Scott Podsednik Re-Signs with White Sox

[fathom]

Gload was even worse in 2005, and if it doesn't guarantee Pods will be on the team, why are you flipping out so much?

 

Wasn't Gload injured all of 2005? And my stance on this changed once I realized this isn't the same as signing a FA and not being allowed to trade them for a certain amount of months. Either way though, it's amazing to see that some people think Pods wasn't really that bad.

 

I generally (although not always) agree with you on things, but you are doing exactly what I've said. YES

 

Podsednik in the 2nd half of last season had an OPS below .600, and had a horrific SB/CS ratio. It would be one thing if he contributed in the field or with fundamentals, but he was arguably one of the worst players in baseball at both. All I'm hoping for is that if we keep Uribe at SS and Anderson in CF, we drastically improve ourselves in LF. The division is too strong to keep the same roster from last year, unless we're counting on Dye, PK, and Crede to have career years again. It's not like we have a roster full of guys heading into their peak years.

[Dick Allen]

I generally (although not always) agree with you on things, but you are doing exactly what I've said. YES

 

If the White Sox pitchers pitched in 2005 like they did in 2006, there would be nobody who would have thought Pods was all that great in 2005. The bottom line is he's a very mediocre major league player. It was considered a bad year for him when he stole 70 bases with the Brewers. He doesn't come close to that here. He doesn't score all that many runs which should be his primary job. He didn't bunt well. He couldn't move runners over, he's a bad OF who can't throw with many of the fans fathom has described who scream for him. Basically, IMO, the White Sox would be better off saving the money and letting Sweeney play LF. Eventually, whether he wants to or not, KW is going to have to give out a contract or trade for someone with a contract bordering on insane. The savings on Pods might ease the pain a little bit, especially if you pick someone up at the deadline and only are on the hook for half a season.

[TheBigHurt]

Hey, I'm not saying I wouldn't rather have someone else, I'm not trying to make comparisons here, I'm just saying Pods' season last year was not without merit.

[ShoeLessRob]

The main problem I have with Scott is since '04 his Stolen bases keep falling and the caught stealing continue to remain a concern.

 

'04 - 70

'05 - 59

'06 - 40

 

I also don't buy into his whole "injured" excuse. If he was really injured since ... last year? Shouldn't he NOT be playing? Oh yea ... then there is his fielding with no arm.

[NorthSideSox72]

If he's so great, why is he still a backup? He's 30, made his big league debut in 2000 and has never had over 250 plate appearances in a season. In 2001 and 2003, he never even played a game in the big leagues. There's a reason folks. I mean judging by the way people talk about him, if other GM's feel the same, we should be able to just flip him for some stud talent. He's a first baseman by trade and most teams would not want him as their everyday first baseman. He's not that good and neither is Podsednik. We need to upgrade at the position and that doesn't involve giving the position to Gload who might be one of the guys in the league who actually has a weaker arm than Pods from LF.

Those reasons' names are Todd Helton, Mark Grace, Frank Thomas, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome.

 

Also covered in the Gload thread.

[fathom]

The main problem I have with Scott is since '04 his Stolen bases keep falling and the caught stealing continue to remain a concern.

 

'04 - 70

'05 - 59

'06 - 40

 

I also don't buy into his whole "injured" excuse. If he was really injured since ... last year? Shouldn't he NOT be playing? Oh yea ... then there is his fielding with no arm.

 

My two biggest problems with him are his K totals (swing the freaking bat) and his horrific fundamentals. Caught stealings don't bother me as much, as at least that means he got on base. I've never seen a supposed "speed" player who takes more called third strikes than he does. The whole point of being a slap hitter is to make contact as frequently as possible.

[ShoeLessRob]

My two biggest problems with him are his K totals (swing the freaking bat) and his horrific fundamentals. Caught stealings don't bother me as much, as at least that means he got on base. I've never seen a supposed "speed" player who takes more called third strikes than he does. The whole point of being a slap hitter is to make contact as frequently as possible.

 

Stolen bases are fundamentals ... aren't they? Well they always have been in my eyes. And yes the called strike three are a pain in the ass.

[Dick Allen]

Pods has 4 full seasons in the major leagues. His OBP those 4 years is .342. The major league average, and this includes NL pitchers, is .339, so basically this guy is average at best at getting on base. I think a team in a big market, that has sold out season tickets, can and should find a leadoff hitter a little better than that.

[CWSGuy406]

So you are saying that Iguchi is being shoe-horned into the #2 hole? You think he's a leadoff hitter? I think not. He's a #6 or #7 hitter. This signing is called covering your a**. We DO need OBP guys and Gload is that guy, but we also have pitchers that pitch to contact, we know what we have in Pods...maybe it's not great, but we know what it is. Gload has NEVER played LF for an extended period of time. 2.9 mil for one year isn't a big deal especially for what FA are signing for.

 

LOL, WTF does that mean? We know what we have in Pods, so he should play here? You know what... I think we should go out and get Neifi Perez, too... You know what you'll get form him, too, and it isn't good.

[Kalapse]

LOL, WTF does that mean? We know what we have in Pods, so he should play here? You know what... I think we should go out and get Neifi Perez, too... You know what you'll get form him, too, and it isn't good.

It's retarded logic and it pains me to hear it come out of KW's mouth, he said basically the same thing this morning. Perhaps the Sox could make a run at Ricky Henderson, you basically know what you're going to get from him as well. Good speed (especially for a 48 year old man), good defense, a pisspoor batting average but an OBP equal to or greater than Podsednik's, a little bit of pop and a SB% vastly superior to Scotty. Plus Ricky was born in Chicago so that's a cool storyline right there.

[maggsmaggs]

This may have been discussed earlier, but Scott has gone good season, bad season, good season, bad season and now by this rate, 2007 should be a good one. He is the player the makes our offense go, regardless of what JD, Thome or Kong do. They can carry a team, but Pods can make our offense complete. Pods steals bases and can do the little things that makes this offense non-reliant on the homerun. Simply put, he is the single most important part of the offense. When he is on, the offense mashes. When he is off, the offense goes into a lull.

[DBAHO]

I'm not a big Ross Gload fan. In fact I wanted him offf the 25 man roster at about May-June when he was hitting below 200, only had about 25AB's up to that point, and the fact we needed a RHH CF who could actually handle CF defensively.

 

So I don't think if he was an everyday player he would put up good enough numbers to be a starter.

 

We all know that Pods is starting for one reason and that's his speed. There are better options out there, but the question the Sox had to ask themselves, was it worth say signing a Ray Durham's who's older, and getting about $4M a season than Pods? Do they think Pods will return to his pre 2005 ASB numbers?

 

The only way Pods is going to be effective is if he 100% healthy, and I cannot stress that enough.

 

The Sox should and will be looking for upgrades, hence the Figgins interest for example (although some may argue that may not be such a huge upgrade).

[Balta1701]

I also don't buy into his whole "injured" excuse. If he was really injured since ... last year? Shouldn't he NOT be playing? Oh yea ... then there is his fielding with no arm.

So, as we all know, there are different degrees of being "Injured", some of which you can play through, some of which you can play through but at a reduced level, some of which you can't play through at all.

 

In the 2nd half of 05, Podsednik was clearly injured, in a couple of ways. I believe he had a hamstring problem that made him sluggish, and he had a back problem as well. He was still able to be a productive hitter after he hit the DL for a stretch, which made him somewhat useful, but he was clearly reduced from where he was before the AS break.

 

In the offseason, Podsednik had hernia surgery which both limited any chance he had to spend the winter recuperating and getting into playing shape, and when he hit spring training, he had if I recall correctly some problems with scar tissue. When ST hit, he was not ready for ST, and wound up being unable to play until the last week of ST. He then started the 2006 season basically after having a week to get in shape, and probably with some scar tissue and other problems still lingering. He was still able to play baseball, but at a clearly reduced level. Honestly, after having seen how badly he was reduced, it might not have hurt the team to put him on the DL for the month of April, send him to AAA on a rehab assignment, and actually give him a chance to get in shape and fully recover, something he never had.

 

I can't guarantee that Podsednik won't come back at the same reduced level, or at an even worse one, next year. But it's at least possible that a whole offseason of rest, hopefully punctuated by getting into much much much better playing shape before the start of ST, might be just the thing Pods needs.

[fathom]

The only way Pods is going to be effective is if he 100% healthy, and I cannot stress that enough.

 

Well, Pods better toughen up, because it's very hard for speed players to stay healthy throughout the entire season. One more thing to suggest to Pods...I don't care what happens on the play, keep running full speed until you hit first base.

[Balta1701]

Well, Pods better toughen up, because it's very hard for speed players to stay healthy throughout the entire season. One more thing to suggest to Pods...I don't care what happens on the play, keep running full speed until you hit first base.

And keep your damn eyes on the ball in the outfield.

[Flash Tizzle]

This may have been discussed earlier, but Scott has gone good season, bad season, good season, bad season and now by this rate, 2007 should be a good one. He is the player the makes our offense go, regardless of what JD, Thome or Kong do. They can carry a team, but Pods can make our offense complete. Pods steals bases and can do the little things that makes this offense non-reliant on the homerun. Simply put, he is the single most important part of the offense. When he is on, the offense mashes. When he is off, the offense goes into a lull.

Can we please retire this "good season/bad season" pattern to support Podsednik? Maggs, I know you're not the only one to reference it recently, but seriously -- set back and assess it logically. Does it make ANY sense to put faith in a player rebounding because there's a reoccurying theme based only on four seasons?

 

I don't believe Williams thinks that way. Neither do I believe he seriously places our team's hopes entirely upon Podsednik. If Podsednik is so incredibly vital to our success, why was our offense ultimately better during his mediocre season, opposed to 2005? Anyone who gets on base at a decent clip and allows any of our HR hitters to drive them in is valuable. However, if Podsednik loses his one attribute --speed-- what use is our 'sparkclub?'

 

I've said before, I'm grudgingly accepting Podsednik in LF because replacements (aside from the trade route) are limited. If maintaining Podsednik sets Williams priorities towards trading our SP and aquiring valuable prospects, I can certaintly accept it. I've never been a fan of proposed deals where we trade a starter, then horde off whichever package for Crawford. We need to build (esp. pitching) from within; our future depends it. And yes, I realize Crawford would help "build" a future club, but not at the expense of a three/four valuable prospects.

Edited December 2, 2006 by Flash Tizzle

[RockRaines]

this is seriously underpaying for a leadoff man of his caliber. Pierre cost so much more, so did Durham and Roberts. Seriously a bargain

[Jordan4life_2007]

this is seriously underpaying for a leadoff man of his caliber. Pierre cost so much more, so did Durham and Roberts. Seriously a bargain

 

Yeah, I have to agree. Anybody getting upset about 2.9 million dollars needs a reality check. Now, I know this doesn't gurantee Pods will be our opening day LF. But really, what other options do we have? As I said in another thread: I want no part of going into 2007 relying on one of Fields/Owens/Sweeney to hold down LF, especially when we've already got a developing CF. We've seen what Pods can do when he's right. I'll take my chances with him.

[shipps]

This isn't that awful of a move. Considering the FA market if we have Pods and than find a way to pick up another speed guy via trade and we should be in decent shape at the top of the order (since we'll have given Ozzie speed).

 

I also think we'll see Pods have a better all around season (even If he's not my first choice, I don't expect him to be near as brutal and I could see worse options at the top of the order).

Just when i think i got you all figured out you go and say something like this.Wasnt it just a couple months ago in New York Pods was Lucifer with a bad hammy to you?It must have been the smog that got to you.

[GreatScott82]

Call me crazy, but I don't mind this deal at all. KW took into account that guys like Pierre, Roberts, and Mathews Jr were getting more money than Jermaine Dye! Sure re-signing Pods is a risk, but its a cheap risk. Lets all remember that Pods had a bad 2004, then when the Sox got him he had an awesome 2005 and was the catylist to that teams offense. In 2006 he was obviously bothered by his groin early on and never was the same all season. He already rebounded once after having a bad season, he can definitley do it again. Hell if i were KW i would still consider getting a guy like Crawford to play CF and hit leadoff. I've said it before, I would love for Pods to bat 9th in our lineup. It would A) give hime a chance to get back on track without having the 'leadoff' pressure. and B. give us one hell of a 9-1-2-3 punch providing KW replaces BA in CF.

I'm just really hoping KW has some tricks up his sleeve at the winter meetings, i'm just not sure what they are?!?

Edited December 2, 2006 by GreatScott82

[StatManDu]

How are we feeling about Pods? This was probably a shrewd move in that Pods is signed at a relatively cheap price with arbitration avoided. I think this whole process will make him easier to trade.

 

 

http://journals.aol.com/dmarran359/Soxalmanac/

[elrockinMT]

Pods was a real good signing and potentially, which is what all trades and signings are until the season is underway, a good move for the Sox. I support Pods in LF. Let's go Sox!

[Dick Allen]

KW talking about the insanity of contracts is kind of amusing. Are any of the contracts being signed very far out of line with Javier Vazquez's. KW unloaded a lot for Vazquez and if he wants to keep him in 2008 will have to pay him probably $13million to $15 million. He is making $12 million a year and has a career record of 100-105 with a 4.32 ERA. Last year on a 90 win team, he wasn't even .500 and had a 4.84 ERA.

[gosox41]

this is seriously underpaying for a leadoff man of his caliber. Pierre cost so much more, so did Durham and Roberts. Seriously a bargain

 

 

I totally agree. I can't believe how many people want to make so many changes to a 90 win team. Is it better to tie up $6 mill a year in Roberts or $9 mill in Pierre and leave the Sox with less resources to fill out the bullpen.

 

At least I hope this will end the cries for Manny Ramirez.

 

 

 

Bob

[AirScott]

OK now, I've been saying, since the season was still going on, that Pods is hurt and not at 100%. he never seemed fully recovered from him 2005 injury, and his 2006 ailments didn't help. now he's got a full offseason to heal, and we're paying him $2.9 million, instead of the $6 million per year the aging Dave Roberts landed. did anybody stop to think KW began thinking a while ago what a bunch of you are starting to realize now and Pods at $3M per and hoping he bounces back (and if not, trying out Sweeney, Fields and Owens in LF) is smarter than paying double or triple that (or making a trade) for guys who bring essentially the same tools and numbers as Pods?