors from the Cards.

I usually don't like to bring up other forums but read Mark Liptak's reply at WSI under Kenny Speaks (yet again...) Great response.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 10:42 PM) This year, we have Samardzija, LaRoche, Duke and Bonifacio all struggling to various degrees. Everyone remembers Dunn in 2011, and Jake Peavy for most of his time with the Sox. Is it just bad luck, bad scouting or there really is a signicant difference between the two leagues? Thinking back, it feels like only DBacks (Javy V., Edwin Jackson, Quentin and Eaton) have at least held their own in Chicago...along with the Cubans. The only other examples I could think of were Pods coming over from the Brewers, and Thome from the Phils. What gives? It seems this trend goes back a ways, even to Steve Sax and Tim Raines when he first left the Expos. I think so. There is probably more talent in the AL but it seems the NL plays a better team game. You have to be able to catch the baseball and run the bases in the NL. Jake Peavy was overrated but Sox fans could buy into his talk. Outside of two seasons he's not half the pitcher Mark B. was. I don't see how Javy and Jackson held their own. They fit the Sox profile of mental midgets. I thought Dunn would adjust to AL pitching after one season but he didn't. That's why I can give LaRoche a free pass this year. I'm not a fan of acquiring NL veteran players unless you are getting a Puljols type player. I have no problem if they are very young but Davidson blows that theory. So far it hasn't worked. I also have a theory we get too many players from organizations that are not consistent at winning. We have more choke than clutch on this team. It doesn't seem there's any mental toughness. Stink spreads. In the 2005 postseason you saw clutch from everyone.