Despite being ignorant of the farm system there seems to be one consta

[kitekrazy]

How many future 1B/DH can this organization produce? I interpret it as not being good at catching a baseball. The Tank experiment started at 3B then OF. I often wondered if the glove wasn't there to begin with how much can there be improved at a higher level of baseball? Or is it the quality of instruction is not there?

In the KW era it was all about getting athletes instead of baseball players. There was a lot of bad defense coming out of the minors. Hitting is important but so many other deficient things show up that change a season or post season.

I have no idea what Hahn's philosophies are and Buddy Bell was in charge during the KW era. Is that a good thing? It appear they believe in hone grown pitching but they seem to not be efficient outside of that. If you look at the team's better player, they did not com from the system or they spent very little time in it.

 

[southsider2k5]

The Latin American kids don't get the fundamentals base that the rest of the world gets because their whole outlook on the game is different. There it is a ticket out of the slums, so you want to highlight your hit tool and leave (remember, you don't walk of the island...). American and Japanese kids grow up playing organized ball on teams which require them to play the game at a more complete level.

 

Even a guy like Abreu had just terrible fundamentals at 1B, and had to be broken down and retaught things as basic as the stretch.

[NorthSideSox72]

What makes you think they are making a bunch of 1B/DH types? If anything, the system had a lack of that depth just a year ago. Let's look at the 1B/DH guys in the system that even remotely qualify as worth noting:

 

--Andy Wilkins, who has been a 1B for a long time. He was a 3B, and is supposedly a good defensive 1B. He's a fringe prospect.

--Rangel Ravelo has a serious bat, also a 3B convert and therefore likely to get pretty good at 1B defensively.

--Keon Barnum has been a 1B/DH power guy all along and has serious raw power.

 

And that's it. Who are you talking about?

 

[Señor Ding-Dong]

What makes you think they are making a bunch of 1B/DH types? If anything, the system had a lack of that depth just a year ago. Let's look at the 1B/DH guys in the system that even remotely qualify as worth noting:

 

--Andy Wilkins, who has been a 1B for a long time. He was a 3B, and is supposedly a good defensive 1B. He's a fringe prospect.

--Rangel Ravelo has a serious bat, also a 3B convert and therefore likely to get pretty good at 1B defensively.

--Keon Barnum has been a 1B/DH power guy all along and has serious raw power.

 

And that's it. Who are you talking about?

He's not really a prospect, but another guy that fits that bill is Dan Black.

[Jerksticks]

One could say we really don't produce guys that can hit in general. Forget the defense.

[NorthSideSox72]

He's not really a prospect, but another guy that fits that bill is Dan Black.

Yeah, I was talking about guys with some significantly non-zero shot at the majors. Black was looking maybe like a fringe guy last year, but at this point he's off the radar. I like him and I hope he finds a way, but it is an extreme long shot at this point.

 

[BaconOnAStick]

The AL is moving away from big mashers at DH. They are expensive, they have to be pinch run for, they have zero utility and there doesn't seem to be a ton of year-to-year consistency from the full time DH's.

 

Bring me ballplayers, guys who can play one or multiple positions and play them well. Let the DH spot be used to get our everyday guys off the field the soothe the wear and tear of the season.

[Jim Busby]

The AL is moving away from big mashers at DH. They are expensive, they have to be pinch run for, they have zero utility and there doesn't seem to be a ton of year-to-year consistency from the full time DH's.

 

Bring me ballplayers, guys who can play one or multiple positions and play them well. Let the DH spot be used to get our everyday guys off the field the soothe the wear and tear of the season.

 

This Person really knows Baseball

[caulfield12]

If anything, the complaint should be too many middle/utility infielders in 1-2 above average tools but not the overall package....Leury Garcia, Saladino, Semien, Sanchez, Micah Johnson...and clearly not enough high impact bats.

 

Every organization has 2-3 AAAA/filler guys like Wilkins and Brad Eldred and Dan Black who wouldn't last more than a week or two in the big leagues before getting exposed.

 

 

[NorthSideSox72]

If anything, the complaint should be too many middle/utility infielders in 1-2 above average tools but not the overall package....Leury Garcia, Saladino, Semien, Sanchez, Micah Johnson...and clearly not enough high impact bats.

 

Every organization has 2-3 AAAA/filler guys like Wilkins and Brad Eldred and Dan Black who wouldn't last more than a week or two in the big leagues before getting exposed.

I wouldn't put Wilkins and Black in the same category.

 

[BaconOnAStick]

If anything, the complaint should be too many middle/utility infielders in 1-2 above average tools but not the overall package....Leury Garcia, Saladino, Semien, Sanchez, Micah Johnson...and clearly not enough high impact bats.

 

Every organization has 2-3 AAAA/filler guys like Wilkins and Brad Eldred and Dan Black who wouldn't last more than a week or two in the big leagues before getting exposed.

You are lumping a lot of very different players into the same group.

[kitekrazy]

The AL is moving away from big mashers at DH. They are expensive, they have to be pinch run for, they have zero utility and there doesn't seem to be a ton of year-to-year consistency from the full time DH's.

 

Bring me ballplayers, guys who can play one or multiple positions and play them well. Let the DH spot be used to get our everyday guys off the field the soothe the wear and tear of the season.

 

You have trouble using a DH as trade bait to the NL.

 

[kitekrazy]

What makes you think they are making a bunch of 1B/DH types? If anything, the system had a lack of that depth just a year ago. Let's look at the 1B/DH guys in the system that even remotely qualify as worth noting:

 

--Andy Wilkins, who has been a 1B for a long time. He was a 3B, and is supposedly a good defensive 1B. He's a fringe prospect.

--Rangel Ravelo has a serious bat, also a 3B convert and therefore likely to get pretty good at 1B defensively.

--Keon Barnum has been a 1B/DH power guy all along and has serious raw power.

 

And that's it. Who are you talking about?

 

Two too many in my world.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Two too many in my world.

This is seriously one of the most ridiculous things I've seen posted in this forum. How is having three 1B/DH types with a shot at the majors... a BAD thing? Heck, you'd love to have 4 or 5 or 6, one for each affiliate if you could. Why on EARTH is that bad?

 

[oldsox]

Two too many in my world.

which two?

[kitekrazy]

This is seriously one of the most ridiculous things I've seen posted in this forum. How is having three 1B/DH types with a shot at the majors... a BAD thing? Heck, you'd love to have 4 or 5 or 6, one for each affiliate if you could. Why on EARTH is that bad?

 

Their value for trading is not as high as other positions. You sound like Greg, ridiculous and incredible.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Their value for trading is not as high as other positions. You sound like Greg, ridiculous and incredible.

LOL

 

[Eminor3rd]

Two too many in my world.

 

In the entire system? We have three semi-legitimate 1B prospects across five levels of affiliated baseball, and that's two too many?

 

You krazy, kitekrazy!

[southsider2k5]

Their value for trading is not as high as other positions. You sound like Greg, ridiculous and incredible.

 

The whole "value" thing is out of control. The purpose of the minor leagues is to create major leaguers. Period. That is what the "value" of a minor league system is. Even if you create 3 Adam Dunn's that has value.

[LDF]

 

without taking sides,

 

the value of any farm systems is to get several prospect at each position. if the

sox able to get several leg prospects, then there is a surplus and that is where

trading from strength for missing parts.

 

however not every prospects that you identify will be a sure thing.

[witesoxfan]

Their value for trading is not as high as other positions. You sound like Greg, ridiculous and incredible.

 

So you'd rather have a gaggle of Eduardo Escobars or Cleuluis Rondons playing 1B throughout the minor league system? That seems to essentially be what you're arguing for.

 

Teams do try and find as many versatile and athletic players as possible at prime positions - Dan Black played some catcher, and both Ravelo and Wilkins have played 3B. They have proven to be inadequate at those positions. Someone still has to play 1B, and they liked those guys' bats enough, so they moved them over to 1B. If they didn't like their defense or their bat, they'd be released, not just stowed away at 1B.

 

Every single organization does this.

 

The White Sox 1B depth is fine.

[Boopa1219]

So you'd rather have a gaggle of Eduardo Escobars or Cleuluis Rondons playing 1B throughout the minor league system? That seems to essentially be what you're arguing for.

 

Teams do try and find as many versatile and athletic players as possible at prime positions - Dan Black played some catcher, and both Ravelo and Wilkins have played 3B. They have proven to be inadequate at those positions. Someone still has to play 1B, and they liked those guys' bats enough, so they moved them over to 1B. If they didn't like their defense or their bat, they'd be released, not just stowed away at 1B.

 

Every single organization does this.

 

The White Sox 1B depth is fine.

 

They have depth but not best collection of prospects or a single 'legit' prospect the position.

 

And no, Andy Wilkins does not count.

[witesoxfan]

They have depth but not best collection of prospects or a single 'legit' prospect the position.

 

And no, Andy Wilkins does not count.

 

You are correct in that they do not have a very good prospect that plays 1B in the minors right now (though Wilkins, Ravelo, and Barnum all count as prospects in some light). They did have one last offseason, but their best 1B prospect graduated from prospect status to MLB superstar.

 

Kite was correct in theory that the Sox should not go out drafting guys who are pure 1B prospects unless their hitting tools - meaning bat control and power - are off the charts good, like Prince Fielder. Otherwise, if they don't hit, they really aren't prospects.

 

Frankly, 1B prospects in the minor league systems is like seriously the absolute least of my concerns and almost always will be. Yeah, you need someone who can hit at 1B, but the Sox do have that and, if you don't have a good prospect at 1B but have several in LF, RF, or 3B, you just move them over to 1B.