Dewayne Wise Named Full-time Starting CF/Leadoff hitter

[jamesdiego]

Just accept it people, he is a God among men. What happaned to cheering for the little guy? And for those that want to be back PODS?? Are you kidding, please. Even Brian is in love with the Deeeweeezy:

 

 

"I hope no one gets offended, because it's not meant to be offensive, but I really do call him the black Ross Gload. He's the African-American Ross Gload, there you go. Ross Gload is so versatile and he's such a great hitter. But a guy like Dewayne Wise, you're almost in awe, wondering why this guy is not playing everyday somewhere. This guy was about to go play Independent ball and he's helping us win postseason games"

 

 

Brian's postseason blog

[NorthSideSox72]

Just accept it people, he is a God among men. What happaned to cheering for the little guy? And for those that want to be back PODS?? Are you kidding, please. Even Brian is in love with the Deeeweeezy:

 

 

"I hope no one gets offended, because it's not meant to be offensive, but I really do call him the black Ross Gload. He's the African-American Ross Gload, there you go. Ross Gload is so versatile and he's such a great hitter. But a guy like Dewayne Wise, you're almost in awe, wondering why this guy is not playing everyday somewhere. This guy was about to go play Independent ball and he's helping us win postseason games"

 

 

Brian's postseason blog

Except Ross has a track record of actually hitting in the majors. And the minors for that matter.

 

Brian has always had a thing for Ross, he's discussed him like that before. But its interesting that he now focuses his man love on DeWayne.

 

[Balta1701]

So wait, it's not just Wise, it's an Anderson/Wise CF Platoon where they're both going to be leading off?

As manager Ozzie Guillen tinkers with different lineups against right-handed and left-handed starters, a few discoveries surfaced during the final two weeks of spring training.

 

First, a platoon system of Dewayne Wise and Brian Anderson at the leadoff spot can maximize the White Sox's scoring opportunities.

 

Second, left-handed hitting rookie Chris Getz has displayed the bat-handling abilities to stay in the second spot.

 

...

"I feel the middle of the order is interchangeable. Everyone gets their chances."

 

But the Sox want to maximize their chances, which is why they will opt for a platoon of the left-handed hitting Wise and Anderson at the top of the order.

 

Guillen resisted the temptation to put Ramirez at the leadoff spot because he drove in 77 runs and walked only 18 times.

Interestingly, Wise did walk more times per PA than Alexei last year. By quite a bit.

 

But Brian Anderson alternating at leadoff?

[lostfan]

Why even consider having BA lead off?

[WCSox]

The way this leadoff situation went down still leaves me totally flabbergasted that we made no attempt to sign Orlando Hudson. Especially at what he ended up getting.

 

Kenny will never admit it to the public, but they're rebuilding and dumping salary right now. Right or wrong, that's why we don't have Hudson or Taveras.

 

[scenario]

FWIW, Willy Taveras' spring stats were almost the exact same as Jerry Owens'...

 

Taveras: .233 BA; .340 OBP; .256 SLG; 3 SB; 2 CS; 1 extra-base hit of any kind all spring (a double)

 

Owens: .230 BA; .342 OBP; .262 SLG; 3 SB; 3 CS; 2 extra-base hits (both doubles)

 

 

 

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Kenny will never admit it to the public, but they're rebuilding and dumping salary right now. Right or wrong, that's why we don't have Hudson or Taveras.

I don't buy this. Dye would have been gone before the winter meetings if so, like I believe both Javy and Swisher were. Also, some closers got good money this year and Octavio with his $6M salary probably would have been on the block.

 

The Sox are going younger and cheaper (and better) year by year, but I think what actually happened was the Sox were planning on having a higher payroll before they were given their budget. They then moved enough salary to meet their needs and nothing more. On top of that, the Sox apparently have felt all along that Wise and Owens are capable of being full-time starting CFers in the Major Leagues. Salary had nothing to do with the Sox passing on guys like Josh Anderson, and actually, either Josh Anderson or Gregor Blanco could have been possibilities in the Javy deal. The Sox are in the situation they're in because they still love their damn grinders.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

FWIW, Willy Taveras' spring stats were almost the exact same as Jerry Owens'...

 

Taveras: .233 BA; .340 OBP; .256 SLG; 3 SB; 2 CS; 1 extra-base hit of any kind all spring (a double)

 

Owens: .230 BA; .342 OBP; .262 SLG; 3 SB; 3 CS; 2 extra-base hits (both doubles)

Meh, Taveras is a .283/.331/.337 hitter in 1,973 Major League AB and he can actually play CF. He hit .251/.308/.296 last year in by far the worst year of his career and he still would have been a better player than Owens because of his defense. In fact, Taveras' 2008 line might be about what you could reasonably expect out of Owens anyway.

[caulfield12]

I don't buy this. Dye would have been gone before the winter meetings if so, like I believe both Javy and Swisher were. Also, some closers got good money this year and Octavio with his $6M salary probably would have been on the block.

 

The Sox are going younger and cheaper (and better) year by year, but I think what actually happened was the Sox were planning on having a higher payroll before they were given their budget. They then moved enough salary to meet their needs and nothing more. On top of that, the Sox apparently have felt all along that Wise and Owens are capable of being full-time starting CFers in the Major Leagues. Salary had nothing to do with the Sox passing on guys like Josh Anderson, and actually, either Josh Anderson or Gregor Blanco could have been possibilities in the Javy deal. The Sox are in the situation they're in because they still love their damn grinders.

 

 

Do you believe we really could have gotten anything in return for Dotel this offseason without eating some of his salary?

 

I'm just not sure how many other clubs would look at his (at this point in his career) as a potential closer again...and then whole idea of making a salary arbitration offer and expecting to get draft picks in return, well I would prefer Juan Cruz many times over Dotel, and look how many teams were interested in Cruz this past-offseason. In some ways, you could make an argument right now we should just cross our fingers with MacDougal and Mike might end up putting up better numbers than Octavio this season. Then again, the odds are equally as likely that BOTH will go down with some type of injury.

 

Yes, the Sox chose Gilmore/Rodriguez when they could have had one "major league-ready pitcher" and you have to assume they also could have had Anderson (or POSSIBLY Blanco) instead as part of that deal...they went with long-range potential over the short-term, we'll have to wait and see if either of those guys pan out.

 

Perhaps KW also could have taken Blanco but he would have had to sacrifice Lillibridge/Rodriguez/Gilmore. I think KW, in his mind, felt Lillibridge was undervalued and could be a similar type of player to Blanco, although Blanco obviously has a much better track record at the major league level.

[caulfield12]

I'd like to see KW argue with a straight face how BA and Wise leading off maximize our scoring opportunities when they both might combine for the lowest OBP of ANY position in the line-up???

 

This is just illogical, and makes Cabrera at leadoff seem like Rudy Law/Lance Johnson in comparison.

 

I'm okay with Getz over Ramirez and AJ in the number two spot, but I would rather see Ramirez leading off (ala Soriano) than BA, even if Ramirez struggles to touch a .325 OBP. I don't think BA will do any better than that...and Ramirez is a much more menacing offensive threat. BA would see more pitches, but Wise isn't very selective at all. In fact, when he was trying to go deep into counts and take 4-5 pitches, he was terribly ineffective and the team ordered him to just go back to being himself, which is basically like Ramirez and AJ.

 

I don't think Getz or Beckham are the perfect #1 hitters, but one of them might end up there before all is said and done this season. There aren't any other viable options in our organization. (I hope someone doesn't say Negron, Kroeger or David Cook here).

[NorthSideSox72]

Kenny will never admit it to the public, but they're rebuilding and dumping salary right now. Right or wrong, that's why we don't have Hudson or Taveras.

The Sox will again have one of the largest payrolls in the game, and picked up some major talent in the offseason. Also, the Sox don't ever to full-on rebuilds - they do it bit by bit (for better or worse).

 

[Kalapse]

So wait, it's not just Wise, it's an Anderson/Wise CF Platoon where they're both going to be leading off?

 

Interestingly, Wise did walk more times per PA than Alexei last year. By quite a bit.

 

But Brian Anderson alternating at leadoff?

 

There's no doubt in my mind that Brian will get a few chances to prove that he's not a leadoff hitter in the month of April. There's little doubt in my mind that Ozzie will be hitting him there against Francisco Liriano and Cliff Lee.

This organization is run by fools. It doesn't matter if Wise walked more often than Alexei, one is probably going to hit around .240-.250 this year and the other around .300. So even despite his awful walk rate Alexei will almost undoubtedly finish with a much higher OBP. Yes putting bad hitters at the top of your lineup maximizes your scoring opportunities, that makes a lot of f***ing sense.

[Dick Allen]

This organization is run by fools. It doesn't matter if Wise walked more often than Alexei, one is probably going to hit around .240-.250 this year and the other around .300. So even despite his awful walk rate Alexei will almost undoubtedly finish with a much higher OBP. Yes putting bad hitters at the top of your lineup maximizes your scoring opportunities, that makes a lot of f***ing sense.

I wouldn't say fools. I think they are ego-maniacs not willing to admit error. Its absolutely ridiculous a $100 million payroll team has a 31 year old weak fielding leadoff hitter with a career .254 OBP, but the 2 "geniuses" can't admit their mistake.

[jphat007]

I wouldn't say fools. I think they are ego-maniacs not willing to admit error. Its absolutely ridiculous a $100 million payroll team has a 31 year old weak fielding leadoff hitter with a career .254 OBP, but the 2 "geniuses" can't admit their mistake.

 

What makes you think they can't admit their mistake. I think Kenny has been trying to get somebody in here since the middle of camp, but they are strapped for cash and there aren't many options out there. I seriously doubt they want Wise leading off. There just aren't any real easy alternatives. I think he knwos he messed up by not trying ahrder for a Crisp or Taveras, but there isn't much we can do about it now.

[Dick Allen]

What makes you think they can't admit their mistake. I think Kenny has been trying to get somebody in here since the middle of camp, but they are strapped for cash and there aren't many options out there. I seriously doubt they want Wise leading off. There just aren't any real easy alternatives. I think he knwos he messed up by not trying ahrder for a Crisp or Taveras, but there isn't much we can do about it now.

There were plenty of cheap options available this offseason. Ozzie laughed off Wise as a leadoff hitter last year. KW said nobody available was better than Owens, which includes Crisp. Do you really believe that? I think he's stuck on the "we do things differently from others and nobody understands us, but that's OK all we do is win" mentality. He is full of false modesty and strokes his own ego every chance he gets. Did he ever take responsibility for the trainwreck in 2007? Darin Erstad leading off? No. He cried no one could have seen everyone having a bad year. They aren't strapped for cash. They lost 2 sponsors. Motorola said their sponsorship would cost 10 people their jobs. Say that's 250k x 10. $2.5 million. They will make more than that back on the increase in ticket price. They also had 3 bonus gates last year. I don't know who is sponsoring the fundamentals area, but someone probably is. LG is now a club level sponsor. Season ticket sales are up. They actually are anticipating increased attendance this season. Of course they will have to play well. They have a ton of money coming off the books next year. Thome, Contreras, Dye, and Dotel to name a few, about $40 million. They sent Wise through waivers last summer, and he made it through just like Owens. Nobody else wants these guys and they make no money. That fact that they are sticking with Wise leading off and playing CF in game 1 shows me they can't admit their mistake. If anything, put Getz there.

Edited April 2, 2009 by Dick Allen

[WCSox]

I don't buy this. Dye would have been gone before the winter meetings if so,

 

Not with $11 million owed to him. That's about twice his current market value.

 

like I believe both Javy and Swisher were. Also, some closers got good money this year and Octavio with his $6M salary probably would have been on the block.

 

The fact that KW chose a gaping hole in the #5 spot over Vazquez pretty much says it all - he wanted to shed payroll. Hell, look at what he got in return for Vazquez and Swisher. He was obviously dumping salary.

 

I don't think that any GM would want to pick up Dotel or Linebrink's contracts right now. Both are entering the down-sides of their career and Kenny over-paid for both out of desperation last winter.

 

On top of that, the Sox apparently have felt all along that Wise and Owens are capable of being full-time starting CFers in the Major Leagues.

 

I don't think that Kenny is dumb enough to believe that a career minor-league journeyman like Wise is capable of being a legitimate starting CF. He may be holding out some hope that Owens can raise his OBP enough to lead off, but I don't see him holding his breath. Think about it: If Kenny had such great confidence in these two turds, why did he give up substantial minor-league talent for both Swisher AND Griffey last year? Kenny tried solidifying CF last year by spending on veterans. It didn't work out, so why not go cheap at this position when the economy is forcing you to lower payroll anyway?

 

FWIW, Willy Taveras' spring stats were almost the exact same as Jerry Owens'...

 

Taveras: .233 BA; .340 OBP; .256 SLG; 3 SB; 2 CS; 1 extra-base hit of any kind all spring (a double)

 

Owens: .230 BA; .342 OBP; .262 SLG; 3 SB; 3 CS; 2 extra-base hits (both doubles)

 

Not that Taveras is all that, but I can't think of anybody who would want Owens (or Wise) over him in CF.

 

[RockRaines]

With the hitters we have from #2 to #9, what difference will it really make to put BA and Wise in the leadoff spot?

[Balta1701]

With the hitters we have from #2 to #9, what difference will it really make to put BA and Wise in the leadoff spot?

It has the potential to seriously cut down on our run generation from the 2-4 slots. You're almost better off hitting Quentin 5th because that way people will be on base for his 74 home runs.

[caulfield12]

About 30-50 runs in a season....

 

I know this is the wrong thread, but related.

 

Scott.Podsednik.is.dead. His body has just taken too much abuse fighting for 10 years to get to the majors, and stealing bases and sliding over and over again has taken its toll and his burst is gone, just like Neal Anderson after 6-7 seasons.

 

Age 30 683 OPS

Age 31 668 OPS

Age 32 655 OPS (in easier league pitching-wise and in an offense-first stadium)

 

Age 33 ???

 

Notice any trends???

 

I don't like Brian Anderson, AT ALL, but I wouldn't dream of starting Pods one game out in CF over Anderson.

 

But I also wouldn't dream of leading off any game, ever, with BA. If they're going to be so stubborn and Fields is batting 9th, they might as well just hit Alexei Ramirez first instead of BA.

 

I'm fine with Wise, as long as he's at an 800 OPS against RHP. If he's anywhere below 700 after one month, say goodbye to that experiment.

 

The Braves have Blanco and Gorkys Hernandez (Venezuelan) 1 1/2 to 2 years away (like Jordan Danks)...it wouldn't kill our depth to go out and get Blanco.

Edited April 2, 2009 by caulfield12

[scenario]

1. The fact that KW chose a gaping hole in the #5 spot over Vazquez pretty much says it all - he wanted to shed payroll. Hell, look at what he got in return for Vazquez and Swisher. He was obviously dumping salary.

 

2. Think about it: If Kenny had such great confidence in these two turds, why did he give up substantial minor-league talent for both Swisher AND Griffey last year? Kenny tried solidifying CF last year by spending on veterans. It didn't work out, so why not go cheap at this position when the economy is forcing you to lower payroll anyway?

 

A few things...

 

The return for Vazquez is proof of dumping payroll?? I think it's more likely that KW figured there was no sense spending $11M this year on a guy whose had an ERA in the high 4's two of the last three years.... that we have young kids who could deliver at that level for much less. And he got good prospects in return without eating any of Javy's salary? Attaboy Kenny!

 

And if you think Swisher was a salary dump... ask yourself what the Yankees could get for him right now if they moved him. He's basically been reduced to a 4th-5th outfielder until he gets the opportunity somewhere to redeem himself. I hate what we gave up for him originally, but I'm impressed by what we got after his implosion in 2008.

 

And you think the Sox give up 'substantial minor-league talent' for Griffey, eh? You obviously must have liked Masset and Richar more than the Sox did. Besides... Griffey was not picked up to play CF. He was picked up for the pop in his bat... as a backup plan because of Paulie's struggles at the plate last year. He was only forced into CF because Swisher hit under .200 after the all-star break and played his way out of the lineup.

 

Bottom line... he got rid of players whose production did not justify their salaries. That's not dumping.

Edited April 2, 2009 by scenario

[Harry Chappas]

I said this before and I will say it all season. This team is going to struggle to score runs.

 

I also think Getz will lead off by the end of April and Anderson will be in center. The Wise thing is just to ease him in as it will be a situation where "he can't be any worse than what we have".

[Balta1701]

I said this before and I will say it all season. This team is going to struggle to score runs.

 

I also think Getz will lead off by the end of April and Anderson will be in center. The Wise thing is just to ease him in as it will be a situation where "he can't be any worse than what we have".

I don't think this team will struggle to score runs in total. There's just too much power 2-8 for that to happen unless a lot of guys get hurt. I think this team could push 240+ home runs easily.

 

I do think this team will be inconsistent in scoring runs, and we'll see a lot of games where we run up the score with 5 or so long balls and then other games where the only run(s) we put up are whatever Quentin knocks in on his home run in the 8th inning that day.

[caulfield12]

If they trade Dye, Jenks or Buehrle, then those would all qualify as salary dumps.

 

Vazquez simply wasn't worth what he was getting paid, and there's at least a 50% chance we'll get equal production out of Colon/Richard for $10 million less.

 

There's also at least a puncher's chance that Tyler Flowers becomes the next Mike Piazza or Victor Martinez. That's not even factoring what Lillibridge can bring to the ballclub in terms of his athleticism and versatility, and then adding two sleeper prospects in Gilmore and Rodriguez that both have above-average chances of at least making it to the big leagues some day.

[caulfield12]

I said this before and I will say it all season. This team is going to struggle to score runs.

 

I also think Getz will lead off by the end of April and Anderson will be in center. The Wise thing is just to ease him in as it will be a situation where "he can't be any worse than what we have".

 

Even if Thome, Dye and AJ all regress/age/get injured, and Quentin puts up a 270, 25, 80 line instead of what he was on track for last season...we have some other ways to make that up.

 

Getz with his OBP

Konerko should return to normal

Josh Fields will dwarf the numbers we got from 3rd last year

There's no reason to believe that Alexei won't continue to improve in his prime...with the hand and bat speed and ability to correct in the middle of plate appearances that he has.

 

Above and beyond that, we have some insurance...namely, arguably two of the Top 10 hitters in all of minor league baseball right now in Beckham and Viciedo.

 

Now while seeing Viciedo trying to learn LF at the big league level at age 20 is a little scary (assuming a Dye injury, for instance, and Quentin move to RF), we have very good insurance all around the diamond for an injury to anyone BUT AJ.

 

At worst, this is a slightly above-average offense. At best, you'll have six guys with 25+ homers to go with Chris Getz, AJ and BA/Wise.

 

Combined, BA and Wise could approach the 25 homer mark too. Suffice it to say, no major league team has ever had 25+ homers from 7 different positions in the line-up.

 

I can't see how that type of offense will struggle...it will continue to be inconsistent, but there's no reason to think we won't put up 800+ runs again.

Edited April 2, 2009 by caulfield12

[Dick Allen]

I don't think this team will struggle to score runs in total. There's just too much power 2-8 for that to happen unless a lot of guys get hurt. I think this team could push 240+ home runs easily.

 

I do think this team will be inconsistent in scoring runs, and we'll see a lot of games where we run up the score with 5 or so long balls and then other games where the only run(s) we put up are whatever Quentin knocks in on his home run in the 8th inning that day.

I think inconsistency is correct. They will score 10 or 11 runs one day and get 1 or 2 the next few. Older guys, home run guys and a very inconsistent leadoff man with a rookie batting second will only add to that. Getz will be good, but he is a rookie and at times is going to struggle.