ChiSoxJon

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 02:36 PM) So I was thinking this morning about what players prior to the draft/during draft selection show did I really miss on (as well as the few I guess right on). Here they are: - I was completely against the White Sox drafting a "grinder" from the northeast out of high school. To me, I thought Trout's ceiling would be that of Aaron Rowand. - I loved the scouting videos of Stetson Allie and Matthew Hobgood - When the Sox drafted Chris Sale, a part of me was hoping they'd take Josh Sale instead - As many on here know, I was all in on Rodon last year and have huge expectations for him - I thought Beckham would be a multi-year all-star, but deep down I was worried he benefited a lot from using an aluminum bat I've had a fair share of misses myself, I wanted Mitchell and we got him and I was thrilled, the organization was thrilled until that Achilles injury, in hindsight, obviously Trout should have been picked first overall I was a big fan of Taillon (TJ surgery, still a top prospect) in '10 and didn't care for Sale much until I saw his highlights, fell in love I was a huge fan of Hultzen (injured in AAA, #25 SEA prospect) in '11 and didn't like the Walker pick at all, I was also a Jackie Bradley Jr. (backup OF in BOS) fan and was hoping he'd fall to our Sox I was a big Giolito fan but was satisfied with Hawkins and am still happy with Hawkins, also liked Stroman, Light, and Gallo a lot I didn't like the Anderson selection and wanted Stanek or Manaea, obviously I'm happy with Anderson Last year I wanted Rodon and we got him, more than happy with him, also liked Kolek and Aiken but preferred the polished college arm, also liked Grant Holmes, Luke Weaver, Jack Flaherty, and Michael Kopech (obviously not at #3) This year my favorite prospects are include Dansby Swanson, Carson Fulmer, Tyler Ferguson, Phil Bickford, Brady Aiken, Jacob Nix, Tyrone Perry, Michael Matuella, Walker Buehler, Ashe Russell, and others Off topic but in very recent years I also loved the likes of non-first rounders such as Zach Neal in '10, Michael Roth in '12, Peter O'Brien in '12, Jake Davies in '12, Brandon Thomas in '13, Buck Farmer in '13, Zane Evans in '13, Daniel Palka in '13, Raph Rhymes in '13, Chris Cotton in '13, Mason Katz in '13, Jacoby Jones in '13, Adam Ravanelle in '14, and Joey Pankake in '14

QUOTE (LDF @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 04:15 PM) re Aiken, i thought he might be dropping to #7 for bos, but with the new info on Aiken on fangraph, that might drop him 2 or 3 rnd. just need more info of what the writer on fangraph is talking about. Sounds awful, what a fall off since he got drafted, feel awful, HUGE loss of money

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 02:12 PM) Im still high on Cameron, but I would like to see the team start invest heavily into the catching position both in the amateur draft and in international free agency As would I, hope to see our first rounder in '16 spent on a catcher, high school arm, 3B, or lost in FA

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 08:32 PM) Wow, Erik Johnson touched 95 today and worked around 92-94. It would be huge to get the 2013 Erik Johnson back Really would be, when Danks starts giving up the gopher ball we can call up him and Rodon

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 19, 2015 -> 07:54 AM) Except he was a major reason we reached the playoffs 2008... He was near Politte 2005 level pre-injury. Him and Dotel gave me fits

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 06:06 PM) They also often happen to high school kids making the adjustment to pro ball. Remember this is going to be his first full year in pro ball. Lets just pray he's alright, borderline top 100 prospect

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 05:22 PM) Wendelkin also is posting a lot of Ks without giving up many hits or any runs. One to watch Can be an interesting relief prospect, if him or Rondon work out, what a deal we got for PV (Avi, Montas, Wendelken, Rondon)

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 09:02 PM) 2 things I've noticed from Kanny tonight: Austin is killing the ball down there, and its good to see Lowry's K numbers up a bit. When I saw them in person, Austin was an all-around great player, and Lowry just threw strike after strike, love this system

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 06:58 PM) Belisario, Bukvich, Prinz, and Downs. Can't forget Linebrink, fits right in with these scrubs

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 12:33 PM) Good post....Belisario might have been okay as well if not forced into closer's role. Paulino wasnt a loss of much. You can probably put overpaying Bonifacio at a position with high relative depth..but another OF injury puts him more into play fwiw. And otoh, youd probably prefer to see what Trayce can do if the Sox are out of it in mid-May. Does anyone know what injury Ynoa suffered his last outing? Thanks man, I agree with Belisario but Paulino was awful to me, Bonifacio is already questionable, and yes I'd rather see Trayce but he needs his AB and Shuck has been solid, Hahn covers up his mistakes with dominant signings and influxes of talent, also locking up our core for cheap, already like Hahn more than KW

QUOTE (LDF @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 12:43 PM) the sox picking at #8, will be the last top 10 pick for a while. this is an important pick. this pick will need to be a impact player kind. the sox can not waste it on a project with questionable tools. questionable b/c of the length of time it would take to see if he develops as hope or he looses some of his tools. those kind of picks are for the late first round or later. not in the top 10. Fully agree

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 12:27 PM) How does Swanson compare with Nick Gordon, Correa and Trea Turner? Seems to be a 15-18ish homer guy at the next level. How good is his D at ss? And what about Happ? I definitely see him as 15 HR grinder type SS, with an average around .290

QUOTE (Dunt @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 11:09 AM) I've watched Vandy a couple times this season and I've been really impressed with how smooth of an athlete Dansby Swanson is. He's going to be a solid major league player, hope he's there at 8. As do I, love his hustle and swing, great glove too

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 10:57 AM) I'd wager both of these players will still be first rounders. See history of Hoffman, Fedde, Manaea, and Giolito. The kid from Duke not only has TJ surgery but also 2 major back issues, I can see him sliding out of the 1st, Aiken has had elbow problems (why HOU didn't sign him maybe) and now needs Tommy John, he has a better shot at staying in the 1st but will likely fall out too PS. Manaea technically fell out of the first round and was a lock for a top 3 pick before surgery, Aiken and the kid from Duke were both borderline top 10 this year, Giolito was a lock for #1 and TJ dropped him roughly 15

I'd roll with Konerko/ Thomas/ Jackson/ and Minoso as the best 4 faces to represent this franchise, can't go wrong with Wood, Fox, Aparicio, Appling, Ozzie, Fisk, Collins or any other player of that magnitude, lot of history and s*** seasons on the South Side

QUOTE (LDF @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 02:13 AM) great job.... a big question, do you think Wiseman and Long would drop that much. getting Swanson would make this draft extremely nice, if the sox can pick him. what are your thoughts on the 3 positional players from Arz, Newman, Scott Kingery, Dalbec ??? 1) Thanks a lot, I spent some time on this 2)I'm not entirely sure that Wiseman or Long will drop that much but anything is possible, they were ranked in the same area of where our Sox were picking in a recent draft board I used to mock, I love Wiseman as a prospect, he has room for power and already is a solid contact hitter with plus speed a cannon arm and a terrific glove, they're both round 2-5 prospects in my opinion and around 3-4 on most draft boards. 3) I'd love Swanson too, great all around player and probably the top college position player, he'd immediately improve our already on the rise farm system, the only downside is the log jam our system has of almost MLB-ready middle infielders, he'd only add to that (Johnson, Sanchez, Saladino, Anderson, etc.) 4) I ignorantly don't know where they'll be drafted, but after some research Scott Kingery is my favorite of that trio, it looks like Newman is a potential top 5-10 pick after a great season and Kingery has comparisons to Kinsler and Pedroia for his swing, size, wrists, defense, and bat speed, Kingery looks like a supplemental pick so or Sox won't have a shot with him, if Swanson, Bregman, Buehler, Fulmer, and f***houser re still on the board at #8, I'd rank them as Buehler>Swanson>Fulmer>Funkhouser>Bregman for our Sox I love the new look Sox system since '13 after dominating on all phases: Draft (Anderson, Danish, Lowry, Mitchell, May in '13; Rodon, Adams, Austin, Jarvis, Fry, Trexler, Peter in '14), International (Adolfo, Alfaro, Nunez, Mercedes, Mota); and trades (Montas, Davidson, Sanburn, Rondon, Ynoa), I look forward to what '15 brings with the 8th overall pick, north of 5.3 million to spend on the draft, a trade-able John Danks, north of 3.4 millon to spend internationally, and already likely power hitting 16 years old Dominican RF Franklin Reyes, this system is underrated in my opinion, lot better than when KW traded for guys like Castro and Nestor Molina and Hynick, what wastes, Hahn just gets value after value (my only flaw under Hahn has been signing Jeff Keppinger to so much, Davidson for Reed was a good thought and still might pan out)

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 18, 2015 -> 09:59 AM) If they take Cameron because of his White Sox roots, I'm going to.... Happ would be fine, same with Fulmer. Matuella, Kirby and Cameron are way down, and nobody knows yet with Aiken's uncertain medicals...anywhere from 7-10, to the 20's to the 40's in the early second round (and a lot less money, unfortunately, for him and his family). Chris Betts, Tyler Stephenson and Taylor Ward are the 3 top catchers on the board at the moment. Lucas Herbert in the 3rd-5th round. I agree with you on Cameron, he's a young, raw HS project OFer, one we don't need, Matuella and Aiken will almost definitely fall out of the first round, and I'm glad you mentioned those catchers, this syetem is lacking a top notch legitimate prospective C

Considering our Sox won't have 2nd or 3rd round picks to burn, and their earliest pick after #8 will be #112, I don't like taking an injured prospect in hopes of getting extra money to sign prep players later on considering the lack of talent available to us. I'd rather take yet another safer college prospect (either RHP or best bat available). These top 10 talents that fit this include RHP Walker Buehler out of Vandy, RHP Kyle Funkhouser out of L-Ville, SS Dansy Swanson out of Vandy, RHP Carson Fulmer out of Vandy, and 2B Alex Bregman out of LSU (I would have been all over Michael Matuella a lanky RHP out of Duke if his health was fine (Tommy John, spine issues)). Odds are that most if not all of those pitchers mentioned are gone and Swanson is still available along with Bregman. If it came down to it I'd go Swanson Early ChiSox Mock: 1.8. Dansby Swanson, SS, Vandy (strong armed, top of the lineup type speedy contact hitter) 4.112. Rhett Wiseman, LF, Vandy (strong armed, defensive, contact hitting lefty) 5.142. Grayson Long, RHP, TAMU (Big, ground ball reliever) 6.172. Tyrone Perry, 1B, FL-HS (6'1" 260 lb. power hitting lefty 1B) 7.202. Elih Marrero, C, FL-HS (son of former MLBer, may move to OF, speedy contact hitter) 8.232. Alec Rash, RHP, Mizzou (Large power throwing righty) 9.262. Lucius Fox, SS, FL-HS (athletic, speedy, slender, defensive switch hitter) 10.292. Korey Dunbar, C, UNC (defensive catcher, with a very strong arm)

QUOTE (LDF @ Apr 16, 2015 -> 10:58 PM) ya man, with out your writeup, the sox minors hasn't been winning them. you are like the lucky rabbit's foot. Hahahaha, wish I can see them more often, love watching these kids

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 17, 2015 -> 06:09 PM) "Erik Johnsonitis" has struck again. Lets just hope its "dead arm" out of spring and not a more serious physical problem. Hate to say it but significant decreases in velocity can be linked to tears in some way, please let me be wrong

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 13, 2015 -> 09:39 AM) Robbins is a guy with some natural power I'm keeping an eye on. Alvarez I keep hearing positives on his defense, that's great to hear at SS. Robbins has a monster swing and I heard he had a powerful college career, hope he keeps it up, Alvarez was great in the field but a let down at the plate

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Apr 12, 2015 -> 12:19 AM) I read it and appreciate the writeup With a thorough post like that, there's nothing really to ask or say. QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 13, 2015 -> 09:37 AM) Some folks aren't here all the time! As I said on the last one, we greatly appreciate the insights. All good info, please keep it up! QUOTE (LDF @ Apr 13, 2015 -> 09:53 AM) with the thoroughness of the report, how can anyone say anything but "wow" it was great rpt, second, on weekends, it is really hard to get a good response from the others, again this is my opinion. keep up the good work Thanks a ton you guys, I appreciate it

QUOTE (Bruce_Blixton @ Apr 15, 2015 -> 07:50 PM) The Kanny lineup is pretty difficult to follow, there's a distinct dearth of position prospects on the current roster outside of Eddy Alvarez, Brett Austin and Mason Robbins and even those guys are fringy at best. Hopefully Hahn & co. take this year's draft to focus on drafting more position players with upside. Alavrez has been an early disappointment this year but Austin has been playing well all around all Robbins has a viscous swing, wouldn't mind seeing Dansby Swanson later this year in Kanny, although I'd probably take another college arm

QUOTE (raBBit @ Apr 12, 2015 -> 03:20 PM) Thad Lowry went 6 with 3H, BB and 4Ks. A nice start to the season for a guy with some potential. I was there for it, crazy number of strikes thrown, just a pure strike thrower, guys can't hit him too well

QUOTE (ChiSoxJon @ Apr 11, 2015 -> 12:01 PM) More notes from Kanny's second game: - Adams wasn't fantastic giving up 7 hits and walking one but he managed to get out of his own jams, fastball was around 90-93 and had offspeed pitches in the low to mid 80s, he's still extremely lanky as expected and could add some more muscle over time, really like his mentality on the mound even in A ball, shows some emotions (he's not even close to Jake Peavy, don't get any ideas) - Although last year I praised Stringer at 2B for his glove, he had a rough night there last night with 2 errors and another questionable play - Alavrez is really struggling at the plate but his bat speed and swing looks promising, even for a 25 year old in A ball, he's a fantastic aggressive fielder as well - Louie Lechich showed off his cannon arm from RF last night on a throw and out at the plate, was a big time throw, he looks pretty big and hopefully has some power - Mason Robbins had a real hard base hit last night and went 2-4, looked sluggish in LF though - Brett Austin had a great night at the plate with two monster triples and another hit, he allowed two passed balls last night but I think he was solid behind the plate, should be able to stay there for at least Kanny and maybe WS - Trexler really impressed me, his fastball hit 93,94 regularly and his offpseed pitches would dip to 74, that really made batters look silly, but just as I said, he is in the 'pen - Jacob Morris was pretty wild hitting two batters but managed to get out of his own jam - Kelvis Valerio didn't have any pitches that wowed me but he got out of his own jams every inning, struck out 3 too - Devon Davis was dominant in his appearance striking out 3, none of his pitches stood out to me but his delivery is wild and looks painful, can't believe he's naturally a lefty (apparently bats lefty too) Look forward to seeing Kanny in two more games this weekend This deserves some more interest, c'mon now