VAfan

Where's the 2019 Yoan Moncada? That guy has to be in there somewhere. If he doesn't improve, I believe more and more that he should be moved back to 2nd base and Jake Burger should be given a shot at 3B. He's going to be a very good hitter. We all like Vaughn. Burger could also be very good, and will give us the power bat that has seemingly left Moncada.

Split G GS PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB ROE BAbip tOPS+ sOPS+ Batting 2nd 14 14 60 50 8 11 2 1 1 7 0 0 10 12 .220 .350 .360 .710 18 2 0 0 0 0 1 .270 86 88 Batting 3rd 58 58 244 197 27 58 13 0 4 30 2 1 42 63 .294 .422 .421 .843 83 0 3 0 2 0 0 .409 121 117 Batting 4th 16 16 70 63 6 12 2 0 1 5 0 0 5 23 .190 .271 .270 .541 17 2 2 0 0 0 0 .282 42 42 Batting 5th 17 17 74 66 12 16 3 0 5 9 0 1 7 19 .242 .324 .515 .839 34 0 1 0 0 1 0 .262 118 126 Batting 6th 6 6 24 20 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 8 .200 .333 .200 .533 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .333 41 Here's the data, courtesy of Baseball Reference splits for this year. He's hit for more power 5th, but his best spot is ahead of Abreu, where he put up an .843 OPS. This is where his patience as a hitter drawing walks adds the most benefit. That shows him 3rd, but that was back when there was no Jimenez in the lineup and Abreu could hit cleanup.

The White Sox would seem to have a shutdown bullpen that should be the envy of baseball. They have two All-Star closers in Liam Hendriks and Craig Kimbrel. They have a lefty who can crank it up into the high 90s in Garrett Crochet. They have another lefty who has an unhittable slider in Aaron Bummer. They have a future TOR starter who can hit 100 mph on his fastballs and then break off some wicked breaking pitches in Michael Kopech They have a journeyman reliever in Ryan Tepera. And they also have former starter long man/spot starter who's having the best stretch of his career in Reynaldo Lopez. Then they have Jose Ruiz, Ryan Burr, and sometimes Matt Foster. Still injured is Evan Marshall. Yet, from game to game, do Tony LaRussa and Ethan Katz know what they are getting when they call these guys in from the bullpen? We all know about Hendriks twin meltdowns against the Yankees. Kimbrell also gave up a HR to the Yanks that put the Sox behind in the 8th inning of another game. Kimbrell also came in with a 4-2 lead in the 8th and threw 7 balls in a row last night. Aaron Bummer can be devastating, but also seems to have stretches where he can't locate his pitches. Michael Kopech seems dominant, but gave up a 2-run HR to Matt Olson that lost the series finale to the As. You get the picture. My question -- is this volatility from game-to-game unusual for such a highly touted group? Why can't they be like the Royals pen that locked down every 7th-8th and 9th inning in their World Series run? What do you think? I'm hoping they figure it out over the next month+ going into October. One benefit then is the Sox could move another starter into the pen, and they can likely shorten the list of relievers they might need. But that's not going to solve the ups and downs of their top guys. They really need their "A" list pitchers to pitch like "A" list pitchers. The 2005 Sox seemed to have a much easier job of it. Just rely on your starters to carry the load. They won the ALCS with 2/3 of one inning pitched by someone out of the bullpen! Crazy. This year, how far this team goes may depend on that bullpen locking down leads or keeping the Sox close enough for a late game strike of their own. Sorting that out is going to be a challenging task.

Here's an interesting tidbit from the latest ESPN power ranking, which puts the Sox 6th. I noticed in the Yankee series that a lot of the players were chasing junk out of the zone. Is there something to this? Discuss.

He certainly did not disappoint last night.

Last night's Field of Dreams walk-off was the most exciting moment in White Sox play since the World Series run in 2005. And it was delivered by Tim Anderson, who is the most vocal leader the White Sox have. I LOVE Tim Anderson and the energy he brings to the Sox. I love the work he does outside the game, and how he tries to make the game more exciting. BUT ... he's also a bit frustrating to watch as a player because it seems like he's not always there or as focused as he could be. He went up there in the 9th last night planning to hit the ball out of the ballpark. He knew the moment, and it focused him to a point where he executed it PERFECTLY. He was looking for the pitch, he knew what he could do with it, he got it, and he didn't miss it. Last year in the playoffs, he was also focused, with three 3-hit games. He wasn't the reason the Sox offense fell short. But there are so many at bats where he takes himself out of the play by chasing bad pitches, and then missing balls in the strike zone he should crush. It just seems like he is very capable of rising to the big moments, but unable to sustain it during more mundane daily ABs. To me, it all starts with his really bad walk rate. He needs to be an aggressive hitter to do what he does, but he shouldn't still be chasing the sinkers and sliders that he does. Yasmani Grandal's patience has rubbed off on other players, with the Sox 4th in baseball in OBP and 6th in walks. But Tim Anderson is in the bottom 2% of baseball in walk rate. If Anderson took a lesson from Grandal and made pitchers come to him or take his trot to first, I would think the sky would be the limit for his offense. I think he can do it, but it would mean he would have to start seeing every AB as having more importance than he seems to at the moment. Tim Anderson should be the best shortstop in the AL. I'm hoping he's inspired by what he did last night to become that player.

Vaughn was penciled in as the starter at DH for the year. The only thing unlikely about his performance is how well he's adapted to the outfield. His hitting is what most of us expected, even if it might be a bit better. For example, he's at 114 OPS+. I recall a pre-season post where most of us thought he'd be in that range.

I almost added Crede's double to the wall to the list, but it wasn't a HR. Surprised nobody likes Iguchi's 3 run dinger that provided the winning runs in the playoff game against Boston in 2005. Odd thing about that postseason is the Sox were twice down by 4 runs early -- against Boston and against Houston. Both times they scored 5 runs in the 5th inning to turn the games.

Lots of choices for this one. Add anyone you think I may have missed.

I picked some blasts off memory, rather than do any kind of search. So if I've missed a few, please remind us all in the posts.

Was TA's blast last night the most memorable in Sox history?

For the Field of Dreams, it really should involve the White Sox. They did have players from other teams in the film, but Shoeless Joe was the key. Saw a graphic last night on the broadcast. This was the 15th time a Sox walkoff homer beat the Yanks. Shoeless Joe hit the first one.

He's gone from a .307 OBP with Cleveland to a .409 OBP with the Sox in his first 10 games, drawing 8 walks in that span. How does a guy up his walks and on base that quickly? Did he feel like no one could drive him in in Cleveland, so he started swinging for the long ball and chasing pitches out of the zone? His OPS+ went from 97 to 138. Thats way above any year in his career. When you compare it to who the Sox were playing at 2B after Madrigal got hurt, this has been a major upgrade to the lineup. You can see why LaRussa has him hitting 2nd quite a bit.

I agree that Leury Garcia plays more than I'd like, and I hope he never starts a postseason game. But he hasn't been worthless offensively. He's 4th on the team in RBI with 40, which is ahead of Vaughn's 37 despite slightly fewer PAs. Until recently, he was ahead of Moncada, but is now 8 behind in almost 100 fewer PAs. He's hit much better on the road than at home -- .710 OPS, or slightly above league average. He had a good June (league average) and a very good July (115 OPS+), but has gone into a funk recently. But so did Tim Anderson over the last 2 weeks until his breakout game against the Cubs. As for whether he'll play the outfield again this year, I would put him behind Robert, Jimenez, Vaughn, Engel and Goodwin too, but with a 10-1/2 game lead, I wouldn't object to resting any of those guys on a given day. Garcia's job is to help us make it to the postseason in optimal health and shape.

Just want to note that I called this one! If you read some articles, Kimbrel was thought by Hahn and Williams as a true difference maker. I agree. I also had Heuer moving. And I had the Sox addressing the bullpen and second base. A lot of people called that, but how many others called Kimbrel?

I haven't posted much of anything on the trade speculation front, but I thought I would open post devoted to a "wish list". The overall trade thread touches on this topic, but isn't devoted to it, and I didn't see another post that was. If the moderators think this is redundant, they can move it. Here's my wish list. 1. Craig Kimbrel. I think the Brewers series has exposed the biggest Sox weakness against talented teams that can hold down the Sox offense -- bullpen depth. Everyone talks about adding a relief pitcher, but I don't think most set their sights high enough. I think the Sox need to look for a shut down bullpen arm to bridge the gap between our starters and Hendriks. You could make the argument that Kimbrel is even better than Hendriks this season, but I expect he'd play second fiddle because Hendriks is signed for longer and has been the man. Kimbrel is one of the few players being discussed who could make a real difference. Hendriks is reliable, but has blown 4 saves and been victimized on occasion by the HR. Crochet could be nasty, but sometimes can't find the strike zone. Kopech seems dominant, but struggled tonight with control. Bummer is not consistent or reliable at all because you don't know from outing to outing if he can control his vicious slider. Heuer has been hit hard too many times to be reliable. Ditto for the rest. The Nationals proved you don't need a deep pen to win a World Series, but you do need one that does the job. A bullpen of Hendriks, Kimbrel, Kopech, and Crochet, with potential support from Dylan Cease might be enough. But we'd need to see how those guys are pitching at the end of September to know. Kimbrel could give the Sox the kind of edge Kansas City rode to its two World Series appearances and one win. The Sox are not going to get more than 6 innings out of their top 3 starters in the postseason. Right now they might be able to cover a couple innings. They need to be able to cover 3 innings consistently. ****** What would I be willing to give up? First off, I don't think Kimbrel will get the haul some people think. That's because even though he's signed for another year, it's for $16M. He may not be overpriced, but he's not a bargain. If the Sox are willing to take on the salary (a big IF), it should cost them less. Here's what I'd be willing to give up. 1. Jake Burger. 2. Jonathan Stiever or Jimmy Lambert. 3. A player to be named. I think Burger will be a stud hitter, but he's blocked at all his potential positions with the Sox and is 25. Stiever and Lambert are starting pitchers. I don't think they'll ever really make it in the Sox rotation, which is why I'd give them up. As for the player to be named, it could be anyone. Likely a lower level player who is a bit of a crap shoot. Some may say this isn't enough. Some may say it's too much. I don't really want the Sox to trade Burger, and have written more than one post about him. But to get Kimbrel, the Sox would need to give up someone who is major league ready and under long term control. 2. Marcus Semien. For all those pining for Escobar or Frazier, Semien would be a much bigger prize. Why would Toronto be willing to give him up? For the same reason the Yankees were willing to trade Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs. He'll be a free agent and they can re-sign him next year, which would be the same thing as extending him. The Jays are 9-1/2 games out, and they aren't winning the AL East, and several teams are ahead of them for the Wild Card spots. Why not cash in Semien now and bring him back for a better run at it next year? Semien could be a real offensive difference maker on the Sox. He would be leading the team in HRs and OPS by a wide margin. He's actually hitting RHP better than LHP. You could put him at the top of the lineup behind Tim Anderson, move Moncada into the 3 hole where had the most ABs and hit the best this year. That would make Abreu 4th, Jimenez 5th, Grandal 6th, Vaughn and Robert 7th and 8th (depending on how Robert hits when he returns), and Engel/Goodwin 9th. Because the Sox are unlikely to retain Semien after this year, this would be the true go for it move. *********** What would I be willing to give up? I think the Blue Jays need pitching. I also think with Semien's $18M contract, it wouldn't require a fortune in players if the Sox were willing to assume the rest of the contract. I'd be looking at trading lower bullpen arms, but guys who have had time in the major leagues -- Matt Foster, Marshall, Fry, Ruiz, Burr. What about Heuer? Off of last season, I wouldn't have wanted to trade him. But he's become so unreliable this year. Yet he's young enough and has enough potential upside to be a closer that he could be the key player in a deal. Toronto is built to contend now, so they will want guys who are major league ready. Heuer is controllable, so he should have plenty of value. I'd offer 1. Heuer, 2. Stiever or Lambert -- whichever one didn't go to the Cubs for Kimbrel, 3. A throw in. ************ So that's my wish list -- Kimbrel and Semien. I'd be shocked if either of these things happened, but I think the Sox need to go for it this year, and Kimbrel would be a key addition for next year as well. In the offseason, the Sox could try to to re-sign Rodon and then trade Keuchel, mostly to unload his contract, but also to help restock. Who is on your wish list for the Sox?

TLR gave Yermin a ton of rope this year.

The 2005 White Sox, who won the World Series, had 53 sacrifice bunts, and were 35-19 in one-run games. The 2021 White Sox, after more than half the season has been played, have had 18 sacrifice bunts, and are 10-12 in 1 run games. That alone casts serious doubt on your attempt to correlate bunt attempts with one-run losses. Also, Tony LaRussa is having the Sox bunt at the next to lowest rate of his long managerial career - 1.8%. Only the 1998 St Louis Cardinals bunted less -- 1.7%. ********* I also found this 2007 article from Bill James on one-run games that I find kind of interesting. And there's this excerpt at the end.

I wondered, but figured the moderators would sort it out. No problem with them cutting it. I think it's a terrible article.

I don't get the love for Merrifield. He 32+ and his offensive numbers have declined every year since his peak year in 2018 to where he's now below league average. Would I take him over Leury Garcia? Yes. But I wouldn't give up much to get him.

Here's the link to the article. (I happen to think the article is completely off the mark -- another whack job by an author looking for controversy where it doesn't exist, i.e., in the Sox dugout -- but I'm sure many here will agree with it.) ************

Just wanted to refresh this after the Lynn signing. He's now under control for 3 more years. ******************* If you look at Spotrac, you can see who the Sox have under contractual control over the next several years. Starting Lineup - SS Tim Anderson - 2021, 22, 23, 24 - 3B Yoan Moncada - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 - 1B Jose Abreu - 21, 22 - DH/LF Eloy Jimenez - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 - C Yasmani Grandal - 21, 22, 23 - LF/DH/1B - Andrew Vaughn - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 - CF Luis Robert - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 - RF Adam Eaton - 21, 22 Adam Engel, 21, 22, 23 -- - 2B Nick Madrigal - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Bench - Utility Leury Garcia - 21 - C Zack Collins - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 - OF Adam Engel - 21, 22, 23 - OF Brian Goodwin 21, 22 - Extra bench player??? There could be room for another player here. - Jake Burger, Gavin Sheets? Starting pitchers - Lucas Giolito - 21, 22, 23 - Dallas Keuchel - 21, 22, 23 - Lance Lynn - 21, 22, 23, 24 - Dylan Cease - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 - Carlos Rodon - 21 - Reynaldo Lopez - 21, 22, 23 Bullpen - Liam Hendriks - 21, 22, 23, 24 - Aaron Bummer - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 - Evan Marshall - 21, 22 - Matt Foster - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 - Cody Heuer - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 - Jace Fry - 21, 22, 23 - Jimmy Cordero - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 - Zack Burdi -, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Transition Pitcher - Garrett Crochet - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 - Michael Kopech - 21, 22, 24, 24, 25, 26 2021 Payroll allocation - $123M 2022 Payroll - $116M - no arb (not updated) 2023 Payroll - $86M - 10 arb (not updated) 2024 Payroll - $85M - 7 arb (not updated) ************ Assuming they exercise options: In 2022, they could lose: Garcia, Rodon In 2023, they could lose: Abreu, Eaton, Marshall In 2024, they could lose: Grandal, Engel, Giolito, Keuchel, Lopez, Fry **************** This looks like an incredibly talented team given what we've learned since I wrote this before the season. I think most of us hope that the Sox re-sign Carlos Rodon. If they were able to do that, they should try to unload Keuchel's contract even if they received next to nothing in return. That would give the Sox the best starting staff in baseball for at least the next 2 seasons to make a run at the World Series. The bullpen would need some shoring up. But the lineup should be terrific if it can stay healthy. Right field is the only weakness, but I think the Sox can get by with a combo of Adam Engel and Brian Goodwin, since they will have been forced to spend their money elsewhere.

I'm not surprised this topic took a lot of flak, but I stand by it. Burger hit a monster HR tonight, along with a double in the gap, while Andrew Vaughn had a poor night against the same pitchers. If I were the Sox, i would not be trading Jake Burger on the cheap, which is all we'd get for him in trade at this point. He might be every bit the hitter that Vaughn is, or he might not be. But I'd want to find out more. Having Moncada volunteer to play some games at 2B would allow TLR more lineup flexibility, and we'd finally get to see less of Leury Garcia, who is supposed to be a UTILITY player, not an everyday one. It would allow the Sox to focus their attention on shoring up the weakest part of the team at the deadline, which is the BULLPEN. The Sox offense will be fine when Eloy, Robert, and Grandal return. RF will be OK with Engel/Goodwin/Sheets/Lamb, and 2B would be fine with Moncada/Garcia with Moncada/Burger at 3B.

When Eloy returns, he's going to be the best of these four, so you have to play him. He'll likely DH mostly. I'm hoping/expecting he'll hit behind Abreu like he did last year. Vaughn is most likely to continue playing LF, and has the edge over the other two. Burger may be the second best hitter in this group -- I could see him hitting as well or better than Vaughn, but is not likely to have the power potential of Jimenez. His challenge is he's a 3B with no OF experience. I think Moncada should volunteer to play 2B this year, at least some of the time, so Burger's bat can get in the lineup. Kris Bryant has played 5 positions for the Cubs, so I don't see why Moncada can't play a position where he played 200 games. Sheets is a nice lefty power hitter, which we don't have enough of, but tonight the Fox announcers said he's yet to hit a curve ball this year. He doesn't play a good enough OF to push out Goodwin. So he's the mostly likely to be squeezed. Overall, it's a good problem to have more good hitters than you have places to play them.

Sox need to find a place for Jake Burger to keep playing. You have to like Vaughn, but tonight Burger was much better, as Vaughn had a frustrating night. I think if Burger hadn't been hurt, it's possible we might never had drafted Vaughn. Although I will say the injuries forced Burger to slim down and it seems to have helped him play better. I wrote one of those "move Moncada to 2B" posts, and I stand by it. Burger is a much better hitter than Leury Garcia, who would see his playing time cut back by this move. Garcia has hit well recently, and tonight had an epic AB where he drew a walk before Sheets drove him home with a 2-run blast. But Garcia has no power to his game, while Burger does. The Sox have been relying on a lower power production this year, offsetting it with a high OBP. But they will be a better team if they can bring the power back.