At what point is this season not considered a success?

[Eminor3rd]

One of the writers I follow on twitter tweeted that last night's game was just the 9th all season that Abreu, Garcia, and Eaton started together. Eaton seems like a player whose going to miss time off and on, but its hard to truly gauge "success" when that happens to your newly acquired core. Bullpen aside, things are moving in the right direction, so by that (meager) standard, its still a relative success.

 

Yeah, lol, but what you're really saying is "we haven't got much of a look at Avisail Garcia."

[Balta1701]

Yeah, lol, but what you're really saying is "we haven't got much of a look at Avisail Garcia."

The one thing that prevents me from completely calling this a successful season is the rash of injuries. It's prevented development for some guys and shown for others that it could be a long-term risk big enough to keep this core from ever being competitive.

[Eminor3rd]

The one thing that prevents me from completely calling this a successful season is the rash of injuries. It's prevented development for some guys and shown for others that it could be a long-term risk big enough to keep this core from ever being competitive.

 

Definitely

[GGajewski18]

The one thing that prevents me from completely calling this a successful season is the rash of injuries. It's prevented development for some guys and shown for others that it could be a long-term risk big enough to keep this core from ever being competitive.

 

I agree, but you can definitely see the talent when they are playing. We have pieces in the lineup that can do damage, just have to surround them with a little more. (Eaton, Abreu, Avi, Alexei, Sanchez)

[Balta1701]

I agree, but you can definitely see the talent when they are playing. We have pieces in the lineup that can do damage, just have to surround them with a little more. (Eaton, Abreu, Avi, Alexei, Sanchez)

And we also have to work harder to keep them on the field. 3 of the guys you note have hit the DL this year, 2 of them for substantial times (and one was in the minors most of the year).

[kitekrazy]

I want to vote Norberto Martin. Why isn't he an option?

 

I wanted a punch the bullpen in the nuts option.

 

[BlackSox13]

Shouldn't this be determined after all 162 games have been played? I'll vote in a little over a month from now.

[bmags]

That said, I have been thinking a lot about it. I was really pleased at the all star break. But at this pace for 73 wins, rather than what I was hoping for, this team is at least another 2 years away, and we are going to have to pay for pitching, which is what people have been laughing about the cubs needing to do for 4 years now. This core is really good (Sale/Q/Rodon/Abreu/Ramirez), but we still could upgrade basically every OF position, C position, 2b, etc.

 

I hope that Semien/Johnson can get there, but I'm not banking on it. Not after we just watched a top 100 pitching prospect forget how to throw.

[Kyyle23]

I wanted a punch the bullpen in the nuts option.

 

this poll is defective and misrepresentative

[Kyyle23]

That said, I have been thinking a lot about it. I was really pleased at the all star break. But at this pace for 73 wins, rather than what I was hoping for, this team is at least another 2 years away, and we are going to have to pay for pitching, which is what people have been laughing about the cubs needing to do for 4 years now. This core is really good (Sale/Q/Rodon/Abreu/Ramirez), but we still could upgrade basically every OF position, C position, 2b, etc.

 

I hope that Semien/Johnson can get there, but I'm not banking on it. Not after we just watched a top 100 pitching prospect forget how to throw.

 

you are ready to move on from Eaton and Garcia already?

[bmags]

you are ready to move on from Eaton and Garcia already?

 

No, but that's one of the reasons this season is diappointing. I like Eaton, but at this point I'm pretty nervous he's capable of ever playing more than 75% of his games. Garcia is an unknown, and it makes me nervous that he will not hit for enough power to make up for a light hitting CF/3b'er.

[fathom]

I think this season has been a nice building year for 2015 and there's no reason 2016 won't end up with the Sox contending. The biggest disappointments this year have been E. Johnson and Davidson going from core pieces to gigantic question marks, as well as the lack of non-core players performing well enough to bring back anything at the trade deadline.

 

I will say that Rodon was the perfect draft pick for this team, given Sale and Abreu's peak years coming up.

[joejoedairy]

No, but that's one of the reasons this season is diappointing. I like Eaton, but at this point I'm pretty nervous he's capable of ever playing more than 75% of his games. Garcia is an unknown, and it makes me nervous that he will not hit for enough power to make up for a light hitting CF/3b'er.

 

I feel like the sox are going to need to have a solid fourth outfielder for as long as they are relying on eaton and garcia. May have to pay a little more for a backup than what is desirable, but as long as they have someone who can fill in when they are out for stints the team should be fine.

[elrockinMT]

I blamed Hahn for the bullpen debacle. It ruined any chance of the team hitting .500. He brought in Abreu and Eaton, which is great, but the defense remains horrible and the pitching is quite sub par. Frankly, he has a lot of work to do to avoid the cellar again next year. Season ticket sales should be lowest in the modern era. All they have to sell, really, is Abreu, Sale and perhaps Eaton right now, barring an overhaul. Avi Garcia is close to being a major plus as well.

 

 

Abreu has been so much better than what anyone expected. Eaton has been a plus when healthy, but folks used to rag on Carlos Quentin because he was hurt al the time. It will happen to Eaton too if he falters. Now the pitching staff has been horrendous. Second worse ERA in the league. Maybe Cooper needs to be hung? Really though you have to throw strikes and not give up the home run so often and as far as relief pitching-get the first man out!

[Dick Allen]

I think this season has been a nice building year for 2015 and there's no reason 2016 won't end up with the Sox contending. The biggest disappointments this year have been E. Johnson and Davidson going from core pieces to gigantic question marks, as well as the lack of non-core players performing well enough to bring back anything at the trade deadline.

 

I will say that Rodon was the perfect draft pick for this team, given Sale and Abreu's peak years coming up.

Davidson and Johnson are pretty big minuses for this season. Davidson is Michael Jordan in AA after not playing since he was a sophomore in HS except with more homers, more strikeouts and fewer stolen bases. Almost all the rest of their offensive numbers are the same. Considering how many of the other players on Charlotte's roster pretty much raked, Davidson's season is a huge blow for a team that considered him a middle of the order bat for a long time. And Johnson.........hopefully he can bounce back, but this season was just a waste of time for him.

[Kyyle23]

Abreu has been so much better than what anyone expected. Eaton has been a plus when healthy, but folks used to rag on Carlos Quentin because he was hurt al the time. It will happen to Eaton too if he falters. Now the pitching staff has been horrendous. Second worse ERA in the league. Maybe Cooper needs to be hung? Really though you have to throw strikes and not give up the home run so often and as far as relief pitching-get the first man out!

 

Quentin was hurt all the time, and his numbers went down after he hurt himself. He deserved the criticism. If Eaton punches a wall and takes himself out of a playoff race because of stupidity, he will deserve the criticism too

[ptatc]

But still, it makes no sense. How is it considered successful if you find out Viciedo isn't the player you had hoped him to be moving forward? Successful to me would be if they knew they could count on him moving forward, or at least found someone else they could count on. It isn't as if they have a surefire replacement ready.

It's more of a success in terms of the future plans for the FO. It's not a success for the team. Obviously, they would all of the players to pan out and not need to use more resources. The success is now the know where they need to allocate the resources to be successful in the future. They were probably hoping the DV would take the next step. He has not so they know they need to replace him. The more positions they eliminate from that list the more resources they have to use on identified problems.

[chitownsportsfan]

This is pretty much best case scenario unfolding. The Sox aren't losing because of any of the core players but because of scrubs they are going to have to replace anyways.

[Steve9347]

Jose Abreu = successful year

[max power]

I didn't vote for these:

 

I am disappointed and hold Robin Ventura responsible for the bullpen debacle (Hahn didn't do his best work. Injuries were an issue. Coops vertigo had more to do with it. I'd vote this option 4th)

 

Finishing on a sour note takes some of the positivity away (I hope the sox suck)

[caulfield12]

Quentin was hurt all the time, and his numbers went down after he hurt himself. He deserved the criticism. If Eaton punches a wall and takes himself out of a playoff race because of stupidity, he will deserve the criticism too

 

 

Ignoring the existence of the warning track itself doesn't help much, either.

 

It wasn't quite like Quentin hurting his hand out of frustration, but it's another form of baseball recklessness that eventually gets punished with DL time if you're Eaton's size.

Edited August 28, 2014 by caulfield12

[VAfan]

The White Sox are in 4th place in the AL West, at 60-72, 14 games back of the Kansas City Royals, with the 5th worst record in the American League, and 8th worst record in all of baseball.

 

They have NO reliable bullpen pitchers going forward. Zach Putnam has had a nice run, but he's managed only 45 innings, and went on the DL seemingly from overuse. There isn't a single additional bullpen piece that can be counted on.

 

As for starters, we have the incomparable Chris Sale locked up for years. Jose Quintana seems like a quality starter, but he ends up with far too many no decisions and losses to know for sure. He doesn't seem like a #2 guy, more like a decent #3 guy or very good #4 guy. John Danks has had a year better than most would expect, but he's still overpaid and therefore not easily moved. and not part of the solution. Hector Noesi and his zero WAR? If it weren't for our total lack of right handed starters, we'd more easily see him as what he is - a fill in starter on a weak team.

 

The Sox may have added pieces this offseason in Abreu, Eaton, and Garcia (late 2013), and tied up their best pitchers with favorable contracts, but I don't think you can say this is a successful season by any means.

 

Making the playoffs has to be the definition of a successful season. Competing for a World Championship has to be the measure of a successful season. Anything short of that and you haven't been successful. Period.

[Quin]

The White Sox are in 4th place in the AL West, at 60-72, 14 games back of the Kansas City Royals, with the 5th worst record in the American League, and 8th worst record in all of baseball.

 

They have NO reliable bullpen pitchers going forward. Zach Putnam has had a nice run, but he's managed only 45 innings, and went on the DL seemingly from overuse. There isn't a single additional bullpen piece that can be counted on.

 

As for starters, we have the incomparable Chris Sale locked up for years. Jose Quintana seems like a quality starter, but he ends up with far too many no decisions and losses to know for sure. He doesn't seem like a #2 guy, more like a decent #3 guy or very good #4 guy. John Danks has had a year better than most would expect, but he's still overpaid and therefore not easily moved. and not part of the solution. Hector Noesi and his zero WAR? If it weren't for our total lack of right handed starters, we'd more easily see him as what he is - a fill in starter on a weak team.

 

The Sox may have added pieces this offseason in Abreu, Eaton, and Garcia (late 2013), and tied up their best pitchers with favorable contracts, but I don't think you can say this is a successful season by any means.

 

Making the playoffs has to be the definition of a successful season. Competing for a World Championship has to be the measure of a successful season. Anything short of that and you haven't been successful. Period.

 

You lost me here.

 

[Eminor3rd]

Jose Quintana seems like a quality starter, but he ends up with far too many no decisions and losses to know for sure. He doesn't seem like a #2 guy, more like a decent #3 guy or very good #4 guy.

 

Is this part a joke? You're supposed to use green!

[caulfield12]

To me, on a championship team, Quintana's more of a 3.

 

We can argue this all day and into next week. We know his positives and negatives inside and out. He's not a guy you expect to have 10+ K's or shut down the opposition completely.

 

The trouble with Quintana is how many 2 out runs he's surrendered this year, and how many times he's fallen apart when there were defensive lapses behind him. In 2012, by and large, he was able to persevere and pitch through those situations. He had that moxie/confidence that's lacking just a little bit in 2013 and 2014.

 

He's very good, but I wouldn't trade 3 Top 100 prospects for him, either. Not unless I had two topflight guys in front of him and enough of a back-end that the only thing missing from the rotation was a 3.

 

It's like the situation with the White Sox, as it's being projected currently. Rodon SHOULD be at least a 2, if not a 1...Sale/Rodon/Quintana is a very good start, and a very fair contract for the value he brings to the table.

Edited August 28, 2014 by caulfield12