thxfrthmmrs

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jul 29, 2017 -> 11:16 PM) Even money I take Jones of course but I'm not nearly as confident as some. As someone else said, Jone has had one fight in the last 2.5 years and he looked like s*** against OSP. If DC is right that Jones is a steroid guy maybe there is something in this fight. Regardless, it's easier to root for the good guy D.C. over the scumbag Jon Jones. Dude I agree Jones is a bum but DC to me is a fake good guy. Watching all of his interviews or promos about Jones he constantly uses Jones' misfortunes and demons to make himself look like a bigger person. Making a scene at the end and won't even let big John hold his hand is just poor sports.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jul 29, 2017 -> 06:59 PM) Take a look at this year's Twins. Same division as the Sox and they are one game under .500, are you really telling me the Sox can't do better than that next year? That same team that has a worse run differential than the Sox? Sorry to break it to you, they didn't come into the season looking to contend, they just were incredibly lucky record wise.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jul 29, 2017 -> 06:42 PM) They came into this season with trash and spun it into gold. I wouldn't worry too much about the pen. They'll find some guys this second half they like. Again, if you're hoping to spin bullpen trash into gold, then you aren't looking to win 81 games. Just stop.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jul 29, 2017 -> 06:37 PM) Rodon, Giolito, Lopez, a free agent and Shields. How is that even comparable to the 2016 rotation we have, when we had better offense, a better bullpen, and still did not win 81 games. You do realize Giolitto needs more work in the minors, and we don't know when and if Rodon would take the next step and become Sale. If that is the rotation you're suggesting, that your goal isn't to win .500 next year, it invalidates everything you have posted in this thread.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jul 29, 2017 -> 06:25 PM) They get to .500 by having a slightly below average club to start the year that gets progressively better as new arrivals come from the farm before ending the session in a good note. Signing Moustakas would not be a move simply for 2018, he'll still be around in 2019. Itd actually be shrewd to be a little extra active in 2018 free agency if everyone holds back to save up for the next year's feeding frenzy. I hope you don't suggest signing Moustakas will put this team on track for .500 ball next year. If your response is we will hand out more $$$ to sign other guys, I would tell you why do it in 2018 not 2019, when you can better assess where your holes are, not to mention a much strong FA class. Heck, even when we had prime Sale, Q, career year from Adam Eaton, 40 HR from Frazier, and a much stronger bullpen in 2016, we didn't even win 81 games. Just think for one moment how many holes we have to fill, and how many other free agents you will have to sign to get there, and to accomplish what exactly.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jul 29, 2017 -> 06:02 PM) Its not rushing. Kopech could easily be 100% ready this time next year (in fact, that's his exact trajectory) and Jimenez was considered by the Cubs MLB ready. They just didnt have a spot for him. Jimenez at the very least is forcing a AA callup (you could argue the Sox are wasting time and hurting his development leaving him in W-S much longer), and from there it's only one step to AAA. See what Boston did with Devers? It's not out of the ordinary to rocket a guy up to the majors who is playing well enough to justify such a quick ascension. I dont disagree to call up Kopech next season if he shows improved control in AAA, but we don't know if that's going to be May or September. You keep pointing out Cubs thinking Jimenez is ready, but the fact is they assigned him to A ball and didn't even call him up to AA the whole season. You say we cannot trust Hahn or this front office, but rather choose to hang on to one quote by the Cubs FO from the past. Going to back your earlier point that Sox's goal is to get to .500 next year, how do you suggest they do that if Kopech and Jimenez isn't up by July or August or even later? Do you suggest to promote them in May regardless if they're ready and let them sink or swim? Why put goal record-wise when you don't know who is ready for a promotion next year? I am not sure if that accomplishes anything besides signing wrong free agents and limit yourself in the 2019 class and risk of rushing prospects.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jul 29, 2017 -> 05:55 PM) I think they can and should try to complete and on a game-by-game basis. I think they should not lose on purpose the way they are losing now. I think .500 next year would be a success. Whether they will do any of things is up to the front office. To say with complete certainty they will pick 1.1 next year is equally presumptuous as saying they will win the ALC. As for the one defending Rick Hahn's honesty, this team has not been forthright regarding injuries. They don't have to be, it's not a knock, but they don't have a problem lying. To say they are losing on purpose is where you're mistaken. Players are still competing and giving their best effort (they are still playing for their next contract mind you), and competing on a game by game basis. Whether they are winning or losing next year is irrelevant because we know the team is only going to get better when rest of the core arrives.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jul 29, 2017 -> 04:14 PM) There's a lot more to baseball than just adding/subtracting WAR numbers. This year's team has clearly quit, they are fine with being walked all over. WAR is not going to capture the aura of dread that surrounds the current squad. It's ok to have one season like this, but losing is a plague. I dont think it's a good idea to have an MVP talent like Moncada waste his service time on a team that won't be trying to contend this decade. Cubs lost 101 games in Anthony Rizzo's rookie year, and 96 games the year after. So all of a sudden Rizzo became a bad baseball player cuz the team didn't surround him with the right talent? There is absolutely no point in rushing other prospects development just because Moncada was more advanced than the rest. The risk of ruining guys like Jimenez and Kopech by rushing them up is far, far greater than letting Moncada get use to perennial losing.

I don't like the idea of batting Moncada in the middle of the order this early in his career, where he will be pressured to contribute more with his bat and power than his speed. I see him as the lead off hitter on the 2020 team, so might as well get him the experience he needs there.

With Alvarez moving to AAA, I am surprised they didn't move Flete up to AA to play 2B. Kid looks ready for it.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 28, 2017 -> 01:01 PM) This is actually where I will agree with you on Reinsdorf. As the owner of a company, you hire people to run a company. Let them run the company. He has control over who runs the company and the general vision of the company (in the case of baseball, contend or rebuild). If a company is not performing well, the owner needs to put pressure on the staff and cut ties when needed. JR's loyalty to his employees are well known in both of his teams, allowing mediocre management to continue to run the teams when they should have been let go. A successful owner wants to win at all cost, winning translates to more revenue in sports. There is a reason the Sox saw their attendance, revenue and franchise valuation plummet in recent years.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 27, 2017 -> 05:50 PM) Done, traded for Drew Smith. Feels like the Sox got a better return for Dan Jennings than the Mets did for Lucas Duda. That blows my mind. Duda is a rental. Jenning is an effective LOOGY controllable through 2019.

Looks like Robert is close to a return. Back in uniform per IG.

Kopech has a resting pitch face. Purse looks like some guy from a Will Ferrel movie. Hansen is just epic, probably gets half of his strikeouts with that face.

QUOTE (KagakuOtoko @ Jul 27, 2017 -> 09:10 AM) I am looking forward to the fights this weekend. I'm travelling to Madison with some buddies. We're going to drink, make bets, and watch people beat the souls out of each other. Jon Jones is easy money, pay off your house. Jones fought once in the last two and a half years and wasn't anywhere near dominant in his only fight. I think this will be a tough fight for him. And it's not easy money of the fight might not happen!

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jul 26, 2017 -> 10:49 PM) Are we really even mentioning the majors for Hawkins because he's gone 4 weeks hitting .256/.320/.412, bringing his overall line to a whopping .185/.239/.327? Dude is dead as a prospect. I'm holding out 1% hope that Hawkins becomes a second division starter in the big leagues, given that we also thought Matt Davidson was dead as prospect 2 years ago.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 26, 2017 -> 10:34 PM) Definitely does. On a breaking ball no less! On an unhittable Jake Arrieta curveball no less!

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jul 26, 2017 -> 08:57 PM) Hansen > Adams Guerrero > Adams No love for Guerrero on this board or he just gets lost in the long list of pitching prospects we have. Adams to me is on par with Stephen.

Great to see Kopech finishing the year strong. Give him two more starts to hit 110 innings and let him rest his arm for the rest of the year.

QUOTE (Username @ Jul 25, 2017 -> 06:54 PM) The more I look into this guy the more I like it. Didn't realize he's 6' 4" 205 and can apparently run. A good athlete apparently. Good catch on the frame, might hit for more power in the next couple of years as he gets more comfortable with the refined swing.

Looks like he's more well rounded than Tilson, and much more likely to pan out than Basabe. Average to above average tools across the board, and Longenhagen thinks he a more true 5 tools player than many players with that label. QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Jul 25, 2017 -> 06:29 PM) initial reaction is yuck. Would rather some 19 year old in low A. So you would take another Basabe? I would rank this guy over Basabe in our top 30 right now.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jul 25, 2017 -> 08:57 AM) Good discussion in here. I am equally nervous about player dev. That's not to say Collins is written off to me, just that I've significantly lowered Collins down in my head. And that's a big shift. We've blamed for years the lack of farm output on drafting long-tail players like Mitchell/Hawkins/Walker that had poor hit grades and never improved. Well this was our draft of polished college hitters. Collins/Call/Fisher. All good OBP. Good college production. They've all stumbled at the first big challenge (I recognize it's sort of unfair for Call). I keep saying it, but I was reading the longenhagen bio of Jimenez, which talked about all the mechanical updates Jimenez made in the past two years to go from raw to possible 70 hit grade. I just don't know the last time I've ever read that about a sox player. And I don't know if Jimenez did it himself. If I recall, for years the sox philosophy was let them carry what got them there for as long as they could and then fix it when it's broken. Sure seems like that's the same. Still same guy at top (Bell). We've heard of all of the changes, but all of them were a bunch of essentially first year guys. Why would we take that risk before the rebuild? We couldn't hire some player dev guys out of Arizona that turned AJ Pollock and Peralta into above average offensive players? It just seems like for hitters we are relying on them to figure it out on their own. And I hope they can do it. Most on this board were soured by the Shields Tatis Jr. trade, but do we actually think Sox can turn help Tatis tap into his offensive potential? I've been preaching a lot around here lately on focus to build up a quality developmental program in the minors for long term success. If the player developmental guys in Houston or AZ know what they're doing developing hitters, why aren't we spending the extra $$$ to pry those guys away from those orgs. If refining swings through data analytics is what's helping guys become better hitters today, why aren't we spending to build up a team of hitting coordinators who are fluent in analytics. The cost of it would barely make a dent on the financial savings we're accruing on the big league roster. This rebuild shouldn't just be about selling the big league roster to build up the farm, it's also a good opportunity to get rid of coaches and coordinators who have not show success in developing the young guys. Until I see guys like Moncada, Collins, or Rutherford who have questionable hit tools finding their strides offensively, I'm still cautiously optimistic about our farm system.

QUOTE (yesterday333 @ Jul 25, 2017 -> 12:40 PM) No one is saying you cant disagree but every time Collins (or any other player we drafted) gets brought up, people have to chime in with, "we could've had this player I wanted." It gets pretty old. Sox aren't perfect at drafting, no pro sports team is. However, the Sox seem to have struck out on every positional player they picked over the past 15 years. What is wrong with someone revisiting the decisions that the team has made if they don't agree with?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 09:01 PM) He is making less than Felicio, I mean come on. I think he may make less than MCW now. I mean go on YouTube to search for MCW in 2016 and watch what garbage $2M will bring you these days.

QUOTE (rodh @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 11:45 PM) Following is part of a post I made about Collins back in August 2016. [ I follow the draft with great interest and suffice to say I was not a fan of the Collins pick and have a draft bias against his profile as a hitter. While his College stats show he 1. Has plate discipline (high walk total) 2. Good batting average 3. Good power the fact that he struck out between 4-5 ABs (excluding walk count) is very concerning. As the prospect transitions to professional ball their strike out rate tends to increase especially as they move up to higher milb levels. ] The premise of my analysis in my previous post is if a College hitter strikes out every 4-5 ABs against college pitchers then it is unlikely they will succeed against superior professional pitchers. Looking back thru WSox draft history there are many failed prospects who fit this profile and it is difficult to find any that have succeeded. Maybe mechanical changes can help Collins (i.e. tone down that big pre-swing waggle) but I just don't like selecting a College hitter like Collins this high in the draft. This years draft crop of College hitters had better contact rates and it will be interesting to follow their progression in milb. He only hit .300 his first 2 years at Miami. That isn't a great BA for a college hitter, certainly not for a first round pick. If the that is the real Zack Collins, and the .360 hitter from his junior year is just an outlier, then based on college and pro stats in 3 out of the last 4 years you have a below average to poor hitter, someone who can work the count and also strikeout a bunch at the same time with average to above average defense. That adds to about a .220/.320/.400 hitter at the big leagues if he gets there. But of course he won't hit .220 every year, some years he may hit .240 and become a viable starter (much better than what we get out of Narvaez and Kevan Smith), and some years he may hit below the mendoza line and work himself back to the minor leagues. That's what I expect out of Collins at this point.