Eminor3rd

HEY GAME THREAD!

Yeah, I think the best case is that he opts for his release, picks up a minimum contract somewhere else, and you at least save the ML minimum.

I say DFA Keppinger. If he clears, he goes to Birmingham. If not, welp, he's gone!

Lock for September

If you make a guy GM and give him responsibility for winning, you have to let him hire or fire personnel as he pleases.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 13, 2014 -> 01:46 PM) The bottom line is even if Semien hit there, it wasn't a huge upgrade, at least at this point in their careers. You might as well give Leury a shot. There might be a situation someday where he has to get a shot when you really have to win. I agree with that.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 13, 2014 -> 01:32 PM) Actually, coming into that AB Garcia .222/.282/.306 Semien .220/.286/.348 vs. LHP Garcia .357/.357/.571 Semien .250/.313/.432 Ok, so it was closer than one would think. The split data on Garcia isn't going to be useful after 16 PA.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 13, 2014 -> 01:21 PM) Oh I'm sorry, I mistated. Leury Garcia, because he is a major leaguer, is just as much a "clutch hitter' as anyone else in his hitting class, which if you go by the numbers, includes what was available on the White Sox bench last night. More accurately, Leury Garcia is just as much a .216/.275/.297 (56 wRC+) hitter as Marcus Semien is a .220/.286./.348 (73 wRC+) hitter. Semien was the better choice, but not because of his 2014 clutch hits.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 13, 2014 -> 01:02 PM) Anyone who hit in that situation would have been limited sample size. Semien has had some big clutch hits, but I was told there really is no such thing, it's just random, and he strikes out a ton anyway. Sierra, another name you mentioned, was acquired on waivers. Why do teams place really good hitters on waivers? Oh yeah, they don't. It is amazing how every little part of the game is picked apart when the team loses. Especially considering many of the people picking each game apart seem to think the Sox have very little chance to be very good anyway, yet if you read a game thread, if some posters here were managing, the Sox would be very close to being undefeated, so apparently this is an unbelievalbly talented team. Your capacity to misunderstand (or at least pretend to misunderstand) the difference between "no such thing" and "not predictive" is baffling. If you don't believe something, fine, but stop misrepresenting what others say by twisting arguments into dumbed-down nonsense.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 13, 2014 -> 09:21 AM) Read this. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/...on-taillon/#all http://www.espn.go.com/blog/high-school/ba...alks-tommy-john Could be why Aiken is the best choice, though. Doesn't throw quite as hard.

QUOTE (sammy esposito @ May 13, 2014 -> 04:53 AM) Does plate discipline have anything to do with swing at a curve ball a foot outside and in the dirt for strike 3. If it was once in a while but there is more than one that can't lay off those pitches .Can anyone tell them how to recognize those pitches. Indeed, a good two strike approach is difficult, especially against sliders. I think the idea is to be smart about pitch recognition early in the count and thus avoid being at the mercy of the pitcher's whim later.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ May 13, 2014 -> 07:52 AM) Crawford's 5th board is up: http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2014/05/the-board-volume-v/ Braxton Davidson at both 24 and 30. That's a bold call.

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 12, 2014 -> 11:24 PM) Hawk and Stone are talking about how trading Reed for Eaton was great trade by Hahn. BOTH Hawk and Stone. Seriously, their jobs are to be the voice of the team. Lift a finger, gentlemen. Say more than 10 different sentences.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 12, 2014 -> 09:37 PM) Kansas City has no transit system. Fans get in their cars and go. I think suburbia would support the Sox pretty well. People that want to see a Sox game or two would get in their cars and go to the games. How many fans nowadays who can afford tickets end up taking transit to the Cell for night games where the thought is you'll get mugged? I can understand you saying suburbia isn't the answer, but I don't see why you need transit. The suburbanites all have cars. Now will they want to pay the exorbitant Sox parking fees, I dunno. There comes a point an intelligent person just can't see paying $40 bucks or whatever it is to have your car sit in a lot for 3 hours. Kansas City is not Chicago. Removing public transit access from the third largest metropolitan city in the nation, which also happens to be politically liberal even moreso than a typical massive city, would instantly alienate a massive component of the fanbase, almost exclusively among the 30 and under crowd, which is vital for long-term success.

Jose Fernandez down. The culling continues

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ May 12, 2014 -> 03:31 PM) Viciedo is better than Avi Garcia. Maybe, but you wouldn't be able to trade Avi because he's coming off of injury, and Avi at least has the tools to be an average or better defensive OFer, where Viciedo is really nothing but an arm.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 12, 2014 -> 12:55 PM) I wouldn't say we have zero chance, but I would put the White Sox not winning the central at about two standard deviations of certainty. For sure. I like using FanGraphs playoff odds for at least approximate context. Gives projected final records based on projected ROS records: http://www.fangraphs.com/coolstandings.aspx Not exact, of course, but gives a frame of reference for tempering expectations.

Really wish he had some upside. Unfortunately he just looks like a AAA guy to me -- control is his kryptonite, but it doesn't look like he has the stuff to survive even if he develops 50-55 control.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ May 12, 2014 -> 10:36 AM) Judging from Hans M.O. I'd say trading Alexei is a possibilty if and only if he can get a MLB ready position player or starting pitcher. I think it's far more likely Hahn is hoping a guy like Viciedo has a good year and pawn him off after a strong season like he did with Santiago and the Angels did with Trumbo. Most likely the Sox will be looking for a LH outfielder who can catch the damn ball. If we assume Abreu and Eaton are for real and that Garcia bounces back fully from surgery, I'd have no problem at all moving Viciedo and getting a defense/speed guy to slot in to LF.

Alex Rios and improved plate discipline: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/batters...et-older-051214 Excellent example of why plate discipline helps hitting, not just walking.

Really awesome read. Videos add a lot. Great work

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ May 12, 2014 -> 12:00 AM) Didn't see the game, what happened? De Aza tripped on a fly ball and everyone decided it was because of lack of effort somehow.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 11, 2014 -> 11:41 AM) So with the change in pitchers approach to Flowers (he is seeing a lot more high fastballs instead of sliders off the plate with 2 strikes) his BABIP has fallen over 100 points, and he is still hitting .330. RIGHT SO STEROIDS Edit: and .260 since 4/18 despite the BABIP still being insane

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 11, 2014 -> 10:30 AM) Tyler Flowers is hitting. 330, if that's not drugs it's gotta be a miracle from above. Yeah those 2 homers man... dude's JACKED all the way to a .425 SLG. He has a .493 BABIP. That's the miracle from above.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 10, 2014 -> 10:38 PM) Makes you wonder if this team has been drug tested yet this season No, it doesn't. No one is doing anything they haven't shown the capability to do before.