steveno89

If he's walking AAA hitters at this rate right now, more patient MLB hitters would eat him alive. He should be down in AAA all year to work on command/control. No reason to rush a player that clearly is not ready for the show yet. The argument could be made that Dunning could be pushed to AAA later this season, as he is pretty clearly our most advanced pitching prospect in the system.

We absolutely do not have too much starting pitching. Out of all of these guys, who has actually proven anything at the mlb level? None of them in my opinion so far. Injuries, poor performance, prospects busting, etc. are all a huge factor moving forward. None of our guys would I be comfortable penciling in for the 2020 rotation as of right now until they prove more. Is Covey for real? Remains to be seen. Can Lopez continue to develop? Is Giolito a bust? Can Kopech cut down on the walks? Etc. Ideally we should be able to come up with most of a starting rotation internally, but I still would like us to sign a quality proven veteran at the right time to lead a young staff.

The player you are describing would be one of the best prospects in baseball^

I almost can't believe people are asking if we should try to trade Covey. He is looking more and more like a future piece of the rebuild. A 26 year old solid starting pitcher is something we should develop and keep, not try to flip.

Especially considering how expensive elite bullpen help can be at the deadline. If we eat some salary, Soria should be pretty easy to move. Jones and Avilan could bring something interesting back as well. Nothing we trade will land us top prospects, but I'm in favor of continuing to build up the farm.

What do we feel Collins mlb ETA is at this point? Summer 2019? Later? Quality defense from a catcher is so important at the mlb level.

With how crucial the catcher position is, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Sox look for one early in the draft

I'm surprised how many seem to think we won't be able to "afford" Rodon down the line. Right now he is 3.5 seasons away from free agency and has a long way to proving 1) he is healthy 2) he is a quality starter. Pure stuff alone will not be able to overcome injury concerns when it comes to a big contract. If Rodon finishes this season and next fully healthy and effective, we could start considering an extension two full seasons away from free agency. If he keeps getting hurt there will not be a big free agent payday.

I have no issue calling up Eloy the third week of the 2019 season. He has performed well, but spending time in AAA will only help his overall development.

Maybe so, but it's about time that we start getting more aggressive with promotions to figure out what we have. The toughest jump a player makes is typically from high A to AA ball. It's sink or swim.

We had better be able to scrounge together two or three starting outfielders moving forward from: Eloy, Robert, Rutherford, Gonzalez, Basabe, Adolfo, Walker, Booker, Call, Polo, Cordell If not, our rebuild is likely screwed.

Keuchel has not had a very good season in front of what was expected to be a big pay day for him. I'd be concerned about him getting hit pretty hard and the strikeouts being down as well. Can he bounce back? Sure, but not a great sign for a player on the wrong side of 30 wanting big $$$$ and years.

In fairness to Hahn, most of the big time free agents to be after this season have been pretty bad https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2018/06/11/mlb-free-agents-class-2018-bryce-harper-manny-machado/690691002/ This does not inspire me to spend like a drunk sailor^

Extending Abreu will all come down to asking price. If he's going to agree to a relative hometown discount then I think a deal can be worked out. If he wants retail market value then I think we let him walk. Hahn should be smart enough not to pay retail for a mid 30's slugger in today's mlb.

I have yet to hear a definitive update on how Collins has looked defensively in 2018. are we looking at a 40% chance he sticks at catcher? Worse? Right now I'm considering him to be our likely 1B/DH of the future until I hear a more positive review of his defense. He still remains our best likely shot at a starting catcher in the system.

I think we all can take a look at Dylan Covey and realize it would be far too soon to give up on Giolito. Young pitchers often take time to put it all together. In a rebuilding year we need to keep trotting Giolito out there and hope he figures it out. Incremental improvements will be important.

Sox will likely play better than the .354 ball so far in 2018. I'd expect us to end up picking top 5 still though. I don't think the Sox promote Eloy anytime too soon, especially without him seeing some time in AAA facing more experienced pitching.

I could see Hansen getting assigned to AA once the first half of the season wraps up. I'm going to trust the Sox knowing what they are doing to keep him healthy.

The Sox and Rodon are better served waiting for him to prove he is healthy before looking to spend money on him. I'm all for trying to save money, but I genuinely do not know how he is going to hold up long term.

It's way too soon to even think about a Rodon extension. He's under team control through 2021 and will need to prove he is healthy before he's going to sign a multi year deal anywhere.

Questions still remain on if Cease will end up as a starter or a reliever. Those questions won't really start to be answered until he reaches AA. While not necessarily a night and day difference, the hitters are more patient higher up the ladder. I would lean reliever if you asked me right now, where he could unleash his plus stuff an inning or two at a time. I'm not sure if he can get his walk rate down enough to stick in a rotation.

Basabe was young for high A ball last year, and seemed bothered by nagging injuries. Now that he is healthy it has been a big difference. I agree^ AA is the make or break level for prospects. A/High A determine who gets that chance at AA.

If Collins were even graded as a solid "50" defensively at catcher then you are looking at a top 40 prospect in baseball without question.

Basabe has been significantly better than last year, which he really needed. If he keeps up the good work he could be looking at a promotion to AA and a rejuvenated prospect status. His defensive skills make him an interesting prospect, as he likely can stick in center field. He's still at least two years away from the majors right now. Adolfo has also had a quality season, substantially increasing his walk rate. I'm still not sure what to make of him, as the hit tool will end up deciding his fate.

True, but I think he could end up being a sneaky good pick for the White Sox. MLB.com had him as a late first round pick and he has a great track record with wood bats. I like that he easily makes quality contact. Although not the best comparison, Walker put up almost identical NCAA stats this season to Alec Bohm...let that sink in.