White Sox at Tampa 8.5 game thread

[Dick Allen]

45 minutes ago, Jake said:

Yeah I give him the benefit of the doubt but if I didn't know better I'd think he was being a prick

He’s a weird dude. That story about the McDonalds All America game was weird, and he played it with a Tribune reporter until he finally told him he couldn’t run with it because it was BS.

[Kyyle23]

19 minutes ago, Lillian said:

What Palka provides is exactly what has been missing; a middle of the order LH bat. He provides that kind of presence. 

Sandwich him somewhere in between Avi, Abreu and Eloy and you have a potent, balanced middle of the order, 3 through 6.

When this team is playing meaningful games, that kind of lineup will force opposing managers to make more bullpen changes.

Palka is fun but come on.  He is a platoon player

[Lillian]

2 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Palka is fun but come on.  He is a platoon player

That's fine and the opposing manager will bring in a lefty to face him, late in the game, which is exactly what a right handed heavy lineup would like. Precisely my point.

[caulfield12]

More 4 hour games, lol...that’s reason enough to dump Renteria, but absolutely nobody will care anymore if Jimenez and Kopech look good.

[Kyyle23]

9 minutes ago, Lillian said:

That's fine and the opposing manager will bring in a lefty to face him, late in the game, which is exactly what a right handed heavy lineup would like. Precisely my point.

He is hitting .236, he has 92 Ks in 78 games and is being platooned to protect him, and you are head over heels in love because of your magical “balanced lineup”. 

Come on Lillian, you have to look deeper at why this guy hasn’t been pushed harder on the past.   He has limits.  Putting him in the middle of the lineup and acting like he is perfect because he hits lefty is foolish

[JoshPR]

9 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

More 4 hour games, lol...that’s reason enough to dump Renteria, but absolutely nobody will care anymore if Jimenez and Kopech look good.

Its renterias fault that the first 2 innings lasted over an hour? Ohhkkkkk

[Lillian]

33 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

He is hitting .236, he has 92 Ks in 78 games and is being platooned to protect him, and you are head over heels in love because of your magical “balanced lineup”. 

Come on Lillian, you have to look deeper at why this guy hasn’t been pushed harder on the past.   He has limits.  Putting him in the middle of the lineup and acting like he is perfect because he hits lefty is foolish

These have been the first 250 at bats of his MLB career.

[Swingandalongonetoleft]

1 hour ago, Dick Allen said:

He’s a weird dude. That story about the McDonalds All America game was weird, and he played it with a Tribune reporter until he finally told him he couldn’t run with it because it was BS.

Haven't heard of this.

[soxfan49]

45 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

He is hitting .236, he has 92 Ks in 78 games and is being platooned to protect him, and you are head over heels in love because of your magical “balanced lineup”. 

Come on Lillian, you have to look deeper at why this guy hasn’t been pushed harder on the past.   He has limits.  Putting him in the middle of the lineup and acting like he is perfect because he hits lefty is foolish

I’d agree, but IIRC, he was tearing it up last year in Minnesota’s system and then got hurt. His average OPS by season before coming to the Sox was around .850

[Kyyle23]

12 minutes ago, Lillian said:

These have been the first 250 at bats of his MLB career.

Ah, I get it.  His 250 at bats with power or nothing approach is perfect for you to make him a middle of the order hitter for the foreseeable future, but it’s not enough for me to say let’s pump the brakes.

[Kyyle23]

2 minutes ago, soxfan49 said:

I’d agree, but IIRC, he was tearing it up last year in Minnesota’s system and then got hurt. His average OPS by season before coming to the Sox was around .850

Would I love for him to beat all odds and become some sort of hitting revelation?  Of course.   But I don’t really see it happening.  

[southsider2k5]

I see a left handed version of Matt Davidson. 

[Jack Parkman]

1 minute ago, southsider2k5 said:

I see a left handed version of Matt Davidson. 

This is probably true. This is also why the Dare to be Stupid album with Palka's mug on it would be high comedy. 

[CregerMax]

4 hours ago, SoxAce said:

Palka is gonna fuck around and lead our team in homers this year, watch.

I think Avi might have something to say about that!

[Balta1701]

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

I see a left handed version of Matt Davidson. 

Matt Davidson is so close to being a solid DH that it really, really frustrates me. You don't need to be a great hitter in that role, just a good enough one. If a guy is a tiny bit better than where Davidson is, then I'm ok with that. When all you do is HR, stikeout, and walk, a few walks and a few HR is the difference between a good, .850 OPS DH and a sucky, .700 OPS one.

[caulfield12]

6 hours ago, JoshPR said:

Its renterias fault that the first 2 innings lasted over an hour? Ohhkkkkk

Well, the Rays going with their relievers to start, and all three (Yarborough and Shields) working extremely slowly...

[zisk]

12 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

I see a left handed version of Matt Davidson. 

     I'm not sure about that. While he hasn't taken walks yet, he always has in the past. When ever most players are promoted, their bb/k rates usually crater for a bit

  and then start to recover. He's a little old and a horrific outfielder, but he may end up around .850 ops for 3-4 yrs. That would be a good thing.

[FrontierDayz]

That 8-7  painfully slow win by the Sox yesterday was one of the ugliest wins against another ugly team in undoubtedly the ugliest graveyard in MLB.... I lived in Tampa during the failed attempted abduction of the Sox to the St Pete dump... Royko had a classic column on the attempted heist prevented by another even bigger heist walk off at bat win in Springfield by Big Jim and Madigan...sorry if this violates confusing thread rules...but it seems when the Sox win, it’s ugly, particularly if Shield pitches...May the rebuilding project include his departure....

[Lillian]

14 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

Ah, I get it.  His 250 at bats with power or nothing approach is perfect for you to make him a middle of the order hitter for the foreseeable future, but it’s not enough for me to say let’s pump the brakes.

He isn't a "perfect" solution to the problem, but he may do, until the Sox have a better one. Just to clarify; Do I understand that you don't think it's important to have a "dangerous" LH hitter, in the middle of the order?

[Kyyle23]

6 minutes ago, Lillian said:

He isn't a "perfect" solution to the problem, but he may do, until the Sox have a better one. Just to clarify; Do I understand that you don't think it's important to have a "dangerous" LH hitter, in the middle of the order?

It’s not required, like you think it is

[Lillian]

1 hour ago, Kyyle23 said:

It’s not required, like you think it is

"Required" would not be my choice of words. I would say "advantageous". For example; Let's assume that next season, Eloy is in the lineup. If the middle of the order choice were Abreu, Avi, Eloy and Davidson, versus Abreu, Avi, Palka and Eloy, I would favor the latter, even if Matt's stats were slightly better than Palka's. The reasoning is; An opposing manager might feel the need to go to the pen, for a LHP. A middle of the order, consisting of all RH hitters, does not force a manager to make that kind of move. In fact, it might be even better to bat Avi after Palka. Nobody hits leftiies better than Avi. That would further complicate the opposing manager''s decision making process. If he brought in a LHP to face Palka, he might have to go back to the pen, for a RHP to face Avi.

I agree that Palka needs to cut down on his strike outs and draw more walks. I hope that by establishing his reputation, as a "dangerous" hitter, that pitchers will begin to nibble more, and that he can exploit that, in order to draw more walks.

In any case, thank you for the clarification.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Lillian

[Kyyle23]

12 minutes ago, Lillian said:

"Required" would not be my choice of words. I would say "advantageous". For example; Let's assume that next season, Eloy is in the lineup. If the middle of the order choice were Abreu, Avi, Eloy and Davidson, versus Abreu, Avi, Palka and Eloy, I would favor the latter, even if Matt's stats were slightly better than Palka's. The reasoning is; An opposing manager might feel the need to go to the pen, for a LHP. A middle of the order, consisting of all RH hitters, does not force a manager to make that kind of move.

I agree that Palka needs to cut down on his strike outs and draw more walks. I hope that by establishing his reputation, as a "dangerous" hitter, that pitchers will begin to nibble more, and that he can exploit that, in order to draw more walks.

In any case, thank you for the clarification.

Are you kidding? For years you have lamented and repeated “LH, middle of the order, power bat with high OBP” as if every other team has it and the Sox don’t feel like they need it.  I have said it before, if Jim Thome-Esque players were readily available of course I would want one, but that’s a HOF player, not just some guy you can pick up off the street and plug him in.  Palka was picked up off the street and plugged in.  

 

[Lillian]

3 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Are you kidding? For years you have lamented and repeated “LH, middle of the order, power bat with high OBP” as if every other team has it and the Sox don’t feel like they need it.  I have said it before, if Jim Thome-Esque players were readily available of course I would want one, but that’s a HOF player, not just some guy you can pick up off the street and plug him in.  Palka was picked up off the street and plugged in.  

 

Yes, I have certainly been consistent, in my advocating the acquisition of a LH middle of the order bat. Apparently, management agrees, evidenced by statements from the front office. Unfortunately, the players, whom they have brought in have not been very good. I hope that they acquire one through free agency, when they decide to spend some money. At this point, Palka seems to be their best option, and that is why he is in the lineup vs RHP, despite the fact that he is a defensive liability.

[Kyyle23]

4 minutes ago, Lillian said:

Yes, I have certainly been consistent, in my advocating the acquisition of a LH middle of the order bat. Apparently, management agrees, evidenced by statements from the front office. Unfortunately, the players, whom they have brought in have not been very good. I hope that they acquire one through free agency, when they decide to spend some money. At this point, Palka seems to be their best option, and that is why he is in the lineup vs RHP, despite the fact that he is a defensive liability.

at this point, in the middle of a rebuild when they are probably gonna lose 90+ games, yes he is in the lineup.  Im not gonna project him a few years from now to be protecting Eloy because he is left handed.  

[Lillian]

10 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

at this point, in the middle of a rebuild when they are probably gonna lose 90+ games, yes he is in the lineup.  Im not gonna project him a few years from now to be protecting Eloy because he is left handed.  

I wouldn't be surprised to see Eloy next season. However, I'm not expecting a big free agent signing, this winter. Whom would you like them to sign, to fill the LH  bat void?