Southsider's Quarter Season grades

[southsider2k5]

Well here we are 25-18 a little over 1/4th of the way into the season. Compared to a 20-23 mark at the sametime last year the Sox are 5 games better, and tied for first place.

 

The A's.

 

Magglio Ordonez- In a contract drive on pace for 30+ HRs and about 130 RBI

 

Juan Uribe- Maybe the Sox MVP to this point of the season. Hitting .340 while playing 3 positions.

 

Willie Harris- Raise your hand if you had Willie to be hitting over .300 with an OBP of .370

 

Shingo Takatsu- After a scary spring and openner, he hasn't given up a run in over a month.

 

Scott Schoenweis-Many people, including myself, thought he would struggle to stay as the fifth starter, instead he has arguably been our most consistant starter.

 

Jon Adkins- Has had one big profile failure, other than that has excelled in low pressure situations

 

Neal Cotts- Even after getting bombed in a spot start, Neal has been a lynchpin from the leftside in the pen.

 

The B's

 

Frank Thomas- Close as you can get to an A. Anybody else but Frank would most likely be an A, but his curve is higher than anybodies. Great OPS anchored by an not Barry Bonds leading 40 walks. Been a pleasure in the clubhouse thus far, even giving the 3 hole to Maggs.

 

Mike Jackson- Quietly is reviving his career on the southside. 2-0 with a 2.95 era so far.

 

Mark Buehrle- Slow start but has rebounded hugely by only giving up 2 ER in his last 21 innings of work.

 

Jon Garland- Has really looked to benefit the most becaue of Ozzie Guillen, his confidence is soaring, and his numbers are all improving.

 

Paul Konerko- He is in with a low B. His power numbers have rebounded nicely, although the average is still a little low at .265. On pace for 100+RBI and 30+HR.

 

 

The C's

 

Carlos Lee- He has gotten into a hot streak finally after a scary start. He is finally taking the low outside pitch the other way, and his numbers have responde.

 

Jose Valentin- Has slipped back into make the error on the routine play mode. Bat has responded after being moved lower in the order to break up the RH power hitters

 

Miguel Olivo- Has made nice strides at the plate, improving his average a bunch this year. Still having problems with the low and outside pitch. Also his throwing out baserunners has dropped, but isn't being helped by the pitching staff.

 

Esteban Loiaza- While hoping he would build off of last years success, his numbers have plunged towards ordinary, including a huge drop in strikeouts.

 

Ross Gload- Has done a solid job in limited time, playing multiple positions. But nothing special either

 

Timo Perez- See also Gload

 

The D's

 

Billy Koch- Close to a C, but not quite. He is 7 of 8 in save opportunities is the good part. All of his periferals except for BAA are the ugly. Has made better use of his other pitches, keeping hitters away from his pedestrian fastball.

 

Damaso Marte- Much worse numbers than usual, including 4 blown saves in 6 tries. Inherited runners seem to score at will, and can't seem to get the big out this year.

 

Aaron Rowand- Has done just about everything possible to lose the CF job, up until this last week. Even his defense, which separated him from Perez, seems to have regressed a little.

 

The F's

 

Joe Crede- He is off to a terrible start, and his confidence looks shot to me. Has won a couple of games for us, but is only a few ABs from the Mendoza line.

 

Cliff Pollitte- 98 mph fastball, and a 6.92 era to show for it. Has had some nice clutch outings, but extremely inconsistant, and unimpressive. I feel more confortable with Koch in a game.

 

Incomplete

 

Kelly Wunsch- Just called up. We will see

 

Felix Diaz- Bombed in two starts, might get another crack at 5th spot

 

Danny Wright- Horrible in the 5th spot, but now comes word that he might be starting at TJ surgery and shoulder surgery. If this is the case, you can hardly hold his bad numbers against him.

 

Jaime Burke- One apprearence.

 

Kelly Dransfeldt- One big game winning hit, and one big game losing error.

[witesoxfan]

The only one I don't agree with is Big MO. Personally, I think he has been great. I was expecting more .250-ish with a little less power then he's put up. He's actually doing quite well. I'd have him as a low-to-mid B at the very least. He has been a very pleasant surprise.

 

Otherwise, I agree for the most part. There are some questionable ones(Thomas possibly too low, Jackson possibly too high, Koch possibly too low) but I agree with the rankings, that is, except for Big MO, as I already said.

[qwerty]

Nice, i see crede moving up to a c on your list by the end of the year but i'm not so sure about pollitte even though i thought he would be a solid addition

[qwerty]

The only one I don't agree with is Big MO.  Personally, I think he has been great.  I was expecting more .250-ish with a little less power then he's put up.  He's actually doing quite well.  I'd have him as a low-to-mid B at the very least.  He has been a very pleasant surprise. 

 

Otherwise, I agree for the most part.  There are some questionable ones(Thomas possibly too low, Jackson possibly too high, Koch possibly too low) but I agree with the rankings, that is, except for Big MO, as I already said.

Why would you think jackson is too high he has done everything you can ask for from him???

I was just hoping for an era around four from him.

[SnB]

only problem i see is rowand.

Should definitely be a F, no question.

[hammerhead johnson]

Well here we are 25-18 a little over 1/4th of the way into the season.  Compared to a 20-23 mark at the sametime last year the Sox are 5 games better, and tied for first place.

 

The A's.

 

Magglio Ordonez- In a contract drive on pace for 30+ HRs and about 130 RBI

 

Juan Uribe- Maybe the Sox MVP to this point of the season.  Hitting .340 while playing 3 positions.

 

Willie Harris- Raise your hand if you had Willie to be hitting over .300 with an OBP of .370

 

Shingo Takatsu-  After a scary spring and openner, he hasn't given up a run in over a month.

 

Scott Schoenweis-Many people, including myself, thought he would struggle to stay as the fifth starter, instead he has arguably been our most consistant starter.

 

Jon Adkins- Has had one big profile failure, other than that has excelled in low pressure situations

 

Neal Cotts- Even after getting bombed in a spot start, Neal has been a lynchpin from the leftside in the pen.

 

The B's

 

Frank Thomas- Close as you can get to an A.  Anybody else but Frank would most likely be an A, but his curve is higher than anybodies.  Great OPS anchored by an not Barry Bonds leading 40 walks. Been a pleasure in the clubhouse thus far, even giving the 3 hole to Maggs.

 

Mike Jackson- Quietly is reviving his career on the southside.  2-0 with a 2.95 era so far.

 

Mark Buehrle-  Slow start but has rebounded hugely by only giving up 2 ER in his last 21 innings of work. 

 

Jon Garland- Has really looked to benefit the most becaue of Ozzie Guillen, his confidence is soaring, and his numbers are all improving.

 

Paul Konerko- He is in with a low B.  His power numbers have rebounded nicely, although the average is still a little low at .265.  On pace for 100+RBI and 30+HR.

 

 

The C's

 

Carlos Lee-  He has gotten into a hot streak finally after a scary start.  He is finally taking the low outside pitch the other way, and his numbers have responde.

 

Jose Valentin-  Has slipped back into make the error on the routine play mode.  Bat has responded after being moved lower in the order to break up the RH power hitters

 

Miguel Olivo-  Has made nice strides at the plate, improving his average a bunch this year.  Still having problems with the low and outside pitch.  Also his throwing out baserunners has dropped, but isn't being helped by the pitching staff.

 

Esteban Loiaza-  While hoping he would build off of last years success, his numbers have plunged towards ordinary, including a huge drop in strikeouts.

 

Ross Gload-  Has done a solid job in limited time, playing multiple positions.  But nothing special either

 

Timo Perez- See also Gload

 

The D's

 

Billy Koch-  Close to a C, but not quite.  He is 7 of 8 in save opportunities is the good part.  All of his periferals except for BAA are the ugly.  Has made better use of his other pitches, keeping hitters away from his pedestrian fastball.

 

Damaso Marte-  Much worse numbers than usual, including 4 blown saves in 6 tries.  Inherited runners seem to score at will, and can't seem to get the big out this year.

 

Aaron Rowand-  Has done just about everything possible to lose the CF job, up until this last week.  Even his defense, which separated him from Perez, seems to have regressed a little.

 

The F's

 

Joe Crede-  He is off to a terrible start, and his confidence looks shot to me.  Has won a couple of games for us, but is only a few ABs from the Mendoza line.

 

Cliff Pollitte-  98 mph fastball, and a 6.92 era to show for it.  Has had some nice clutch outings, but extremely inconsistant, and unimpressive.  I feel more confortable with Koch in a game.

 

Incomplete

 

Kelly Wunsch- Just called up.  We will see

 

Felix Diaz- Bombed in two starts, might get another crack at 5th spot

 

Danny Wright- Horrible in the 5th spot, but now comes word that he might be starting at TJ surgery and shoulder surgery.  If this is the case, you can hardly hold his bad numbers against him.

 

Jaime Burke- One apprearence.

 

Kelly Dransfeldt-  One big game winning hit, and one big game losing error.

Excellent. Mine would be pretty much the same, but I'd give Adkins a B+ and Big Frank an A-. I'm not sure about Cotts.

 

Shingo is quickly becoming my favorite reliever on the Sox. That guy is filthy.

[southsider2k5]

Excellent.  Mine would be pretty much the same, but I'd give Adkins a B+ and Big Frank an A-.  I'm not sure about Cotts. 

 

Shingo is quickly becoming my favorite reliever on the Sox.  That guy is filthy.

The thing with Frank is this. For a guy who is now a self-proclaimed power hitter he should have more than 8 HRs to this point, and having Uribe Ordonez and Harris both hitting well over .300 in front of him, he should have more than 24 RBI. Those two things were the the weight that made Frank a B+ instead of an A-.

[witesoxfan]

Why would you think jackson is to high he has done everything you can ask for from him???

I was just hoping for an era around for from him.

I agreed with his rankings, but said some are questionable.

 

Regardless, Jackson hasn't exactly been a guy who came in and pitched shutout innings in huge games. His fastball is 85-88, and his only other pitch is a slider that gets worse as he grows older. He is a good middle reliever, but has put up most of his numbers in non-pressure situations.

 

He hasn't been real bad, but one could most definately argue that he hasn't been that good either. I'm not.

[Jordan4life_2007]

I'd give Miguel a B. He's been very solid. I pretty much agree with everything else.

[hammerhead johnson]

The thing with Frank is this.  For a guy who is now a self-proclaimed power hitter he should have more than 8 HRs to this point, and having Uribe Ordonez and Harris both hitting well over .300 in front of him, he should have more than 24 RBI.  Those two things were the the weight that made Frank a B+ instead of an A-.

I know what you mean. But he still leads the Sox in both OBP and Slugging Percentage. He has the 4th highest OPS in the AL, right behind Posada, Ramirez, and Mora. The next closest guy in OPS is 50 points behind him (Young).

 

Wait until he really heats up. He might lead the AL in OPS this year.

[T R U]

Koch a C?

 

Koch has been a B this year and you know it!!

 

7 of 8 with a 4.67 ERA and 19 K's in 17 IP

Compared to last yr, he is a B this year... no doubt

[Jordan4life_2007]

Koch a C?

 

Koch has been a B this year and you know it!!

 

7 of 8 with a 4.67 ERA and 19 K's in 17 IP

Compared to last yr, he is a B this year... no doubt

4.67 era is still too high. He needs to get it atleast under 4. But he has been much better.

[hammerhead johnson]

Koch a C?

 

Koch has been a B this year and you know it!!

 

7 of 8 with a 4.67 ERA and 19 K's in 17 IP

Compared to last yr, he is a B this year... no doubt

Well, you knew that it was only a matter of time before Anthony007 would show up to defend Koch!

 

You are beyond loyal. If Koch was John Shoop, you'd be Dick Jauron. It's honorable, yet sad.

[aboz56]

Neal Cotts- Even after getting bombed in a spot start, Neal has been a lynchpin from the leftside in the pen.

Changeup thrown to Phelps in Toronto and disaster last weekend warrants at least B consideration here. Besides that, I agree with your assessments for the most part. To me that is the one that should definitely be changed. No way Cotts has given us an A performance up to this point.

[CWSGuy406]

Well here we are 25-18 a little over 1/4th of the way into the season.  Compared to a 20-23 mark at the sametime last year the Sox are 5 games better, and tied for first place.

 

The A's.

 

Magglio Ordonez- In a contract drive on pace for 30+ HRs and about 130 RBI

 

Juan Uribe- Maybe the Sox MVP to this point of the season.  Hitting .340 while playing 3 positions.

 

Willie Harris- Raise your hand if you had Willie to be hitting over .300 with an OBP of .370

 

Shingo Takatsu-  After a scary spring and openner, he hasn't given up a run in over a month.

 

Scott Schoenweis-Many people, including myself, thought he would struggle to stay as the fifth starter, instead he has arguably been our most consistant starter.

 

Jon Adkins- Has had one big profile failure, other than that has excelled in low pressure situations

 

Neal Cotts- Even after getting bombed in a spot start, Neal has been a lynchpin from the leftside in the pen.

 

The B's

 

Frank Thomas- Close as you can get to an A.  Anybody else but Frank would most likely be an A, but his curve is higher than anybodies.  Great OPS anchored by an not Barry Bonds leading 40 walks. Been a pleasure in the clubhouse thus far, even giving the 3 hole to Maggs.

 

Mike Jackson- Quietly is reviving his career on the southside.  2-0 with a 2.95 era so far.

 

Mark Buehrle-  Slow start but has rebounded hugely by only giving up 2 ER in his last 21 innings of work. 

 

Jon Garland- Has really looked to benefit the most becaue of Ozzie Guillen, his confidence is soaring, and his numbers are all improving.

 

Paul Konerko- He is in with a low B.  His power numbers have rebounded nicely, although the average is still a little low at .265.  On pace for 100+RBI and 30+HR.

 

 

The C's

 

Carlos Lee-  He has gotten into a hot streak finally after a scary start.  He is finally taking the low outside pitch the other way, and his numbers have responde.

 

Jose Valentin-  Has slipped back into make the error on the routine play mode.  Bat has responded after being moved lower in the order to break up the RH power hitters

 

Miguel Olivo-  Has made nice strides at the plate, improving his average a bunch this year.  Still having problems with the low and outside pitch.  Also his throwing out baserunners has dropped, but isn't being helped by the pitching staff.

 

Esteban Loiaza-  While hoping he would build off of last years success, his numbers have plunged towards ordinary, including a huge drop in strikeouts.

 

Ross Gload-  Has done a solid job in limited time, playing multiple positions.  But nothing special either

 

Timo Perez- See also Gload

 

The D's

 

Billy Koch-  Close to a C, but not quite.  He is 7 of 8 in save opportunities is the good part.  All of his periferals except for BAA are the ugly.  Has made better use of his other pitches, keeping hitters away from his pedestrian fastball.

 

Damaso Marte-  Much worse numbers than usual, including 4 blown saves in 6 tries.  Inherited runners seem to score at will, and can't seem to get the big out this year.

 

Aaron Rowand-  Has done just about everything possible to lose the CF job, up until this last week.  Even his defense, which separated him from Perez, seems to have regressed a little.

 

The F's

 

Joe Crede-  He is off to a terrible start, and his confidence looks shot to me.  Has won a couple of games for us, but is only a few ABs from the Mendoza line.

 

Cliff Pollitte-  98 mph fastball, and a 6.92 era to show for it.  Has had some nice clutch outings, but extremely inconsistant, and unimpressive.  I feel more confortable with Koch in a game.

 

Incomplete

 

Kelly Wunsch- Just called up.  We will see

 

Felix Diaz- Bombed in two starts, might get another crack at 5th spot

 

Danny Wright- Horrible in the 5th spot, but now comes word that he might be starting at TJ surgery and shoulder surgery.  If this is the case, you can hardly hold his bad numbers against him.

 

Jaime Burke- One apprearence.

 

Kelly Dransfeldt-  One big game winning hit, and one big game losing error.

Solid, but of course, there are a few disagreements:

 

Olivo should be a B, if not an A. Last year, any breaking pitch in the dirt he would swing at. He's improved drastically in that area and really provides some pop at the ninth spot in the order.

 

Gload should also have been a B, he's been what Brian Daubach was supposed to be last year. He's versataille, has somepower, isn't a defensive liability, can do the little things right. He's a 'grinder', gotta love that!

 

Koch, a D? Come on man... High C, low B IMO.

 

The rest are solid!

[T R U]

I shall defend someone who is producing ANY day of the week

 

and besides, do you know how hard it is for a reliever to bring his ERA down, they dont get as many chances and it takes a lot longer so one bad outing can f*** you for a while.. ala the KC outing for Koch

 

Koch has been a B this yr... his Job isnt to have a low ERA, its to get saves, and he is 7 of 8...

[BrandoFan]

Adkins is not an 'A' because he hasn't pitched in enough big games. Simple as that.

 

Cotts is a 'B-' - cost us 3 games, including Toronto and Minnesota.

 

If you're gonna use a higher curve for Thomas, then you should use an even higher curve for 14-Mill-a-year Magglio - 900 OPS for him is a B+

[southsider2k5]

Koch a C?

 

Koch has been a B this year and you know it!!

 

7 of 8 with a 4.67 ERA and 19 K's in 17 IP

Compared to last yr, he is a B this year... no doubt

He was a generous F last year, a C moves him up two letter grades for one less run a game. Koch has just been luckier this year. He still scares the s*** out of me everytime he has the ball. Heck using that scale Crede would get a B or C because you would have to throw out the fact that he is hitting almost .200, but hey he won 3 games for us.

[southsider2k5]

Adkins is not an 'A' because he hasn't pitched in enough big games.  Simple as that.

 

Cotts is a 'B-' - cost us 3 games, including Toronto and Minnesota.

 

If you're gonna use a higher curve for Thomas, then you should use an even higher curve for 14-Mill-a-year Magglio - 900 OPS for him is a B+

Maggs is hitting 30 points higher and has 10 more RBI in just 40ish games. Yeah the walks make for a pretty OPS, but Frank is the cleanup hitter, not the lead off hitter. As Hawk saids, don't tell me what you hit, tell me when you hit it, and Maggs is driving in runs. Remember Frank is a self-proclaimed power hitter now. Powerhitters hit big HRs and drive in runs. It is that walk stat that skews his OPS.

[BrandoFan]

It is that walk stat that skews his OPS

 

A walk is as good as a hit when bases are empty. And since most of Frank;s hits are to LF, a walk is as good as a single with a runner on 1st since both push him over to 2nd.

 

Furthermore, walks force the pitcher to throw extra pitches and showcase his arsenal to the guy on deck.

 

I'd hate to think this is as good as Maggs is going to get this year.

[witesoxfan]

Koch a C?

 

Koch has been a B this year and you know it!!

 

7 of 8 with a 4.67 ERA and 19 K's in 17 IP

Compared to last yr, he is a B this year... no doubt

He's making $6 mill. His ERA should be, at the very least, under 4, and should probably be under 3. Instead, his ERA is 4.67(which alone qualifies him for a C), but his WHIP of 1.38 and his BB/9 of right around 4.5 is all it takes for me. Also, 3 homers in 17.3 innings? That is quite a bit, probably too many. Then again, 93-95 MPH heat gets hit pretty hard sometimes.

 

You bring up saves and sv%. I can also say to you that he DAMN near blew 2 saves in Baltimore. He got lucky as hell that he didn't.

 

Koch is a C, and there is nothing to argue about. That might improve, but I'm not sure we're that lucky.

[SoxAce]

He's making $6 mill.  His ERA should be, at the very least, under 4, and should probably be under 3.  Instead, his ERA is 4.67(which alone qualifies him for a C), but his WHIP of 1.38 and his BB/9 of right around 4.5 is all it takes for me.  Also, 3 homers in 17.3 innings?  That is quite a bit, probably too many.  Then again, 93-95 MPH heat gets hit pretty hard sometimes.

 

You bring up saves and sv%.  I can also say to you that he DAMN near blew 2 saves in Baltimore.  He got lucky as hell that he didn't. 

 

Koch is a C, and there is nothing to argue about.  That might improve, but I'm not sure we're that lucky.

Yeah... what he said.

[southsider2k5]

A walk is as good as a hit when bases are empty. And since most of Frank;s hits are to LF, a walk is as good as a single with a runner on 1st since both push him over to 2nd.

 

Furthermore, walks force the pitcher to throw extra pitches and showcase his arsenal to the guy on deck.

 

I'd hate to think this is as good as Maggs is going to get this year.

Also the hits are a product of having the slumbering Lee and Konerko behind him. If they start to hit, Frank will see more pitches to hit, but the walks will drop off.

[greasywheels121]

The thing with Frank is this.  For a guy who is now a self-proclaimed power hitter he should have more than 8 HRs to this point, and having Uribe Ordonez and Harris both hitting well over .300 in front of him, he should have more than 24 RBI.  Those two things were the the weight that made Frank a B+ instead of an A-.

I understand where you're coming from with this. A mediocre year for Thomas, for example 1999, was not great by Thomas' standards; however, many batters would have gladly taken his numbers that season. It's kind of the same ordeal Tiger Woods goes through; he's expected to win tourney after tourney. So if he doesn't win one in two weeks he's in a slump.

[Rowand44]

Yeah... what he said.

I'm with anthony and have been on this subject for a while. Koch has done his job this year. He's 7 for 8, who cares about his era, his era went up big time in those two games against baltimore where he let up one and two runs in back to back games but he still closed out the game and did his job. You guys can say what you want about koch but he's done his job this year, period.