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Joe Borchard


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He got off to a predictable s***ty start.  .212 average after 99 at bats.  Anybody want to guess who was the first person on this board to say he wasn't going to make it.

 

What year will the Sox give up on him?

2012? :huh

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No need to give up on him NOW.

 

He has next to no value.

 

His talent is still there. If he can't harness, which is most likely, then whatever, not a big loss. But if he defies the outs....

I agree. We have a lot more to lose by dealing him than we do by keeping him, at this point.

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Sun - Times article on Joe's struggles so far,

 

This is the story White Sox general manager Ken Williams would prefer you didn't read -- especially if your name is Joe Borchard.

 

 

 

Almost four years ago, the White Sox shocked the baseball world with the staggering bonus they gave Borchard, the switch-hitting outfielder from Stanford. The $5.3 million payment, which would have been a record bonus even for a No. 1 overall pick, was spread over three years, with the final $1.5 million check issued on Jan. 15, 2003.

 

The Sox were persuaded to up the ante, fearing Borchard, the starting quarterback at Stanford, would pursue a career in the NFL.

 

Which brings us to Wednesday, when Borchard entered a game against the Indianapolis Indians of the Class AAA International League hitting .221 with 21 hits and 20 strikeouts in 95 at-bats for the Charlotte Knights. This is an improvement, considering on April 21 he was hitting .179 (8-for-47) with 14 strikeouts in his first 12 games.

 

Borchard, 25, is in his third season at Charlotte. By now, he was expected by many to be a fixture in the Sox' outfield, tucked neatly in center between Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee.

 

Instead, he is overstaying his welcome in Charlotte, still the victim of too many ill-advised swings and saddled with the stress of living up to that mountain of a bonus.

 

''In his own best interests, knowing the article you are doing, I'd prefer if he doesn't read this stuff,'' Williams said Wednesday from his office. ''He needs to have fun on a day-to-day basis. The only issue is for him to relax. The more he reads about timetables and swing analysis, the harder it's going to be.

 

''I understand it's a legitimate question, but I don't care. The only thing I care about is Joe Borchard and what's best for him.''

 

Nobody wants to play mind games with Borchard, but Sox fans aren't going to forget about that $5.3 million. In June 2000, the Sox were reluctant to throw that kind of money toward established major-leaguers.

 

Borchard is a nice guy with plenty of charisma. If he does make it in the majors, he will have instant star power.

 

But no one is willing to put a timetable on when Borchard will get more than a September call-up with the White Sox.

 

''He will be here shortly,'' Williams said. ''I have a tremendous amount of faith in him. And I think when he does get back here, he will have an exhale period.''

 

The Sox keep waiting for Borchard to exhale.

 

''Joe feels like and knows he should be doing better down there,'' Williams said, ''and that's compounding the problem.''

 

Both sides have the luxury of being patient. Lee and Ordonez are stationed at the outfield corners. The Sox wanted to convert Borchard, a natural right fielder, into a center fielder. But if they wanted Borchard -- and the football mentality he still carries -- to relax, sticking him in center was not exactly aroma therapy.

 

Aaron Rowand is the center fielder now. If Rowand falters, Charlotte's Jeremy Reed -- with a hot left-handed bat (.313 entering Wednesday) and plenty of speed -- likely would get the call before Borchard.

 

The way things are looking, the only way Borchard will find a permanent spot in the White Sox' outfield is if someone gets injured or if potential free agent Ordonez is traded or isn't retained beyond this season.

 

Maybe a change of scenery would be the best way for Borchard to finally relax.

 

Williams, however, says he still believes in Borchard.

 

''I'll tell you what, I have no doubts it was the right decision for our organization,'' Williams said. ''I stand behind [player personnel director] Duane Shaffer's decision to draft Joe.

 

''Even with him hitting .221, I would not be afraid to call Joe Borchard up to the big leagues. I'm comfortable with his competitive nature. I know once he gets here, he will see the ball better, have a better routine. Everything is better here, the lighting, travel conditions ... ''

 

And the pitching. Don't forget the pitching.

 

Borchard has appeared in 31 games for the Sox -- 16 games in 2002, 15 more in 2003. In those stints, he hit .200 (17-for-85) with three home runs and 10 RBI against major-league pitchers. And he struck out 32 times.

 

Still, Williams feels playing in major-league parks, with all of the major-league perks, will be the key to turning Borchard around.

 

''There are some guys who have better success at the big-league level than they did in the minors,'' Williams said. ''The last two players I said that about were Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee.''

 

Ordonez hit a disappointing .263 at Class AA Birmingham in 1996, but won the American Association batting title the next season at Class AAA Nashville with a .329 mark. By late August, he was playing for the Sox. Lee hit .302 or better in each of his final five minor-league stops before joining the Sox in 1999.

 

Borchard's best season in Charlotte was when he hit .272 in 2002. He seems a long way off the Ordonez-Lee numbers in the minors.

 

But Ordonez and Lee didn't have the pressure of living up to a $5.3 million bonus.

 

''The best thing for Joe Borchard,'' Williams said, ''is to leave the newspaper reading to someone else.''

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Guest JimH

So basically they're saying he needs to relax a bit.

 

It's three years now and they've been sayin' the same thing.

 

Either Borchard or the organization can't figure out a way to get him to chill out?

 

I'd bring in a sports psychologist, everything, anything to get this guy on track.

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I agree.  We have a lot more to lose by dealing him than we do by keeping him, at this point.

I think this guy has the talent, that when he can gain that confidence he seems to be lacking right now, and the light turns on for him we will have one heckuva a good hitter. I would hate to see us trade him to someone else and have him break out with another team.

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Mighty Joe doesn't have the pure quickness/batspeed of a superstar.

 

How to compensate for it:

 

1. Be more confident than most.

2. Know the pitcher and recognize the spin a little earlier than most

3. Have more efficient swing mechanics than most.

4. Be stronger than most.

 

 

The problem:

 

1. Ouch.

2. Ouch.

3. Ouch

4. No longer matters because if your knees are shaking, and you can't pick up the ball, and you swing from the heels.....save for an occasional mis*** HR or an overpowered blooper, it won't help you much.

 

He's not some 18yo raw kid. The odds are very much against Joe. I still have hope, though. Hope is cheap.

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i say we keep him in our minor league system until he holds the record for most minor league home runs (and strikeouts). but no one realizes he has the record except joe and this lady that goes to all the games. the sox should then queitly release him and offer him a coaching position the next spring.

 

later in life, joe will save the world by beating a water fearing alien with the same bat he used to break the minor league home run record. but he will still be considered a bust by most sox fans.

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i say we keep him in our minor league system until he holds the record for most minor league home runs (and strikeouts). but no one realizes he has the record except joe and this lady that goes to all the games. the sox should then queitly release him and offer him a coaching position the next spring.

 

later in life, joe will save the world by beating a water fearing alien with the same bat he used to break the minor league home run record. but he will still be considered a bust by most sox fans.

Good call.

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with Reed, Anderson, Sweeney, Nanita, Young and King, the Sox have other options.

 

Love to see Borchard make it, but what is disturbing is that he is getting worse, not better, during his third season in AAA.

 

Hard to see how that projects to a solid big-league player.

 

FYI -- Brian Anderson has flamed on at Winston Salem. After languishing around .200, he got his average over .290 and has been on base 20 times in the last 10 games.

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FYI -- Brian Anderson has flamed on at Winston Salem. After languishing around .200, he got his average over .290 and has been on base 20 times in the last 10 games.

 

Another 4 hits today takes him to .324. Then again, if this were in the Minor League thread, you'd already know that. ;-)

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with Reed, Anderson, Sweeney, Nanita, Young and King, the Sox have other options

 

It was never about "options" with Borchard; it was about him becoming Mark Mcgwire/Adam Dunn clone -- but with speed and defense.

 

And he is not.

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Borchard is a good guy, very fan friendly and a hard worker. I'd like nothing more than to see him succeed and to become a White Sox regular. However, as one of his biggest fans, I too realize that his window of opportunity is growing smaller by the day.

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Joe's bonus has been paid, why get rid of him? I think he is going to get hot very soon, and be up in Chicago for a long time.

Exactly, he doesn't have much value in a trade anyhow, so at least ride it out...

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Exactly, he doesn't have much value in a trade anyhow, so at least ride it out...

For my sake I hope so - my grey Borchard jersey is looking pretty silly right now, but I'm hoping Joe can pull it together and become a solid major leaguer.

 

Best of luck, Joe!

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For my sake I hope so - my grey Borchard jersey is looking pretty silly right now, but I'm hoping Joe can pull it together and become a solid major leaguer.

 

Best of luck, Joe!

I've seen worse at the park...Jason Dellaero ring a bell? I still see those jersey's at the Cell when I go.... :puke

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