Sox should trade Josh Fields

[southsider2k5]

But hasnt Jose said he DOES NOT WANT TO BE IN THE PEN?And we all know how sensitive he is when he doesnt have everything going his way.

 

If that is the case they can bury him in the pen and use him for mop up duty.

[tonyho7476]

BS. This is a guy who defected from his country possibly never to see his family again. This "he's a pussy" crap needs to stop. He's a proud tough man. His marriage broke up. That could affect a lot of people. He plays with injuries and gets in trouble if he doesn't disclose pain. Mark Prior was called a pussy because he disclosed pain. He was upset Pablo left, but so was most of the team. He was fine when El Duque was traded.

 

Sorry Mrs. Contreras.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

BS. This is a guy who defected from his country possibly never to see his family again. This "he's a pussy" crap needs to stop. He's a proud tough man. His marriage broke up. That could affect a lot of people. He plays with injuries and gets in trouble if he doesn't disclose pain. Mark Prior was called a pussy because he disclosed pain. He was upset Pablo left, but so was most of the team. He was fine when El Duque was traded.

Great post.

[witesoxfan]

Sorry Mrs. Contreras.

 

I actually think it's spot on and that you seem to have some sort of unadmitted disdain for Contreras because he's a streaky pitcher. People seem to forget that in June and July of 2005, Contreras had an ERA of 5.76 and his ERA for the year on July 31st was 4.58. He pitched so well down the stretch that he dropped nearly a full run off of his ERA.

 

Some say Contreras looks dead in the water; I say he looks like he's in one of his streaks. Hopefully down the stretch he gets hot again.

[Balta1701]

I actually think it's spot on and that you seem to have some sort of unadmitted disdain for Contreras because he's a streaky pitcher. People seem to forget that in June and July of 2005, Contreras had an ERA of 5.76 and his ERA for the year on July 31st was 4.58. He pitched so well down the stretch that he dropped nearly a full run off of his ERA.

 

Some say Contreras looks dead in the water; I say he looks like he's in one of his streaks. Hopefully down the stretch he gets hot again.

The problem I have with that analysis is that his streakiness post 05 to me seems to be entirely related to his health. He wasn't in good shape last year and he sucked for most of the year, but they gave him some time in the bullpen to rest his arm and he came back better. He got a new offseason conditioning program going this year and came out of the gates strong, but then decided to try to pitch through some tendinitis and sucked for the last month.

[Frankensteiner]

Crede and Cabrera are gone next year and will be replaced with Fields/3Bbroughtinfromoutside and, likely, Ramirez. Quentin and Swisher look like studs, and Brian Anderson is still waiting to claim a spot. Age is one thing I am not worried about with this team.

 

In what world does Nick Swisher look like a stud?

[Balta1701]

In what world does Nick Swisher look like a stud?

Oakland, pre-2008.

[witesoxfan]

In what world does Nick Swisher look like a stud?

 

He gets on base at about a .350-.360 clip, hits for above average power, and does so while playing pretty good defense at a premium position. That's a stud to me. It's not in Carlos Quentin territory, but Swisher's a player I want on the team for 3-5 more years.

[Frankensteiner]

He gets on base at about a .350-.360 clip, hits for above average power, and does so while playing pretty good defense at a premium position. That's a stud to me. It's not in Carlos Quentin territory, but Swisher's a player I want on the team for 3-5 more years.

 

Swisher has a good OBP but he does not hit for above average power. His .763 OPS means he's at best middle of the road in hitting. He's got potential to be better of course judging by his prior seasons but no way would I classify him as a stud in a Sox uniform.

[witesoxfan]

Swisher has a good OBP but he does not hit for above average power. His .763 OPS means he's at best middle of the road in hitting. He's got potential to be better of course judging by his prior seasons but no way would I classify him as a stud in a Sox uniform.

 

I judge players based on what I have seen of them, both in numbers and with my eyes. Carlos Quentin is a stud, and I can tell after 100+ games and looking at his numbers; Nick Swisher is a stud, but it's more than just the 100 games he's played this year. He hasn't hit particularly well, but his .763 OPS is good for a 103 OPS+, meaning he's an above average hitter, and he's still hitting in the .230s. I expect him to be up around .250 by the end of the season, but even if he's not, he's still a good defender in CF, he gets on base, he DOES hit for above average power - his ISO of just under .180 is the worst of his career, and he's still going to end up with somewhere around 20-25 homers on the season with around 25-30 doubles (I think you'd agree that Paul Konerko displayed above average power in 2002, yet his ISO is very similar to that of what Swisher has done this year). Anyways, I'm done explaining that point; he doesn't hit for average, and that's what hurts him.

 

On top of what he's done this year, he's also put up OPS+'s of 125 and 127 in the past two years (odd, because his OPS's were, respectively, .865 and .836 in those years...offense was down last year and it seems like it might be worse this year); there's a track record to be looked at.

 

Swisher's game only depends upon his ability to judge pitches coming at him. He does that pretty damn well, seeing as how he's on pace to walk like 100 times again this season, and that's something that generally never leaves you, unlike bat speed or power at the plate. Every year he's going to show up, produce at an above average level, and help you win games; if he hits for anything resembling a decent average, his OBP and SLG would improve dramatically and you'd probably be looking at a legitimate cleanup hitter.

 

So, like I said, Swisher's a stud - above average OBP, above average power, good defense at a premium position, and the fact that he's great in the clubhouse helps matters a lot too. The only thing that really detracts from him is his inability to hit for a decent average, but he more than makes up for that with power and walks.