Sox Draft 2023

[Dick Allen]

2 minutes ago, JTB said:

I know Calvin’s dad pretty well. It will be fun rooting for him.  I did text his dad to say it will be fun to watch his progression but I don’t trust the Sox to develop anyone!  Still, good for Calvin.  Good family.

That's pretty cool. 

[T R U]

8 minutes ago, The Kids Can Play said:

Like maybe as good of a 10 year period of all time and probably a future Hall of Famer?

Don't forget he was a several time all-star and batting champion in Japan before he came to the Majors, so his age was against him starting at 27. 

Hey I never said Ichiro wasn't one of the best to do it.

[PorkChopExpress]

1 minute ago, T R U said:

Hey I never said Ichiro wasn't one of the best to do it.

He probably wouldn't have been if he were with the White Sox.  They'd have tried to change his swing.

[The Kids Can Play]

2 minutes ago, T R U said:

Hey I never said Ichiro wasn't one of the best to do it.

 

1 minute ago, PorkChopExpress said:

He probably wouldn't have been if he were with the White Sox.  They'd have tried to change his swing.

Thankfully Seattle didn't. I agree the Sox would have screwed him up. Keep in mind if you look up the staggering numbers Ichiro put up in Japan and it was with that same awkward swing. 

[T R U]

Just now, The Kids Can Play said:

 

Thankfully Seattle didn't. I agree the Sox would have screwed him up. Keep in mind if you look up the staggering numbers Ichiro put up in Japan and it was with that same awkward swing. 

I really said it more as a joke, and only because after I made the first Ichiro comment I went and looked him up and its crazy the difference.

First 10 years was like 55 total WAR and the last 9 years was like 5 total WAR

[hankchifan]

5 hours ago, A-Train to 35th said:

Just leave his swing alone please......

High contact and low chase is what we lack and need now and a lefty at that. Looks like a good pick.

 

 

[reiks12]

48 minutes ago, PorkChopExpress said:

He probably wouldn't have been if he were with the White Sox.  They'd have tried to change his swing.

i did read that twitter thread earlier this year where a former Sox prospect was calling out the developmental team saying they were "trying to put their name" on prospect by changing their swings/deliveries. 

[Lip Man 1]

5 minutes ago, reiks12 said:

i did read that twitter thread earlier this year where a former Sox prospect was calling out the developmental team saying they were "trying to put their name" on prospect by changing their swings/deliveries. 

This isn't a recent development. Jack McDowell told me when I interviewed him and he said on camera for "The Last Comiskey" documentary that the Sox tried to change his delivery to try to get more velocity. They sent him down one year to work on it.

He tried it then basically said 'this is the way I pitch deal with it...' dumped it and went back to doing what he was doing.

He did well ignoring them. 

[DFAthewave69420]

2 hours ago, DFAthewave69420 said:

Wonder if they have their eye on George Wolkow from Downers Grove North

Boom  https://twitter.com/MLBDraft/status/1678501946443833344?s=20

[Chick Mercedes]

19 hours ago, chitownsportsfan said:

This kid seems like a pretty mediocre ceiling Sox type pick.

Maybe not a massive upside, the Alexei Ramirez feeling. Which is fine. Although this kid has a little more  power potential depending on what you read.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Chick Mercedes

[Texsox]

Draft the best athletes available and trade them later if there is a log jam. There is no extra credit if you drafted your starting line up. 

[oldsox]

3 hours ago, The Kids Can Play said:

 

Thankfully Seattle didn't. I agree the Sox would have screwed him up. Keep in mind if you look up the staggering numbers Ichiro put up in Japan and it was with that same awkward swing. 

That swing wasn't awkward. Just extremely level, keeping the bat in the hitting zone longer, thus more contact.

[champagne030]

4 hours ago, The Kids Can Play said:

I think your prognosis is harsh and premature. Let's actually slow the jets and let Gonzalez go through the minors before you call this guy a bust and wasted draft pick.

From your comment: You can get away with that against horseshit pitching and swinging a metal bat but big league pitchers would absolutely destroy him on the outer half of the plate.

You realize you are talking about the SEC which is probably the top college baseball conference. They have arguably produced the most, if not close to the most lifetime major league players. These horseshit pitchers from this SEC conference have produced the following pitchers, just to name a few who seem to have made the transition of horseshit pitching in college to the majors:

Max Scherzer - Missouri
Dane Dunning - Florida
Kevin Gausman - LSU
Sonny Gray - Vanderbilt
Alex Lange - LSU
Aaron Nola - LSU
David Price - Vanderbilt

Your comment: Swinging a metal bat but big league pitchers would absolutely destroy him on the outer half of the plate.

The following players have played in the SEC using that metal bat and somehow made the successful transition to the major leagues just to name a few:

Pete Alonso - Florida
Alex Bregman - LSU
Walker Buehler - Vanderbilt
Dansby Swanson - Vanderbilt
Christian Walker - SC
Bryan Reynolds - Vanderbilt
DJ LeMahieu - LSU
Nathaniel Lowe - Miss St

I appreciate your harsh negative review of Gonzalez, but I could counter easily and list extensive reviews of people who do like his chances and potential. It's not like he was doing this in some mid major baseball conference.

Btw, your final comment about it's an awful way to draft.

Actually it was a very smart and safe pick. SS is a premium position. Since he can play SS, he can play 3B or 2B in the future. Plus if he is good and we don't need a SS, 2B or 3B, then he is a valuable asset to possibly trade.

The fact is, the Sox haven't had many good left handed power hitters that could also hit for BA for many years now. It's nice to see the Sox tried to address that need.

None of us know if Gonzalez will make it, but nobody knew if the above mentioned players from the SEC would make it either. Let's have this debate in a few years watching this dude either fail or excel in the Sox farm system.

 

Not to nitpick, but Scherzer didn't pitch in the SEC.  Mizz was still Big12.

[caulfield12]

5 hours ago, The Kids Can Play said:

I think your prognosis is harsh and premature. Let's actually slow the jets and let Gonzalez go through the minors before you call this guy a bust and wasted draft pick.

From your comment: You can get away with that against horseshit pitching and swinging a metal bat but big league pitchers would absolutely destroy him on the outer half of the plate.

You realize you are talking about the SEC which is probably the top college baseball conference. They have arguably produced the most, if not close to the most lifetime major league players. These horseshit pitchers from this SEC conference have produced the following pitchers, just to name a few who seem to have made the transition of horseshit pitching in college to the majors:

Max Scherzer - Missouri
Dane Dunning - Florida
Kevin Gausman - LSU
Sonny Gray - Vanderbilt
Alex Lange - LSU
Aaron Nola - LSU
David Price - Vanderbilt

Your comment: Swinging a metal bat but big league pitchers would absolutely destroy him on the outer half of the plate.

The following players have played in the SEC using that metal bat and somehow made the successful transition to the major leagues just to name a few:

Pete Alonso - Florida
Alex Bregman - LSU
Walker Buehler - Vanderbilt
Dansby Swanson - Vanderbilt
Christian Walker - SC
Bryan Reynolds - Vanderbilt
DJ LeMahieu - LSU
Nathaniel Lowe - Miss St

I appreciate your harsh negative review of Gonzalez, but I could counter easily and list extensive reviews of people who do like his chances and potential. It's not like he was doing this in some mid major baseball conference.

Btw, your final comment about it's an awful way to draft.

Actually it was a very smart and safe pick. SS is a premium position. Since he can play SS, he can play 3B or 2B in the future. Plus if he is good and we don't need a SS, 2B or 3B, then he is a valuable asset to possibly trade.

The fact is, the Sox haven't had many good left handed power hitters that could also hit for BA for many years now. It's nice to see the Sox tried to address that need.

None of us know if Gonzalez will make it, but nobody knew if the above mentioned players from the SEC would make it either. Let's have this debate in a few years watching this dude either fail or excel in the Sox farm system.

 

Of course...Todd Helton is still a possibility, but it's a crazy stat. 

Rafael Palmeiro before the steroids was a surefire selection.

[caulfield12]

1 hour ago, oldsox said:

That swing wasn't awkward. Just extremely level, keeping the bat in the hitting zone longer, thus more contact.

Our last pick with such awkward swing mechanics was the infamous T bar in Burger's swing.

[Balta1701]

44 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Rafael Palmeiro before the steroids was a surefire selection.

Rafael Palmeiro before the steroids put up an Andrew Vaughn like .774 OPS.

[SoxFest23]

46 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Of course...Todd Helton is still a possibility, but it's a crazy stat. 

Rafael Palmeiro before the steroids was a surefire selection.

Palmeiro before steroids was nothing spectacular. Or do you mean before everyone found out he was talking them?

[caulfield12]

27 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

Rafael Palmeiro before the steroids put up an Andrew Vaughn like .774 OPS.

What I should have written was all the repercussions of the steroids era being felt...with the HoF voting.

ARod Sosa McGwire Bonds, etc.

Edited July 11, 2023 by caulfield12

[Balta1701]

11 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

What I should have written was all the repercussions of the steroids era being felt...with the HoF voting.

ARod Sosa McGwire Bonds, etc.

Yeah, but IMO none of those guys are hall of famers if they never took steroids anyway. Palmeiro’s about the worst of those, you need his steroid inflated numbers but for him to never be caught.

[MackowiakYakYak]

11 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Our last pick with such awkward swing mechanics was the infamous T bar in Burger's swing.

Wasn’t that the issue with Collins as well?

[caulfield12]

57 minutes ago, MackowiakYakYak said:

Wasn’t that the issue with Collins as well?

https://www.sportsmockery.com/chicago-white-sox/zack-collins-new-swing-white-sox/

This is why Hostetler saying he would have taken him at 1-1 was so ridiculous…a bat first catcher with a severely flawed hit tool that held up in college with an aluminum bat but not in the majors.

Edited July 11, 2023 by caulfield12

[The Kids Can Play]

13 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Of course...Todd Helton is still a possibility, but it's a crazy stat. 

Rafael Palmeiro before the steroids was a surefire selection.

Interesting stat, but I never said the SEC had the most HOF players or only one in. My point, which is still a fact today as of 2023, the SEC has the most active players in major league baseball.

Although with the heavy amount of players the SEC sends to majors yearly continues for many years to come, logically and mathematically speaking, the SEC should start getting some players in the HOF.

[The Kids Can Play]

15 hours ago, champagne030 said:

Not to nitpick, but Scherzer didn't pitch in the SEC.  Mizz was still Big12.

Not to nitpick but your did LOL!

My apology I guess the writer of the article I took it from made a research mistake. I took it from an article that listed all current and former SEC players and their relative schools. Silly me since I don't follow college baseball like I do MLB, I guess I made an assumption the writers' facts would be accurate. 

The other thing you're missing, my point wasn't only about the SEC pitchers and hitters. I was informing the original poster, since he was claiming the pitchers in college are generally not that good and that Gonzalez wouldn't get away with his swing flaw at the pro level, that actually the pitching is strong in college. Ok so Scherzer didn't play in the SEC, but he did play in arguably one of the strongest baseball conferences at the time and he did put up huge college numbers, which is why he was drafted #11 overall.

[bmags]

That SEC stat is wild, but interesting looking at the college representation. Really much fewer college players, like 1 per class. Probably self selecting with some of what's required in the HOF being longevity and many college players entering league at a later age.

[The Kids Can Play]

21 hours ago, JTB said:

I know Calvin’s dad pretty well. It will be fun rooting for him.  I did text his dad to say it will be fun to watch his progression but I don’t trust the Sox to develop anyone!  Still, good for Calvin.  Good family.

That's extremely awesome. I hope he does well for us.