Texsox Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 It seems to me that the team has a much better focus this off season. It appears that KW and CO. have a clearer vision of what they want to do and are being more resolute in achieving that. AT this point I'm giving them a B so far with still some upsides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That funky motion Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Its Ozzie ball! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulokis Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I really like the offseason moves we have made this year. I like the change of focus from POWER to Pitching and Defense. Hey this is the busiest offseason Ive ever seen with us. For the moves I'll say its a B+ and if AJ and a 2nd baseman is added then this will be a very good offseason. On the trib article, the AJ,Iguchi situation should be solve within the first week of Janaury. Will the SOX introduce all the new players on soxfest, we dont have a press conference with any signings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilJester99 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I have to admit when I first saw how this change was going I was concerned to say the least. Now that I see more of the pieces coming together I am liking this more and more as they go. KW and Co. seem to be heading in the right direction with this. I appluad them for making such an effort in such a short amount of time. Hopefully this all works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan562004 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 It seems to me that the team has a much better focus this off season. It appears that KW and CO. have a clearer vision of what they want to do and are being more resolute in achieving that. AT this point I'm giving them a B so far with still some upsides. Well I paniced as much as anyone during this offseason, but looking at it right now I do like the direction, but I do think they need to add one more bat, be it AJ or a 2nd baseman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I'm happy with the moves KW has made. Change was needed and IMO the proper steps were taken, given the budget they set for themselves. If they can grab AJ and a new 2B, be it Cora/Iguchi/Cairo, I'd be REALLY happy with this offseason. I honestly don't think there's any reason to attack KW at SoxFest this year. He's been very aggressive within his limitations and has done a nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkdog Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Here is what I like about the moves made thus far. The added bullpen depth and a rotation that has merit and few question marks. I would say the only concerns I would see with the rotation are keeping El Duque healthy, and Contreras just pitching and not thinking. There is no question both these guys have serious stuff. This is a far cry from last season where we were resting our hope on Scott Schoenweis as #4 (a one time failed starter turned middle reliever repurposed into a starter again) and Danny Wright as #5 (a pitcher better suited for the bullpen than as a starter). To me the offseason has been a success for that reason alone. We have given our pitching staff more certainty than it has seen in several seasons. But the cost of that was offense. With the departure of Maggs and Lee, we're not going to be lighting up he scoreboards the way we have been accustomed. But we will also not be as much of a feast of famine ballclub either. We will be on a bit of a run scoring diet, but I think we'll see a more consistent scoring attack night in and night out. I for one would take my chances with this pitching staff and an offense that can average 4-5 runs per night, than last year's pitching and a offense that could score 10 runs one night, and only 1 the next. In addition, the plus is that come June/July if the Sox are in it, you know KW will make a move, and provided the pitching is holding up, he'll be looking for a bat. And it's far easier to find a bat without overpaying in July, than it is to find an arm. The key to the Sox getting off right is Podsednik. If he can be .290AVG/.350OBP/.400SLG with Rowand or Uribe hitting behind him (I'd prefer Rowand), this could be an exciting season indeed. I really feel like we're going to get one of either Iguchi or Pierzynski. I my mind that leaves only one truly glaring hole for this team. Sure there are other questions: Can Crede live up to promise? Can Uribe be more consistent? But we are not the Yankees. We have to live within our means. I think there is alot of value with this team and I am optimisitic going into 2005. Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AddisonStSox Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Good thread Tex, I had one in the works as well. Currently, Kenny has a B+ in my book. He has adressed nearly every hole. The two remaining holes in this club are at the catching position and in the middle infield. Kenny has signed Jermaine Dye, Dustin Hermanson, and El Duque (Three farily impressive signings); I think many of us have forgotten about Dye and Hermanson. Although there may be some disagreement with the El Duque signing, Kenny did bring in a fifth starter. He addressed this team's most important need with a very adequate hurler. So, what would Kenny have to do to earn an A in my book? -Sign Iguchi: A- -Sign AJP: A- -Sign Both: A I was all over Kenny during the CLee trade, but if he uses that money to sign not only El Duque but also either AJP or Iguchi, he will have produced one of the best Sox off-seasons in history. This team is ready to contend for the divison...after that, anything is possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 it was clearly time to try something different and the sox have definitely done what it takes to be a different team. whether or not different equals better remains to be seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Kenny had a plan, there is no doubt about that and so far I think he's carrying it out quite nicely. We've filled 3 major holes going into the offseason within the bullpen, the starting rotation and having a leadoff guy. I still think Kenny has another move up his sleeve with a 2b. I hope we end up with aj but for some reason I just got a feeling we won't end up getting him. Either way I'd give this offseason a B so far and depending on what else Kenny does he can easily get an A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnB Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 This year they told themselves that they're going to try a new angle, and they've gone through with the operations needed to become "that new angle.". We have 2 real holes, and that's something most teams in the league cannot say. This team is solid all around and if we sign both iguchi or AJ, i can honestly say we're one of the best teams in the league going into the season. KW looked pretty bad w/ the lee trade, but came through with a plan and is now looking great. bring on opening day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 This year they told themselves that they're going to try a new angle, and they've gone through with the operations needed to become "that new angle.". We have 2 real holes, and that's something most teams in the league cannot say. This team is solid all around and if we sign both iguchi or AJ, i can honestly say we're one of the best teams in the league going into the season. KW looked pretty bad w/ the lee trade, but came through with a plan and is now looking great. bring on opening day. I hear ya but I honestly don't consider 2b a hole, sure we can definitely upgrade in that area but willie is at worst an average 2 bagger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnB Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I hear ya but I honestly don't consider 2b a hole, sure we can definitely upgrade in that area but willie is at worst an average 2 bagger. it wouldn't be an outrage if he's starting next year...but he's below average Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelasDaddy0427 Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 I'm still not totally sold on Pods but at least KW is trying to do something. Hopefully it works out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliSoxFanViaSWside Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 QUOTE (Clarkdog @ Dec 31, 2004 -> 03:27 PM) This is a far cry from last season where we were resting our hope on Scott Schoenweis as #4 (a one time failed starter turned middle reliever repurposed into a starter again) and Danny Wright as #5 (a pitcher better suited for the bullpen than as a starter) It's amusing to me that Sox management decides that a power filled lineup doesnt work and we need a new direction , when clearly, if we had a better pitching staff all along we would've competed. Saying the power lineup got us nowhere is just managements attempt to redirect the blame away from themselves for not getting the Sox better pitching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelasDaddy0427 Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Jan 1, 2005 -> 07:19 AM) It's amusing to me that Sox management decides that a power filled lineup doesnt work and we need a new direction , when clearly, if we had a better pitching staff all along we would've competed. Saying the power lineup got us nowhere is just managements attempt to redirect the blame away from themselves for not getting the Sox better pitching. I don't agree with that at all. The chubbies (who supposedly have the best rotation in baseball) lost because they have a lineup that was too full of power and less able to create runs. Yes the 5th starter was a problem but it was by no means the only problem. This team wasn't going anywhere scoring 7 runs one game and then 2 the next three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Jan 1, 2005 -> 01:19 AM) <!--QuoteBegin-Clarkdog+Dec 31, 2004 -> 03:27 PM--> QUOTE (Clarkdog @ Dec 31, 2004 -> 03:27 PM) <!--QuoteEBegin--> This is a far cry from last season where we were resting our hope on Scott Schoenweis as #4 (a one time failed starter turned middle reliever repurposed into a starter again) and Danny Wright as #5 (a pitcher better suited for the bullpen than as a starter) It's amusing to me that Sox management decides that a power filled lineup doesnt work and we need a new direction , when clearly, if we had a better pitching staff all along we would've competed. Saying the power lineup got us nowhere is just managements attempt to redirect the blame away from themselves for not getting the Sox better pitching. I completely disagree. The power filled lineup choked so many times in big games because if they weren't hitting homers they weren't scoring at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthsox Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 QUOTE (Jeckle2000 @ Jan 1, 2005 -> 07:33 AM) <!--QuoteBegin-CaliSoxFanViaSWside+Jan 1, 2005 -> 07:19 AM--> QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Jan 1, 2005 -> 07:19 AM) <!--QuoteEBegin--> It's amusing to me that Sox management decides that a power filled lineup doesnt work and we need a new direction , when clearly, if we had a better pitching staff all along we would've competed. Saying the power lineup got us nowhere is just managements attempt to redirect the blame away from themselves for not getting the Sox better pitching. I don't agree with that at all. The chubbies (who supposedly have the best rotation in baseball) lost because they have a lineup that was too full of power and less able to create runs. Yes the 5th starter was a problem but it was by no means the only problem. This team wasn't going anywhere scoring 7 runs one game and then 2 the next three. And I disagree with your disagree, we lost in 2003 because we didn't have a 5th starter or a closer. 2002 was all about bad pitching(both starting and relief), 2001 was all about injuries with the pitching staff though most of it was bad judgement by management(relying on a hurt Parque, Baldwin, Mr. 5-inch screw Eldred, and a bad back Wells. We also never replaced our LH specialist after he went down in April) and on top of that we went half the season before we replaced the injured Frank. All thru this time it wasn't that our offense was bad but that they couldn't consistently overcome our bad pitching. Last yr was a bit different, but not much. We still had no 5th starter and we started out the yr without a closer but we also had a 4th starter who shouldn't have been higher than a 5th, a 3rd who shoulda been a 4th or 5th, and a 2nd who was a one yr wonder. On top of that, not only did we lose two 40 HR guys(and amazingly we still lead the majors in HR's, talk about consistency in the lineup!!) but we also lost our #3 and 4 hitters and our 2 best OBP guys. Name me any other team who could've lost that and still been consistent scorers. So what do we have this yr? We're not only still missing our #3 and 4 hitters, but we've also gotten rid of our #5 and(as of right now) any O from the C's spot. How does this make us more consistent? We've added ONE speed guy but he's doesn't bring any consistency, and if he goes down we're a slower team than even last yr(esp. if we do something stupid like replace Willie with Cora, then we're the slowest team in the majors). How does that make us a more consistent scoring team? We do have a 5th starter this yr which is a nice change, but he's been so injury prone that we have no idea for how long. Besides, our 3rd should be a 4th or 5th, our 4th should be a 5th if even, and our closer could be a one yr wonder. I'm actually not as pessimistic this yr as I'm sure it sounds like above, but so many things have to go right for us and so little can go wrong that you have to ask how is this really any different from any of the other Sox teams the last 88 yrs? It's the one thing that has always stayed consistent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted January 1, 2005 Author Share Posted January 1, 2005 I am not convinced that just getting rid of power hitters will magically result in 4-5 runs every night. I still do not see a couple .300+ hitters in the lineup. Maggs was more than power, he also had a solid average. I believe have two guys batting .300 is better than 30 homeruns. Still looking over the pitching staff and prediciting average, good, and great seasons for 3 of the five looks very nice. I feel a lot better on January 1 of 2005 than I did a year ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 QUOTE (Texsox @ Jan 1, 2005 -> 05:03 PM) I am not convinced that just getting rid of power hitters will magically result in 4-5 runs every night. I still do not see a couple .300+ hitters in the lineup. Maggs was more than power, he also had a solid average. I believe have two guys batting .300 is better than 30 homeruns. Still looking over the pitching staff and prediciting average, good, and great seasons for 3 of the five looks very nice. I feel a lot better on January 1 of 2005 than I did a year ago. Agree with your post. Which is exactly why it's important to bring in Pierzynski and another infielder, preferably one who can hit. Pierzynski is a good hitter and he'd be a threat in the lower third of the order. If their scouting is right and they can sign Iguchi, he can add a lot to the top third. If you lose a bunch of power, you need to add guys who are consistent with the bat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerhead johnson Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 It's amusing to me that Sox management decides that a power filled lineup doesnt work and we need a new direction , when clearly, if we had a better pitching staff all along we would've competed. Saying the power lineup got us nowhere is just managements attempt to redirect the blame away from themselves for not getting the Sox better pitching. On the road: Buehrle 2.63 Garcia 3.25 At home: Buehrle: 5.02 Garcia: 5.37 Bring in Sheets, Mulder, Hudson, and Oswalt, and watch them suck it up in Comiskey. Seriously, we have more pertinent things to deal with than the actual players, y'all. And the fact that I rarely ever hear anything discussed on here about eradicating the friendly hitting conditions at home is both disturbing and depressing. Basically, White Sox baseball in USCF at the current time is the equivalent of Arena League football. But when we go on the road (insert 'licking chops' smiley here), then we have our chance to shine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Jan 1, 2005 -> 05:52 PM) eradicating the friendly hitting conditions at home is both disturbing and depressing. Basically, White Sox baseball in USCF at the current time is the equivalent of Arena League football. I agree, I think the park plays too favorably to offense. Very difficult to say what they could do about it though. They'd have to reconfigure the bullpens and I doubt they could go back to the old set up, now that there are more outfield seats. Nor do I see how they could move home plate backwards either. They'd basically need to eliminate several rows of outfield seats to accommodate moving the fences back, and I don't know how that would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Jan 1, 2005 -> 11:52 AM) On the road: Buehrle 2.63 Garcia 3.25 At home: Buehrle: 5.02 Garcia: 5.37 Bring in Sheets, Mulder, Hudson, and Oswalt, and watch them suck it up in Comiskey. Seriously, we have more pertinent things to deal with than the actual players, y'all. And the fact that I rarely ever hear anything discussed on here about eradicating the friendly hitting conditions at home is both disturbing and depressing. Basically, White Sox baseball in USCF at the current time is the equivalent of Arena League football. But when we go on the road (insert 'licking chops' smiley here), then we have our chance to shine. It would stand to reason that the Sox players with power potential ( PK, Uribe, Crede, Rowand, Dye, Frank when he returns, etc. ) would be able to take similar advantage of USCF's dimensions. The Sox still have decent power, they just don't have league-leading power anymore. The idea is to become a better road team, and hopefully the changes they've made will help the Sox compete better on the road. The ERAs you've listed are a good start to that end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxmatt Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 Very difficult to say what they could do about it though. They'd have to reconfigure the bullpens and I doubt they could go back to the old set up, now that there are more outfield seats. Nor do I see how they could move home plate backwards either. They'd basically need to eliminate several rows of outfield seats to accommodate moving the fences back, and I don't know how that would work. There is no way that the seats will be moved back. They would have to take out 5 or 6 rows for it to make much of a diference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerhead johnson Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 It would stand to reason that the Sox players with power potential ( PK, Uribe, Crede, Rowand, Dye, Frank when he returns, etc. ) would be able to take similar advantage of USCF's dimensions. I hear that, although... Marte $1,250,000 RP Garcia $8,000,000 SP Garland $3,400,000 SP Buehrle $5,750,000 SP Politte $900,000 RP Takatsu $2,500,000 RP Contreras $6,000,000 SP Hermanso $2,000,000 RP Hernandez $3,500,000 Vizcaino $1,500,000 RP That's roughly 35 million for pitching...and none of it's gonna help us out in USCF. Shootout-style baseball is demoralizing. I can't stand it when Buehrle gives up like 6 or 7 runs in the first inning in USCF. I dunno how anyone could. A lot of people talk about him as though he's a good #3 starter or something, but... Road ERA in the AL (Minimum of 90 IP) 1. Johan Santana 2.58 2. Mark Buehrle 2.63 3. Curt Schilling 3.00 4. Bronson Arroyo 3.06 5. CC Sabathia 3.39 6. Freddy Garcia 3.60 7. Tim Hudson 3.84 8. Kelvim Escobar 3.91 9. Ted Lilly 3.93 10. Jake Westbrook 4.13 95 out of 100 baseball fans would take these guys over Buehrle in a heartbeat: Pedro Martinez 4.61 Mike Mussina 5.25 Javier Vazquez 5.67 So, we have an absolute stud of a pitcher, and nobody knows. Johan Santana is god, and Buehrle is "pretty good". I just came to the realization that Bronson Arroyo is the most underrated pitcher in all of baseball...who knew. The Cheat probably knew, I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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