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QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Apr 24, 2013 -> 09:49 AM) Better keep batting Done 4th. I've always been a defender of him in the 3 hole, but now that Manto/Baines have convinced Dunn to swing at bad pitches, I'd rather have him batting 9th than anything.

So this is not a make-up doubleheader?

Semien was highlighted on FanGraphs today as part of Cistulli's "Fringe Five," as someone who is performing his way into some level of noteworthiness: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-fringe-...-april-24-2013/

QUOTE (danman31 @ Apr 22, 2013 -> 09:22 PM) Who cares how interesting of a prospect they are? It's a results business. I don't care high school or college and no one should (or does) in retrospect. It's all about what they turned into, not where they came from. But age is a massive factor in how players turn out. Guys drafted out of HS have 4 years more at-bats in a professional system.

QUOTE (qwerty @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 01:55 AM) Mario Mendoza is not the worst hitter ever. So irritating to consistently hear such nonsense. Yeah, come on, Passan should understand the definition and implications of the Mendoza line. I really don't like Passan the past few years.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 23, 2013 -> 10:50 AM) The defense, and some fundamental hitting/baserunning stuff, does conern me too. And getting that fixed falls on the coaching staff. What happened to Robin forcing everyone into pre-game defense drills? Does that still happen? I remember Hawk mentioning that they were one of the only teams to do that last year and it was because the staff determined that the fundamentals needed work.

This is the earliest in the year that I just can't stay interested in the outcome of games. This is just bad, ugly baseball. I'm a patient man, but this is just garbage. It's not fun to watch, and it's not fun to follow. I hope it gets better.

I'm so tired of this bush league bulls***. Not even worth my time.

Masterson is historically a platoon guy. We need our lefties to show up today.

Julio Borbon is on waivers. I don't know.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 18, 2013 -> 10:30 AM) May have found an opportunity overseas. A good guess, but it appears this is not the case: Rangers claims Charlie Leesman

QUOTE (Lillian @ Apr 19, 2013 -> 07:51 AM) If this is a muscle tear, or a pull, Viciedo would likely go on the D.L., for an extended period. Then maybe my wish for the Sox to sign Grady Sizemore, for the second half, might come true. I know that many on this board think that he is finished, but at 30, I would think that he would still be an offensive force. I'd love to see him bat right in the heart of the order: LF de Aza 2B Keppinger RF Rios CF Sizemore 1B Konerko SS Ramirez DH Dunn C Flowers 3B Gillaspie Great defensive outfield, improved OBP, better balance of right and left handed hitters, and more speed. Lol

RIP Leesman White Sox to release Charlie Leesman

Lame. I like Catch-all

Fun game to watch.

He's proven he can get through the lineup once. I have my doubts about more. This is cool though, the "modern bullpen" is so dumb and hierarchical, it's good to see it being used to solve problems creatively as they come up.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 16, 2013 -> 04:09 PM) But you know what? That simply isn't "Great pitching". Top of the league in ERA ought to be the standard for great pitching. With the ballpark factor you might tell me it's tolerable...it's clearly not "Bad" pitching, but it's not the level of pitching that will carry a team to the playoffs. I don't know if I'd call it "great" either, but another factor that has made the SP really good is the amount of innings they've covered, which is very valuable in maximizing the value of a bullpen. This is why the fWAR of our pitching is always so high.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 16, 2013 -> 04:06 PM) I think the longer you hold on to Rios, Peavy, and maybe even De Aza beyond this trade deadline the lesser their trade value will be. As far as position goes, unfortunately because of the state of our minors, I would not make position a priority in any trade that's made. Sure, if Rios and Peavy are at peak value AND there is a team willing to give up surplus value for them, then it is the right time to trade and you've made a good long-term decision. As far as stocking the minors for position, I agree with you, but I think the other poster was talking about the suggestion of getting rids of controllable major league assets like De Aza and Viciedo, which I think is a bad idea unless you get a lopsided offer -- because you're just creating a different hole to fill later otherwise.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 16, 2013 -> 03:50 PM) Yeah I know there's a ballpark effect built in, but in terms of ERA, the Sox haven't had "Great pitching" the last 3 years, they've had mediocre pitching. Each of the last 3 years the Sox have been 8th or tied for 8th in the AL in ERA. Compare that to 2009, they were 2nd in the AL in ERA. They've invested a lot in their pitching staff in both money and talent and it has not produced great pitching year to year. A whole lot of that, FWIW, is Jake Peavy and his associated injury, which has hurt every one of those years. But ballpark factor is exactly why ERA is not a good way to judge pitching.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 16, 2013 -> 03:35 PM) I can't answer your questions and to me they're not very important. The Sox desperately need cheap offensive talent regardless of position. But I think this process has started. Rushing it will only ensure you get less value out of the assets you use -- both talent and dollars. And those questions of positions are extremely important, ESPECIALLY if you advocated a scorched-Earth approach to rebuilding because if you don't have them covered, where are you when the core you want exists in a few years? You still have a bunch of other positions to fill and you dumped all of your tradeable assets for pennies on the dollar.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 16, 2013 -> 02:20 PM) True, but this seems to corrolate with age. They have to get younger. Definitely. That's what I mean about making sound long-term investments. The downside is that you have to wait for those opportunities to come rather than just deciding to go Blue Jays/Marlins one year. We would have to be content that the changes our team makes for next year may simply not be enough for next year. But, if those changes don't hurt us AFTER next year, then we'll be improving from a better base from then on.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 16, 2013 -> 02:08 PM) I do think the loss of Beckham hurts our lineup a lot. I just want to let that line sink in. Who would have expected THAT to be said at any point this year?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 16, 2013 -> 11:54 AM) Why spend money to try to stay in the middle though? Better to save resources as you rebuild. That option isn't perfect either of course. I don't think that's how it is though -- it's spending money as necessary to make sound investments in improving your team every year. Ideally, the money you spend nds up being on resources that produce long-term value. So it's NOT going for broke on the free agent market unless you have the chance to acquire a good buy, and it's NOT trading everyone for whatever you can get unless you feel like you are getting the better end of the deal. Very rarely do teams go from horrible to winners, much more frequently they go from decent to better, to winners.

I had a weird thought last night that I wanted to record here, just in case it happens. Seattle sours on Jesus Montero because Zunino keeps raking and they extend a revived Kendrys Morales. Sox acquire Montero over the offseason for some pitching prospects because Flowers isn't very good and Konerko retires and they figure he can play first if he never learns to catch.