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Beckham having a rough second half


shago

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Look, I didn't mean to cause a firestorm in here...and I know, for some reason I seem to have a tendency to cause a ruckas...but I maintain my opinion that Beckham is a detriment to this team with this .644 OPS (which is up from last years dismal .633 OPS). He's statistically one of the worst 2B in all of baseball.

 

I didn't mean to cause fights by stating that opinion.

 

All of you are free to continue loving your blessed "Bacon".

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QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 03:44 PM)
(This is the portion of the argument where Balta disappears. I've seen it before. We call this the "Balta Bail".)

Will bite tongue on responding to this the way it deserves, which involves a whole lot of profanity.

 

If you just want to go to the basics...right now, fWAR has Gordon Beckham as a...replacement level player. That makes him below average yes...but as I keep pointing out, replacement level players have their utility.

 

In the bWAR world, Beckham has been slightly below average, but that's because of the defensive metric already referred to in this thread, defensive runs saved, whcih no one is buying. He's actually slightly above replacement player level in bWAR at his position with the bats.

 

There are currently 5 2b in the bigs with >250 PA's who have produced lower OPS numbers than Beckham. 3 of them are currently on contending teams. 2 of them are guys who I listed out of people being paid more than 2x what Beckham is being paid who were available as free agents earlier this year.

 

Yes, better options than Beckham have been available. However, they've either been part timers who have had great seasons, or they've cost more than Beckham, and thus would have required shedding additional salary (bye AJ). If this is who Gordon Beckham is, he will have another year with the Sox after this one and he'll wind up as a journeyman/part timer.

 

If your guys standard for players who suck is that, then I contend you have a wide standard for players who suck. I count 31 regular players, with >250 PA's, who have lower OPS values than Beckham, again including guys who would have been available as his likely replacement. There are some solid names in there, names people have floated as guys the Sox could look at for other positions, like Olivo, Ian Stewart, Yunel Escobar, Damon, Justin Smoak, Kurt Suzuki.

 

If your standard for guys who suck includes that whole list of players, that's fine, but it's become a useless definition born not out of the guy's actual performance, but out of the fact that you wanted better from him and didn't get it.

 

And I'm sorry if "typing more than a sentence long insult" takes more time than you have available in your day.

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QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 02:57 PM)
Konerko, AJP, Peavy, Thome, Contreras, Dye, Crede, Uribe, Viciedo, Buerhle, Garland, Garcia, Danks, Rios, Dunn just a few players a good part of Soxtalk (me included in a couple) has written off at some point since I've been around. Now its Beckham. This is good news for him.

 

I have to say, this is a great point. :D

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QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 02:57 PM)
Konerko, AJP, Peavy, Thome, Contreras, Dye, Crede, Uribe, Viciedo, Buerhle, Garland, Garcia, Danks, Rios, Dunn just a few players a good part of Soxtalk (me included in a couple) has written off at some point since I've been around. Now its Beckham. This is good news for him.

 

Where's the list of players Soxtalk has written off that have remained bad?

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 02:57 PM)
Will bite tongue on responding to this the way it deserves, which involves a whole lot of profanity.

 

If you just want to go to the basics...right now, fWAR has Gordon Beckham as a...replacement level player. That makes him below average yes...but as I keep pointing out, replacement level players have their utility.

 

In the bWAR world, Beckham has been slightly below average, but that's because of the defensive metric already referred to in this thread, defensive runs saved, whcih no one is buying. He's actually slightly above replacement player level in bWAR at his position with the bats.

 

There are currently 5 2b in the bigs with >250 PA's who have produced lower OPS numbers than Beckham. 3 of them are currently on contending teams. 2 of them are guys who I listed out of people being paid more than 2x what Beckham is being paid who were available as free agents earlier this year.

 

Yes, better options than Beckham have been available. However, they've either been part timers who have had great seasons, or they've cost more than Beckham, and thus would have required shedding additional salary (bye AJ). If this is who Gordon Beckham is, he will have another year with the Sox after this one and he'll wind up as a journeyman/part timer.

 

If your guys standard for players who suck is that, then I contend you have a wide standard for players who suck. I count 31 regular players, with >250 PA's, who have lower OPS values than Beckham, again including guys who would have been available as his likely replacement. There are some solid names in there, names people have floated as guys the Sox could look at for other positions, like Olivo, Ian Stewart, Yunel Escobar, Damon, Justin Smoak, Kurt Suzuki.

 

If your standard for guys who suck includes that whole list of players, that's fine, but it's become a useless definition born not out of the guy's actual performance, but out of the fact that you wanted better from him and didn't get it.

 

And I'm sorry if "typing more than a sentence long insult" takes more time than you have available in your day.

You make great points above. None of them, however, disparage the notion that Gordon Beckham sucks. WOW! 5 2b's with Lower OPS (one was just optioned to the minors, Jemile Weeks). What about the 24 in the league who are better.

 

He sucks, it's plain and simple. Sorry about the joke about you disappearing. You've certainly done that before, but this time you at least took the time to craft a very long response that didn't really prove you correct.

 

And yes - Ian Stewart, Yunel Escobar, Justin Smoak, and Johnny Damon suck fat balls.

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Gordon has not been good offensively.

 

No one can dispute that.

 

What Balta is pointing out is you have to prioritize your offseason decisions, and at a traditionally weak offensive position, and considering the defense Gordon seems to play at 2b, replacing him is a fairly low priority.

 

We've got big decisions to make in the starting rotation, as well as at 3b and catcher. Chances are, we will not have adequate resources to make a significant upgrade at 2b; that would be more of a luxury for our Club right now, considering the other issues.

 

 

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QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 03:09 PM)
You make great points above. None of them, however, disparage the notion that Gordon Beckham sucks. WOW! 5 2b's with Lower OPS (one was just optioned to the minors, Jemile Weeks). What about the 24 in the league who are better.

 

He sucks, it's plain and simple. Sorry about the joke about you disappearing. You've certainly done that before, but this time you at least took the time to craft a very long response that didn't really prove you correct.

 

And yes - Ian Stewart, Yunel Escobar, Justin Smoak, and Johnny Damon suck fat balls.

 

:notworthy

 

Yes.

 

Just because players were once good, doesn't mean they still are. Those listed are terribad...just like Beckham is.

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QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 04:09 PM)
You make great points above. None of them, however, disparage the notion that Gordon Beckham sucks. WOW! 5 2b's with Lower OPS (one was just optioned to the minors, Jemile Weeks). What about the 24 in the league who are better.

 

He sucks, it's plain and simple. Sorry about the joke about you disappearing. You've certainly done that before, but this time you at least took the time to craft a very long response that didn't really prove you correct.

 

And yes - Ian Stewart, Yunel Escobar, Justin Smoak, and Johnny Damon suck fat balls.

Again, notice the last point.

 

Gordon Beckham is at the very least still out-performing his salary. You can put together a winning team with the #4 offense in the AL with Gordon Beckham at 2b (and that's with the 1/3 of a season debacle we had at 3b as well). If your definition of saying that a player sucks includes that level of performance, then to me, your definition of suckiness has no meaning. Rather, it's just getting used on a guy you're frustrated with for his lack of development.

 

If this is who Gordon Beckham is, then it's tolerable. We can win with Gordon Beckham being the #9 hitter and doing this. He'd actually be a better-than-average #9 hitter in the AL these days. I can live with that for another year. We have other needs that are bigger.

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 03:13 PM)
Again, notice the last point.

 

Gordon Beckham is at the very least still out-performing his salary. You can put together a winning team with the #4 offense in the AL with Gordon Beckham at 2b (and that's with the 1/3 of a season debacle we had at 3b as well). If your definition of saying that a player sucks includes that level of performance, then to me, your definition of suckiness has no meaning. Rather, it's just getting used on a guy you're frustrated with for his lack of development.

 

If this is who Gordon Beckham is, then it's tolerable. We can win with Gordon Beckham being the #9 hitter and doing this. He'd actually be a better-than-average #9 hitter in the AL these days. I can live with that for another year. We have other needs that are bigger.

Yes. We can live with him.

 

He also sucks.

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QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 03:12 PM)
Gordon has not been good offensively.

 

No one can dispute that.

 

What Balta is pointing out is you have to prioritize your offseason decisions, and at a traditionally weak offensive position, and considering the defense Gordon seems to play at 2b, replacing him is a fairly low priority.

 

We've got big decisions to make in the starting rotation, as well as at 3b and catcher. Chances are, we will not have adequate resources to make a significant upgrade at 2b; that would be more of a luxury for our Club right now, considering the other issues.

I don't disagree with what you're saying here and agree with that summary of Balta's point, but he's taking it a step farther and trying to justify Gordon's horrendous offense.

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 09:13 PM)
Again, notice the last point.

 

Gordon Beckham is at the very least still out-performing his salary. You can put together a winning team with the #4 offense in the AL with Gordon Beckham at 2b (and that's with the 1/3 of a season debacle we had at 3b as well). If your definition of saying that a player sucks includes that level of performance, then to me, your definition of suckiness has no meaning. Rather, it's just getting used on a guy you're frustrated with for his lack of development.

 

If this is who Gordon Beckham is, then it's tolerable. We can win with Gordon Beckham being the #9 hitter and doing this. He'd actually be a better-than-average #9 hitter in the AL these days. I can live with that for another year. We have other needs that are bigger.

 

 

But, Balta they all want Babe Ruth clones 1-9 and Sandy Koufax 1-5 in the starting rotation. Plus in the remote chance we will need a relief pitcher they want Mariano Rivera.

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QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 22, 2012 -> 09:18 PM)
There are probably 5 or 6 posters who if you listed who or what they thought didn't suck White Sox related, the list would be maybe 2 names/things long.

 

 

It's a sad thing to think about but you are right

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QUOTE (RZZZA @ Aug 23, 2012 -> 12:43 AM)
Gordon hit the ball hard 3 times tonight. He looked a lot better offensively in this entire series against the Yanks

Nothing we haven't seen before yet. We're probably about 4 days from the tribune "Beckhams swinging the bat better, changed part x of his swing/did drill y, and is finally on track" article.

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