TCSN: Sox Offense is One Hot Potato

[Chisoxfn]

TCSN: Sox Offense is One Hot Potato

By Mario Scalise

 

I personally think the Sox had some hard hit balls in this series with the Rays that went right at defenders. That doesn’t make up for the rest of the season or the horrible swings put on display Sunday with men on base… 18 of them to be exact. The Sox left 18 guys on base. 18. That’s a lot, and Ozzie Guillen is disgusted and is calling for changes, but in a rather passive aggressive, “I don’t want to do it, you (KW) do it” way.Kenny then immediately tosses the hot potato back.

 

Here’s Williams…

 

Very interesting, very disappointing. It’s never a good idea to throw your boss under the bus, especially when that boss has had his back as much as I have. I guess that lineup will be real interesting to see on Tuesday. We have the horses. Everyone has to stay positive and keep grinding. If you’re looking for a quick fix personnel-wise, with the climate right now, you’re not going to get it. I expect more of everyone in that uniform and certainly the guy leading the team on the field.”

 

In response to Guillen…

 

Just be ready because I expect movement Tuesday. I expect Kenny to do something Tuesday, and if we don’t do anything Tuesday, there are going to be a lot of lineup changes. That’s all I’m going to say about the offense. It can be me. It can be [hitting coach] Greg Walker. It can be the players. It could be anybody. I’m sick and tired to watch this thing for a year and a half. I’m not protecting anybody anymore. [bleep] it! If they can’t get it done, Kenny should find someone to get it done. That’s it. Another bad game. If we think we are going to win with the offense we have, we are full of [bleep]. I’m just being honest. I expect better from them, if they are in the lineup.”

 

So Guillen wants Williams to do something on Tuesday, June 3? Williams is an aggressive GM, but his hands are tied on June 3.

 

It doesn’t pardon Williams. He put together this offense foolishly thinking Jim Thome and Paul Konerko were going to actually return to their prime days and be middle-of-the-order hitters. Not gonna happen. But Guillen went along with it, never questioning it.

 

So here we are. Guillen wants Williams to fix the team Williams put together, and Williams wants Guillen to lead the team he never had any objections to. They are both wrong, but here’s how the ball is in Ozzie’s court.

 

Ozzie talks about making changes, whether it’s firing himself or hitting coach Greg Walker. Guillen knows more than anyone that he won’t get fired. Not that Williams doesn’t have the balls to do it … it just won’t happen. But Walker? It’s all too logical and very realistic. Hitting coaches get fired all the time, and not necessarily because they are bad. Walker could be doing a brutal job, but more likely it’s a situation where players just aren’t responding to him, so a firing makes sense.

 

But who does it? Williams has the authority to put his foot down and do it at any time, but not only is it the primarily responsibility of Guillen, it’s Guillen himself who opened this up. He’s the one who is looking for changes. He’s the one who has the power to put in place the easiest and most widely used change — dumping the hitting (or pitching) coach with the hope that it wakes up cold bats.

 

The root of the Sox problems falls on three guys (Thome, Konerko and Swisher). Two are making upwards of $14 million and another was brought in for three prospects. They aren’t going anywhere. Teams don’t just release guys like that. At worse you bench the guy, but we’re talking about three. So this all falls on Guillen. Firing the hitting coach, changing the lineup, benching a guy or calling up another … that all falls on the lap of Guillen. The solution?

 

- Fire Walker. Once again, not necessarily his fault, but typically moves like that jumpstart an offense, if even only for a few days (this pitching staff could use a few days break). Doesn’t matter who replaces him, as Thome, Konerko and co. aren’t going to listen to the guy anyway.

 

- Lose the 12th pitcher already. The Sox have the third lowest ERA in baseball. Their pitchers are going deep into games and their bullpen has been lights out. There is no need for Wasserman. It doesn’t matter which position player is called up, whoever it is will be of greater use to this offense than Wasserman.

 

- You know how the injury to Uribe has allowed Ramirez to play everyday and suprisingly excell with the chance? Keep Ramirez at second and apply the same plan to Brian Anderson in center. Swisher isn’t injured, of course, just bad.

 

- With Ramirez and Anderson in the lineup, let Thome, Konerko and Swisher battle for playing time between first and DH. If they are all class acts and team players like their image suggests, none should have an issue. This pitching staff is getting burnt out and forced to carry the team because of a pathetic offense caused largely by these three.

 

The resulting lineup wouldn’t look more impressive, but it’s not about that. It’s about getting tough and publically placing blame where it belongs, and that’s in the direction of Thome, Swisher and Konerko. They are the ones to blame, yet Guillen appears to lump the offense together, blame them collectively and ask Williams for help when he has the power to invoke real change and the mouth to place real fault. He’s simply shying away from the responsibility and protecting the guilty.

 

[nubeerski]

This is right on the money. Call up Owens for the 12th pitcher. We need a guy that can steal bases as a pinch runner.

[Chisoxfn]

Welcome aboard

 

I actually wouldn't be opposed to Owens now that he's swinging a solid bat. More importantly though, his left handed bat plus speed would be an asset off the bench. I'm not saying he should be starting over Anderson (if the Sox opt to give Anderson more starts in CF) but I do think he could have a very valuable off the bench (situational bunting, base running, etc).

 

Plus him sitting on the bench isn't like some superstar prospect sitting and having there development slowed (since the reality is, Owens is a role player).

[whitesoxbrian]

Welcome aboard

 

I actually wouldn't be opposed to Owens now that he's swinging a solid bat. More importantly though, his left handed bat plus speed would be an asset off the bench. I'm not saying he should be starting over Anderson (if the Sox opt to give Anderson more starts in CF) but I do think he could have a very valuable off the bench (situational bunting, base running, etc).

 

Plus him sitting on the bench isn't like some superstar prospect sitting and having there development slowed (since the reality is, Owens is a role player).

The bottom line is- he's not a major league player, and I'd rather give our best offensive prospect some major league time in Fields (until the draft, he is our best prospect offensively).

 

Use him as DH, and when Crede needs a day off, stick him at 3B and Thome at DH.

[WCSox]

It doesn’t pardon Williams. He put together this offense foolishly thinking Jim Thome and Paul Konerko were going to actually return to their prime days and be middle-of-the-order hitters. Not gonna happen. But Guillen went along with it, never questioning it.

 

He's right about Thome, but apparently doesn't know that Paulie is playing through an injury. Paulie was even worse in 2003, while playing through another injury (and many people thought that his hip issue had caught up with him). Most players don't suddenly hit the wall and regress to the Mendoza Line at age 32. And it's not like he hit poorly last season (31 HRs, 116 OPS+), which also suggests that his production problems aren't due to a decline in skills.

 

Edited June 3, 2008 by WCSox

[Felix]

It doesn’t pardon Williams. He put together this offense foolishly thinking Jim Thome and Paul Konerko were going to actually return to their prime days and be middle-of-the-order hitters. Not gonna happen. But Guillen went along with it, never questioning it.

So I guess we're ignoring where Thome had a 1.014 OPS in 2006 and .973 OPS in 2007. By having him in the lineup, KW wasn't hoping he'd return, he was hoping he'd continue his middle-of-the-order abilities, which Thome hadn't shown any signs of losing.

[DBAHO]

Nice article. At least Owens could be up for Wise also, but I guess they want him getting AB's as much as possible.

 

So when are the weekly shows coming back guys?

[shipps]

Your making some sense there Mar, someone must have done some heavy editing on it for you.

[EvilMonkey]

While the guy ws right to place most of the blame on the 3 guys not performing, they are not the only culprits. With a man on third and no outs, Crede pulls the ball right to the 3rd baseman, almost getting the runner out, and NOT scoring him. Bases loaded and no outs, Cabrera can't even get a ball past the pither resulting in a double play, no runs. Runner on second and no outs, AJ swings at a BP fastball like he is swinging a 9 iron and pops it up on the infield. Situational hitting for all these guys just sucks.

[Chisoxfn]

I would like to point out that I believe that Konerko is best suited as a #5 hitter (and he's a damn good one when healthy). He did a good, commendable job in the middle of the Sox offense for a number of years, but the reality is he's not in the league of top run producers. He's also clearly a main culprit (including Thome/Swisher) for the Sox horrid offense and you have to put the blame squarely on those guys shoulders (as they are all being paid to producer, where as a guy like Uribe is being paid to field for the most part).

 

Konerko at least has a legitimate excuse (hand injury) and right now I think the Sox should consider DL'ing him or basically letting Thome/Swisher/Konerko have two spots in the lineup most nights (with Anderson getting a steady dose in CF, although there will obviously be the ocassional night where all three of the guys play). Go with that approach until guys start hitting and who knows, Anderson has shown a lot of signs of maturation. He's got a better approach at the plate and nothing would be better than having him develop (if he did, you'd have Quentin/Anderson penciled into your outfield for a long time).

 

That said I'm not about to say that Anderson is a better option than any of those guys (if in fact they were producing), but he has "upside" and plays a tremendous CF and is producing respectably enough to get additional playing time. Anderon's big thing is he needs to show more opposite field and up the middle power. He obviously possesses it but he has a knack for grounding out (typically hard, but grounding out) to 3rd base and I think thats because he's a bit pull happy at this point in time (probably to an extent because he's pressing, albeit, this pull-happy version is the best version of BA we've seen at the major league level to date).

[Leonard Zelig]

From 2004-2007 Konerko is 8th in the majors in RBI, but you don't consider him a top run producer?

[Chisoxfn]

From 2004-2007 Konerko is 8th in the majors in RBI, but you don't consider him a top run producer?

I consider very few guys top run producers. Just as I consider very few guys legitimate aces. There are a lot of guys I consider front of the rotation pitchers though. Ortiz/Pujols/Manny/Bonds/Vladdy are what I consider top run producers. That said, I believe Konerko is an above average run producer.