Time to move Alexei....

[WCSox]

I dunno, I've never really been on the "Alexei will be a great SS" bandwagon.

 

I've been on the "Alexei will be at least as good as Jose Valentin" bandwagon. Not great defensively, but good enough. And his bat is a plus.

 

I'll take an error-prone Alexei with 20-30 HR power over a defensive-stud 2005-2007 Juan Uribe who can't hit for crap.

 

[lostfan]

I've been on the "Alexei will be at least as good as Jose Valentin" bandwagon. Not great defensively, but good enough. And his bat is a plus.

 

I'll take an error-prone Alexei with 20-30 HR power over a defensive-stud 2005-2007 Juan Uribe who can't hit for crap.

Yeah, I would too. Well, it depends on the number of errors. 23 HRs and a .285 average means a lot less if you're Wilson Betemit butchering routine plays at an embarrassing rate.

[Wanne]

At least we have some options and it's not like it's a gaping hole with Beckham and Lexi. I don't see why Lexi couldn't be one of those players that you plug in where needed...like a DeRosa.

[elrockinMT]

Yeah, I would too. Well, it depends on the number of errors. 23 HRs and a .285 average means a lot less if you're Wilson Betemit butchering routine plays at an embarrassing rate.

 

 

A real good defensive player like Uribe can be a major plus regardless of his batting average. But, you mention betemit and he is one I would like to know what is going to transpire as far as he is concerned. He was bad at 3B but I don't remember his skill at 1B. I am thinking it wasn't good either.

[jenksycat]

I want Bacon to be at 2b for the long term. You can get power from your corners pretty easily, but a power+average combo at 2nd base is hard to come by (Utley types) and I think putting what would end up being an average power hitter at 3b is a waste.

[fathom]

I want Bacon to be at 2b for the long term. You can get power from your corners pretty easily, but a power+average combo at 2nd base is hard to come by (Utley types) and I think putting what would end up being an average power hitter at 3b is a waste.

 

Couldn't agree more

[chw42]

He's starting to remind me of Alfonso Soriano in terms of his laziness and brain cramps.

Edited June 26, 2009 by chw42

[lostfan]

A real good defensive player like Uribe can be a major plus regardless of his batting average. But, you mention betemit and he is one I would like to know what is going to transpire as far as he is concerned. He was bad at 3B but I don't remember his skill at 1B. I am thinking it wasn't good either.

Well SS and C are the 2 positions that you can neglect offense in favor of elite D, but that's because it's hard to find. If you can get production out of a player like Alexei without sacrificing too much in the way of defense, you're golden. A power hitting SS is like the Holy Grail of baseball. I'm fine with a player like Uribe but I like them having a OBP of .300 at a minimum. Uribe used to frustrate me to no end because he would completely disappear for 2-3 weeks.

[WCSox]

I want Bacon to be at 2b for the long term. You can get power from your corners pretty easily, but a power+average combo at 2nd base is hard to come by (Utley types) and I think putting what would end up being an average power hitter at 3b is a waste.

 

But until you actually GET that power-hitting 3B, there's no point in moving Beckham to 2B. And I don't see another Ventura or Crede on the horizon.

 

FWIW, I'd rather stick with Beckham/Getz at 3B/2B than go with Fields/Beckham.

Edited June 26, 2009 by WCSox

[jenksycat]

But until you actually GET that power-hitting 3B, there's no point in moving Beckham to 2B. And I don't see another Ventura or Crede on the horizon.

 

FWIW, I'd rather stick with Beckham/Getz at 3B/2B than go with Fields/Beckham.

 

Would be the reason I said longterm instead of current. A power hitting 3b/capable D is much easier to come by and a solid defending, high power/avg 2b is gold.

Edited June 26, 2009 by Jenksy Cat

[southsider2k5]

Alexei is the White Sox version of Tyrus Thomas. Someone just needs to punch him in the back of the head every once in a while to keep his attention.

[BearSox]

I've been on the "Alexei will be at least as good as Jose Valentin" bandwagon. Not great defensively, but good enough. And his bat is a plus.

 

I'll take an error-prone Alexei with 20-30 HR power over a defensive-stud 2005-2007 Juan Uribe who can't hit for crap.

He'll never get back to the 20's in home runs if he keeps trying to pull everything onto the concourse. It's sickening to watch major league hitters try and pull an outside breaking ball 400+ ft only to pop it up to the 3B.

 

He was such a good hitter last year with a great approach at bat, but in all likely hood, because he hit so many home runs, he's trying to do nothing but hit homers this year.

[fathom]

He'll never get back to the 20's in home runs if he keeps trying to pull everything onto the concourse. It's sickening to watch major league hitters try and pull an outside breaking ball 400+ ft only to pop it up to the 3B.

 

He was such a good hitter last year with a great approach at bat, but in all likely hood, because he hit so many home runs, he's trying to do nothing but hit homers this year.

 

Give him the whole season. His numbers so far this year are around where he was at last year at this point.

[BearSox]

There's been a lot of talk about whether or not Beckham can stick at SS, and what scouting reports and analysts said... IIRC, most of them were 50/50 on whether or not Beckham could play good D.

 

Personally, if Beckham can be Jeter or Michael Young defensively and provide big numbers offensively, I got no problem with him at SS. While Jeter and Young are far from the greatest SS to ever play and they get/got over hyped because of their bats, both of them made the routine plays and were leaders on the field.

 

A lot of the problems with Alexei are just his brain lapses and his laziness, but he doesn't communicate well with the rest of the infield or outfield. He doesn't direct traffic on shallow flyballs, today we saw him and Getz both covering 2nd with a righty at bat (Alexei should have stayed home), just too many mis-communications. Maybe this is something that can be worked on, but maybe not.

 

Beckham just emits leadership, IMO. He's cocky alright, but not a bad cocky. I think he could definitely be a leader on the field.

 

However, one thing is for sure, Beckham will have to change his approach. With his bat pointed towards the pitcher so much, he's gonna struggle to hit fastballs and it'll hurt him in the long run. If he was bigger than 5'11-6'0 and 180-190 lbs, he might be able to get away with it. He's gonna have to make the bat at least a bit more vertical than it is now.

[Melissa1334]

Correct, he didn't.

so where did he paly ss then? according to alexei : “I’d be extremely happy,” Ramirez said Tuesday in a conference call from Miami. “It’s my natural position, [the one] I’ve always felt the most comfortable in.” when he got named the ss.

 

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/no...e-ramirez-nov12

[BearSox]

Give him the whole season. His numbers so far this year are around where he was at last year at this point.

I don't think you'll see any really good numbers from him this year. This screams sophomore slump (offensively) to me.

 

Hopefully next year he realizes he's not a big home run hitter and that he's a good hitter who sometimes hits the ball out. I would not be surprised to see a huge year out of him next year, better than 08. Also, hopefully he gets a lot more focused and gets his head into the game. Even with that being said, I think it might be the best course of action to move him to the OF. The thing that scares me about him moving the OF is his lack of communication.

 

If it was up to me, I'd make it mandatory for every non-english speaker in the organization to learn english. I just don't see how you can have really good cohesiveness and communication if you got a decent portion of the players speaking a foreign language.

[southsider2k5]

Give him the whole season. His numbers so far this year are around where he was at last year at this point.

 

I agree 100%. I would even bet he is ahead of where he was last year at this time.

[Balta1701]

I agree 100%. I would even bet he is ahead of where he was last year at this time.

ON June 26th of last year he was hitting .296, .747 OPS.

 

After 263 at bats he was hitting .308, .794 OPS, 8 HR.

 

June 26th of this year, 261 at bats, .261 BA, .702 OPS. 9 HR. He does have more walks already this season than he had all last year.

[WCSox]

Would be the reason I said longterm instead of current. A power hitting 3b/capable D is much easier to come by and a solid defending, high power/avg 2b is gold.

 

Prolific hitters who play 3B relatively well aren't exactly a dime a dozen. Sox fans have been spoiled by Ventura and Crede, and it's far from a lock that the Sox will land a player near the level of those two for the next decade.

 

Worrying about "wasting" a player like Beckham at 3B doesn't make much sense to me, especially when Quentin and Alexei are the only other two above-average young hitters who will be making an impact after the nucleus of the current offense is dismantled this winter. The Sox need to procure better young hitters period... regardless of what position they play. When they actually draft/sign/trade for the next Robin Ventura, then they can worry about moving Beckham to 2B.

 

Edited June 27, 2009 by WCSox

[gatnom]

Prolific hitters who play 3B relatively well aren't exactly a dime a dozen. Sox fans have been spoiled by Ventura and Crede, and it's far from a lock that the Sox will land a player near the level of those two for the next decade.

 

Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't think Crede was all that prolific. Don't get me wrong; he had his moments, but I don't think I would call him prolific.

 

Worrying about "wasting" a player like Beckham at 3B doesn't make much sense to me, especially when Quentin and Alexei are the only other two above-average young hitters who will be making an impact after the nucleus of the current offense is dismantled this winter. The Sox need to procure better young hitters period... regardless of what position they play. When they actually draft/sign/trade for the next Robin Ventura, then they can worry about moving Beckham to 2B.

 

The point about "wasting" Beckham is that you can find quite a few good hitters who can play third base, but it is harder to find good hitters who can play 2B or SS. If you can find a player who hits well and can field a premium position, you want to put him there, so you can fit more good hitters into your lineup. Unless Getz or Nix shows us that they can be our 2B next year, we need to move Beckham there. Otherwise, if we kept him at 3B, we would probably end up with a Uribe-style player at second and an essentially weaker lineup.

 

[jenksycat]

Prolific hitters who play 3B relatively well aren't exactly a dime a dozen. Sox fans have been spoiled by Ventura and Crede, and it's far from a lock that the Sox will land a player near the level of those two for the next decade.

 

Worrying about "wasting" a player like Beckham at 3B doesn't make much sense to me, especially when Quentin and Alexei are the only other two above-average young hitters who will be making an impact after the nucleus of the current offense is dismantled this winter. The Sox need to procure better young hitters period... regardless of what position they play. When they actually draft/sign/trade for the next Robin Ventura, then they can worry about moving Beckham to 2B.

 

You made my point....a power hitting 2nd baseman is FAR less common then a decent fielding/power 3B. 3B allows you to put an ehh fielder with a big bat without too many problems. You can't do that with the "up the middle defense". I don't see Bacon hitting 30+ homers, but a 2nd baseman who can field, hit for average, get on base and hit for more power than the average 2B is a jackpot.

 

Bottom line: do you want an average guy playing 3B or a top 5 power 2B? Easy choice for me.

 

And despite what most people seem to want, a roster full of guys who hit

 

*edit....and qatnom said the exact same thing, you take the premium position every time. Probably should have read it first

Edited June 27, 2009 by Jenksy Cat

[SoxAce]

Meh.. me and fathom said that "point" for a while now, but we don't come hoggin all the glory. Just gotta get our post more love/recoqnition, more often I guess..

[YASNY]

Ozzie and Cora saw something in Alexei that led them to believe he could be a SS, and those two know something about middle infielders. So, Alexei must have the tools but unless he can keep head out of his ass he'll be lacking there. I believe it's a matter of self discipline and I just don't know that he can overcome this issue.

 

As for the negative comments about Juan Uribe, let me remind you we won a WS and a division championship with him in the starting line-up, the latter of which there is no way we would have won if we had jettisoned Uribe instead Ozuna as some around here wanted to do last year.

[beck72]

Ozzie and Cora saw something in Alexei that led them to believe he could be a SS, and those two know something about middle infielders. So, Alexei must have the tools but unless he can keep head out of his ass he'll be lacking there. I believe it's a matter of self discipline and I just don't know that he can overcome this issue.

Ozzie is laying the groundwork for Alexei to make the necessary corrections-telling Alexei clearly what he needs to do in order to improve. Alexei has the 2nd half of 2009 to make those corrections or he may not be around for 2010. Alexei no doubt has the tools. Its just the brains/ attitude/ makeup that are in question.

[YASNY]

Ozzie is laying the groundwork for Alexei to make the necessary corrections-telling Alexei clearly what he needs to do in order to improve. Alexei has the 2nd half of 2009 to make those corrections or he may not be around for 2010. Alexei no doubt has the tools. Its just the brains/ attitude/ makeup that are in question.

 

Yep, I agree. That's one of the reasons I think Ozzie's a good manager. He looks at the long term and manages accordingly.