StatManDu Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 (edited) I remember Darin Erstad being an aggressive baserunner with above average but not blazing speed in his days with the Angels. Maybe it's becasue they share a football background but Erstad reminds me a lot of Kirk Gibson on the basepaths. His speed and whether he plays in center or is just limited to a corner outfield spot depends on the health of his legs and if those legs allow him to sprint to the alleys. I am intrigued by Erstad's acquisition. I am hoping Erstad takes advantage of his joining the Sox the same way the healing Ellis Burks and Jermaine Dye did in the past. www.whitesoxalmanac.com Edited February 11, 2007 by StatManDu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9347 Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 I for one was always a big fan of Erstad, but feel his signing might in fact just hurt the chances of Ryan Sweeney who has put in his minor league due and definitely deserves a shot. KW's obsession with Erstad is well noted, as he ALMOST gave up Jon Garland for Erstad a few seasons back in a deal that I believe was nixed by either Erstad or the Angels. At this point in his career, Erstad will not be stealing 20 bags, and his ability to play centerfield may have dropped as well considering the Angels limited him to 1B because of his inability to stay healthy. Personally, for the amount we got him for, if Erstad can stay healthy he could be an excellent 4th outfielder, but I'd still rather see Sweeney given the shot. We'll see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Sweeney doesn't deserve anything. He's performed well at every level, but that doesn't mean anything (because Anderson performed well, and that got him how far?), and he looked bad when he came up last year. He needs atleast another half year of seasoning in AAA before he'll be ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalapse Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 He was a punter, I'm not sure that even counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StatManDu Posted February 11, 2007 Author Share Posted February 11, 2007 (edited) You are right about the punter part though that AFC punter took a lick in the Pro Bowl yesterday. ... I love your flashing countdown. That is solid work. www.whitesoxalmanac.com Edited February 11, 2007 by StatManDu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirScott Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 QUOTE(Kalapse @ Feb 11, 2007 -> 04:14 PM) He was a punter, I'm not sure that even counts. I love when announvers bring up Erstad's football background but fail to mention he was a punter. they just say he played football at Nebraska most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alk3kevin Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 He sucks, that's the answer to just about every question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 QUOTE(Craig Grebeck @ Feb 11, 2007 -> 06:52 PM) He sucks, that's the answer to just about every question. Question is, will he suck less than Anderson and Podsednik? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 QUOTE(StatManDu @ Feb 11, 2007 -> 05:44 PM) You are right about the punter part though that AFC punter took a lick in the Pro Bowl yesterday. ... I love your flashing countdown. That is solid work. www.whitesoxalmanac.com I definitely told my Bills friend that they need a new punter because Moorman died. Atleast he kicked a 64 yarder. They don't call him thunderfoot for nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 QUOTE(StatManDu @ Feb 11, 2007 -> 03:53 PM) Maybe it's becasue they share a football background but Erstad reminds me a lot of Kirk Gibson on the basepaths. A punter and a wide receiver are slightly different in their 40 times. Gibson had leg injuries, that's why he slowed down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StatManDu Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share Posted February 12, 2007 Erstad had speed and the picture on the homepage of this site speaks to his aggressiveness on the basepaths. In addition, he was a two-time state champion in track and field in high school (110 and 300 hurdles). His stolen base stats during his Angel days, when healthy, are more than respectable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Feb 11, 2007 -> 03:21 PM) Sweeney doesn't deserve anything. He's performed well at every level, but that doesn't mean anything (because Anderson performed well, and that got him how far?), and he looked bad when he came up last year. He needs atleast another half year of seasoning in AAA before he'll be ready. I didnt think he looked bad at all. he looked head and shoulders better than BA IMO, and looked to improve in his at bats. IM not sure where "bad" came from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamTell Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 QUOTE(StatManDu @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 01:07 AM) Erstad had speed and the picture on the homepage of this site speaks to his aggressiveness on the basepaths. In addition, he was a two-time state champion in track and field in high school (110 and 300 hurdles). His stolen base stats during his Angel days, when healthy, are more than respectable. That's cool that he was a 2 time state champion but how long ago was that. I'm sure he's lost some of that speed, the question is how much as he lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanOfCorn Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 It isn't all about stealing bases. It's about 1st to 3rd and 2nd to home. We all know how aggressive the White Sox are...at this point, I think that's more important that stolen bases. And Erstad is a good baserunner on top of that. Smart. The kind of guy you give the green light to because you know he probably won't run you out of an inning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 QUOTE(RockRaines @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 07:44 AM) I didnt think he looked bad at all. he looked head and shoulders better than BA IMO, and looked to improve in his at bats. IM not sure where "bad" came from. Sweeney may not have had amazing numbers in his short stint with the big club but he looked a boatload more confident and comfortable at the plate. My biggest problem with Anderson, offensively speaking, is how completely lost he still looks. His development may just be similar to Joe's, who prior to last year would look completely lost at times and early on in Joe's career he looked lost a whole lot. Ryan is much more of a guarantee at being a solid every day player than Anderson is and Sweeney also has the ability to be a star. Anderson does have one thing, he should always have a roster spot simply as a defensive replacement but he does have the ability to be an all star centerfielder (if he can figure out how to hit and yes the tools are there, but that by no means guarantees he'll be able to hit). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 01:27 PM) Sweeney may not have had amazing numbers in his short stint with the big club but he looked a boatload more confident and comfortable at the plate. My biggest problem with Anderson, offensively speaking, is how completely lost he still looks. His development may just be similar to Joe's, who prior to last year would look completely lost at times and early on in Joe's career he looked lost a whole lot. Ryan is much more of a guarantee at being a solid every day player than Anderson is and Sweeney also has the ability to be a star. Anderson does have one thing, he should always have a roster spot simply as a defensive replacement but he does have the ability to be an all star centerfielder (if he can figure out how to hit and yes the tools are there, but that by no means guarantees he'll be able to hit). I agree. The thing about Sweeney is that he already has the swing to play in the majors, he also is just a notch below Anderson defensively, which says alot about how much he has come around. BA has to change his swing a bit, and it is still very long and not very fluid. Sweeney just llooked so much better at the plater. I also echo this with Fields. Josh looked like he already knew the MLB strike zone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 QUOTE(RockRaines @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 03:29 PM) I agree. The thing about Sweeney is that he already has the swing to play in the majors, he also is just a notch below Anderson defensively, which says alot about how much he has come around. BA has to change his swing a bit, and it is still very long and not very fluid. Sweeney just llooked so much better at the plater. I also echo this with Fields. Josh looked like he already knew the MLB strike zone. Sweeney had the swing to play in the majors like the day he was drafted. His swing has always been a thing of beauty. I'm referring more to the fact that it looked like he was hitting bowling balls, because the balls just never really jumped off his bat. He's a good hitter, but he's a singles hitter at this point, and a singles hitter isn't incredibly productive if he's hitting .270, let alone the possibility of it being worse than that. He just didn't look ready to start to me at all, and that's really all that matters, because acting as a 4th OFer would just be detrimental to his growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 08:44 PM) He's a good hitter, but he's a singles hitter at this point, and a singles hitter isn't incredibly productive if he's hitting .270, let alone the possibility of it being worse than that. Contact 73, gap 54. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 QUOTE(knightni @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 07:46 PM) Contact 73, gap 54. sounds about right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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