Eminor3rd

QUOTE (StrykerSox @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 03:30 PM) I am truly saddened that Greg's "Convert to TA to being a catcher so he can be a Sal Perez style star with low OBP and 70 RBIs" post was allowed to be deleted without notice. In light of that situation, I'm more concerned about SoxTalk than I am about Tim. My POTY nomination.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 12:53 PM) Never thought of that. You guys almost need a locker somewhere by the field, but I'd guess space is limited as well. I'd hate to work in soaked shoes and socks all day. Do minor league teams pay the interns? Do they pay people for real hours worked? I can only imagine putting in 80-100 hours a week on a homestand and not getting paid or paid for 40. Everywhere I've worked, we've paid our interns. But it never USED to be that way -- labor laws are changing everything. Now, we are just under strict orders to make sure we don't let them past 40 hours so they are owed overtime. We full-timers are, of course, salaried, and not eligible for overtime. But, we all know what we signed up for. Lots of people get out when they start families, for example. QUOTE (DestroyBaseball @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 01:35 PM) It varies according to team. Some teams don't pay interns at all, some pay them like regular employees, some pay them starting from gameday employee report time, even if they've been there longer. It's all about experience and building a network at that point in a career anyway. I was extremely lucky to get an internship that covered my rent. And thanks for the positive response, everyone! Homestands in the minors can feel like these isolated dreamlike bubbles of time where everything blends together because of sleep deprivation and stress (eminor3d, sounds like you know this), and rainy days within those homestands feel like another isolated bubble in themselves. It's an experience. I think the thing I love most about it is how tightly knit the office becomes. The job simply makes NO sense on paper -- and as I'm sure you can attest, can be really hard to explain to other people. "Wait you work HOW much? And you don't get overtime?" I always appreciate the camraderie that arises from being around the only people that actually understand why you do it. Getting ready for an 8-gamer starting on Monday, lol. Earlier this season, I was shocked to find out we were shooting fireworks on a Tuesday night, only to find out that I was wrong and it was actually Friday.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 01:04 PM) Powerhouse? The cubs are barely a .500 team. /green They just won a World Series, and they're set to be the favorites in their division for the foreseeable future. I think that's literally everything you can ask for your team to give you.

QUOTE (turnin' two @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 12:12 PM) Didn't mean to do that, called out that he adds a lot offensively. With that said, Belt's career high OPS (868) is lower than Abreu's career avg (872). Now Belt had a better OPS last year, spurred on by over 100 BBs and over 40 2B. But it is dangerous to measure Belt by last year as he had career bests in H, 2B, 3B, BB (by a super wide margin), RBI, OBP and OPS. He has also had number fluctuate between OPSs of .755-.868. He is also in the midst of a pretty poor season currently. I will take the steadiness and production of Abreu anyday. Ahh yes, but you haven't considered park factors. If you use wRC+ (which includes park factors), you'll see Belt as a career 127 and Abreu as a career 136. Still better, but a much smaller difference, and one that is almost certainly erased by defense. I'm not arguing for getting rid of Abreu, just sayin'

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 01:06 PM) None of the rebuild talk makes sense so if you want to stay on the board you have to endure. Personally I think rebuilding is a great crutch for the front office. No matter how bad things get the employees can just tell the owner and fans, "We're in a rebuild. It will all pay off someday." Man, the Sixers did the world a disservice by making tanking and rebuilding a sports term. It used to be if you were quietly rebuilding (Pirates, Royals, etc) you were derided and mocked and chastised and probably had to go through 2-3 general managers and managers before the alleged rebuilding finally paid off with a division title. At least you got properly mocked publicly for having to rebuild in the first place. Now it's cool for the advanced statniks to rebuild ... even though we have a thread on here wanting to trade Avi and a thread on here bemoaning how our ss of the future looks average at best. Rebuilding ... thanks Sixers for making it cool. NOT. Greg, how can you POSSIBLY hold this worldview having JUST witnessed the Cubs and Astros turn from total embarrassments into powerhouses by following this exact process? I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but do you literally only pay attention to the White Sox and Royals? Also, are you actually just angry that we "statniks" are trying to find a way to enjoy our team during this period? Is THAT what this is about? You are upset because we aren't acting miserable? Tell me that isn't it greg, because that is some of the most childish s*** I've ever heard.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 12:57 PM) Great article. The first time this happened to me and I soaked four pairs of shoes would be my signal to find thigh high yellow boots and some sort of raingear to purchase. People might laugh at me but after they get their shoes and socks soaked and are sitting there in misery all day and night they'd follow me to Wal Mart and buy their own yellow boots. I'm assuming these minor league teams pay their interns very little and don't have to pay them from working 7:30 am. til 11 p.m. Excellent fun article and my admiration to the author for working all day and night and getting soaking wet in the process. Fewer of us end up with the rain boots than you'd think -- the problem is that we all have other ballpark tasks during the game, so we have to wear stuff than can arguably be ruined but also retain the barest sense of professionalism. It is a paradox, indeed.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 09:07 AM) I don't disagree with your first sentence, but I don't know how well it would go over in NY if they are in a tight race with Boston and they just half-ass it because they are afraid to move a prospect. Not saying I disagree with Eminor and that Cashman will go on tilt or something, but if there is an opportunity, I have to think he won't be afraid to move a few pieces, even from their top tiers, to try and make some noise in the Postseason. Yeah, I think he'll add a starter, I just don't think he's going to make the type of deal that's going to cost him 5-6 prospects like a Quintana + Abreu type of thing.

He'll improve. I've always felt he's going to be more of a league average player with a few above average seasons at peak rather than any kind of star. I don't see any reason to be down on him based on this year, though.

QUOTE (harkness @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 07:24 AM) I agree with much of this post... but the defense Is that sarcasm about the defense? Hosmer won the gold glove at 1B 3 straight years... No offense, my friend, but the Gold Glove award being a joke is one of the only things that ALL baseball fans, from all eras and walks of life, can agree upon.

QUOTE (striker @ Jun 22, 2017 -> 04:12 AM) Thoughts on Q + Abreu to Yankees? It would gut their minors but they are facing a 40 man crunch soon. Something like Frazier, Fowler, Andujar, Floria, Austin, Adams Everything I've heard from Cashman suggests he is NOT going to gut the minors. Doesn't mean he won't make a trade, but he isn't going to turn around and give back everything he stole over the past couple years.

Lol, yes. I can vouch for every word of this. All facts.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 21, 2017 -> 01:09 PM) I really feel like that ship sailed with JR's check to Luis Robert and MLB's tax fund. Exactly. That was WAY out of character for JR. Not just something he hasn't done, but something he's actively lobbied against. We basically HAVE to take that as evidence that Rick Hahn sold it hard, and that JR is definitely willing to go off the deep end if Hahn makes a good enough case. But the immediate trade for marginal amounts of international bonus salary relief and the slight underslot reaches in the first couple rounds of the draft, IMO, are evidence that JR insisted that Hahn borrow from one place to support another. And if that's true, I'm totally cool with it -- both from JR (who just dropped a chunk of money on something he doesn't personally like) and Hahn (who correctly assessed that this was a draft in which it was worth it to punt a bit to get Robert, who is a much better prospect than anyone available anyway).

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 21, 2017 -> 09:44 AM) What happened to Alexei's defense in 2010 when Vizquel was playing 3B next to him? You're telling me that whether you have Abreu or Brandon Belt over there, it makes no appreciable difference to the middle infielders? For our defensive results, sure. Not in player development, no. And if it does, then they aren't mentally ready for the Majors.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jun 20, 2017 -> 09:08 PM) This is what regression to the mean looks like. Yep, and this is why, when people start talking about holding Kahnle until next year if we don't get x top-whatever prospects, we must remember that the proper time to sell relievers is when they are demanded.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jun 21, 2017 -> 12:48 PM) Panda, Swihart, Ball, and Owens $15M for Frazier, Swarzak, and the remaining $36M owed to Panda over the next 2.5 seasons. Sox get a few reclamation projects in three former top 100 prospects and can plug Panda in at DH and hope he builds enough value back up to trade again in another year. Red Sox are facing a 40 man roster crunch and this frees two spots for them to add Devers and protect another guy. I highly doubt the White Sox are going to be taking salary on this year.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 21, 2017 -> 10:13 AM) Anderson and Moncada's confidence will be affected to an extent defensively...thinking every off target throw will result in an error. Young pitchers won't be helped by pressure of additional high stress pitches/innings. Etc. Oh come on

I wouldn't be surprised if the cost savings on Burger ends up being simply cost savings. Just like trading for that International spending. Also, if I'm right, I'm okay with it. They spent $50mm acquiring a prospect.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 20, 2017 -> 09:08 AM) http://www.espn.com/videohub/video/clip/_/...egoryid/2521705 Hosmer will be 28-31 if he signs a four year deal for, let's say, $70 million...although talk now after these last two months is that he's going to cost more than that. Will probably get at least five years, too. At any rate, the point was signing an undervalued (leftover one, due to glut of options on the market), not someone close to peak value. A team like the Yankees or Red Sox will be more interested. Santana might be the only one that fits that description. He's not a good defender, but he could always hit for power and put up some strong walk numbers. We absolutely do not want to be the sucker that gives Hosmer a big FA deal.

Nah. No one on that list can be expected to be good for more than the next couple seasons.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 18, 2017 -> 01:53 PM) But for a guy like Albies? You address the Sanchez part of the argument here, but not really the Albies part. That's all I'm saying -- that the presence of Sanchez should not affect our ask on trades at all.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 16, 2017 -> 12:44 PM) I don't know that I even do believe in Sanchez yet, but that profile is so dependent upon average that there's a lot of bust potential there. That's what scares me most. Yeah, I absolutely believe in him as a useful MLB player, but definitely not as a type of guy who is good enough that you avoid opportunities to acquire better players as an upgrade. He would be a strong utility-man who could very adequately rest three key positions in the infield, and that's nothing to shake a stick at, especially at arb/pre-arb prices.

We need a board-wide training session on creating polls that allow multiple selections.

The reality is we just don't really know what we have with him yet. Physical specimen? Yes. Exciting prospect? Of course. But there are many many dudes who can run into one but can't hit MLB pitching. We're going to need at least the rest of this season to make any type of useful guess at a timeline.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 16, 2017 -> 05:16 PM) Watson and Melancon aren't that exciting. Herrera is in Q territory, they have to hold onto him. So available options aren't exactly enticing. Herrera is a pending FA though, right?

Yeah I'd say that's 2-3 spots high for Burdi, and I agree that Stephens > Diaz, though I think that's about the range they both belong. Overall, though, I'd say that's about right. Definitely feels weird to have the 1st round pick fall outside of the top ten.