6/13 Games

[NorthSideSox72]

Demoting him solves nothing.

 

The key for him isn't just getting his feet under him against easier competition - that accomplishes nothing in his case. He needs serious work on the swing AND the pitch recognition. That will be the case in rookie ball too, and that may even be a problem because it could allow some bad habits to be reinforced. He sure as heck doens't need more confidence either, he oozes that, probably too much of it.

 

I think you keep him right where he is for right now, but my suggestion is... sit him every other game. On those days, he works alone with the coaches in the cage, doing any kind of drills they can think of to work on mechanics and recognition. Then in the fall, send him to the instructional-level league in Arizona, with much the same approach. For 2014, start him wherever you see fit, but no lower than Kanny.

 

And I am still pretty optimistic. He's got incredible bat speed, huge athleticism, and a strong arm. And putting up the XBH he is as a 19 year old against High A pitching, by the way, is almost as uncommon as striking out half the time.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

No. You don't send a guy who has had the success Hawkins has had at High-A down to Low-A or rookie ball. It does absolutely nothing for his development. He'd hit .400 with 30 homers in rookie ball.

 

This is something he needs to work out at High-A. Promotions are silly, but sitting in High-A all year is perfectly fine.

 

Sitting at High-A next year is also perfectly fine.

[danman31]

I think the Hawkins argument is over the wrong topic. Where he plays, as caulfield of all people noted, doesn't matter right now. It's all about what he shows. If you're discussing whether he should get demoted or not, I think you're missing the point. This is a player with catastrophic and phenomenal stats at the same time. The issues are refinement, consistency and progress.

[Paint it Black]

That is horrible. Is the pitching THAT good?

From the BP Minor League wrap today:

 

Courtney Hawkins, CF, White Sox (High-A Winston-Salem): 0-5, 5 K. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I have never seen it in Hawkins. This is the fifth game I’ve seen him play this year, and I believe he has one hit. He was dominated tonight by fringy pitchers. He has no chance against any breaking ball, but the scary part for me was that he was getting beat with average fastballs. Defensively, he will eventually have to move off of center field. I hope he can figure it out, but for me, his stock is way down.

 

Look, if Hawkins is getting beat by breaking pitches in High A it's a terrible sign. Just imagine Double A where pitchers can spot the stuff.

[Paint it Black]

Demoting him solves nothing.

 

The key for him isn't just getting his feet under him against easier competition - that accomplishes nothing in his case. He needs serious work on the swing AND the pitch recognition. That will be the case in rookie ball too, and that may even be a problem because it could allow some bad habits to be reinforced. He sure as heck doens't need more confidence either, he oozes that, probably too much of it.

 

I think you keep him right where he is for right now, but my suggestion is... sit him every other game. On those days, he works alone with the coaches in the cage, doing any kind of drills they can think of to work on mechanics and recognition. Then in the fall, send him to the instructional-level league in Arizona, with much the same approach. For 2014, start him wherever you see fit, but no lower than Kanny.

 

And I am still pretty optimistic. He's got incredible bat speed, huge athleticism, and a strong arm. And putting up the XBH he is as a 19 year old against High A pitching, by the way, is almost as uncommon as striking out half the time.

 

Only Hawkins and A's SS Addison Russell were high schoolers started in High A from last years draft. Both are struggling, but Russell is seeing better results. It was an aggressive promotion and frankly, not sure if it was warranted. I don't see how a demotion doesn't solve anything.

 

With that said playing him every other day does NOTHING to further his development. Hawkins needs reps. He's certainly not keeping someone better from playing considering how awful this system is.

[thxfrthmmrs]

So none of you think he's not ready for high A pitching?

[witesoxfan]

So none of you think he's not ready for high A pitching?

 

I think he's just as ready for that as he is rookie ball pitching or Low A pitching. AA is a different story, but I don't think we'd see a different story in low A. Let him play against guys who are developmentally equal to him (approximately) and the most talented of the bunch. If he repeats High A next year, it really is not a big deal.

[NorthSideSox72]

Only Hawkins and A's SS Addison Russell were high schoolers started in High A from last years draft. Both are struggling, but Russell is seeing better results. It was an aggressive promotion and frankly, not sure if it was warranted. I don't see how a demotion doesn't solve anything.

 

With that said playing him every other day does NOTHING to further his development. Hawkins needs reps. He's certainly not keeping someone better from playing considering how awful this system is.

 

Totally disagree. He was playing twice a week before, now he's every day. If you make it 4 days, he's still getting a ton of in-game time... but what he really needs is attention. Coaching attention. In addition to game action. And he needs time to watch (videos, and games), and to think.

 

And I agree with this as well...

 

I think he's just as ready for that as he is rookie ball pitching or Low A pitching. AA is a different story, but I don't think we'd see a different story in low A. Let him play against guys who are developmentally equal to him (approximately) and the most talented of the bunch. If he repeats High A next year, it really is not a big deal.

 

He gets beat with breaking balls and anything inside right now, which is a terrible combination, and would be exploited at any professional level.