White Sox Re-Sign Jake Peavy

[LVSoxFan]

I'm with Greg on this. I don't hate Dunn, I'm glad he had a massive comeback, and he seems like an ok guy.

 

I just hate that style of play. I used to say the same thing about Thome and I'd get eviscerated here but there it is.

 

If he's back, fine. If he's not, I won't be sad about it.

[greg775]

I'm with Greg on this. I don't hate Dunn, I'm glad he had a massive comeback, and he seems like an ok guy.

 

I just hate that style of play. I used to say the same thing about Thome and I'd get eviscerated here but there it is.

 

If he's back, fine. If he's not, I won't be sad about it.

 

He's another one of those guys a team has to have and celebrates the signing in the offseason, then spends the rest of his contract trying to trade him. Makes no sense to pay these guys this kind of cash.

Look at Santana of the Angels. They were desperate to get rid of that salary. here's a hint owners: Just don't sign them in the first place for absurd amounts of money. Too late for that, though. So we're in the era there are 80 home games a year and most fans can afford to go to one or two of them. Great.

[Y2Jimmy0]

I don't personally hate Dunn and don't sense hatred per se on here. He contributed to a lot of wins last year, both halves. I'm thinking he stunk down the stretch as did most of our players/pitchers. I just don't like his style. I never understood why these big brutes never try to hit to all fields. That shift victimized him a lot. And personally his strikeouts are annoying. I don't hate him and applaud him for his game winning type hits last year but I wish he'd go far away.

 

 

Do you think flyouts, groundouts, line outs, pop outs, etc are annoying as well? Go and research how many players on the Sox committed more outs than Dunn. You'll most likely find the data quite interesting.

[balfanman]

I'm with Greg on this. I don't hate Dunn, I'm glad he had a massive comeback, and he seems like an ok guy.

 

I just hate that style of play. I used to say the same thing about Thome and I'd get eviscerated here but there it is.

 

If he's back, fine. If he's not, I won't be sad about it.

 

This is one point that I have to agree with Greg on as well. I posted about this before, but I cannot imagine that the 1 or 2 homeruns that they would lose by going the other way now and then makes up for the number of singles or doubles that he would get by hiting to the other side once in a while. I remember several hard hit outs that Dunn had this year, right to a defender in the shift. Heck, Dunn isn't that slow, not Thome slow anyway, he could even have several bunt singles as well. To me, you have to keep the defense honest. Hitting strictly for bombs is not being a total team player in my book.

 

[cabiness42]

This is one point that I have to agree with Greg on as well. I posted about this before, but I cannot imagine that the 1 or 2 homeruns that they would lose by going the other way now and then makes up for the number of singles or doubles that he would get by hiting to the other side once in a while. I remember several hard hit outs that Dunn had this year, right to a defender in the shift. Heck, Dunn isn't that slow, not Thome slow anyway, he could even have several bunt singles as well. To me, you have to keep the defense honest. Hitting strictly for bombs is not being a total team player in my book.

 

First of all, Dunn's style is what it is. It isn't changing at this point in his career. Secondly, there's no evidence to suggest that if he could change his style, that the immense reduction in his slugging percentage would be made up for by a massive increase in batting average/on base percentage.

 

The Sox got Dunn to be left-handed power. He isn't the Dunn he used to be, but even what he is now would be very difficult to replace and he's probably the second least likely starter to be gone after Paulie.

[Jake]

Strikeouts stink but you can look at the numbers and see that Dunn is not an inadequate situational hitter (like driving in runner from 3B). I'd like to see him raise his average (why wouldn't I?), but a lot of us have problems with him because we spent our whole baseball careers trying not to strike out and not hit every ball to the pull side...and here's some guy that does that and makes millions of dollars. I don't mean that we're envious or anything like that, but his style of play is counter-intuitive to the way we were taught it. His production is flat out too difficult to replace if we are going to call 2011 an anomaly and 2012 a new norm. You can give me all the batting average (almost useless), OPS (nice for predicting run production) you want but when it comes down to it the guy was responsible for a ton of runs scoring last year and those runs are going to cost money if you are to be certain that they'll be replaced.

[greg775]

Strikeouts stink but you can look at the numbers and see that Dunn is not an inadequate situational hitter (like driving in runner from 3B). I'd like to see him raise his average (why wouldn't I?), but a lot of us have problems with him because we spent our whole baseball careers trying not to strike out and not hit every ball to the pull side...and here's some guy that does that and makes millions of dollars. I don't mean that we're envious or anything like that, but his style of play is counter-intuitive to the way we were taught it. His production is flat out too difficult to replace if we are going to call 2011 an anomaly and 2012 a new norm. You can give me all the batting average (almost useless), OPS (nice for predicting run production) you want but when it comes down to it the guy was responsible for a ton of runs scoring last year and those runs are going to cost money if you are to be certain that they'll be replaced.

 

That is a great post. He is the anti-me as far as how I was taught to hit.

[cabiness42]

That is a great post. He is the anti-me as far as how I was taught to hit.

 

I don't think anybody is actually taught to hit like Dunn. It's something that progresses as you discover what your strengths are. Also, when a major league player is coming up from little league through high school/the minors, he is so much better than the pitching he is facing that he doesn't have to sacrifice average or strike out a ton to get that power. When you get to the majors you finally face pitchers who can miss your bat while you're swinging that hard.

[southsider2k5]

I don't think anybody is actually taught to hit like Dunn. It's something that progresses as you discover what your strengths are. Also, when a major league player is coming up from little league through high school/the minors, he is so much better than the pitching he is facing that he doesn't have to sacrifice average or strike out a ton to get that power. When you get to the majors you finally face pitchers who can miss your bat while you're swinging that hard.

 

Most guys aren't 6'6" 285 lbs either...

[balfanman]

First of all, Dunn's style is what it is. It isn't changing at this point in his career. Secondly, there's no evidence to suggest that if he could change his style, that the immense reduction in his slugging percentage would be made up for by a massive increase in batting average/on base percentage.

 

The Sox got Dunn to be left-handed power. He isn't the Dunn he used to be, but even what he is now would be very difficult to replace and he's probably the second least likely starter to be gone after Paulie.

 

I can appreciate this and Jim Thome probably felt the same way. I guess I'm saying then that Dunn cannot be the best hitter on your team, much less bat in the 3 hole, with this approach to hitting. IMO, while I don't hate him either, he is not near the top of my list of who I would like to see at the plate with the game on the line. I could like an Adam Dunn say in the 5 or 6 hole with a legit 3 hole hitter on the team.

 

To this end, would the Sox of had a better overall offense last year with Dunn hitting 5th and Rios hitting 3rd? I guess that this would assume that Konerko actually stayed healthy.

[Dick Allen]

The other thing about Dunn is his walks are overrated. If he doesn't drive himself home, he doesn't score very many times. Now you can blame it on others, but its been the case his entire career. Only twice in his career has he scored more than 60 times in a season via someone else.

[cabiness42]

The other thing about Dunn is his walks are overrated. If he doesn't drive himself home, he doesn't score very many times. Now you can blame it on others, but its been the case his entire career. Only twice in his career has he scored more than 60 times in a season via someone else.

 

Walks are never overrated. You never average one base per ball hit into play, but you average one base per walk. Dunn not scoring is the fault of the players hitting behind him.

 

[RockRaines]

I wish I saved the posts that thought that I was way off base when I said my sources told me Jake was going to come back.

[Harry Chappas]

I can appreciate this and Jim Thome probably felt the same way. I guess I'm saying then that Dunn cannot be the best hitter on your team, much less bat in the 3 hole, with this approach to hitting. IMO, while I don't hate him either, he is not near the top of my list of who I would like to see at the plate with the game on the line. I could like an Adam Dunn say in the 5 or 6 hole with a legit 3 hole hitter on the team.

 

To this end, would the Sox of had a better overall offense last year with Dunn hitting 5th and Rios hitting 3rd? I guess that this would assume that Konerko actually stayed healthy.

 

Dunn's walks are what make him ideal in the 3 hole while Rios low OBP is what makes him ideal for the 5 hole.

 

 

 

 

 

[cabiness42]

Dunn's walks are what make him ideal in the 3 hole while Rios low OBP is what makes him ideal for the 5 hole.

 

I've given up trying to explain that to people. If they don't get it, they don't get it.

[Princess Dye]

I wish I saved the posts that thought that I was way off base when I said my sources told me Jake was going to come back.

 

 

If it makes you feel better, I will call you 'off-base' right now.

[Princess Dye]

and maybe heckle you some

[RockRaines]

If it makes you feel better, I will call you 'off-base' right now.

Too inauthentic now. The PM's are still there which is good.

 

Fishing right now on the other FA's.

[IlliniKrush]

The other thing about Dunn is his walks are overrated. If he doesn't drive himself home, he doesn't score very many times. Now you can blame it on others, but its been the case his entire career. Only twice in his career has he scored more than 60 times in a season via someone else.

Someone's walks can be overrated? Now I've heard everything.

 

Walks are overrated in a game that is based around getting on base and not making the next out. Brilliant.

[YASNY]

My problem with Adam Dunn is that he is strong enough to hit it out of the park in any direction. If the guy would just hit what the pitchers give him he'd still put up 40 bombs, but he could up his productive outs and his average. A 390 foot fly ball to straight away LF is worth just much as a 440 foot fly to straight away RF.

[Jake]

The ideal 3 hitter has high AVG, high OBP, and high power numbers

 

Since Pujols and Kemp are unavailable, I'm willing to have a non-ideal one -- be that Dunn or someone else.

[witesoxfan]

The ideal 3 hitter has high AVG, high OBP, and high power numbers

 

Since Pujols and Kemp are unavailable, I'm willing to have a non-ideal one -- be that Dunn or someone else.

 

Actually, that's the ideal cleanup hitter, which is why Konerko typically hits there.

[Jerksticks]

Someone's walks can be overrated? Now I've heard everything.

 

Walks are overrated in a game that is based around getting on base and not making the next out. Brilliant.

 

I feel like Dunn is an example of overrated walks actually. You know why?

 

Because his 0-19s with a couple walks and 0 runs scored destroy us. 0-8s and 0-11s all over the place. 0-15 with a run scored and a walk in July against Detroit and Boston. He goes 5-6 games without RBIs that kill us.

 

His game offends me but it is what it is- in no way is it perfect for the 3-hole though; that is as arguable as a topic gets! He drove in Youk 10 times- 3 times each month? He drove in De Aza 22 times which was the most- a whopping 3.6 times per month. Drove himself in 41 times lol.

 

Boom or bust. I'd like to see all the hrs he hit this year: against who and the situation. Other than that 2 hr game at the end of the year, I'd be willing to wager the majority were meaningless and more importantly against bad, mopup-style RH pitchers with no velocity. All a hunch. I hate every second I watch him.

[Al Lopez's Ghost]

I feel like Dunn is an example of overrated walks actually. You know why?

 

Because his 0-19s with a couple walks and 0 runs scored destroy us. 0-8s and 0-11s all over the place. 0-15 with a run scored and a walk in July against Detroit and Boston. He goes 5-6 games without RBIs that kill us.

 

His game offends me but it is what it is- in no way is it perfect for the 3-hole though; that is as arguable as a topic gets! He drove in Youk 10 times- 3 times each month? He drove in De Aza 22 times which was the most- a whopping 3.6 times per month. Drove himself in 41 times lol.

 

Boom or bust. I'd like to see all the hrs he hit this year: against who and the situation. Other than that 2 hr game at the end of the year, I'd be willing to wager the majority were meaningless and more importantly against bad, mopup-style RH pitchers with no velocity. All a hunch. I hate every second I watch him.

I haven't checked, but I recall Harrelson several times saying Dunn was hitting "important" home runs during the first half.

 

[Jake]

I feel like Dunn is an example of overrated walks actually. You know why?

 

Because his 0-19s with a couple walks and 0 runs scored destroy us. 0-8s and 0-11s all over the place. 0-15 with a run scored and a walk in July against Detroit and Boston. He goes 5-6 games without RBIs that kill us.

 

His game offends me but it is what it is- in no way is it perfect for the 3-hole though; that is as arguable as a topic gets! He drove in Youk 10 times- 3 times each month? He drove in De Aza 22 times which was the most- a whopping 3.6 times per month. Drove himself in 41 times lol.

 

Boom or bust. I'd like to see all the hrs he hit this year: against who and the situation. Other than that 2 hr game at the end of the year, I'd be willing to wager the majority were meaningless and more importantly against bad, mopup-style RH pitchers with no velocity. All a hunch. I hate every second I watch him.

 

When his HR total was at about 30, it was reported that about 2/3 occurred when the game was within a run OR put the game within a run. A smaller, yet oddly high amount gave us the lead.

 

I'm operating off of memory here so someone should try to verify. Also, he hit 15 HR in 215 PA against LHP vs. 26 HR in 434 PA against RHP. sOPS+ actually higher against lefties (134) than righties (117). He's obviously far more exaggerated as a boom or bust batter against lefties, though.

Edited November 2, 2012 by Jake