Sox claim 1b A.J. Reed off waivers AND send him to majors

[oldsox]

9 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

?

I just don't get the Reed acquisition.  We cut Alonso for obvious reasons.  Vaughn is waiting in the wings, developing.  Jose is solid in the mean time.  Collins, who needs activity, is there to fill in.  So we pick up Reed, and my wheels are spinning, metaphorically.

[bmags]

5 minutes ago, oldsox said:

I just don't get the Reed acquisition.  We cut Alonso for obvious reasons.  Vaughn is waiting in the wings, developing.  Jose is solid in the mean time.  Collins, who needs activity, is there to fill in.  So we pick up Reed, and my wheels are spinning, metaphorically.

Vaughn is not waiting in the wings, he's in low-A right now. Collins is apparently still tracked to develop as a catcher, so he is better served doing it more often in the minors. Jose's time isn't affected by this. So they took a shot on a player their scouting dept liked for marginal cost. 

I actually like most that they did this and are going to try him out in the majors, otherwise he would have had no time to show anything.

[Moan4Yoan]

3 minutes ago, oldsox said:

I just don't get the Reed acquisition.  We cut Alonso for obvious reasons.  Vaughn is waiting in the wings, developing.  Jose is solid in the mean time.  Collins, who needs activity, is there to fill in.  So we pick up Reed, and my wheels are spinning, metaphorically.

Neither Collins nor Vaughn are 100 percent sure bets to be major leaguers.  It doesn’t hurt to acquire potential talent, especially if it is free.

[GreenSox]

3 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I think what Jimmy is getting at is that we wasted lots of at-bats on guys with very limited ceilings (Yolmer, Engel, Delmonico, etc) and could have used that playing time on former top prospects whose stock was down but offered some upside like Reed.

Like who though?  I mean I wish the Sox had grabbed players off the scrap heap like the Dodgers did with Muncy and Turner, or the Padres with Hand.
But guys like Palka, Tilson, Gillaspie - they were pretty high picks and well-regarded at one point.

[bmags]

Reed is honestly the same gamble as palka/delmonico except they aren't acting like he can play RF.

He strikes out a lot. He has to show he has changed and something will work now in the majors.

[Hatchetman]

He's played in four seasons at AAA and gotten worse each year. Very strange.

[Richie]

30 minutes ago, Hatchetman said:

He's played in four seasons at AAA and gotten worse each year. Very strange.

His last two years are nearly identical. A lot of HR's, good OBP and a lot of RBI's.  

34 HR's 108 RBI's .261/.358/.525 (.883)

28 HR's 108 RBI's .255/.344/.506 (.851)

 

The year prior his slash line was better, but he only played 70 games at that level and had 296 PA's

Edited July 10, 2019 by Richie

[steveno89]

1 hour ago, Richie said:

His last two years are nearly identical. A lot of HR's, good OBP and a lot of RBI's.  

34 HR's 108 RBI's .261/.358/.525 (.883)

28 HR's 108 RBI's .255/.344/.506 (.851)

 

The year prior his slash line was better, but he only played 70 games at that level and had 296 PA's

Reed is literally a zero risk move for the White Sox to test out at this point. I'm not sure how fans can view this as anything but a positive. If he sucks we can easily cut him, and if he's good well then great news. 

For Reed this is probably his final MLB opportunity to show he can stick, hopefully he makes the most of it.

[Richie]

1 minute ago, steveno89 said:

Reed is literally a zero risk move for the White Sox to test out at this point. I'm not sure how fans can view this as anything but a positive. If he sucks we can easily cut him, and if he's good well then great news. 

For Reed this is probably his final MLB opportunity to show he can stick, hopefully he makes the most of it.

Agreed on all fronts. I actually look forward to seeing what he can do. Much more exciting than calling up Skole or something. 

Edited July 10, 2019 by Richie

[Bob Sacamano]

14 minutes ago, steveno89 said:

Reed is literally a zero risk move for the White Sox to test out at this point. I'm not sure how fans can view this as anything but a positive. If he sucks we can easily cut him, and if he's good well then great news. 

For Reed this is probably his final MLB opportunity to show he can stick, hopefully he makes the most of it.

Think it is more about not giving Collins the at bats, which I think would come more having 3 catchers on the roster if they wanted when Castillo comes off IL.

Edited July 10, 2019 by soxfan2014

[Richie]

2 minutes ago, soxfan2014 said:

Think it is more about not giving Collins the at bats, which I think would come more having 3 catchers on the roster if they wanted when Castillo comes off IL.

I know that there's exceptions for rebuilds and I get the argument for giving Collins AB's. However, to an extent, you have to earn those AB's with the big league club. Or else they're going to be given to someone else in the form of an opportunity. Which is what's happening with Reed. Collins hasn't just looked bad outside of his one HR, he's looked totally overmatched and out of his league. 

[Bob Sacamano]

Just now, Richie said:

I know that there's exceptions for rebuilds and I get the argument for giving Collins AB's. However, to an extent, you have to earn those AB's with the big league club. Or else they're going to be given to someone else in the form of an opportunity. Which is what's happening with Reed. Collins hasn't just looked bad outside of his one HR, he's looked totally overmatched and out of his league. 

Which you'd expect when he's playing what, once, twice a week?

[mqr]

3 minutes ago, Richie said:

I know that there's exceptions for rebuilds and I get the argument for giving Collins AB's. However, to an extent, you have to earn those AB's with the big league club. Or else they're going to be given to someone else in the form of an opportunity. Which is what's happening with Reed. Collins hasn't just looked bad outside of his one HR, he's looked totally overmatched and out of his league. 

Remember when everyone was whining about how bad White Sox development was becuase Collins couldn't produce with a new swing and went back to his old one and started producing? Well this is why they wanted to make that change. 

Edited July 10, 2019 by mqr

[Jose Abreu]

2 minutes ago, soxfan2014 said:

Which you'd expect when he's playing what, once, twice a week?

I don't know about you but I think his .000 BABIP is sustainable 

[bmags]

5 minutes ago, mqr said:

Remember when everyone was whining about how bad White Sox development was becuase Collins couldn't produce with a new swing and went back to his old one and started producing? Well this is why they wanted to make that change. 

This is exactly what I was thinking when seeing him struggle to catch up to fastballs. I am convinced however his obp skills will translate in that no pitcher is that accurate, but if he cannot take advantage of them pitching in the zone with fastballs then that will be unfortunate.

[mqr]

3 minutes ago, bmags said:

This is exactly what I was thinking when seeing him struggle to catch up to fastballs. I am convinced however his obp skills will translate in that no pitcher is that accurate, but if he cannot take advantage of them pitching in the zone with fastballs then that will be unfortunate.

I'll always wonder if he'd be better served to have just pushed through the struggles or if it would have ended up with him never getting out of A ball

[bmags]

http://www.writesox.com/2019/07/fuck-it-lets-write-about-aj-reed.html

 

Quote

So what is it the White Sox see in Reed? Well, considering he's from the Astros organization, odds are Houston has not spared any attempts to figure out what works for Reed and help him get there. If there's anything reading Astroball and The MVP Machine teaches you it's that the Astros not only know what they're doing but how to utilize it to improve their players as well.

just leaving this here.

[mqr]

7 minutes ago, bmags said:

http://www.writesox.com/2019/07/fuck-it-lets-write-about-aj-reed.html

 

just leaving this here.

It's possible that they've become so efficient in their way of thinking that they ignore other development paths, sort of how Billy Beane ignored player development in a lot of ways because he was so good at acquiring ready made talent. 

"Well if our plan didn't work, then certainly there is no hope"

I'd put the odds on the Sox outsmarting the Astros in any way extremely low, but it's not impossible for the Astros to be wrong.

Edited July 10, 2019 by mqr

[SCCWS]

3 hours ago, oldsox said:

SCCWS, are you saying that Reed >>> Abreu? 

No, more thinking if they move Abreu which I have no clue if they will.  Kid is still young to be a DH. 

[Polar Bear]

I was gonna post that my local news was reporting that he would be joining the soc in Oakland but I think you all got it fixed already.  

Back to Reed. I like the signing, I think it was to get a backup for Jose, we need an actual 1B to play there....not Rodon and Collins 

[bmags]

6 minutes ago, mqr said:

It's possible that they've become so efficient in their way of thinking that they ignore other development paths, sort of how Billy Beane ignored player development in a lot of ways because he was so good at acquiring ready made talent. 

"Well if our plan didn't work, then certainly there is no hope"

I'd put the odds on the Sox outsmarting the Astros in any way extremely low, but it's not impossible for the Astros to be wrong.

definitely, it's just absolutely a reason to apply skepticism that he will be amazing.

[GreenSox]

13 minutes ago, mqr said:

It's possible that they've become so efficient in their way of thinking that they ignore other development paths, sort of how Billy Beane ignored player development in a lot of ways because he was so good at acquiring ready made talent. 

"Well if our plan didn't work, then certainly there is no hope"

That's an interesting thought...other institutions have certainly suffocated from their own groupthink.

Listening to one of his interviews, it sounds like he also lost heart with the Astros after being buried in the depth chart and wasn't always focused.  Here he has a real incentive regain that focus.

[Richie]

1 hour ago, soxfan2014 said:

Which you'd expect when he's playing what, once, twice a week?

No, being a part time player is not an excuse for looking like a beer league softball all-star who won a contest and got a chance to play in the big leagues. 

[Richie]

47 minutes ago, mqr said:

It's possible that they've become so efficient in their way of thinking that they ignore other development paths, sort of how Billy Beane ignored player development in a lot of ways because he was so good at acquiring ready made talent. 

"Well if our plan didn't work, then certainly there is no hope"

I'd put the odds on the Sox outsmarting the Astros in any way extremely low, but it's not impossible for the Astros to be wrong.

Houston was wrong when they gave up on JD Martinez. They're certainly a well established organization, but they are not without their bumps/bruises along the way. 

[Richie]

1 hour ago, mqr said:

Remember when everyone was whining about how bad White Sox development was becuase Collins couldn't produce with a new swing and went back to his old one and started producing? Well this is why they wanted to make that change. 

Indeed. 

A long-term swing adjustment for the better doesn't always render good short-term results. I would say it's time to begin working on that adjusted swing again.