Brian Anderson's Injury

[Chi Town Sox]

Well i was talking to him after the game in his car and he said "I just rolled it maaaaaaaaan"

[shipps]

Still, like I said, Crede never appeared afraid at the plate IMO, Anderson does...not sure why that is.

I strongly disagree with that.I remember Crede looking very afraid at the plate for his first couple seasons,he was totally overmatched mentally and physically for the first quarter of his career offensively.

[DBAHO]

I strongly disagree with that.I remember Crede looking very afraid at the plate for his first couple seasons,he was totally overmatched mentally and physically for the first quarter of his career offensively.

Which is exactly why you have to stay patient with these young players like Anderson and wait until they flourish, and it could be as soon as this season, who knows.

 

But it will happen.

[NorthSideSox72]

Which is exactly why you have to stay patient with these young players like Anderson and wait until they flourish, and it could be as soon as this season, who knows.

 

But it will happen.

But the question is, where is that patience best used? Brian is a heck of an athlete, and seems to have all the tools to become a solid player, but he doesn't have a major league batting approach yet (he's gotten by, until now, mostly on pure athleticism). So is he better served working that out with the big club, or with a year (or part of a year) at AAA? I don't know that there is a definite answer to that, but I think its the important question to ask.

 

I do still think he is a better choice to start in CF than Erstad for this year, but not by much.

[Y2HH]

But the question is, where is that patience best used? Brian is a heck of an athlete, and seems to have all the tools to become a solid player, but he doesn't have a major league batting approach yet (he's gotten by, until now, mostly on pure athleticism). So is he better served working that out with the big club, or with a year (or part of a year) at AAA? I don't know that there is a definite answer to that, but I think its the important question to ask.

 

I do still think he is a better choice to start in CF than Erstad for this year, but not by much.

 

I think decisions like this need to be based on a, 'Where is this club right now, and where will it be in a few years?', type of thing. IMO, coming off a world series victory in '05, and missing the playoffs while still winning 90 games in '06 says that we're still a contender. I'm not sure that waiting on a minor leaguer to flourish on a contending team is a great idea, those types of players are better suited for teams that are rebuilding for the future moreso than a team that's considered a contender. Our window of opportunity with the current roster is closing, nobody is getting younger (except me), including our pitchers. We need to strike now, not in two years when BA is ready to go.

 

I think that part of a season in AAA is the best way to handle the BA situation right now, at least for a month or two until he can work out his issues behind the plate or until Erstad shows us that he's unable to play CF in a "good enough" manner to help the team. Right now, I think Erstad is playing great...and he won't make the rookie mistakes that Anderson may make in criticial situations due to nervousness or what have you...I think Anderson will get his shot in the future, I'm just not sure that we are in a position like we were with Crede or Kong for him to work out these issues.

[witesoxfan]

But the question is, where is that patience best used? Brian is a heck of an athlete, and seems to have all the tools to become a solid player, but he doesn't have a major league batting approach yet (he's gotten by, until now, mostly on pure athleticism). So is he better served working that out with the big club, or with a year (or part of a year) at AAA? I don't know that there is a definite answer to that, but I think its the important question to ask.

 

I do still think he is a better choice to start in CF than Erstad for this year, but not by much.

 

In April and May of last year, Anderson didn't have a major league hitting approach. He just looked awful at the plate and was a very selfish hitter. As the year went on, he became less selfish and much more patient, looking for his pitch to hit or otherwise drawing the walk.

 

I think this year he'd put up a very respectable line if given consistent playing time, but nothing inredibly outstanding either. Maybe something like .250/.330/.400/.730...that's essentially an Aaron Rowand line for all you crazy grinders out there.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Brian played today in the loss to the Royals so me thinks he's fine. He went 1 for 3 .

[Kalapse]

Brian played today in the loss to the Royals so me thinks he's fine. He went 1 for 3 .

And homered.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

And homered.

I just came back to edit my post to add that. You beat me to it .

[Damen]

Right now, I think Erstad is playing great...and he won't make the rookie mistakes that Anderson may make in criticial situations due to nervousness

 

I don't know if there's anything to show Erstad is a better hitter than Anderson at this point. He will probably hit for a slightly better average, but have that offset by a putrid slugging pct and OBP. Why sacrifice the defense for such a marginal improvement, if there is any at all? This is incredibly frustrating to see two guys who have not done anything to earn a starting spot on a contending club the last few years be handed the job.

[Kalapse]

I don't know if there's anything to show Erstad is a better hitter than Anderson at this point. He will probably hit for a slightly better average, but have that offset by a putrid slugging pct and OBP. Why sacrifice the defense for such a marginal improvement, if there is any at all? This is incredibly frustrating to see two guys who have not done anything to earn a starting spot on a contending club the last few years be handed the job.

You're f***ing crazy Erstad's .296 ST OBP is just awesome. His 0 HR and 10 K are 2 more indicators of how great he's been this spring. I thought the starting CF was going to have to earn his job during Spring Training?

[Kalapse]

I know you're good for it, do you have that direct quote about the CF competition, and nothing is going to be handed to either? I looked on Chisox.com, and can't find it. I just want a link so I can look back on it. I have seen the quote, just can't find it.

From March 12:

 

Anderson is trying to keep his starting spot, which White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said is still up for grabs. Veteran Darin Erstad has arrived from the Los Angeles Angels and his right ankle is finally healthy. He is competing with Anderson and Scott Podsednik for starting spots in left and center.

 

Guillen has already said Anderson will not platoon in center field -- he will open the season in Triple-A if he doesn't win the job.

 

"I don't give anybody the job just because -- you earn it," Guillen said. "I have a couple guys fighting for the job, and whoever performs better, that's who is going to stay."

 

Player A: 51 AB | 14 H | 5 R | 0 HR | 6 RBI | 2 BB | 10 K | 2 SB | .275/.296/.333/.629

 

Player B: 32 AB | 9 H | 5 R | 2 HR | 5 RBI | 4 BB | 5 K | 2 SB | .281/.351/.531/.862

 

It's good to see Ozzie keeping his word and rewarding the job to the player who performs best during the spring. f***ing hypocrite.

[shoota]

All this talk about the Anderson being so much better at CF than Erstad is confusing me a bit. I look at Erstad's career stats in CF:

 

454 games

4 errors

.997 FP

 

What is so bad about that? I figured this would be a good place to ask this questions since all you know so much more than Ozzie and KW. Maybe I'll send Ozzie a link to this site so hopefully he can realize before 4/2 that he sucks and doesn't know what players to take up north. It's not like the guy ever won a world series. Anyone know KW's email? He doesn't know anything either, how could he give up Carlos Lee, and sign such a clubhouse cancer such as AJ.

 

Crazy just crazy!

 

I'm frustrated by your lack of reasoning skills. Your arguments are so faulty, I wonder if you even believe what you wrote.

 

Since KW and OG are not infallible, it's reasonable for knowledgeable fans to question the sometimes poor KW and OG decisions.

[Y2HH]

From March 12:

Player A: 51 AB | 14 H | 5 R | 0 HR | 6 RBI | 2 BB | 10 K | 2 SB | .275/.296/.333/.629

 

Player B: 32 AB | 9 H | 5 R | 2 HR | 5 RBI | 4 BB | 5 K | 2 SB | .281/.351/.531/.862

 

It's good to see Ozzie keeping his word and rewarding the job to the player who performs best during the spring. f***ing hypocrite.

 

As much as I'm not on the BA bandwagon, I'm inclined to agree...he deserves the spot until he shows us (during regular season play) that he doesn't deserve it. Erstad should start on the bench as of right now. There is two weeks of ST left to keep in mind, though.

 

I agree for similar offensive stats, give or take a few points in any catagory, that BA's defense in center outweighs Erstad at the moment.

[Kalapse]

See, I knew you were good for it. Got a link to that quote? I Want to bookmark it.

I just google news searched it so i don't know what the hell site this is but here's the link.

 

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/03/12/sp...29c000af076.txt

 

I'll try to find the Trib article as well.

 

I looked again and the article i posted is from the AP.

[Kalapse]

I would have loved to be sitting near Ozzie today when Anderson hit his blast (which sounded great off the bat) and Erstad backed that up with a pathetic AB that resulted in a k.

[Balta1701]

I hear he was taking a piss during both AB's.

(ozzie walks back out)

 

OG: Great, Darin hit a home run!

BA: Actually chief, that was me.

OG: QUIET YOU! (WHAP!)

Cora: Really, Oz, that was Brian. Darin struck out.

(Machine gun fire is heard)

 

10 years later...

 

KW and OG talking to the press

 

KW: After that, we did the only humane thing we could do

OG: We tied BA up in the attic of the cell and fed him a bucket of fish heads every night.

KW: It saved our season!

[Capn12]

I really don't understand why Oz is talking out of both sides of his ass on this issue.

 

"Whoever plays CF for us is going to EARN it!!"

 

"Erstad will get his at-bats, and I will try to play him as an everyday player."

 

See Kalapse's numbers for both so far this spring.

 

 

So basically its a case of Erstad "earning" the CF job, despite none of his numbers backing that up statistically. Makes sense to me!!

[Y2HH]

I really don't understand why Oz is talking out of both sides of his ass on this issue.

 

"Whoever plays CF for us is going to EARN it!!"

 

"Erstad will get his at-bats, and I will try to play him as an everyday player."

 

See Kalapse's numbers for both so far this spring.

So basically its a case of Erstad "earning" the CF job, despite none of his numbers backing that up statistically. Makes sense to me!!

 

There is always the outside [or insider] chance that Ozzie dislikes something about Anderson that none of us are aware of. It's obvious Ozzie doesn't like him, and it doesn't appear as if KW disagrees with him. Sometimes, when I see things such as this, I wonder if perhaps they know something...

 

For a few weeks I remember quite a few of you were calling for KW's head on the Brandon McCrappy trade. I don't believe Ozzie or KW liked McCarthy much, similar to the BA situation, and none of us understood why. McCarthy was a one-spring/small stretch wonder who MLB hitters caught up too and now hit HR's off of as if he's pitching batting practice.

 

I think we got the best of that deal, even though many of you were ready to kill KW for it.

Edited March 20, 2007 by Y2HH

[NorthSideSox72]

Before we brand Oz a hypocrite on this particular subject (the CF job), let's wait and see what he does.

 

One thing to keep in mind... if indeed Oz thinks that Anderson needed an attitude adjustment, then all these "hints" and badgering he has done this spring are exactly what he'd be likely to do to show him that. And yet, he might still get the job. Just a thought. I'll wait until we see the 25 man roster. If indeed BA and Erstad keep up their current performances, and Ozzie puts Erstad as a starter anyway... then yes, he's being a grudge-driven idiot.

[Soxbadger]

Im not a huge Anderson supporter, but its pure stupidity to give Estrad the job.

 

Now 2 weeks into the season if Erstad is hitting .400 and BA is hitting .250 sure start taking some atbats away, but gotta give the young guy a chance because Erstad will handle being a bench/role player better as a vet.

[southsideirish71]

Terrero is staring in CF today against Oakland. Good to see that we are really getting to see what Anderson can do, and allowing him to fight for the job.

[NorthSideSox72]

Terrero is staring in CF today against Oakland. Good to see that we are really getting to see what Anderson can do, and allowing him to fight for the job.

ST so far...

 

Anderson = 36 plate appearances (AB+BB)

Terrero = 26 plate appearances

 

Considering they are both playing for roster spots, I think they are both getting their chances, and Brian even more so. BA started yesterday.

 

What is more bizarre to me is why Erstad has 51 AB's (53 plate appearances), more than anyone else on the team, whether or not they are going for a roster spot. The next closest is PK with 41 (48 plates).

[AddisonStSox]

Good to see that we are really getting to see what Anderson can do, and allowing him to fight for the job.

 

Tom,

 

If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck...

 

At this point, I think a very logical step to take would be the admission that this organization has soured on Anderson. So, what has led to such a souring? Could his play on the field have merited such a souring? Yes. Could his off-field antics, work-ethic, level of seriousness, maturity, etc. have merited such a souring? (I do not claim to have any inside sources or first-hand information; I am simply using what I have read/heard to make this claim) Yes.

 

So, rather than place the blame on the organization--as so many loyal Soxtalkers/prospect-martyrs have--can we please start to place at least some of the blame on Anderson? Brian Anderson need not look any further than the mirror for a reason as to why he is being thrown to the way-side at the age of 24. This was a once-heralded top-prospect who is in serious threat of losing significant playing time to a very suspect, injury-prone, declining thirty-year-old center-fielder. Is this because the organization had it out for Brian Anderson? No...a resounding no. Brian Anderson finds himself in the position he is in today because of Brian Anderson--no one else.

 

I just can not continue to sit here and read these posts suggesting the organization has it out for Brian Anderson. It behooves the White Sox organization to have found its center-fielder of the future in Brian Anderson. This organization traded the single most popular player on a championship roster and traded one of the brightest outfield prospects in the game because it felt Brian Anderson was the guy. The fact that Brian Anderson is getting s***canned in only his second Major League season suggests that there is more here than meets the eye. But, rather than use any logic, let us all put the blame on the organization for having it out for such a prized prospect.

 

How can a guy like Todd VanPopple (once dubbed the second-coming of Roger Clemens) get chance, after chance, after chance based on his Minor League merits, but a very successful top-center-field-prospect get s***canned in just his second year?

 

 

I can not believe that this perception has become reality on this once-intelligible baseball fan site.

[southsideirish71]

Tom,

 

If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck...

 

At this point, I think a very logical step to take would be the admission that this organization has soured on Anderson. So, what has led to such a souring? Could his play on the field have merited such a souring? Yes. Could his off-field antics, work-ethic, level of seriousness, maturity, etc. have merited such a souring? (I do not claim to have any inside sources or first-hand information; I am simply using what I have read/heard to make this claim) Yes.

 

So, rather than place the blame on the organization--as so many loyal Soxtalkers/prospect-martyrs have--can we please start to place at least some of the blame on Anderson? Brian Anderson need not look any further than the mirror for a reason as to why he is being thrown to the way-side at the age of 24. This was a once-heralded top-prospect who is in serious threat of losing significant playing time to a very suspect, injury-prone, declining thirty-year-old center-fielder. Is this because the organization had it out for Brian Anderson? No...a resounding no. Brian Anderson finds himself in the position he is in today because of Brian Anderson--no one else.

 

I just can not continue to sit here and read these posts suggesting the organization has it out for Brian Anderson. It behooves the White Sox organization to have found its center-fielder of the future in Brian Anderson. This organization traded the single most popular player on a championship roster and traded one of the brightest outfield prospects in the game because it felt Brian Anderson was the guy. The fact that Brian Anderson is getting s***canned in only his second Major League season suggests that there is more here than meets the eye. But, rather than use any logic, let us all put the blame on the organization for having it out for such a prized prospect.

 

How can a guy like Todd VanPopple (once dubbed the second-coming of Roger Clemens) get chance, after chance, after chance based on his Minor League merits, but a very successful top-center-field-prospect get s***canned in just his second year?

I can not believe that this perception has become reality on this once-intelligible baseball fan site.

 

Ian,

 

I am not someone who gets all hyped up over prospects. However I am using some experience in seeing guys like Crede - who even in 2005 I hated and wanted gone, and Garland who I hated and wanted gone as examples of maybe its worth taking a real look to see if the kid can hack it or not. Anderson had a platoon role for the most part of the season last year. Maybe the kid is a bust, maybe he is Borchard II. But we need to find out.

 

If we had gone out this offseason and picked up a real CF sure ditch Brian. But we didnt, we picked up a guy who has declined over the last few years. Someone that doesnt project all that much of an improvement over what we had last year.

 

I am concerned not that Brian Anderson is not on the team, is that we didnt fill that CF role with a honest replacement. And now we are looking at having 2 guys uptop in front of our thumpers that have poor OBP. It just looks bad from a run scoring standpoint.

 

I dont think the organization has it out for Brian. I dont think Ozzie is a fan though.

Edited March 20, 2007 by southsideirish71