Desperate times call for...three bold moves

[lasttriptotulsa]

In the meantime, would you continue to play Dunn, and if not, whom among players already on the roster, would you play in his place?

 

You just have to play Dunn and hope he comes out of it. Maybe sit him against tough lefties, but other than that he just has to play.

[Lillian]

Sadly, you guys may be right.

[caulfield12]

Chris Rongey is right.

 

These arguments sounds exactly like the ones from two years ago.

 

Now all we have to do is wait for 2014 to come around so he can break out of his slump again.

Edited May 13, 2013 by caulfield12

[Disco72]

Sadly, you guys may be right.

 

With regards to replacing Dunn, I just don't think that big fish is out there. The better approach is to look for a lineup that can produce up and down the order, not one big hitter who solves all the Sox's problems.

[Lillian]

With regards to replacing Dunn, I just don't think that big fish is out there. The better approach is to look for a lineup that can produce up and down the order, not one big hitter who solves all the Sox's problems.

 

Yes, ideally, that's true. But finding 3 or 4 guys is going to be even more difficult than one impact left handed bat, at least in the short run.

Moreover, not having that impact bat makes it harder for the rest of the lineup to perform. There is no protection for anyone with this lineup.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Lillian

[lasttriptotulsa]

Yes, ideally, that's true. But finding 3 or 4 guys is going to be even more difficult than one impact left handed bat, at least in the short run.

Moreover, not having that impact bat makes it harder for the rest of the lineup to perform. There is no protection for anyone with this lineup.

 

I heard Grady Sizemore might be available. Any interest in him?

[Lillian]

I heard Grady Sizemore might be available. Any interest in him?

 

I assume that should have been in teal. Yes, I still think that is something worth considering. Hey, if he looks like he's ready to contribute, and can be had on a short contract, why not?

[RockRaines]

We should trade our bad players for players that will be better. Like it.

[witesoxfan]

We should trade our bad players for players that will be better. Like it.

 

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I would like to sign up for your newsletter

[Disco72]

Yes, ideally, that's true. But finding 3 or 4 guys is going to be even more difficult than one impact left handed bat, at least in the short run.

Moreover, not having that impact bat makes it harder for the rest of the lineup to perform. There is no protection for anyone with this lineup.

 

The problem is that the one impact left-handed bat is likely to be prohibitively expensive, in terms of players/prospects and/or salary/years. The Sox need an average offense, not a great one (though a great one would be nice). Some of that is going to have to come from current players performing better.

[caulfield12]

 

"They were as a congested forest, suffocated by bad contracts, missed cutoff men and bad defense, awaiting Reinsdorf's lightning strike---the spark that would finally ignite the fire that would rage across the AL Central and clear the deadwood, once again bringing sunshine to the remaining healthy roots of the White Sox organization.

 

Culling is baseball's natural order.

 

Ask yourself, what followed the Dunn Years?

 

We all know the answer.

 

Renaissance.

 

The Rebirth.

 

It has always been this way. Death is followed by birth.

 

To reach paradise, the White Sox must past through Inferno."

 

 

A little Dan Brown promotion for today, haha.

[caulfield12]

Are we sure the White Sox would trade Dunn for Upton now...?

 

 

 

Things don't seem as easily optimistic for B.J., however. He's hitting .151/.250/.254 while little brother drives in all the runs, and in the same way the shift of parks was supposed to hurt Justin but hasn't, B.J.'s move to a relatively easier environment has had the opposite effect to this point. Of course, he's not hitting on the road, either, so looking at those kinds of splits aren't going to tell you much now besides the fact that 2013 is not going well for this Upton.

 

The thing is, we are talking about 35 games and 145 plate appearances for a hitter who has been in a cold streak or two in his day. He's also been in more than a few hot streaks, and it tends to even things out for him. The latest came last season, when he entered August sporting a .244/.305/.372 line. When the season finished, Upton was up to .246/.298/.454 -- don't let the on-base percentage fool you, as Tropicana is not an easy place to hit. Despite the OBP, this was an above-average offensive campaign.

We can't just wish him into a good run at the plate, though, and assume things will be fine. Someday what we think is just a cold run at the plate could just be his skills failing him, but it's too early to say that now about the 28-year-old. There are reasons to be concerned over the way he's approaching things now, but that's only going to be problematic if he doesn't adjust, as his younger brother already has.

 

Back to the above 2012 splits. Entering August 1, B.J. Upton had struck out out 101 times in 386 plate appearances, or 26 percent of the time. That's not great, but it's not terrible, not even particularly notable given his career punch out rate of 25 percent. In the season's last two months, though, that jumped to 28 percent, with 68 in his last 247, and while it was hard to argue with the 19 homers he hit in that two-month stretch, the fact he struck out more than five times as often as he walked seemed a bit concerning.

 

Now, in 2013, Upton's strikeout rates have jumped to over 32 percent, and while he's managed to bring his walks back to a respectable level, there's something amiss here. He's swinging less often in the zone and outside the zone according to PITCHf/x, and he's seeing a higher percentage of first-pitch strikes. He's seeing more pitches overall as well, but unlike Justin, he isn't achieving much more because of it. An extra walk here and there is being squeezed out, but he's been an absolute mess whenever the pitcher is in control. With two strikes, he's about 60 percent worse than the league -- down nearly 25 percentage points from last year's already poor performance -- and he's about 70 percent worse than average in general when the pitcher is ahead in the count. The difference between this year and last year, besides the extremeness of his shortcomings in those situations, is that he can't seem to make up for it when ahead in the count this time around, exactly when a batter is supposed to.

 

The ability is there. We've seen it before, even if he's never quite blossomed into the player many thought he was going to be when he finally broke out back in 2007. He was an athletic, above-average hitter with high-quality defensive skills during his peak, and as he's all of 28, he should still be, at the least, in the tail-end years of that stretch now. Instead, we're left wondering if he's ever going to be useful again.

 

The reality of the situation is that this is 145 poor plate appearances, so it's too early for those kinds of doomsday questions. Yes, he's striking out too much, he's potentially more passive than he is patient, and his batting average on balls in play is so low it has assured him of a poor line regardless of whether he walks or hits for any power. Those are all problems, but they are correctable ones, much like Justin's own issues from 2012. It might turn out that the extra pitches he's seeing are a bad thing, and that unlike little brother, he needs to be a tad more aggressive at the plate in order to produce the best line possible with his skills. A touch of aggressiveness at the plate certainly couldn't hurt at this point, and with pitchers ramming first-pitch strikes down his throat, there will be plenty for him to get his bat on until they realize they need to respect him at the plate once more.

 

Both of these hitters will likely finish the year in a different place statistically than where they are now. Justin seems to be on the upswing, finally realizing the potential we've been waiting for him to, but as his recent homer drought reminded us, expecting him to slug well over .600 all year long is maybe asking too much. For B.J., the extreme nature of his season is in the other direction, but if he can adjust just enough, he might be able to salvage what has been a rough first 35 games for the Braves. That would certainly work for the Braves, who are in first place despite B.J.'s struggles -- there is time yet to get the player they expected, and the results they expected, before any real damage is done to their season. They can thank their other Upton for much of that.

 

www.sportsonearth.com

[Balta1701]

Are we sure the White Sox would trade Dunn for Upton now...?

No, we're not sure. Not because of anything dealing with his performance right now, but because Upton has $70 million on his contract while Dunn has $25 million.

[LittleHurt05]

Are we sure the White Sox would trade Dunn for Upton now...?

 

I'm sure the Braves wouldn't trade Upton for Dunn now.

[southsider2k5]

Since this thread was posted...

 

Adam Dunn .333 ba .375 obp 1.066 slg 1.341 ops (3hr 1bb 2k 2double 7 rbi)

Alexei Ramirez .455 ba .455 obp .545 slg 1.000 ops (2double 3sb 3rbi)

Jake Peavy 1-0 7ip 2er 6k 0bb

Addison Reed 2ip 2sv 1h 1k 0bb

[Kyyle23]

Since this thread was posted...

 

Adam Dunn .333 ba .375 obp 1.066 slg 1.341 ops (3hr 1bb 2k 2double 7 rbi)

Alexei Ramirez .455 ba .455 obp .545 slg 1.000 ops (2double 3sb 3rbi)

Jake Peavy 1-0 7ip 2er 6k 0bb

Addison Reed 2ip 2sv 1h 1k 0bb

 

those are bold numbers

[witesoxfan]

those are bold numbers

 

No

 

59

210

89

5

48

 

Those are bold numbers

[iamshack]

No

 

59

210

89

5

48

 

Those are bold numbers

No wite, those are bolded numbers or numbers in bold...

[southsider2k5]

No

 

59

210

89

5

48

 

Those are bold numbers

 

7-8-9. Now eating another number is bold.

[Kyyle23]

No wite, those are bolded numbers or numbers in bold...

 

beat me to it

[witesoxfan]

[Kyyle23]

 

that frowny face is bold

[witesoxfan]

[caulfield12]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9330692/...bj-upton-minors

[oldsox]

No, we're not sure. Not because of anything dealing with his performance right now, but because Upton has $70 million on his contract while Dunn has $25 million.

These numbers prove once again how stupid general managers are. Agents everywhere are laughing.