Paulstar

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jan 13, 2014 -> 10:38 AM) Bears announced they will retain defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. It's not a surprising move because Tucker is a good coach, but GM Phil Emery understandably delayed on his decision after Chicago finished 2013 ranked No. 30 in total defense and 31st in points allowed. Per beat writer Brad Biggs' count, MLB D.J. Williams missed ten games and WLB Lance Briggs missed six, while DLs Henry Melton (13 missed games), Nate Collins (11), and Stephen Paea (3) were also injury casualties. Rather than axing Tucker, the Bears are using DL coach Mike Phair and LB coach Tim Tibesar as scapegoats. Put simply, Chicago needs better luck and for Emery to add more talent to field a competitive defense. Per Rotoworld Looks like others thought they were scapegoats also. Scapegoat in this situation would have been Tucker. Maybe I'm completely wrong, but looking at the facts, these two firing make a whole lot more sense than firing Tucker. -Emery has experience with the 3-4 and was pretty successful scouting for the Chiefs 3-4 defense before he came to Chicago. So far in Chicago, he has drafted a lot of guys who are better fits for the 3-4 than the Cover 2 (McClellian, Bostic, Washington, Hardin). -Trestman had his Canadian teams run a 3-4 defense. -One of the reasons why Tucker was hired was probably because of his versatility in the 3-4 and 4-3 fronts. -Phiar was a Lovie guy, and if there is a switch in scheme coming up, he wouldn't fit. Makes perfect sense that he's out. -Tibesar was a Trestman guy and his firing is actually a little more surprising because he did coach the 3-4 in Canada with Trestman. This, plus some other rumors I've heard about him (always f***ing up teaching Lovie's system, probably didn't command much respect from the LB's) lead me to believe he just wasn't a good coach at this level. -I'm always going to take whatever some dude says on rotoworld with a grain of salt. If they were gonna fire all the assistants and call them scapegoats, why was Hoke retained? Hoke coached the secondary and we saw how the safeties struggled all year. Hell, why keep any of them? It simply boils down, at least in my opinion, that Trestman has a lot of faith in Tucker and Hoke, and that they plan on bringing in new coaches for the front 7 that will fit whatever new scheme they run. I'd be shocked if they continued to play any form of a base 1-Gap 4-3 which is basically what a cover 2 defense is. I really feel a switch to a 3-4 is coming, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some form of a 2-Gap 4-3 which is really similar to a 3-4 in a lot of ways.

QUOTE (chisoxfan310 @ Jan 13, 2014 -> 10:35 AM) With Brian Roberts signed to play second, they should count on Kelly Johnson getting a lot of playing time at second base. Keppinger has the ability to play second and third so he may make sense for them in a platoon at third. They have Nunez and Ryan who they seem pretty content with as the backups. They already have a tight roster, so odds are they would prefer guys on minor league contracts or prospects than an expensive Jeff Keppinger who would force them to get rid of one Ryan or Nunez.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jan 13, 2014 -> 01:35 AM) Why a right handed bat? I would think they would want the lefties to take advantage of that short porch in RF where the ball just flies. A balanced line-up, I guess, but they have so many switch hitters on that team that they could be absolute death on RHP and survive against LHP. I mean, they have what, 4 switch hitters on that team? Kelly Johnson is going to be their starting 3B. Plus, at that ballpark now, it's a short porch to LF, CF, and RF.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jan 12, 2014 -> 07:43 PM) http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0,5569076.story Mel Tucker will return, LB and DL coaches fired and used as scapegoats. I was hoping for someone new, injuries or not Tucker led defenses have never been anything but average at best. I don't think they are scapegoats at all. The front seven played terrible this season and lacked fundamentals, which is one reason why they weren't brought back. The second reason is this clearly shows to me that the Bears are going to change their defensive schemes and either switch to a 3-4 or some type of 2-gap scheme. I would have understood if Tucker was fired because the defense was bad last year, but I think it really is a good move keeping him, and it shows how much faith Trestman has in him to keep him (Trestman pretty much had a new DC every year in Canada). Sure, looking at it stat wise, Tucker's never had great defenses when he's been the DC. But he's never been anywhere great and he's never had full reign over the defense. First, he was in Cleveland where Romeo Crennel was the HC and probably had a lot of say regarding the defense, then in Jacksonville with Jack Del Rio as the HC who also probably had final say on the defense. His first time really being the top defensive coach on a team was in 2012 and that was a really bad Jaguars team with no bright spots. And then last year he was in a s***ty situation of trying to keep a completely foreign system and running effectively. I don't think people realize how hard that is for a coach to do. Also, before this s***ty season, Tucker has always been regarded highly in the coaching community, from what I've read. He almost got the Jaguars job after Jack Del Rio, and the fact he was able to transition from Crennel to Del Rio and then be expected to run a 3rd completely different defense with the Bears shows how he must have a high football IQ. Plus, he worked for two of the best college coaches EVER in Tressel and Saban. I know I'm in the minority, but I'm actually pretty excited to see what he comes up with next year. Plus, with his back being against the wall, I have a feeling he'll make sure to give his absolute best effort.

They don't need Gillaspie. They need a right handed bat that can play 3B, and it looks more and more likely that they are satisfied going into the season with Kelly Johnson at 3B, Brian Roberts at 2B, and a combo of Ryan and Nunez being the backup infielders. If anything, I could see someone like Carlos Sanchez be appealing to them as he seems pretty close to MLB ready and can get called up in case one of Roberts or Jeter gets hurt.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2014 -> 04:04 PM) Chris Beck would almost certainly be on the list of "Guys we'd be looking to trade" at some point if that scenario went down also, but there's nothing wrong with that Agreed. Just the added flexibility would make a lot of sense for the Sox, especially since it looks like the future catcher or left handed middle of the order bat is going to have to be acquired via trade.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2014 -> 03:56 PM) That would certainly be one sensible thing to do if we signed the guy...but so far it definitely seems like the org really likes Quintana. They gave him the shot above other people when he had been at AA for a month, they pushed him hard and he keeps responding well, and they traded Santiago instead of him already Oh yeah, I'm sure the Sox like Quintana a lot. You could also add Erik Johnson as a similar guy who could be traded in that scenario.

I could see the White Sox feeling that an added bonus of signing Tanaka would make it more flexible to trade Quintana for a young impact bat in the near future.

If he was signed by the Yankees or Red Sox people would be predicting him being ROY, greatest cuban player ever, blah blah blah. If he's a 140+ K guy with no plate discipline, I sincerely doubt Hahn and the White Sox would have given him the contract they did. High K rates and no plate discipline is exactly the opposite of what Hahn has shown as GM thus far. I'm guessing the White Sox view him to turn into more of a Konerko during his prime type than a Mark Reynolds type.

Seven... or Isosceles.

Frank Thomas is the obvious choice for now. I also think a throw back to The Kids Can Play days would be cool for the season.

I think people are overreacting how much the Yankees are willing to pay for Tanaka. I'm sure they are going to be in it for the 15-20 million annual range, but I don't see them willing to spend over 20 million annually on him. They still have to deal with A-Rod after this year, and if they go over 20 million on Tanaka they are right back to where they were with no breathing room under the luxury tax. I'd be more worried about the Dodgers being the ones to spoil all the fun and offer him something nuts.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jan 10, 2014 -> 02:08 PM) Brian Anderson had legitimate power potential and was a sure bet CF defensively with an arm and range. A much more talented & toolsy player than Eaton, regardless of whatever their minor league statistics say. Anderson was a total bust. He was taken 15th overall and was not a reach. Sweeney was also a total bust. He was perhaps the most exciting prospect in the system due to the sweet stroke and of course the power potential which never came. Sweeney fell to his absolute floor in the Majors. Sweeney was taken 52nd overall and that wasn't a reach either. Let's temper the Eaton excitement please. He's a 19th round rick (571 overall) who was taken I believe as a junior in college and that was the first time he was ever drafted. He's a lot like Santiago, an overachiever type who continued to fight his way up levels, but let's not pretend he's all super toolsy and has the kind of upside that your average highly-ranked prospect has. If he's a solid starting CF for us then we've done very well but it's not like this guy is going to be hitting the ball out of the park anytime soon or is considered a sure-fire bet to stick in CF. Ah please, thats one of the worst arguments you can use. Look at where Pujols was drafted, look at where Kemp was drafted, look at where Trout was drafted, etc. Where a player gets drafted doesn't matter after the fact, what matters is how they preform in the minors and what type of tools they have. I don't understand why draft position should be a part of this discussion at all. I understand the White Sox have had prospects highly ranked before. But what gets me excited about Eaton and Garcia and to a lesser extent Davidson is how they just aren't toolsy and raw players. They have shown a good feel for hitting and actually being baseball players, not athletes playing baseball (even though Garcia does seem like a great athlete).

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 10, 2014 -> 02:00 PM) Borchard, Fields, Anderson, Morel (at least one time, 90% sure it was around 85-100) and Beckham were all Top 100 guys. If Flowers was, it would have been right after that AFL season when he was still with the Braves. Sweeney might have snuck in there once as well, but it would have been in the last 15-20 selections because of the concerns about him developing enough power for a corner outfield spot or possibly 1B. Really, Morel possibly cracked the top 100? Either way, I think while their prospect rankings might have been similar, there is still a huge difference in what type of players they are. Borchard, Fields, BA were all guys who were good athletes but extremely raw. They were guys if everything went right and coaching got through to them, they would be good players. I'm not disagreeing if you make the same argument with Jeremy Reed, Ryan Sweeney, and Gordon Beckham.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 10, 2014 -> 11:39 AM) People need to keep in mind KW kept guys like BA, and Morel and for a little while, Fields, traded for Lillibridge and Castro and Flowers. These guys were all ranked as high or nearly as high as the Garcia, Eaton and Davidson. It all depends on how they play. Maybe BA, Fields, and MAYBE Flowers were pretty highly ranked, but by the time the White Sox got Lillibridge and Castro both were losing their status. And maybe I'm mistaken, but I'm almost positive Morel was never highly ranked. Plus, I think you also need to look at what type of players Garcia, Eaton, and Davidson are compared to the other guys. All of them were acquired when they have been MLB ready and have already gotten their feet wet in the show. The only one you listed like that was Lillibridge but as I already said, his stock was already plummeting by the time he got to Chicago. Honestly, the only one that I'll concede to you is Davidson because he is probably the most raw of all three. However, it does make me wonder who in the hell is scouting guys like Fields and Flowers. Both guys were highly talked about, and then you see them come up and play, and at least for me, you ask yourself how in the world did this guy make it to the majors. Both guys have/had huge mechanical flaws in their swings and never really showed a good feeling for hitting. I completely understand why someone like Ryan Sweeney or Gordon Beckham get highly ranked as prospects because they have the tools and natural hitting ability to be good hitters. I feel like a good portion of Fields' hype was because he was a really good athlete and people said if he ever learns how to become a baseball player he'll be good. And I think if Flowers couldn't play catcher and was a 1B/DH guy, he would have never been considered a decent prospect to begin with.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 9, 2014 -> 09:13 AM) http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-leag...49383--mlb.html Biggio might want to hire Tony Montana to take out Gurnick and this other guy. Biggio has really gotten f***ed by all this steroid era hoopla. I know why Palmerio and Rose aren't in the hall, but 3,000 hits and doing it the way Biggio did should have been first ballot status. And then he gets forgotten about the next year because it was such a stacked class. And things don't get any easier next either with Randy, Pedro, Smoltz, and Sheffield being added to the list. Whats Sheffield's status with PED suspicion?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 8, 2014 -> 05:40 PM) Better question. Maddux in the HOF as a Brave or Cub... Go. I would have to think easily as a Brave. Spent his best seasons with them, won multiple cy youngs with them, and I think when a lot of people think of Maddux, they think of the 90's braves and the nasty rotation with him, Glavine, and Smoltz.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 8, 2014 -> 05:11 PM) So amphetamines and andro had zero effect on performance? Players didn't use amphetamines to hit more home runs, players used them to so they could get enough energy to play their X game in a row after a long bus trip in the middle of the dog days of the hot summer. And amphetamines have been used in baseball since the early 1900's. I'm not saying the usage was right or wrong, but I can overlook the use of amphetamines a whole lot more than I can the usage of steroids.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jan 8, 2014 -> 04:53 PM) I'm not saying that Morris should not have made it. My intention was that this person thinks that his win number is the deciding factor (rather than what you said). We all know a pitcher's win count means nothing. I gotcha. I do and don't agree with that though. I understand the flaws of the stat, but I also do believe that there are some players out there who just know how to win. I mean, if guy consistently gets 15+ wins a season, he's probably more good than lucky. But yeah, I do understand your point and W shouldn't be the sole basis for argument unless you are above that 300 number.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 8, 2014 -> 04:12 PM) Scot Gregor ‏@scotgregor 8m Frank Thomas says Jeff Nelson was toughest pitcher he ever faced. Some of my favorite memories of Frank Thomas was staying up late and watching Thomas and the Sox take on the Mariners at the old Kingdome. It was a blast to see Thomas, Johnson, Griffey, ARod all on the same field.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jan 8, 2014 -> 04:19 PM) Let's all laugh at this Facebook comment: "Jack Morris shouldve made it! He had the most wins in the 80s!" He also had 169 complete games, three world series rings (1 times world series MVP), started three all-star games, was the undisputed ace on most of his teams, something like 500 consecutive starts without missing a turn into the rotation, all while spending the majority of his time pitching in a hitters paradise. Maybe his ERA and WHIP are higher than you'd like, but I see no reason why that should be held against him because he did win and he was extremely clutch and you could always count on him for a big game. The guy was a winner. I don't understand why he shouldn't have been elected, but hopefully he'll make it with the Veterans Committee down the line. However, this thread is about Frank and it is a special honor. I think the steroid era did negatively effect his performance to because he eventually went away from his opposite field approach that he had in his best years and I feel like he tried to pull the ball and hit more home runs when he had to compete with all these guys juicing up.

*Jose Abreu (I don't count him as a prospect but if going strictly by definition he'd be no. 1) 1. Erik Johnson 2. Matt Davidson 3. Tyler Danish 4. Marcus Semien 5. Chris Beck 6. Keon Barnum 7. Trayce Thompson 8. Tim Anderson (I don't think he will stick at SS which drops him down) 9. Courtney Hawkins (hated the pick, don't think he'll make it, but he is loaded with potential) 10. Micah Johnson 11. Jacob May 12. Eric Surkamp 13. Scott Snodgrass 14. Daniel Webb 15. Trey Michalczewski

I feel like some people forget that offense was only 1 of 2 of the White Sox problem last year. The other problem was putrid defense. If you could have a Ron Karkovice behind the plate, you're saving a bunch of runs right there. I'd gladly take someone with Karko's defensive ability behind the plate in 2014.

Not surprising news, just confirms that Hahn and the organization are doing their due diligence and exploring all possible moves to make this team better.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 6, 2014 -> 09:13 PM) We will see how great he is when he is coaching the Browns. I'm curious to see how the NFL evolves in the upcoming years considering the some of the best offensive minds out there are now running forms of the spread option and the QB's top programs are recruiting and developing for the NFL are dual threat guys now. A league full of Cam Newtons, Johnny Manziels, Marcus Mariottas, Nick Hundleys, etc. with Chip Kelly, Gus Malzhan, and others coaching up there, should be a lot of fun. I really do want to see Johnny and Gus in Cleveland next year.