Avisail Garcia is the truth.

[Jake]

I don't really care about the Red Sox because we got a better player in return than we ever seriously thought we'd get. I'm happy for the Tigers to have been fleeced.

[LittleHurt05]

Even some top 10-15 prospect from their system would have been a lot better that the crap we got. And I doubt the Red Sox are calling off trading for Peavy over that.

 

How do you know that? They were already giving up Iglesias and taking on Peavy's salary. I'm not sure if he was worth another top 10-15 prospect.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Ugh I can't believe this is brought up again outside of the trade thread. 1st off everybody was saying what a seller's market it was. More teams in the hunt because of the extra wild cards and all that. If it was a sellers market why were there so few trades ? Where did all the buyers go ? Boston bought, Tigers bought ,Rangers bought. Baltimore bought somewhat. The rest of the teams that had a chance to improve either nibbled or didn't want to trade top prospects or were perfectly content holding pat . If it wasn't for Biogenesis there would've been even less deals. Where are the multitude of trades that you can hold up and say look at what they got this year. There's 1, only 1, and thats the Garza trade to a team I identified was desperate to improve based on their window of opportunity to win a World Series getting smaller and Biogenesis from the very start of the trade deadline . Texas very well may have traded with the Sox if Peavy wasn't injured. We may never know.

 

Sux to be a Sox fan sometimes I know. And we do have a right to be disappointed because we always want more for our team. I can't begrudge anyone that. Teams just didn't buy into it being a sellers market. They bought into less spending and holding prospects. We hate to see that happen in a year where so much else has gone wrong. Take Garcia and the money saved and be happy. Concentrate your efforts into looking ahead not behind. The Sox got the best prospect of any team who got prospects this year. The one closest to being an everyday ballplayer right now. Say all you want about the Northside scum but that's the only argument you can make that even resembles an argument. That's just penis envy or the grass is always greener on the other side of the city whining. There is no other argument that can support that theory at all except your desires for wanting more for your team.

 

[Steve9347]

Garpax has done a great job in the draft and signing players. Are you one of the fans that wants to make a big trade at all costs?

I'm going to start self-mutilating. Jimmy Butler is the only reason I don't.

[HeGone7]

.297 average since his callup. Hits in 8 of his last 9, three multi-hit games in his last 6. He's also starting to get a bit gappy and hit some doubles.

 

Rick Hahn is a genius to get him (and more) from a division rival in a deal that sent away the oft-injured Jake Peavy.

 

I love it and I love what Rick Hahn has shown already. More genius, please.

 

 

Josh Fields hit 23 homers in his first half season in baseball.

[Steve9347]

Josh Fields hit 23 homers in his first half season in baseball.

So every player who starts well is going to find Jesus and quit baseball?

[witesoxfan]

So every player who starts well is going to find Jesus and quit baseball?

 

Except Josh Fields is still playing. And he doesn't hit for power anymore.

[Balta1701]

I guess it's relevant to this thread, is anyone else disappointed about the prospects we received from the Red Sox? I mean Montas has a big arm and control issues so he's a wild card but the other two? eh

Talk to me in 3 years. That's the point of trading for A-ballers who have some skills but are a long way away, they're incredibly hard to pencil in anywhere.

[southsider2k5]

I think you know it's way too early to be sure Garcia is better than the player we thought we'd get. He's the same guy. I like what I have seen too but look at the way Brandon Jacobs came in on a tear and has sucked since.

 

I think everything about Garcia is advanced past Jacobs. His development, his ceiling, each of his tools, etc.

[southsider2k5]

Not the point. Garcia has had two good weeks and people are calling him the truth, calling Rick Hahn a genius and saying he is better than the player we thought we acquired. He needs sustained success before these declarations are made.

 

I seem to remember Josh Phegley having 10 RBIs and 3 HRs in 10 games and everyone was penciling him in for the future. A month later, those same people want Brian McCann in FA.

 

It is the point. Garcia is much more advanced than Josh Phegley, Brandon Jacobs, or anyone else in the Sox system. His ceiling is much higher than anyone else in our system and so is his floor. There is much more reason for optimism here than with anyone else the Sox have coming out of the minors.

[Buehrle>Wood]

I think you know it's way too earlcertainlybe sure Garcia is better than the player we thought we'd get. He's the same guy. I like what I have seen too but look at the way Brandon Jacobs came in on a tear and has sucked since.

Yeah. And I would ask others to go back and read the Peavy trade thread and temper expectations. Garcia certainly is not a lot better than what we thought we'd get.

[Balta1701]

And I think that's important to note, he hits .326 in less than 50 ABs and everyone completely changes their views on the player. I remember when there was a thread or an article saying the Tigers were willing to part with Castellanos or Garcia in the right trade. The first slate of responses said basically the same two things, "Let's trade Reed for Castellanos" and "I don't want Garcia."

I still would not have wanted Garcia for Reed at all and you're basically quoting me there. I said nothing about Peavy in that comment. Garcia plus some A-ballers is a solid return for Peavy and a terrible return for Reed.

[witesoxfan]

I'm hoping he can keep this up, and he's warming up to me, but I'm still not a huge fan if that helps at all.

[Balta1701]

I was not quoting you at all. I don't remember who said what but I remember the crowd was overwhelmingly against acquiring Garcia. Perhaps you can link the thread if you remember which one it was because I don't.

 

EDIT: And some A ballers is so vague. There is a big difference between Courtney Hawkins and Kevan Smith but they're both A ballers.

Here's where I said that. There was one person who was down on Garcia, fathom spoke positively on him. All I said was that for Reed, Garcia wasn't enough, and I still stand by that. If the Sox were trading Reed they'd need to walk away with people saying it was highway robbery.

[Balta1701]

This is a more rational view. The majority of posters are seeing his short stint here and falling in love. Is he going to hit .326 forever? God no.

 

I think his speed is a nice surprise but his swing has been inconsistent even considering his success. Some games/at bats he just goes up there looking uncomfortable and turning over his bat head. Other days he looks good. I do love his ability to use the whole field though.

If you want to make the case that Garcia will turn down from here there's a way to do it. He's had a whole lot of bloop hits. He gets the bat on the ball a fair amount, but he's had a lot of hits fall that will turn into outs as things even out.

 

The numbers agree with this, his BABIP with the White Sox is .417. That will come down.

[Steve9347]

Here's where I said that. There was one person who was down on Garcia, fathom spoke positively on him. All I said was that for Reed, Garcia wasn't enough, and I still stand by that. If the Sox were trading Reed they'd need to walk away with people saying it was highway robbery.

relief pitcher

[HeGone7]

So every player who starts well is going to find Jesus and quit baseball?

 

No. However this league is about adjustments. It isn't uncommon to see you guys come up and do well initially. It's up to them to make adjustments because their opponents will have a blue print for them.

 

It isn't to say that Garcia cannot do so, it is more to just temper the expectations and excitement around this guy. Josh Fields is one of many. I used him as a comp because of the White Sox connection and that they struggle to make contact some of the time. Fields came up and everyone was excited, and rightfully so. He tanked.

 

Beckham, different from these two in make-up, also killed out the gate. Maybe he has figured some things out now, but we know he has been ineffective at the plate since his first taste of the majors.

 

End of the day. I hope this kid works out. I am less high on him then others because I think his stature, his minny miggy nickname, and solid fall for Detroit has given him a little more hype then is deserved. From a hitting standpoint, that is. I don't think he is a sure thing and I think he needs some work. So before we all get amped up proclaiming Garcia as the next Paul Pierce, I think we should give it some time so we don't sour on him quickly when things go south.

 

I revert back to Beckham. If he has somehow figured things out at the plate, even just marginally, then we have a very solid player. A player many of us didn't want around because of lofty college numbers, immediate success in the Majors, and then a major regression. I hope he is a case of a guy coming into his own, but who knows. If he is (and most of us wanted him out, myself included) then we'd be pissed off when he performed elsewhere. It's similar here to Garcia in that we have an awful team, a kid playing well in a short sample, and people are popping champagne with Hahn.

 

Let's all just relax is all. It is going to be a long ride.

[Balta1701]

relief pitcher

With 1.5 years remaining before he's arbitration eligible, put up 2.0 WAR already this season, extremely likely he would give some team $30 million or more in excess value beyond what he's paid over the next 4.5 seasons.

 

Compare that to Jake Peavy who might put up $10 million in excess value over the next 1.5 seasons if he stays healthy and has a salary large enough to be prohibitive for a moderate portion of the league.

[Steve9347]

Avisail Garcia is a beast.

[southsider2k5]

Another great comp. Garcia versus Josh Fields? Come on. If we are going to talk about guys who don't make it, can we get into a similar skillset? And please, no Joe Borchard references.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I asked in the gamethread if anyone had any video of Avi beating out one of the grounders that he has beaten out already, and no one replied.

 

But here, here is your amazing video evidence of how freakin fast this guy is. I could watch this 100 times.

 

[Steve9347]

I asked in the gamethread if anyone had any video of Avi beating out one of the grounders that he has beaten out already, and no one replied.

 

But here, here is your amazing video evidence of how freakin fast this guy is. I could watch this 100 times.

 

This is my favorite post of yours ever.

[Dick Allen]

Another great comp. Garcia versus Josh Fields? Come on. If we are going to talk about guys who don't make it, can we get into a similar skillset? And please, no Joe Borchard references.

Delmon Young could be a good comp. Young might have been even more highly though of as a hitter and had some of the same concerns. Garcia is a lot more fun to watch than I imagined. I hope he could be really good, but his being "the truth" is not exactly guaranteed.

[Steve9347]

Delmon Young could be a good comp. Young might have been even more highly though of as a hitter and had some of the same concerns.

Really? You think the former 1st overall selection might have been more highly thought of as a hitter at one point than Avi Garcia?

Edited August 22, 2013 by Steve9347

[Dick Allen]

Really? You think the former 1st overall selection might have been more highly thought of as a hitter at one point than Avi Garcia?

Tim Beckham was a former 1st overall selection. I don't think he's ever been more highly thought of as a hitter than Avi Garcia.

 

The point is Young came up as a 20 year old and looked really good, but he turned out to not be much of a player. Hopefully Garcia is what we hope, but you never know.

 

Viciedo put up an .840 OPS in about 100 ABs as a 21 year old. Now a lot of posters would love to see him gone.

 

If Garcia was a sure bet to be the next Magglio Ordonez, it would have been a lot more expensive to acquire him, if you could acquire him at all.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Dick Allen