Is Scotty Pods underrated?

[greg775]

Great posts. I read this entire thread and loved all of your well thought out responses.

I challenge you all to read all the posts closely and you'll see why this site is so great. Some great

points brought up by the fans on here. I especially liked Bob Dylan's response.

I enjoyed reading all your comments. Thanx for answering my question!

[SoxAce]

If you factor in just money, I would agree that he is very underrated.

[Jordan4life_2007]

I'm just going to ask one simple question and I hope I can phrase it right.

 

The main point people make when defending Scott Podsednik is that he is the spark plug to the offense and that when he gets on base/swipes bags the team has a habit of winning those games. Now if the Sox were to say replace Podsednik with any of these players wouldn't they produce the same result (offensive sparkplug) except much more frequently while providing other valuable services?

 

I understand the rebuttal to this argument;

1.) We do not have any of those guys, Pods is the best option we have

2.) It would be nearly impossible to acquire most of those players . . . and such.

 

I'm not advocating either of these because that would be relatively foolish at this point in time seeing how it's August 6th. All I'm saying is when Scott Podsednik does do his job as a leadoff hitter (taking pitches, not striking out looking, getting on base, stealing bases), the team wins, however he does not do this nearly enough and the rest of his skills are severly lacking, so couldn't the Sox replace Podsednik with dozens of other players (plenty of whom will be available this offseason) and have them provide that same spark except more frequently?

 

Just one quick thing to help illustrate my point. If say the Sox replaced Podsednik right now with Jerry Owens wouldn't he provide an offensive spark every once in awhile? When he's getting on base and stealing bases I'm sure the team would be pretty damn successful. Of course he wouldn't provide this spark as frequently as Podsednik but at the same time there's a good amount of players out there who could spark a lineup on a much more consistent basis than Pods does.

 

Yes, there are a lot of guys I would take over Podsednik. Just like there are a lot of guys I would take over Uribe, Iguchi, Crede (not so much this year), ect. That doesn't mean he's not an important piece to the White Sox. Which is all any Podsednik supporter has ever claimed. Nothing more.

[witesoxfan]

Pods seems to be rated just right. Some like him, some don't. He's adequate for this year, so long as he keeps getting on base at about a .350 clip and plays mediocre defense. And he doesn't get picked off.

 

 

However, I just wanna throw this out there, perhaps start some more conversation...would this offense be more effective with 2 leadoff type guys at the top pf the order?

 

Say, for sharts and gaggles, the Sox were to ship out a package for Crawford, and he becomes the left fielder, and then the Sox were to trade Uribe and sign Julio Lugo to a whatever contract. Would that be fine at the top of the order? I mean, if the leadoff hitter is the spark to the lineup and he is what makes it go, why not bring in two? Your odds for one of them being hot and being able to spark the team increases greatly, plus it adds a little speed, and shouldn't take much away defensively(it would improve LF, though I'm not exactly sure how Lugo compares to Uribe).

[SouthsideNorthsideFan]

We win 75% of the time he gets a hit.

 

 

That would be a pathetic 20% of the time. Bad stat, dude.

[J-MAN]

couldn't disagree more - he's rarely afforded the chance to bat against lefties and his D isn't great but it doesn't suck as bad as some would like to think. Even more important, he's the spark that makes this team go. We win 75% of the time he gets a hit.

 

He can't catch! He takes bad angles to the ball and can't catch anything that's against the wall - think he is afraid of hitting the wall!

[Steve9347]

I am officially over the Scott Podsednik obsession. Sure, he's a nice player, but his leadoff skills have dropped, he can't play defense, and as fast as he is, he's no longer a guarantee to steal a base.

 

I will always love Pods for 2005, but if in 2007 the White Sox went another direction, I would not shed a tear.

[Balta1701]

You know what I think it is that bothers me most about Podsednik? He seems to have skills but doesn't seem to use them effectively. He has the skill that should allow him to be up with Ichiro in terms of infield hits/bunt hits every year, but he goes long periods without bunting. He has the skill to hit well over .300, just by slapping the ball to the left side, but he's stuck in the .270 range. He has the speed that should allow him to be a very good fielder, but he's careless with some of his plays in LF leading to errors, and he gets such bad jumps that it reduces the effectiveness of his speed (and he doesn't seem to be learning from his mistakes.) A few years ago he was in the 80 stolen base territory, now it seems he hardly tries, and when he does try, his technique goes to hell and he gets thrown out.

 

He could be so much better than this.

[fathom]

This thread has been as tempting to me as a Snickers is to a fat kid. This is all I'll say about Pods in this thread: he needs to pick his game up, and play better and smarter.

[Steve9347]

This thread has been as tempting to me as a Snickers is to a fat kid. This is all I'll say about Pods in this thread: he needs to pick his game up, and play better and smarter.

 

 

word. ps, 2000th post.

[Dick Allen]

Pods fans should ask themselves what does Pods do that is above average for a major league LF and leadoff hitter. Is he a good hitter? .267, lower than everyone in the Sox every day line-up except Uribe, Anderson. Does he get on base? Lower than everyone in the Sox everyday line-up, except for Uribe, Anderson and Crede. Does he hit for power? 1 amazing time he sure did 10/23/05, other than that, he's Guillen-esque with the homers. Does he drive in runs? Ha. Although he has been much better actually this year over last. He is the White Sox best base stealer by far, although he has slowed up in that category, and is nowhere near the basestealer he was in Milwaukee, and his baserunning is average. He gets throw out at home the other day on a stupid decision to go, and I've seen several instinces of an infield playing back, conceding the run with Pods on third, and he doesn't move. Basically, in the every day line-up, he is at best the 7th best offensive player. Given Uribe's streakiness, if Juan is hot, Pods is 8th, and Anderson will catch him eventually. When Mack is in the line-up against a RHP, Pods is arguably the worst offensive player on the field for the White Sox. Its very strange to have one of your worst offensive players leading off, getting perhaps the most plate appearances. Now defensively, I don't think anyone can argue he has been a few shades below weak. He drops balls, gets bad jumps, and throws like he has a separated shoulder. I read the stats his defenders put up about how when he gets a hit the Sox usually win. Wouldn't that pretty much hold true with anybody in the White Sox lead off role? Its not like Pods would be replaced with a guy who hits .000. You know you are reaching when one of the few good things you could say about him is he takes a lot of pitches. Its really debatable how much that really helps the other hitters. Most of these guys have faced these pitchers before and know what to expect, and watching from the dugout certainly isn't the same perspective as seeing a pitch in the batter's box. Someone stated earlier that if he isn't stealing bases, he's worthless, and I agree. Start running Pods, or you're going to have to find a new way to support your family.

[Kalapse]

Scott Podsednik is 8th in baseball with 32 stolen bases, not bad. He also leads all of baseball with 13 times caught stealing, that's a 71% success rate, which is pretty damn bad (32nd in baseball). Scott has stolen 3 bases over his past 7 games played, this after going 14 games without stealing a single base and only attempting 1.

 

Just some food for thought.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Pods fans should ask themselves what does Pods do that is above average for a major league LF and leadoff hitter. Is he a good hitter? .267, lower than everyone in the Sox every day line-up except Uribe, Anderson. Does he get on base? Lower than everyone in the Sox everyday line-up, except for Uribe, Anderson and Crede. Does he hit for power? 1 amazing time he sure did 10/23/05, other than that, he's Guillen-esque with the homers. Does he drive in runs? Ha. Although he has been much better actually this year over last. He is the White Sox best base stealer by far, although he has slowed up in that category, and is nowhere near the basestealer he was in Milwaukee, and his baserunning is average. He gets throw out at home the other day on a stupid decision to go, and I've seen several instinces of an infield playing back, conceding the run with Pods on third, and he doesn't move. Basically, in the every day line-up, he is at best the 7th best offensive player. Given Uribe's streakiness, if Juan is hot, Pods is 8th, and Anderson will catch him eventually. When Mack is in the line-up against a RHP, Pods is arguably the worst offensive player on the field for the White Sox. Its very strange to have one of your worst offensive players leading off, getting perhaps the most plate appearances. Now defensively, I don't think anyone can argue he has been a few shades below weak. He drops balls, gets bad jumps, and throws like he has a separated shoulder. I read the stats his defenders put up about how when he gets a hit the Sox usually win. Wouldn't that pretty much hold true with anybody in the White Sox lead off role? Its not like Pods would be replaced with a guy who hits .000. You know you are reaching when one of the few good things you could say about him is he takes a lot of pitches. Its really debatable how much that really helps the other hitters. Most of these guys have faced these pitchers before and know what to expect, and watching from the dugout certainly isn't the same perspective as seeing a pitch in the batter's box. Someone stated earlier that if he isn't stealing bases, he's worthless, and I agree. Start running Pods, or you're going to have to find a new way to support your family.

 

All that and Pods is still by far the best option we have on this team to leadoff (the Pablo Ozuna bandwagon sure has piped down since the all-star break). Most of his numbers are better across the board from a year ago. His defense, for the most part, has been bad. Although I have noticed a signifcant improvement of late. Other than defense, my main beef with Pods has been his inconsistency. He starts the season 3 for 38 (although I feel some of that came from being hurt and not getting a spring training), then he goes on a tear for about a month and a half where he looks like one of the top two or three leadoff hitters in baseball. I believe he even got his average at or above .300. Then he goes back into the crapper again. Looking lost at the plate and bringing his struggles to the field. Then he goes on another hot-streak that reminds you of the April/May/June/July of '05 Pods.

 

I think Balta said it best: Pods should be a better player than what he shows. He's got the tools to make him an elite leadoff hitter. We saw that for the first 4 months last year where he was easily this team's offensive MVP. There just seems to be some kinda mental block there. Anyway, as I have stated before, I'd welcome an upgrade in a heartbeat. But that's obviously not gonna happen until the offseason. So I'll continue to support Pods as long as he's a White Sock.

[Milkman delivers]

All that and Pods is still by far the best option we have on this team to leadoff (the Pablo Ozuna bandwagon sure has piped down since the all-star break). Most of his numbers are better across the board from a year ago. His defense, for the most part, has been bad. Although I have noticed a signifcant improvement of late. Other than defense, my main beef with Pods has been his inconsistency. He starts the season 3 for 38 (although I feel some of that came from being hurt and not getting a spring training), then he goes on a tear for about a month and a half where he looks like one of the top two or three leadoff hitters in baseball. I believe he even got his average at or above .300. Then he goes back into the crapper again. Looking lost at the plate and bringing his struggles to the field. Then he goes on another hot-streak that reminds you of the April/May/June/July of '05 Pods.

 

I think Balta said it best: Pods should be a better player than what he shows. He's got the tools to make him an elite leadoff hitter. We saw that for the first 4 months last year where he was easily this team's offensive MVP. There just seems to be some kinda mental block there. Anyway, as I have stated before, I'd welcome an upgrade in a heartbeat. But that's obviously not gonna happen until the offseason. So I'll continue to support Pods as long as he's a White Sock.

 

Disagreed. Mackowiak may be better in every facet of the game.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Disagreed. Mackowiak may be better in every facet of the game.

 

And you were the main one advocating Ozuna to start in place of Pods when he was hitting .400. You're kidding (mainly lying) to yourself if you think Mack could be even a decent leadoff hitter.

[fathom]

Disagreed. Mackowiak may be better in every facet of the game.

 

Here's the thing with Mackowiak. He's extremely, extremely streaky. He's been on a tear for a few months now, but you never know when he's going to bat .100 for an entire month. Just like Ozuna, we can't count on him to keep up his tremendous OBP.

[Milkman delivers]

And you were the main one advocating Ozuna to start in place of Pods when he was hitting .400. You're kidding (mainly lying) to yourself if you think Mack could be even a decent leadoff hitter.

 

I've been advocating an Ozuna/Mackowiak platoon, not just having Ozuna be the starting LF.

 

And no, I'm not kidding myself. Ozuna murders lefties. Mackowiak murders righties. There's already a platoon of Pods/Ozuna, Mack just does a better job against righties than Pods.

 

So forget Pods and his inability to do anything well. Mackowiak does everything he does better, especially now that Pods doesn't even steal anymore.

 

Here's the thing with Mackowiak. He's extremely, extremely streaky. He's been on a tear for a few months now, but you never know when he's going to bat .100 for an entire month. Just like Ozuna, we can't count on him to keep up his tremendous OBP.

 

Mackowiak's never had this much protection. And he's always done much better against righties in his career than against lefties.

 

The "bench player" argument is getting old, especially with as much time as Mack has gotten this year already. He's played in 79 games.

[SoxAce]

Our "best" option in this organization is in AAA who IMO, is really holding up our future as far as moves. If he can at least start hitting (he's on alittle hot streak right now) to go along with his good D (way better defensively then Pods) we would be in better shape than to have Kenny force a move in the offseason to get rid of Pods whereas he could get a better deal for him if this particular player would start getting his average up and getting on base a bit better and steal some more bags. Pretty easy to guess who I'm talking about here are his numbers to this day.

 

G-104 AB-413 R-71 H-109 AVG-.264 2B-15 3B-5 HR-4 RBI-47 TB-146 BB-41 SO-59 SB-37 CS-10 OBP-.330 SLG-.354

 

Edit: I promised some posters I wouldn't type his name on this site until he gets his head out of his ass which he's somewhat starting to.

[Balta1701]

Man, I haven't looked at Owens' numbers in a while. They are actually trending upwards, aren't they? That's a hopeful sign. Anyone seen him play or gotten any news on him lately?

Edited August 7, 2006 by Balta1701

[SoxAce]

Man, I haven't looked at Owens' numbers in a while. They are actually trending upwards, aren't they?

 

Yes, he's doing a Brian Anderson type hitting goin on lately, but I'm not gonna get too pumped until I see his average start to climb more, but all in all, he's making good progress.

[Balta1701]

Yes, he's doing a Brian Anderson type hitting goin on lately, but I'm not gonna get too pumped until I see his average start to climb more, but all in all, he's making good progress.

Considering he was at, IIRC, like .230-.240 last time I remember looking at his numbers, i think that's a decent improvement.

[Jordan4life_2007]

I've been advocating an Ozuna/Mackowiak platoon, not just having Ozuna be the starting LF.

 

And no, I'm not kidding myself. Ozuna murders lefties. Mackowiak murders righties. There's already a platoon of Pods/Ozuna, Mack just does a better job against righties than Pods.

 

So forget Pods and his inability to do anything well. Mackowiak does everything he does better, especially now that Pods doesn't even steal anymore.

 

Ozuna hasn't murdered much of anything since the all-star break. Mack is on one of his customary hot-streaks at the moment. He goes on one or two of them a season. I believe he's hitting .327 against righties at the moment. That's nice. Now go look at his career numbers against righties. Let's just say I seriously doubt he hits this well for the rest of the year. That's why he's a bench player. You start him 3 or 4 times a week and he'll get exposed. He's perfect for the role he's in. It makes no sense to make him something he's not just because you don't happen to like the left-fielder, who's not even close to one of our top 3 or 4 main concerns at this time.

[Milkman delivers]

Ozuna hasn't murdered much of anything since the all-star break. Mack is on one of his customary hot-streaks at the moment. He goes on one or two of them a season. I believe he's hitting .327 against righties at the moment. That's nice. Now go look at his career numbers against righties. Let's just say I seriously doubt he hits this well for the rest of the year. That's why he's a bench player. You start him 3 or 4 times a week and he'll get exposed. He's perfect for the role he's in. It makes no sense to make him something he's not just because you don't happen to like the left-fielder, who's not even close to one of our top 3 or 4 main concerns at this time.

 

You keep making this sound like I have a personal vendetta against Pods. If he played well, I wouldn't have a problem with him.

 

And you continually bring up what Mackowiak did in Pittsburgh. If you hadn't noticed, he's not on the Pirates anymore. He's on a much better team with much better protection. He's hitting, as you said, well over .300 against righties. If he trends downwards, as he clearly must because he's "always been a bench player," I'd bet he still bats over .300 for the year against righties. I doubt he's going to fall completely apart like the Tigers should be any day now.

[Soxpranos]

He sucks vs lefties and can't play D.

 

 

dont forget he cant bunt either and is clutchless. Oh, yea.. his arm is pathetic... throw to the cut off you dope, you wont throw anyone out at home.

[Jordan4life_2007]

You keep making this sound like I have a personal vendetta against Pods. If he played well, I wouldn't have a problem with him.

 

And you continually bring up what Mackowiak did in Pittsburgh. If you hadn't noticed, he's not on the Pirates anymore. He's on a much better team with much better protection. He's hitting, as you said, well over .300 against righties. If he trends downwards, as he clearly must because he's "always been a bench player," I'd bet he still bats over .300 for the year against righties. I doubt he's going to fall completely apart like the Tigers should be any day now.

 

Mack last 3 years against righties: .272, .258, .273

 

So you attribute a 50-60 point jump this year simply by him being on a better team? That's a stretch IMO.

 

And my main point is you devalue him if you make him try to do something he's never done -- with good reason. And your "he's played in 79 games, so he's not really a bench player" is a weak argument. How many games has he actually started? He can come off the bench for one at-bat to pinch-hit and that counts as a game played for him. And Ozzie was forced to play him 5 or 6 days in a row when Anderson was suspended.

Edited August 7, 2006 by Jordan4life_2006