Josh Fields

[Balta1701]

Why would the Sox call him up if he's injured? I don't think you could blame his injuries this year for all the swinging and missing he's doing.

He's not necessarily injured right now, but he's been on and off the DL all year.

[DBAHO]

Long - term I can't really see a future for Josh on the Sox. With KW looking for hitters with good OBP skills (hence the OC and Swish acquisitons) having Fields and his sub .300 OBP in the lineup is not something I can see happening.

 

My guess is, we'll target Casey Blake in the off-season, or might enquire about Adrian Beltre possibly, if Seattle's asking price does come down.

[lostfan]

Long - term I can't really see a future for Josh on the Sox. With KW looking for hitters with good OBP skills (hence the OC and Swish acquisitons) having Fields and his sub .300 OBP in the lineup is not something I can see happening.

 

My guess is, we'll target Casey Blake in the off-season, or might enquire about Adrian Beltre possibly, if Seattle's asking price does come down.

Although I typically have had a moderate position on Josh in comparison to a lot of the carried-away fanboys he apparently has, I still have to say it's pretty unreasonable to hold him to the stats he had after his first extended MLB stint, and expect he will never be any better than that. This applies to everyone, at any position. People who come up and take MLB by storm ala Alexei Ramirez are the exception, not the norm.

[DBAHO]

Although I typically have had a moderate position on Josh in comparison to a lot of the carried-away fanboys he apparently has, I still have to say it's pretty unreasonable to hold him to the stats he had after his first extended MLB stint, and expect he will never be any better than that. This applies to everyone, at any position. People who come up and take MLB by storm ala Alexei Ramirez are the exception, not the norm.

I hate to say it with Josh, but it wouldn't surprise me if his career ended up sort of the same as Tony Batista (think that's his name the third baseman who played with the O's and last with the Twins).

 

I mean 30HR power absolutely, maybe more, but unless he can cut down on the K's, or at least walk at least over 50 times during the season, probably needs more than that, then it's something that is really going to hurt him down the line.

 

Still the power he flashed in around 100 games last season was hugely impressive.

[Balta1701]

Long - term I can't really see a future for Josh on the Sox. With KW looking for hitters with good OBP skills (hence the OC and Swish acquisitons) having Fields and his sub .300 OBP in the lineup is not something I can see happening.

Cabrera is only a good OBP person if you're comparing him to Uribe. His career OBP is .321. If he's doing other things with the bat, i.e. being a good #2 hitter, or driving in runs, etc., then you tolerate that. His OBP this year is .324.

[Jake]

I hate to say it with Josh, but it wouldn't surprise me if his career ended up sort of the same as Tony Batista (think that's his name the third baseman who played with the O's and last with the Twins).

 

I mean 30HR power absolutely, maybe more, but unless he can cut down on the K's, or at least walk at least over 50 times during the season, probably needs more than that, then it's something that is really going to hurt him down the line.

 

Still the power he flashed in around 100 games last season was hugely impressive.

 

Josh will never the be the all-star that he was touted to be if he strikes out 1 out of every 3 at bats in AAA.

 

Speaking of high strikeout totals, it's too bad that Brad Eldred plays the one position we have a logjam at or else he probably deserves a shot to tee off on major league pitching.

[DBAHO]

Cabrera is only a good OBP person if you're comparing him to Uribe. His career OBP is .321. If he's doing other things with the bat, i.e. being a good #2 hitter, or driving in runs, etc., then you tolerate that. His OBP this year is .324.

What were his numbers in Anaheim last season again? Something around a .340 OBP IIRC, which is just light years ahead of Uribe.

 

That OBP shows us how much we need a bonafide leadoff hitter still though IMHO.

[Balta1701]

What were his numbers in Anaheim last season again? Something around a .340 OBP IIRC, which is just light years ahead of Uribe.

.345. But he also hit .301, which was his career best. This season overall, he's basically been exactly the player he's always been. .270-.280 hitter, couple walks, not great at anything but a solid option as a #2 hitter.

 

It's easy to be light years ahead of Uribe, but let's not pretend that being light years ahead of Uribe means you're either good or worth $10 million a season.

[lostfan]

What were his numbers in Anaheim last season again? Something around a .340 OBP IIRC, which is just light years ahead of Uribe.

 

That OBP shows us how much we need a bonafide leadoff hitter still though IMHO.

Those #s were anomalously high for him though.

[greg775]

Those quotes from Oz praising Uribe's defense over Josh were pretty telling. It's pretty obvious if it wasn't before Oz thinks Fields is a hack. I'd say his days as a Sox are numbered as well at least if Oz is skipper.

[Metz]

Those quotes from Oz praising Uribe's defense over Josh were pretty telling. It's pretty obvious if it wasn't before Oz thinks Fields is a hack. I'd say his days as a Sox are numbered as well at least if Oz is skipper.

 

Well seeing as both games Uribe started, Fields ended up coming in(though Sundays Game was a blowout). I have just my own suspicion that he doesnt want a pissed off Uribe on the bench for the rest of the season. If you called up Fields and started him every game, Uribe would probably sh*t a brick and Fields had his chance when he first came up he didnt deliver besides the one game in minnesota and maybe a couple other at-bats. I think he'll get some good amount of play in this Detroit series, I hope he does though cause I like to watch him play and I dont think its right to write him off after the 100 games he played last season. I heard Ozzie's comments, and he was more then right. He said something like He doesnt hate Fields glove, but Uribe's is just that much better and hes going to put him out there if he needs the best defense out there, simple enough.

[whitesoxbrian]

Long - term I can't really see a future for Josh on the Sox. With KW looking for hitters with good OBP skills (hence the OC and Swish acquisitons) having Fields and his sub .300 OBP in the lineup is not something I can see happening.

 

My guess is, we'll target Casey Blake in the off-season, or might enquire about Adrian Beltre possibly, if Seattle's asking price does come down.

Beltre's OBP career-wise is around .320 although his lifetime BA is hovering around .270. Along with the rest of the M's he's having an off year. I think I could tolerate that from a #6 or #7 hitter, though.

 

Blake's OBP career-wise is around .335 and his lifetime BA is around .265. That is nothing special, either.

 

Which is why I was hoping those extension talks with my boy Cristian Guzman and the Nats would end which they didn't- the past 2 seasons his OBP has been .333 and .380, and his BA is .303 this year and was, I believe, .328 last year. Instead, I think we'll go with my other boy, Adam Dunn, who is an OBP machine similar to Thome (if Thome doesn't get his PAs).

Edited August 5, 2008 by whitesoxbrian

[MarkMook]

Ozzie sometimes seems to get down on young players: Anderson and Fields come to mind. It does seem a shame to have Fields up with the big league club and not playing everyday.

[G&T]

Ozzie sometimes seems to get down on young players: Anderson and Fields come to mind. It does seem a shame to have Fields up with the big league club and not playing everyday.

 

 

Hello and welcome.

[whitesoxbrian]

Thome will be back, so Dunn is out. Dunn only fits in at DH, and Thome will meet his vesting option.

 

Thome leaving and Dunn taking over makes all the sense in the world, but Thome will be back.

How many PAs does Thome need still and how many is he on pace for?

[witesoxfan]

How many PAs does Thome need still and how many is he on pace for?

 

I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't want to get tied into a long-term deal with Dunn, and quite frankly, I get nervous whenever the team ties someone up to a long-term deal. If you would be able to get him for 4 years, it'd be a different story, but that extra 5th year just really seems to tack on a lot to me for whatever reason and I could easily see him getting 5.

 

I'd pick up Thome's option next year and hope to be able to find a replacement via trade that has about 3 or so years left on their deal. In the meantime, I could easily see the Sox having a generally quiet offseason. Sign one of Furcal and Hudson with Alexei manning the other position and bringing in a 3Bman (and I'd be perfectly content with Beltre).

[whitesoxbrian]

I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't want to get tied into a long-term deal with Dunn, and quite frankly, I get nervous whenever the team ties someone up to a long-term deal. If you would be able to get him for 4 years, it'd be a different story, but that extra 5th year just really seems to tack on a lot to me for whatever reason and I could easily see him getting 5.

 

I'd pick up Thome's option next year and hope to be able to find a replacement via trade that has about 3 or so years left on their deal. In the meantime, I could easily see the Sox having a generally quiet offseason. Sign one of Furcal and Hudson with Alexei manning the other position and bringing in a 3Bman (and I'd be perfectly content with Beltre).

That is true. However, I'm never too concerned about locking up a guy like him at all. It'd be different if he had one monster season, like Beltre. Dunn consistently just blasts bombs and gets on base. It'd also be different if it were a SP. Just ask SF...

 

If we signed O-Dog and Casey Blake, that'd be a really good offseason IMO. Maybe another SP, like an Oliver Perez, at the right price.

[caulfield12]

I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't want to get tied into a long-term deal with Dunn, and quite frankly, I get nervous whenever the team ties someone up to a long-term deal. If you would be able to get him for 4 years, it'd be a different story, but that extra 5th year just really seems to tack on a lot to me for whatever reason and I could easily see him getting 5.

 

I'd pick up Thome's option next year and hope to be able to find a replacement via trade that has about 3 or so years left on their deal. In the meantime, I could easily see the Sox having a generally quiet offseason. Sign one of Furcal and Hudson with Alexei manning the other position and bringing in a 3Bman (and I'd be perfectly content with Beltre).

 

 

Would the numbers make sense to add Furcal, Hudson and Beltre?

 

Aren't we losing most of the payroll benefits of Cabrera, Crede and Uribe leaving because of raises/escaltors in many of the existing contracts?

 

Furcal's age really is a concern...any speed-based player in his early 30's starts a rapid decline, especially at positions with lots of wear and tear. I know that Omar Vizquel has kind of been the exception, but it seems like many of the Dominican players really have drop-offs at that point. Perhaps one factor is the "legitimate" ages and fake birth certificates.

 

Maybe if we moved Konerko or Contreras, but both those moves seem quite unlikely, unless they REALLY heat up the finally months. Every time that Contreras is really hot (first half of 06, first half of 08) it seems crazy to deal him, then he becomes an abysmal pitcher who's ouchy, too old and almost impossible to trade! Frustrating. There have been at least two defined periods in Konerko's Sox career he was similarly impossible to deal...and, likewise, impossible NOT to keep around, seemingly.

 

Of the three players, I like the Hudson move the best by far.

 

 

[caulfield12]

That is true. However, I'm never too concerned about locking up a guy like him at all. It'd be different if he had one monster season, like Beltre. Dunn consistently just blasts bombs and gets on base. It'd also be different if it were a SP. Just ask SF...

 

If we signed O-Dog and Casey Blake, that'd be a really good offseason IMO. Maybe another SP, like an Oliver Perez, at the right price.

 

 

You would sign Blake and start him at 3B? That seems like a recipe for disaster...if we're really trying to improve our infield defense or sustain it at the same level it has been the last 3-4 years.

[YASNY]

It seems to be taken for granted that Uribe won't be back next year. I think he will be.

[GoodAsGould]

It seems to be taken for granted that Uribe won't be back next year. I think he will be.

 

I think Uribe wants to start and this organization will do its best to let him pursue that elsewhere. Especially with all the good reports of him being a very solid teamate this season despite being benched. On another note I can see the Whitesox having a very busy off-season or standing pat, maybe some minor tweaks. I know I would like some changes but Im also a fan lol so never happy.

[caulfield12]

It seems to be taken for granted that Uribe won't be back next year. I think he will be.

 

 

Well, if I had to choose, I'd rather have Uribe at 3B than Casey Blake.

 

However, the problem, once again...is payroll...if we don't develop ANY starters (like Fields or Anderson), we have to get really lucky with acquisitions.

 

In a sense, we have, with Danks/Floyd/Ramirez/Quentin...it's almost to the point I wonder if KW will feel "guilty" about Ramirez's deal and give him a more favorable contract if he performs like this the next couple of seasons. He's definitely one of the few underpaid Sox players.

 

 

 

 

[WCSox]

Well, if I had to choose, I'd rather have Uribe at 3B than Casey Blake.

 

You want Uribe's bat in the lineup all of next season? I sure as hell don't. He'd be a good Plan B if the Sox can't come to terms with a better player. He'd have value as a utility infielder/defensive sub as well. But I think that the Sox can do better than Uribe.

 

[caulfield12]

You want Uribe's bat in the lineup all of next season? I sure as hell don't. He'd be a good Plan B if the Sox can't come to terms with a better player. He'd have value as a utility infielder/defensive sub as well. But I think that the Sox can do better than Uribe.

 

 

I can't imagine Garciaparra, Pedro Feliz or Hank Blalock...although KW is the kind of GM that would take a shot in the dark at Nomar or Blalock and hope to strike magic for one year.

 

Some other players we might take a look at:

 

Jose Vidro

Felipe Lopez

Rocco Baldelli

Oliver Perez

Rafael Soriano (injury history like Rich Harden)

Juan Cruz

Brandon Lyon

[BearSox]

I might be in the minority here, but after this season I never want to see Uribe in a White Sox uniform ever again.