Vazquez & Logan Dealt to Braves

[Jimbo's Drinker]

rotoworld rips apart our propsects in this deal. God they hate the White Sox and KW.

[southsideirish71]

Law is a very bitter man who takes out his resentment of his old boss (J.P. Riccardi) on every GM, and every farm system in baseball.

 

Here is another Law-jackassism in that chat.

 

Mike (Portland, ME): Entering the off-season, the Chisox's farm system likely ranked in the bottom five. Do you see the additions of Viciedo, Flowers, Gilmore, Rodriguez, Lillibridge, Marquez, and Nunez as improving the overall standing significantly, marginally, or not at all?

 

SportsNation Keith Law: (1:23 PM ET ) Flowers definitely boosts them. Viciedo somewhat; talked to someone who'd seen him, said he likes the swing, projects for plus power, very bad body, completely out of shape, both bad signs for a 19 - excuse me, "19"-year-old. (Can we just say he's 19 in Cuban years?) The other guys don't really affect their relative standing.

[SoxFan562004]

Law is a very bitter man who takes out his resentment of his old boss (J.P. Riccardi) on every GM, and every farm system in baseball.

Read Will Leitch's book "God Save the Fan" he does a chapter on "experts" his relates to a fantasy football expert, but it gets the point across

 

Read this book! It's great and actually makes you not feel alone if you don't buy into the mainstream sports media and you will never be able to look at a woman in a leather jacket and not think of Chris Berman again

Edited December 4, 2008 by SoxFan562004

[ThunderBolt]

Read Will Leitch's book "God Save the Fan" he does a chapter on "experts" his relates to a fantasy football expert, but it gets the point across

 

Read this book! It's great and actually makes you not feel alone if you don't buy into the mainstreet sports media and you will never be able to look at a woman in a leather jacket and not think of Chris Berman again

You're with me Leather.

[daa84]

these guys (keith laws of the world) are phony snake oil salesman....like the expert analysts you see on CNBC. no way can one man be an expert on 1200 or so players and prospects.

while he is an enormous, pompous asshole....i actually think keith law is fairly smart, but whenever you read anything from any of these guys you have to keep in mind the bolded part above....i believe law is an expert in statistical analysis, but when it comes to scouting thousands of players, you are right....nobody can be right about every single one...that said i do know that he has seen players in baseball alot more than i do, at least from other organizations...within our own organization, the fact is that alot of people on this site have seen our guys way more than he has and may have better informed opinions than he does, but thats just the nature of the beast when you are in a profession like he is

 

i do give the man credit thoguh because he does see a s*** ton of amateur baseball and does try to make himself as informed as possible

[SoxFan562004]

You're with me Leather.

I laughed so hard when I read that. But seriously, it's a great read, the chapter on Peter King and his daughter sums up my feelings on so many of these media wanks

[Jimbo's Drinker]

TV personalities are too busy trying to get themselves more publicity. They most likely rely on unkilled interns and assistants for knowledge.

 

Your telling me these people know all prospects and watch them all, please.

[NCsoxfan]

By Kevin Goldstein, Baseball Prospectus - Top 100 Prospects - 2/14/08

 

63. Brent Lillibridge, SS, Braves: A little engine that can do a little bit of everything. He hits, has gap power, gets on base, fields well, and has plus speed. Yunel Escobar blocks him, for now.

[NCsoxfan]

Spring Interview with Braves Shortstop Prospect Brent Lillibridge

by gondeee on Mar 20, 2008 8:50 PM EDT in 2008 Spring Training Interview Series

 

I caught up with Brent Lillibridge a week ago in the Braves clubhouse just after a ballgame. He's a great young man to interview -- very attentive and responds with what I think are pretty complete answers.

 

Martin Gandy: So how was your 2007 off-season?

 

Brent Lillibridge: It was good, it was relaxing, and I got healthy which was the number one purpose of the off-season. I didn't go rushing, trying to play some extra baseball or anything like that.

 

MG: You were supposed to go down and play winter ball weren't you?

 

BL: Yeah, I was supposed to go to Mexico, and that was just all dependant on how my body and my wrist felt. By the time I started to fell 100 percent it was about December it would have been starting all over again, and you don't want to be thrown into the middle of a bunch of guys who have been playing at least an extra 50 games. So it was the best situation; I get to work out and get strong and then hit a bunch at home. Then I came here and I'm feeling pretty good. Just getting the reps in, getting a bunch of innings in, getting a bunch of at-bats -- which is going to be huge for me, and I think I'm in a better situation this year with how I feel at the plate, than I usually do until the end of April.

 

MG: Did you work on anything in particular this off-season?

 

BL: Just being able to swing -- that was the big thing -- without any pain. Having comfort hitting the inside pitch without having pain when swinging. So, it was good, I just got a `bunch' of swings in, which is always important. I came down here early swinging.

 

Note: During that last answer, he was holding his wrist and showing it as the place where he was injured.

 

MG: Is the wrist thing a new thing or is that something that's been going of for a couple of years?

 

BL: It's been in and out, it all depends on a bad swing or a tweak. It was the left wrist, and basically I got a slight inflammation that just doesn't go away, and I have a sharp pain when I did swing. And it bugged me, but I played the whole season last year -- half the season with it, and obviously did fine. Now that I'm 100 percent I'm definitely excited about seeing where the opportunity takes me.

 

MG: You're a guy who steals a lot of bases, so are you one that slides in head first or feet first?

 

BL: I'm usually a head first guy.

 

MG: Is that going to change?

 

BL: I think there's some advantage to it. Some situations you're going to see me still go head first, but when I think I have the base stolen I'll probably go feet first. Everywhere else on the bases I'll go feet first, just for protection-wise and longevity. When you're playing this game you've got to stay healthy, and that's the number one reason.

 

MG: Do they have you playing any other positions this year in anticipation of you maybe being a utility guy and filling in for Infante?

 

BL: Yeah, I hope so. I've been playing a bunch of third base and shortstop -- basically half and half -- and been doing really well defensively. I haven't played third base in pretty much my whole career, and I looked pretty good. I made the regular plays and tired to make some big plays, but I feel comfortable over there. That's going to be huge thing being able to play utility, and I know I can play second base easily, and just work on maybe turning some double plays and stuff. I want to let them know I can play anywhere and I can do that job.

 

MG: How about centerfield?

 

BL: Nothing's been said or anything. I played centerfield my first two years of college. I played on the USA team as the starting centerfielder, so I've got plenty of time, but recently none, but catching fly balls in not as hard a transition as going from playing the outfield to the infield. I definitely think it'd be smooth if I had to go out there for one game -- it's obviously not a long term thing -- but wherever it takes to be on the roster come April first or second or whenever that is and we'll just go from there.

 

MG: Okay, good luck to you.

 

BL: Thank you.

 

Photo of Brent Lillibridge courtesy of Chip Jett.

 

[NCsoxfan]

2009 Talking Chop Top-25 Braves Prospects... The Future

by gondeee on Oct 17, 2008 9:13 AM EDT in Prospect Reviews

 

Here are my picks for the top-25 Braves prospects for 2009. In the comments section feel free to critique, but as we do every year feel free to list your own top-25 Braves prospects. Next week I'll tally everyone's prospect rankings and we'll have our official combined Talking Chop top-25 Braves prospects for 2009 (be sure to list 25 or I won't count it).

 

My first thought on the list below is that the top five, possibly six of the top seven guys on this list, could be among the top-100 prospects in baseball. Each of these guys seems like a definite future impact player at the major league level -- that's more top players than we've had in a very long time.

 

I've already reviewed these guys in the positional rankings, so my writeups below will be more about why that prospect is ranked where I ranked him, or a quick comment about their future.

 

Jason Heyward, OF - A rare, once in a decade kind of prospect.

 

Tommy Hanson, RHP - Straight up filthy, the best pitcher in our system and one that true Braves fans can't wait to see get a chance in the majors.

 

Freddie Freeman, 1B - Perhaps the biggest surprise in the system, though I'm guessing the Braves brass wasn't surprised at all.

 

Jordan Schafer, OF - He's got the goods and I want to see them on the major league field next year.

 

Cole Rohrbough, LHP - A strikeout lefty... in the Braves organization... and here I thought all of our lefties were finesse guys.

 

Tyler Flowers, C - Power and patience in a catcher. Alas, I think he's primo trade bait.

 

Gorkys Hernandez, OF - Still young and skillsey, but I want to see a monster 2009.

 

Kris Medlen, RHP - Starting or relieving I think he's got plus major league potential.

 

Jeff Locke, LHP - Slow and steady he will climb the organizational ladder.

 

Julio Teheran, RHP - A lot of people that follow the Braves prospects were disappointed with Teheran's poor performance.

 

Brandon Hicks, SS - I love the power and the big frame, but I'd like to see fewer strikeouts.

 

Travis Jones, 2B - More than just a scrappy second baseman... in the Braves system no doubt.

 

Jon Gilmore, 3B- Johnny-G will have all eyes on him next season to see if he can successfully navigate Rome.

 

Cody Johnson, OF - He's got power, but it seems to come with a price... strikeouts.

 

Brett DeVall, LHP - I can't wait to see him pitch in a full season league, let's hope they put him at Rome next year.

 

Craig Kimbrel, RHP - Could we see him in Atlanta next year?

 

Scott Diamond, LHP - He'll be out to prove that 2008 wasn't a fluke.

 

Brent Lillibridge, SS - I'm just not excited about him anymore.

 

Eric Campbell, 3B - May maturity make him a top-10 prospect again.

 

Luis Sumoza, OF - I bet a lot of other people rate him higher, but I want to see what he does in our system next year.

 

James Parr, RHP - A solid back end of the rotation guy.

 

Stephen Marek, RHP - Could be a fixture in our bullpen for years.

 

Eric Cordier, RHP - Next year we'll see if health equals success.

 

Richard Sullivan, LHP - I really like this kid as a prospect, even though I may be alone in that department.

 

Edgar Osuna, LHP - He doesn't get the hype that a lot of other guys get, but he might be just as good as some of them.

[DBAHO]

White Sox acquired catcher Tyler Flowers, infielder Brent Lillibridge, third baseman Jon Gilmore and LHP Santos Rodriguez from the Braves for RHP Javier Vazquez and LHP Boone Logan.

 

Flowers became an especially hot item by following up a .288/.427/.494 season in the Carolina League with a .387/.460/.973 line and 12 homers in 75 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League. The power is for real, and he'll probably keep posting quality OBPs, though perhaps not with such nifty batting averages. Still, whether this turns out to be a good deal for the White Sox could come down to Flowers' ability to last at catcher. He's more likely to end up as a first baseman or DH. Expect him to open 2009 in Double-A.

 

Shortstop Brent Lillibridge was traded from the Braves to the White Sox in a six-player deal.

 

Lillibridge was a modest disappointment in his first year in the Braves system and a far bigger one in the second, hitting just .220/.294/.344 in Triple-A and .200/.238/.338 in 80 at-bats in the majors. He showed plenty of on-base ability previously, and that he could be an option at second, short and center field means he shouldn't have to hit all that well in order to have a career in the majors. However, he's probably not going to be a regular. The White Sox could have him battle Chris Getz and Jayson Nix for a starting job at second if they fail to find anyone better.

 

Third baseman Jon Gilmore was picked up from the Braves in the Javier Vazquez deal.

 

Gilmore, the 33rd overall selection in the 2007 draft, was a bust at low Single-A Rome at the beginning of last season, but he did bounce back following a demotion. He ended up hitting .186/.202/.196 in 102 at-bats for Rome and .337/.365/.473 in 258 at-bats for SS Single-A Danville. He just turned 20 in August and he probably has 25-homer potential, so he is a prospect. Still, he doesn't currently project as a starting third baseman in the majors.

 

Left-hander Santos Rodriguez was traded from the Braves to the White Sox in a six-player deal.

 

Rodriguez is probably the No. 2 talent in the deal for the White Sox, but there's a lot of things that could go wrong before he's ready for the majors. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound left-hander had a 2.79 ERA and a 45/13 K/BB ratio in 29 innings out of the pen for the Rookie GCL Braves last season. As he fills out and gets stronger, he should be an option as a starting pitcher.

[DBAHO]

More on Santos;

 

Question of the day: Who is Santos Rodriguez?

 

Santos Rodriguez is a 6′5″, 180 pound left-handed bean pole of a pitcher who will turn 21 in January. In 2008, he played in the Gulf Coast League where he had a 2.79 ERA in 29 innings pitched. He had 45 strikeouts, 13 walks, and led the team with 5 saves. He has an above-average pitching speed and consistently succeeded in his attempts to pitch around hitters.

 

More Rodriguez stats for you:

 

He appeared in 14 games, none of which he started, and went 1-2. Hitters had 12 runs (9 earned), 16 hits, and zero homeruns. What is the big deal about any of this? Well, Rodriguez’s stats aren’t nearly as impressive in the 2007 season. He had a 6.67 ERA in ‘07 in 28.1 innings. He had 35 strikeouts but 21 walks with 29 hits, 25 runs, and 21 earned runs. Rodriguez is a big part of this deal because of his potential and significant improvement in the past year, not because of his current numbers. With his youth, high pitch velocities, and obvious improvement, Santos Rodriguez has what it takes to become a very dangerous LHP.

 

Rodriguez was traded to the White Sox yesterday in the deal that brought Vazquez to Atlanta. It will be interesting to see how Santos develops over the upcoming years. He has potential, but a lot of growing to do.

 

Santos Rodriguez isn't known to most, having only played in the Gulf Coast League in the U.S., but he's the kind of arm that years from now could end up being the key component in the deal. I don't care what the level is, 45 K in 29 IP makes you take notice. So does the .155 batting average against, not to mention the 6-foot-5, 180-pound frame and age (20).

[Hatchetman]

That interview a couple of posts above sounds like Lillibridge could have had some injury issues with his wrist. That may partly explain why he sucked in 2008. Total speculation. Maybe a respectable journalist could do some digging (har har).

[NCsoxfan]

^Agreed. Hopefuly it doesnt have long term affects. Didnt anderson have a lingering wrist injury?

[Balta1701]

^Agreed. Hopefuly it doesnt have long term affects. Didnt anderson have a lingering wrist injury?

Yes. I believe he had a surgery last offseason to hopefully finally correct it, but it cost him a lot of playing time in 2007.

[scenario]

I find the comments above quoted scouting comments "interesting".

 

 

He struggled this year as a 19 year old in the South Atlantic League. Then played very well in the Appalachian League after being demoted.

 

Let's put that in perspective... we only had one player on the Kannapolis roster younger than Gilmore.... Eduardo Escobar.

 

In fact, we only had 4 players on the BRISTOL roster younger than Gilmore.

 

And despite being a 6'3" 195lb 1st round selection as a shortstop with 25 homerun power, he doesn't 'project' as a major league 3B??? Well... Baseball America's Jim Callis had Gilmore pencilled in as Atlanta's starting 3B in 2011.

 

 

Here's a clip from an article this summer about him which provides some additional info...

 

Jon Gilmore, perhaps the best prospect on the Danville Braves, is making the transition from shortstop to third base quite nicely.

 

The 19-year-old first-round supplemental draft pick was taken directly out of high school in June 2007 with the 33rd overall selection, the highest spot ever for an Iowa high school player to be drafted, and was promptly switched from shortstop to third base.

 

“Last year was a tough transition, definitely,” Gilmore said. “I struggled a little bit, mostly throwing the ball. It’s a different angle, and it’s been a work in progress, but I’m improving every day. I feel pretty comfortable at third base right now.”

Edited December 4, 2008 by scenario

[NCsoxfan]

Gilmore seems to be overlooked in the trade analysis. Does the BA website have an analysis of the trade?

[greg775]

These comments on Gilmore and Lillebrige show you how there are no guarantees in baseball. These guys had to feel sure of success coming out of high school.

The wrist injury thing is weird on Lillebrige how he said the inflammation never really goes away.

[scenario]

Gilmore seems to be overlooked in the trade analysis. Does the BA website have an analysis of the trade?

 

They have a short one with some comments on the players... not much detail yet.

 

They say he's got good pull and gap power, but that he needs to work on pitch recognition, plate discipline, and his throws to 1B.

 

Also it points out that he was 3rd in batting average in the Appalachian league this year at .337. And that he lead the league in both hits (87) and doubles (23).

Edited December 4, 2008 by scenario

[BaseballNick]

And despite being a 6'3" 195lb 1st round selection as a shortstop with 25 homerun power, he doesn't 'project' as a major league 3B??? Well... Baseball America's Jim Callis had Gilmore pencilled in as Atlanta's starting 3B in 2011.”[/i]

 

Did you watch his scouting video? He looks really awkward in the field.

[scenario]

Did you watch his scouting video? He looks really awkward in the field.

 

He was a 19 year old learning a new position.

 

Let's see how he looks in another year or two.

 

 

[caulfield12]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/major...008/267287.html

 

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune....ams-on-tra.html

This second one has the most "meat" to it, LOTS of interesting KW comments on the deal/s, including a very funny one that will surely become someone's new sig.

Edited December 4, 2008 by caulfield12

[ThunderBolt]

There’s some good video of Lillibridge on MLB.com. He appears to be a good high ball hitter, ball seems to jump off his bat, and he hits the ball hard, definitely got the wheels too. Slight uppercut in his swing, but doesn’t appear to be a significant problem. I need to see more, but I’m encouraged

[Kalapse]

BTW, did I miss the Sox re-signing former catcher Chris Stewart? In the conference call today, Williams said if the season started today, the backup catcher would be either Chris Stewart or Corky Miller.

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune....ams-on-tra.html

Originally posted: December 4, 2008

Williams on trade, Poreda, etc.

 

By Mark Gonzales

 

White Sox general manager Ken Williams spoke with reporters Thursday following the trade that sent pitcher Javier Vazquez and left-handed reliever Boone Logan to Atlanta for four players.

 

Here are some of Williams' comments over the 30-minute interview, including his forecast for the rest of the off-season:

 

On newly-acquired catcher Tyler Flowers: "I've seen him now for seven or eight times in the Arizona Fall League. I think this guy is going to be an All-Star catcher."

 

Williams said that Brent Lillibridge will serve in a super-utility role that Pablo Ozuna performed for 3 1/2 years, but that Lillibridge had a bigger upside.

 

Santos Rodriguez, a 20-year-old left-hander, will be converted to a starting role after striking out 45 in 29 innings in the Gulf Coast League last year.

 

Williams confirmed what scouts told the Tribune on Tuesday, that third baseman Jon Gilmore could be a Joe Crede-type player.

 

Dayan Viciedo, the 19-year-old Cuban third baseman who agreed to terms with the Sox last month, recently received clearance to come to the United States and his signing could be announced this month.

 

Viciedo was told to drop 10 pounds before the start of spring training and could be evaluated in the outfield as well as third base, although Williams said Josh Fields has the inside track.

 

Williams said that Viciedo is "certainly athletic enough" to play the outfield and raved about his power. "When you see the young man, along with Mr. Flowers, you're not talking about your average bear," Williams said. "It will be fun to watch."

 

Williams said he will be in more of a listening mode when he arrives in Las Vegas for the winter meetings that start Monday. But the Sox will need a more seasoned backup catcher, since their current in-house candidates are Chris Stewart and Corky Miller.

 

The emphasis on youth "doesn't mean we're sacrificing our goals of winning the division this year," Williams said.

 

Aaron Poreda will start spring training as a starter, but probably will gravitate to the bullpen. The Sox already have three left-handers in the rotation in Mark Buehrle, John Danks and Clayton Richard.

Did he mean Armstrong?

 

And apparently the Sox want Viciedo to drop 10 pounds.

[witesoxfan]

BTW, did I miss the Sox re-signing former catcher Chris Stewart? In the conference call today, Williams said if the season started today, the backup catcher would be either Chris Stewart or Corky Miller.

 

The Yankees DFA'ed him on June 30th, so I'm assuming we all missed it. Probably a MLFA who just signed recently and it was so small that it hasn't been reported or it will be reported soon.

 

According to MLB.com, he is a free agent so I assume he's been signed.