Black_Jack29

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 01:30 PM) I love it. If guys know they have the 7th or the 8th or the 9th, they can prepare better in game. Besides, not all guys are built to get the last 3 outs. See Matt Thornton. Also LaTroy Hawkins

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 11:49 AM) Yes it does have to do with LaRoche. Garcia would be DHing vs LHP only if LaRoche didn't retire. Avi would probably be in AAA if LaRoche were still on the roster. He needs to be facing as much pitching as possible right now.

This team is awful at calling off each other to field fly balls.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 12:29 PM) I really like Saladino at shortstop Rollins doesn't call him "Emanski" for nothing.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 12:23 PM) Agree with that decision by RV. I do not like pulling the IF in early. Have some faith in the offense to put another few on the board. Not only that, but the Twins haven't been able to score runs so far this year. The Sox could legitimately win this game 2-1.

Melky doing a nice Viciedo impression... and almost guaranteeing the Twins a run.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 12:17 PM) Park is very lively today It's odd that Sands hit that low-and-outside slider just as hard last night. Has there been a strong breeze blowing out to center over the past 18 hours?

Nice. Avi didn't have that kind of power last April. His shoulder is probably in much better shape now.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 12:09 PM) Mat Latos...9 IP no runs. I know the offenses he's been up against haven't been good, but given the stuff he's throwing, I don't think he can keep anything close to this up. If he stays heathy and finishes the year with a 4.50 ERA, I'll call his season a success.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 12:07 PM) I'm not sure how Latos keeps getting away with throwing 90 MPH fastballs right down the middle. Throwing his breaking ball for strikes. If he loses command of that, he's going to get shelled.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 11:58 AM) Yeah, Santana wanted NOTHING to do with Jose in that AB. He didn't come within a foot of the strike zone. Pitching around Jose to get to Frazier is kind of the opposite of what we want.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 11:53 AM) Pierre/Podsednik were pretty recent Ray Durham was probably their best over the past 20 years, but that's going back a while.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 11:43 AM) They tried to replace him all offseason. They basically made him a platoon guy with the Jackson addition. And then LaRoche retired. Again, if the Sox think that Avi is so completely worthless and such a lost cause as you do, he wouldn't be in the lineup five days a week. They'd have somebody from AA or AAA in his roster spot and Sands would be getting more playing time. I'm not arguing that Avi is great or that he's even going to be a legit ML player. But the Sox are clearly not giving up on him at this point.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 11:25 AM) Being a Twins fan right now must really suck. 0-8, the team striking out so much. Is the 1 pitch out to lead off a game a positive because he didn't fan, or just more negative? If the Sox started out this bad, it would be pretty unbearable. I figured that they'd be good for at least 75 wins this season. Now I'm not so sure, especially considering how the Sox and Tigers have improved.

Nice to see these guys build a lead early in a game. They didn't do that nearly enough last year, and it put too much pressure on the pitching staff.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 10:53 AM) It's maybe not relevant, but it's certainly not hyperbole to say Avi has been worse than what we had with Viciedo. It's the truth. Offensively, Avi is a little worse. Defensively, Viciedo is way worse. Avi is not good in RF, but Viciedo was an outright liability in LF.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 10:53 AM) No one is drawing a conclusion from that data set. They are drawing a conclusion from 1100+ MLB PA's, all those innings of terrible defense and the TOOTBLAN machine on the bases. And that at the moment - stats aside, he LOOKS like the same old Avi, other than a different stance. So, do we agree that there's nothing that can be done about Avi right now? And that maybe waiting until the trade deadline, when a replacement player might actually be available, is the better option? That's pretty much where I stand, though I'm apparently a little more optimistic about Avi getting over the .700 OPS hump by then.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 10:50 AM) I dont see how Eaton is relevant because A: he isnt slumping, and B: his history, while brief, is still a lot better than Garcia has ever shown. I want Garcia to succeed, but sometimes it is time to call a spade a spade, and we are getting very close to that time with Avi. Recall that Eaton was awful in April and May last season. I agree that this is probably Avi's make-or-break season in Chicago. But calling for the guy to get DFA'd two weeks into the season is incredibly silly.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 10:48 AM) Avi has 1126 PA in his career, his age is irrelevant, he's shown nothing positive so far except for a good outfield arm, which is worthless when the rest of your fielding sucks. Avi thus far has been worse than Viciedo, that's how bad it's been. He doesn't deserve any more time, he should be replaced ASAP, we're wasting AB with him out there right now. He should be below Sands on the depth chart. Holy hyperbole, Batman!

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 10:43 AM) Why do people keep pretending Garcia's career started a week ago? He's been very bad for quite a long time. And now so far this year, he looks just as bad. He looked really good in ST and has been relatively bad for the past two weeks. It's difficult to draw a conclusion from that data set. Given that productive veterans such as Eaton can slump for multiple months, I'd say that May is still too early. The trade deadline makes a lot more sense to me, particularly because a solid replacement is unlikely to be available until July anyway.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 10:28 AM) That's not true at all. Davidson has done nothing to deserve a major league opportunity and Ishikawa is simply not a good baseball player. Avi is a better alternative at DH to both of those guys for the time being. Having said that, he doesn't deserve much of a rope. A couple more weeks and we need to start getting serious about a replacement and unfortunately that guy is not in the organization at the moment. So you're giving a 24-year-old exactly one month of regular-season ABs in cold weather to improve over a disappointing season? That's insane. The trade deadline is much more realistic.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 10:03 AM) Yeah I agree with this. He has no redeeming qualities. He's a horrible defender and he doesn't hit enough to DH. He's one of the 5 worst players in all of baseball. I don't expect the experiment to last long honestly. If the Sox agreed with this, he wouldn't be in the lineup five days a week. Ishikawa or Davidson would be on the 25-man roster instead. I agree that Avi needs to take a big step forward this year, and that's what the Sox are giving him the opportunity to do. If he doesn't show them something this year, he'll probably be dealt for an inconsequential player in the offseason. But I have no problem with the Sox giving a 24-year-old more time to prove himself, particularly when their options are limited.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Apr 14, 2016 -> 06:52 AM) Semien does not come with league average defense. If I were the A's, I'd be looking to see if Semien can play CF.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Apr 13, 2016 -> 04:27 PM) I can do without the name calling too. Make your argument and move on. Just because someone else doesn't agree with your statement doesn't justify some of the ridiculousness we see posted. Personally I think it's too early to get down on any player on this team. We have a 5-2 record and we are already calling for heads to roll. I believe Garcia will be just fine as the DH and filling in on occasion in the OF Yep

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Apr 13, 2016 -> 11:59 AM) I'd argue that Thompson defensive upside is better than Austin Jackson. That said, if we got a .730 OPS out of Jackson and above average D, I'd call that a player you can absolutely win with as well. I agree with this. If by "long term" you mean after this season, the likely answer is nothing. I don't think that the Sox will give him the $50M or more than he'll be able to command next winter.