Tosar hired as Hitting Coach

[Balta1701]

1 hour ago, Dick Allen said:

I agree with that. They have to hit homers. 

At the very least it has to be balanced. If Tim Anderson is really good at making contact and going the other way, let him keep doing that. But guys like Eloy, Vaughn, big strong slow guys, they should not be trying to go the other way on the ground very often. They cannot make careers out of beating throws to first or running on the base paths.

[hi8is]

8 hours ago, Balta1701 said:

At the very least it has to be balanced. If Tim Anderson is really good at making contact and going the other way, let him keep doing that. But guys like Eloy, Vaughn, big strong slow guys, they should not be trying to go the other way on the ground very often. They cannot make careers out of beating throws to first or running on the base paths.

Pretty sure I’ve ascertained that the new coaches plan to have just that - an individualized approach.

Not a direct quote but just overall what I’ve heard and read of them… this is the way.

[reiks12]

20 hours ago, ShoeLessRob said:

Yup! Not sure why we are pulling so many resources from one of the worst teams over the past 7 years. Just my opinion!

I agree, but you look at his resume and it makes me feel better. Scout for the Dodgers, helped Salvy turn into a hr hitter, believes in the home run. Ill take it

My understanding is the Royals were like the Sox and refused to give in to analytical change, hence why the org is going through a FO rebuild. 

Edited November 6, 2022 by reiks12

[southsider2k5]

1 hour ago, reiks12 said:

I agree, but you look at his resume and it makes me feel better. Scout for the Dodgers, helped Salvy turn into a hr hitter, believes in the home run. Ill take it

My understanding is the Royals were like the Sox and refused to give in to analytical change, hence why the org is going through a FO rebuild. 

Are you saying Jesus Christ can't hit a curve ball?

[black jack]

18 hours ago, Dick Allen said:

What's weird is Salvy and Soler, while big power guys, are also really low OBP guys.

Great teams have a balance.  We need both OBP guys and power guys to get them in.  

[Balta1701]

7 hours ago, hi8is said:

Pretty sure I’ve ascertained that the new coaches plan to have just that - an individualized approach.

Not a direct quote but just overall what I’ve heard and read of them… this is the way.

I am skeptical at the notion that either Menechino or Steverson came into their interview and said they want a one size fits all approach of hitting the ball on the ground the other way (although with this GM I can’t be sure that wouldn’t get them the job), but from Avisail Garcia to Eloy Jimenez that’s what we got. Count me as skeptical until I see it, especially since the same guys had to do the hiring.

[Balta1701]

3 hours ago, reiks12 said:

I agree, but you look at his resume and it makes me feel better. Scout for the Dodgers, helped Salvy turn into a hr hitter, believes in the home run. Ill take it

My understanding is the Royals were like the Sox and refused to give in to analytical change, hence why the org is going through a FO rebuild. 

And yet, the White Sox aren’t rebuilding their front office and they’re hiring guys from the Royals where they refused to give in to analytical changes.

If y’all wanted to give me reasons to think that they’re saying the right things in public so that they don’t have to actually do anything different behind the scenes, you’re succeeding.

[Tnetennba]

23 hours ago, ShoeLessRob said:

Yup! Not sure why we are pulling so many resources from one of the worst teams over the past 7 years. Just my opinion!

Are we not also one of the worse franchises over the past seven years?  Major League Baseball jobs are few and far between.  There are only so many opportunities.  I’m giving these hires, the men themselves, the benefit of the doubt.  They have worked all around baseball in many facets, I’m not going to hold them responsible for a lack of org talent or greater org problems beyond their control.  Their resumes look qualified to me, so coming from KC, a team with more recent success than our own White Sox, is not something I will hold against them right now. 

[Balta1701]

19 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

Are we not also one of the worse franchises over the past seven years?  Major League Baseball jobs are few and far between.  There are only so many opportunities.  I’m giving these hires, the men themselves, the benefit of the doubt.  They have worked all around baseball in many facets, I’m not going to hold them responsible for a lack of org talent or greater org problems beyond their control.  Their resumes look qualified to me, so coming from KC, a team with more recent success than our own White Sox, is not something I will hold against them right now. 

While that is true, it is also true that the White Sox in general have earned an extremely healthy dose of skepticism. At the very least, give some space to people who say that they aren’t hating these guys yet but they want to see results rapidly.

[ShoeLessRob]

4 hours ago, reiks12 said:

I agree, but you look at his resume and it makes me feel better. Scout for the Dodgers, helped Salvy turn into a hr hitter, believes in the home run. Ill take it

My understanding is the Royals were like the Sox and refused to give in to analytical change, hence why the org is going through a FO rebuild. 

So we’re taking two main pieces from a non analytics team and expecting them to make our team analytical? 

[ShoeLessRob]

32 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

While that is true, it is also true that the White Sox in general have earned an extremely healthy dose of skepticism. At the very least, give some space to people who say that they aren’t hating these guys yet but they want to see results rapidly.

That’s where I’m at, I’m so fed up with this organization that I’m not buying all their fluff pieces. I’m skeptical until proven wrong, which I will gladly eat crow if that’s the case. 

[hi8is]

1 hour ago, Balta1701 said:

I am skeptical at the notion that either Menechino or Steverson came into their interview and said they want a one size fits all approach of hitting the ball on the ground the other way (although with this GM I can’t be sure that wouldn’t get them the job), but from Avisail Garcia to Eloy Jimenez that’s what we got. Count me as skeptical until I see it, especially since the same guys had to do the hiring.

Yea I’m skeptical until we…

1.) Field a competent lineup

2.) See a competent approach on both sides of the ball

3.) Win

[Tnetennba]

52 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

While that is true, it is also true that the White Sox in general have earned an extremely healthy dose of skepticism. At the very least, give some space to people who say that they aren’t hating these guys yet but they want to see results rapidly.

Yeah, I myself will sing the verses of White Sox skepticism.  I don't need you chiming in there.  I'm just trying to be rational and judge the hires on their resumes and not kick them to the curb for taking an MLB job with a bad org.  The White Sox themselves are a bad org.  Shitting on someone for working for KC is dumb when we still support *this* shitty org.

[Tnetennba]

The Sox hires actually look qualified for the job, unlike what they've force fed us in the past.  We could be talking about another TLR, or fucking Ozzie, another Robin, or Getz, or Thome. 

[Balta1701]

10 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

Yeah, I myself will sing the verses of White Sox skepticism.  I don't need you chiming in there.  I'm just trying to be rational and judge the hires on their resumes and not kick them to the curb for taking an MLB job with a bad org.  The White Sox themselves are a bad org.  Shitting on someone for working for KC is dumb when we still support *this* shitty org.

But let’s face it, on paper their resumes are not slam dunks. They don’t meet the standards Rick Hahn himself set out at the beginning of October. They could easily be excellent, they have said some of the right things, but they could just as easily be more of the same, although they can’t possibly be worse. I’m not going to get too excited or down on them myself either, but I’m not going to be all that surprised when people are more down on them than me.

[JoeC]

1 hour ago, ShoeLessRob said:

So we’re taking two main pieces from a non analytics team and expecting them to make our team analytical? 

…or, to look at it another way, the analytical guys who showed some success in a nonanalytical organization have fled to a team that is hopefully looking for a growth in its analytical approach.

[Leonard Zelig]

Obviously a change was necessary, and the team definitely needs to hit more home runs.  But I also remember when one of the main complaints on this board was the lift and pull approach that so many batters had. 

[PitchatRisktoZisk]

1 hour ago, JoeC said:

…or, to look at it another way, the analytical guys who showed some success in a nonanalytical organization have fled to a team that is hopefully looking for a growth in its analytical approach.

This. Grifol was the guy the Royals analytics people went to and said "please convince Ned (Yost) to look at this stuff, it's critical". Grifol poured over the data, added a lot to it, and then convinced Yost to look it over. Grifol IS an an analytics guy that was stuck in a backwards organization. He sees the value of analytics and blends it with all the other tools. To poo poo him because he came from the Royals is shortsighted, imho. 

[Dick Allen]

18 minutes ago, PitchatRisktoZisk said:

This. Grifol was the guy the Royals analytics people went to and said "please convince Ned (Yost) to look at this stuff, it's critical". Grifol poured over the data, added a lot to it, and then convinced Yost to look it over. Grifol IS an an analytics guy that was stuck in a backwards organization. He sees the value of analytics and blends it with all the other tools. To poo poo him because he came from the Royals is shortsighted, imho. 

I’m excited about the hire. Obviously most of what any of us can go by is his press conference, and anyone not impressed with that, wouldn’t be impressed with anyone else.

[Boopa1219]

I’m hoping all this talk about controlling the strikeout means that we’ll see a higher BB% and better plate discipline going forward.

In 2022, the Sox were dead last in walk rate with 6.3%. The Royals had a walk rate of 7.7% and they ranked 20th. A walk rate of 8% is considered average.

I’m hoping we see a purge of the weak contact guys. Players like Harrison, Leury, and Engel. 

[Dick Allen]

42 minutes ago, Joshua Strong said:

I’m hoping all this talk about controlling the strikeout means that we’ll see a higher BB% and better plate discipline going forward.

In 2022, the Sox were dead last in walk rate with 6.3%. The Royals had a walk rate of 7.7% and they ranked 20th. A walk rate of 8% is considered average.

I’m hoping we see a purge of the weak contact guys. Players like Harrison, Leury, and Engel. 

Just get most of these guys back to where they were pre-Tony, and it will be fun again.

[southsider2k5]

1 hour ago, Dick Allen said:

Just get most of these guys back to where they were pre-Tony, and it will be fun again.

This.  Just that much is a borderline playoff team.  Near their ceilings is a slam dunk playoff team.

[chw42]

20 hours ago, Leonard Zelig said:

Obviously a change was necessary, and the team definitely needs to hit more home runs.  But I also remember when one of the main complaints on this board was the lift and pull approach that so many batters had. 

That was what, 10+ years ago? 

Baseball is a different game now. 

[Dick Allen]

18 minutes ago, chw42 said:

That was what, 10+ years ago? 

Baseball is a different game now. 

Supposedly it has evolved. Aooarently all the anti Greg Walker people had no idea he , accourding to them, was way ahead of his time.

[Texsox]

On 11/4/2022 at 9:14 PM, HoosierSox said:

I think I heard somewhere he went to High school with Grifol and they are good friends. Interesting that he was an international scout. 

Glad to see friends and family hiring is still alive and well.