Sox sign Gordon Beckham, designate Viciedo for Assignment

[BlackSox13]

I don't know that 40 year old Ichiro is any better than Shuck.

... Or can play Cf. The Sox have enough corner outfielders and just dropped one off the roster today. What they really need is someone to backup CF but as someone has already pointed out, that could very well be Bonafacio.

 

Or Brian f***in' Anderson!

[Vance Law]

Wouldn't it have been better just to not bring back Beckham and give that money to Aoki as the back-up?

 

Why in the universe would Aoki have taken a bench job with the Sox? Not even a platoon job.

 

Same goes for whoever suggests throwing $2 million at "some" starting pitcher who would pretty much be guaranteed to start in AAA. Who is that pitcher? Why would they take that job?

[caulfield12]

Why in the universe would Aoki have taken a bench job with the Sox? Not even a platoon job.

 

Same goes for whoever suggests throwing $2 million at "some" starting pitcher who would pretty much be guaranteed to start in AAA. Who is that pitcher? Why would they take that job?

 

 

Well, I would guess the major motivations would be playing for a competitive team and the pretty high likelihood that Garcia, Eaton or Me.Cabrera will end up getting hurt.

[Vance Law]

It also forces Soto onto the roster, because there's just not enough power with Viciedo gone coming from those other 3.

 

Soto may get the job, but he doesn't have more power than Kottaras.

[Vance Law]

Well, I would guess the major motivations would be playing for a competitive team and the pretty high likelihood that Garcia, Eaton or Me.Cabrera will end up getting hurt.

 

He's starting for the Giants now.

[caulfield12]

Soto may get the job, but he doesn't have more power than Kottaras.

 

 

Soto has 92 career homers in 2215 AB's (1 in 24 AB's), .436 career slugging.

 

Kottaras has 32 career homers in 722 AB's (1 in 22.5 AB's), .411 career slugging.

 

 

 

Not as big a difference as one would have thought.

 

If you just go by the 2012-2014 seasons, Kottaras has done extremely well against RHP, .441 SLG and and a 785 OPS, versus Soto's more consistent .370-.380ish SLG and 670ish OPS against RHP and LHP.

 

Soto has the bigger name, of course, and is more acclimated to carrying a heavier workload, but it's not as obvious as it seemed.

 

You could almost argue that Kottaras should be the favorite based on that stat alone. Of course, Kottaras' numbers (and extrapolating them) are MUCH smaller sample sizes.

 

 

Flowers is at .420 SLG vs. LHP vs. .371 vs. RHP, and a 683 OPS vs. a 659 against RHP.

 

So Flowers would play full-time against LHP, and they would split time against righties based on the career match-ups...with Flowers getting 65-70% of at-bats and Kottaras 30-35%.

 

 

Of course, that's not factoring in defense at all...which would give Soto the advantage, overall, but barely.

Edited January 29, 2015 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

He's starting for the Giants now.

 

 

But the Giants are terrible every other season, haha.

 

I actually think they'll struggle a ton without Panda and Morse, Cain's just coming back from injury...and then Hudson and Vogelsong are both nearing the end. Unless Lincecum has an amazing 3rd act/career performance, they're a .500ish club at best.

[Vance Law]

Soto has 92 career homers in 2215 AB's (1 in 24 AB's), .436 career slugging.

 

Kottaras has 32 career homers in 722 AB's (1 in 22.5 AB's), .411 career slugging.

 

 

 

Not as big a difference as one would have thought.

 

If you just go by the 2012-2014 seasons, Kottaras has done extremely well against RHP, .441 SLG and and a 785 OPS, versus Soto's more consistent .370-.380ish SLG and 670ish OPS against RHP and LHP.

 

Soto has the bigger name, of course, and is more acclimated to carrying a heavier workload, but it's not as obvious as it seemed.

 

You could almost argue that Kottaras should be the favorite based on that stat alone. Of course, Kottaras' numbers (and extrapolating them) are MUCH smaller sample sizes.

 

 

Flowers is at .420 SLG vs. LHP vs. .371 vs. RHP, and a 683 OPS vs. a 659 against RHP.

 

So Flowers would play full-time against LHP, and they would split time against righties based on the career match-ups...with Flowers getting 65-70% of at-bats and Kottaras 30-35%.

 

 

Of course, that's not factoring in defense at all...which would give Soto the advantage, overall, but barely.

 

Yeah I agree Soto, with his defense, will get the job if he's healthy. I hope it doesn't mean we have to let Kottaras go because he'd be a nice platoon partner if Flowers or Soto go down.

[thxfrthmmrs]

Soto may get the job, but he doesn't have more power than Kottaras.

 

Soto can spell LaRoche against lefties, Kottaras can't. That's the key.

[jamesdiego]

Maybe this is Beckham's time to finally right his ship on get back on his true Hall of Fame path....

 

 

It's coming......Believe

[caulfield12]

Soto can spell LaRoche against lefties, Kottaras can't. That's the key.

 

 

Have we seen any indication that Ventura's (or Hahn) envisioning a strict platoon system with LaRoche, or just our idea based on the splits?

[ptatc]

I think the Sox are a position where they know Sanchez isn't good enough and they know Micah isn't ready so they're relegating to Beckham.

 

EDIT: Not a true starter, but would anyone be surprised if Beckham and Bonifacio end up getting significant time between 2B/3B? One of them starts against RHP and both against LHP.

I think the idea is more what Hahn said. Ventura now has a veteran bench that he will have confidence in. They also have 2 players that he can slide in the IF positions if someone gets hurt. Young players typically do not make good bench players and now Ventura can use the bench. No one had confidence in Garcia last year.

[ptatc]

Have we seen any indication that Ventura's (or Hahn) envisioning a strict platoon system with LaRoche, or just our idea based on the splits?

They will not do a strict platoon with any players. Just my feeling from comments but Ventura will play this new bench more but it will not be a strict platoon.

[Vance Law]

Soto can spell LaRoche against lefties, Kottaras can't. That's the key.

 

But Kottaras could spell Flowers against righties. LaRoche will play a lot more than Flowers and won't be platooned. He'll get his days off when there's a lefty in there though hopefully.

 

There is also another as yet undetermined bench member to go along with Bonifacio, Beckham, and catcher.

[chitownsportsfan]

They will not do a strict platoon with any players. Just my feeling from comments but Ventura will play this new bench more but it will not be a strict platoon.

 

It's def Robin's make or break year IMO. If he doesn't do SABER style things like play the platoon advantage (backed up by splits, not just some gut feeling) then he's going to be second guess both in the media and the FO imo. Hahn doesn't seem like he's expecting anything other than 85-90 wins this year. If Robin doesn't deliver the axe will fall, as it should, again, imo.

Edited January 29, 2015 by chitownsportsfan

[Reddy]

It's def Robin's make or break year IMO. If he doesn't do SABER style things like play the platoon advantage (backed up by splits, not just some gut feeling) then he's going to be second guess both in the media and the FO imo. Hahn doesn't seem like he's expecting anything other than 85-90 wins this year. If Robin doesn't deliver the axe will fall, as it should, again, imo.

 

I don't think any of this is true.

[BigHurt3515]

It's def Robin's make or break year IMO. If he doesn't do SABER style things like play the platoon advantage (backed up by splits, not just some gut feeling) then he's going to be second guess both in the media and the FO imo. Hahn doesn't seem like he's expecting anything other than 85-90 wins this year. If Robin doesn't deliver the axe will fall, as it should, again, imo.

 

I feel like Robin is going to have too much to think about in terms of lineups and when to use who and where. I love the versatility this team has but I am not sure if Robin can handle it to be honest.

[Reddy]

I'm optimistic about the team and this year. Totally. But that said, those of you thinking about upper 80s to 90 wins are - in my mind - completely out of touch with reality.

 

BP is projecting 78 wins, and while we usually beat PECOTA by an average of 7 wins/season, that STILL only puts us at 85 wins. Things would have to swing astronomically in the right direction for us to be in the playoff picture. 5 more wins is a lot to get out of this lineup/pitching staff. Not impossible - it happened in '05 - but unlikely.

 

I don't think there's any world in which Robin gets fired this year UNLESS the team does worse than last year, which I also don't see happening.

 

Side note. Gordon Beckham is a better baseball player than Emilio Bonafacio, so in that regard, I like the move.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Reddy

[Lemon_44]

Just when I thought I would never have to see Adam Dunn or Gordon Beckham take another AB in a Sox uni, they do this. If Hahn wanted to give away $2 million dollars, I would have gladly accepted it.

[witesoxfan]

Just when I thought I would never have to see Adam Dunn or Gordon Beckham take another AB in a Sox uni, they do this. If Hahn wanted to give away $2 million dollars, I would have gladly accepted it.

 

Hows your defense at 3B? Can you handle a 120 mph line drive?

[Kyyle23]

Bruce Levine just called Beckham a great defensive player, quite possibly one of the greatest defensive players in the league(he didnt really clarify if he meant at second or just overall). If you dont believe me listen to the Mully and Hanley podcast between 6:00AM and 6:30AM

[Chicago White Sox]

If used appropriately, I think this is a solid move. I was high on Saladino as a reserve infielder, but there's nothing wrong with having some depth in AAA. I'm guessing he'll get a shot at some point this season, whether due to injury or another player's lack of performance. And this should definitely keep Luery Garcia off the roster and allow him to get consistent ABs in AAA.

 

The only downside to this is we now have less resources to use towards a 4th OF, which I think should be a fairly big concern for us. We really don't have much depth at the position in the minors. Maybe Trayce Thompson finally figures out how to hit to some extent and can become a quality 4th OF, but that seems like a long-shot. Michael Taylor really doesn't do anything for me either. Right now, it seems like Shuck pretty much has the job without a legit competitor. Given his track record, I find that to be very worrisome. We're pretty much f***ed if any of our OFs go down for an extended period of time.

[caulfield12]

"Jared Mitchell has really positioned himself well to make a strong impact in the 2015 campaign."

 

Buddy Bell

[Al Lopez's Ghost]

Bruce Levine just called Beckham a great defensive player, quite possibly one of the greatest defensive players in the league(he didnt really clarify if he meant at second or just overall). If you dont believe me listen to the Mully and Hanley podcast between 6:00AM and 6:30AM

Beckham, used properly, is a fine addition.

But Levine?

Levine is a great analyst, quite possibly one of the greatest analysts in the league. Now, where's that green button?

[oldsox]

Soto can spell LaRoche against lefties, Kottaras can't. That's the key.

Can Soto hit lefties any better than Viciedo? I don't think so. This whole Beckham/Viciedo charade is crazy. Hahn is taking a big chance here. If LaRoche doesn't hit this year, if he turns into an old guy real fast, if he is the 2015 version of Adam Dunn, Sox are in trouble. Viciedo at least represented a RH DH alternative, now it's Soto? Sox are now a weaker team than they were a week ago, and we take back Gordo to clog up the infield even more? Where does this leave Bontifacio and all his speed? If Hahn wants to use Gordo as a RH third baseman because Gillaspie can't hit lefties, why didn't he do that last year? Sorry, I don't get it. Looks like a Forrest Gump move to me.