The LaRoche article dug up from 2015

[Dick Allen]

The La Roche signing didn't make sense. We went and got a good First Baseman, where we already had someone else incumbent in the position.

 

The sense move would have been to have Wilkins still on the 40 man and playing in AAA in case Abreu went on the DL and Gillaspie as back up 1st baseman and bring in a proper DH such as Butler or Morales.

 

The problem happened when Gillaspie had a poor year and La Roche had a poor year, then all of a sudden we were forced to release Gillaspie in order to bring up Saladino as we had no player on the roster with options as Bonaficio and Beckham wasting away in roster spots they had no right to be in.

 

Our roster construction was flawed and La Roche was brought in to play a position that a) he didn't want to play and b) he had never played before. He suffered, we suffered and it all went to pot.

So LaRoche made no sense, but a guy who hit .140 with 22 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances and has traveled to Toro nto, LAD, Baltimore, and Seattle minor league systems the last year, did.

[southsider2k5]

I actually think LaRoche is a good bounce back candidate. The problem with having LaRoche is that Melky is in the OF rather than DH

 

Totally agree. Between the move to the AL, and the move to DH, plus a nagging injury, I think LaRoche could go back to normal this season.

[glangon]

So LaRoche made no sense, but a guy who hit .140 with 22 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances and has traveled to Toro nto, LAD, Baltimore, and Seattle minor league systems the last year, did.

 

Read the post.

 

Wilkins to AAA ready to come up if there was an injury.

 

Sign a proper DH.

 

There was no reason to cut Wilkins, he had just hit for a ton of homers in AAA. Ok, he struggled when he first came up, look at Konerko, Konerko struggled when he came into the majors. Hit .217 with 40 strikeouts in 75 PA with the dodgers in his 1st season and .215 with 30 strikeouts in 49 plate appearances in his 2nd season.

 

Wilkins showed power, we could have kept him around.

[southsider2k5]

Read the post.

 

Wilkins to AAA ready to come up if there was an injury.

 

Sign a proper DH.

 

There was no reason to cut Wilkins, he had just hit for a ton of homers in AAA. Ok, he struggled when he first came up, look at Konerko, Konerko struggled when he came into the majors. Hit .217 with 40 strikeouts in 75 PA with the dodgers in his 1st season and .215 with 30 strikeouts in 49 plate appearances in his 2nd season.

 

Wilkins showed power, we could have kept him around.

 

Wilkins really isn't that good. He is a classic 4A player, and the White Sox aren't the only team that feels that judging by how many systems he has just bounced through.

[glangon]

Wilkins really isn't that good. He is a classic 4A player, and the White Sox aren't the only team that feels that judging by how many systems he has just bounced through.

 

He couldn't have been any worse than La Roche was.

 

I just feel we went in the wrong direction last year.

 

Too many veterans and not enough options.

 

I spent 2 months praying for an injury last season so that we could see someone different come up.

 

I don't think we gave Wilkins enough time, how can you judge Wilkins to be a classic 4A player after 45 plate appearances.

 

By your logic Jim Thome was a classic 4A player with his .205 and 34 strikeouts in 131 plate appearances in his second season or Jose Bautista with his .205 average, 40 strikeouts in 96 plate appearances.

 

There are loads of examples of players who struggled when they first came up, to judge a guy as a classic 4A player after 45 plate appearances is harsh.

 

 

[Y2Jimmy0]

He couldn't have been any worse than La Roche was.

 

I just feel we went in the wrong direction last year.

 

Too many veterans and not enough options.

 

I spent 2 months praying for an injury last season so that we could see someone different come up.

 

I don't think we gave Wilkins enough time, how can you judge Wilkins to be a classic 4A player after 45 plate appearances.

 

By your logic Jim Thome was a classic 4A player with his .205 and 34 strikeouts in 131 plate appearances in his second season or Jose Bautista with his .205 average, 40 strikeouts in 96 plate appearances.

 

There are loads of examples of players who struggled when they first came up, to judge a guy as a classic 4A player after 45 plate appearances is harsh.

 

 

He absolutely could have and would have been worse than LaRoche was. Wilkins sucks and will soon be playing in Japan.

[southsider2k5]

He couldn't have been any worse than La Roche was.

 

I just feel we went in the wrong direction last year.

 

Too many veterans and not enough options.

 

I spent 2 months praying for an injury last season so that we could see someone different come up.

 

I don't think we gave Wilkins enough time, how can you judge Wilkins to be a classic 4A player after 45 plate appearances.

 

By your logic Jim Thome was a classic 4A player with his .205 and 34 strikeouts in 131 plate appearances in his second season or Jose Bautista with his .205 average, 40 strikeouts in 96 plate appearances.

 

There are loads of examples of players who struggled when they first came up, to judge a guy as a classic 4A player after 45 plate appearances is harsh.

 

There is more to this than just the statistics. There is also some scouting going on here. If anyone really thought that Andy Wilkins had 30 homer major league power, along with a decent BA, he wouldn't have gone trough half a dozen organizations in less than a year.

 

[cabiness42]

Nobody is going to trade for LaRoche. I'll repeat it every day this thread has life if necessary.

 

[LDF]

The La Roche signing didn't make sense. We went and got a good First Baseman, where we already had someone else incumbent in the position.

 

The sense move would have been to have Wilkins still on the 40 man and playing in AAA in case Abreu went on the DL and Gillaspie as back up 1st baseman and bring in a proper DH such as Butler or Morales.

 

The problem happened when Gillaspie had a poor year and La Roche had a poor year, then all of a sudden we were forced to release Gillaspie in order to bring up Saladino as we had no player on the roster with options as Bonaficio and Beckham wasting away in roster spots they had no right to be in.

 

Our roster construction was flawed and La Roche was brought in to play a position that a) he didn't want to play and b) he had never played before. He suffered, we suffered and it all went to pot.

 

to look back and to rehash what went right or what didn't, well it will not accomplish anything. when things started to go wrong, man it really went wrong. prob put this team and org back several yrs and with the success of the northside, even further.

 

the theory of whom ever suggested the signing of bona and laroche, meaning kw or hahn the theory was sound. it just didn't work, now the org is laden with an unmovable contract in laroche.

[LDF]

Totally agree. Between the move to the AL, and the move to DH, plus a nagging injury, I think LaRoche could go back to normal this season.

 

and you think this is a good gamble to make, so the sox should not address any improvement in this particular position???

 

the salary is committed to, but it still doesn't mean the sox can not improve that position.

[glangon]

There is more to this than just the statistics. There is also some scouting going on here. If anyone really thought that Andy Wilkins had 30 homer major league power, along with a decent BA, he wouldn't have gone trough half a dozen organizations in less than a year.

 

He went through the organisations that he did because he was blocked by All-Star MLB talent.

 

Toronto - he had Bautista and Encarnacion ahead of him and was DFA'd to free up roster room.

 

Dodgers - He had Gonzalez ahead of him and was DFA'd to make room for Corey Seager

 

Orioles - DFA'd him after picking up Hoes. Had him for 2 months.

 

Mariners - DFA'd him after picking up Lind.

 

He's available at the moment. I reckon we pick him up on a minor league deal with an invite to Spring training ready to come in when we eventually DFA La Roche.

 

His stats last year was .251 with 18 homers and 79 RBI's in AAA.

[NorthSideSox72]

He went through the organisations that he did because he was blocked by All-Star MLB talent.

 

Toronto - he had Bautista and Encarnacion ahead of him and was DFA'd to free up roster room.

 

Dodgers - He had Gonzalez ahead of him and was DFA'd to make room for Corey Seager

 

Orioles - DFA'd him after picking up Hoes. Had him for 2 months.

 

Mariners - DFA'd him after picking up Lind.

 

He's available at the moment. I reckon we pick him up on a minor league deal with an invite to Spring training ready to come in when we eventually DFA La Roche.

 

His stats last year was .251 with 18 homers and 79 RBI's in AAA.

 

The White Sox already have two 1B's in Abreu and LaRoche. They also have plenty of guys to DH if needed. And they'll have Danny Hayes in AAA this year, who doesn't have Wilkins' power (yet) but is a better hitter and gets on base more often. Wilkins serves no purpose for the White Sox right now.

 

[southsider2k5]

He went through the organisations that he did because he was blocked by All-Star MLB talent.

 

Toronto - he had Bautista and Encarnacion ahead of him and was DFA'd to free up roster room.

 

Dodgers - He had Gonzalez ahead of him and was DFA'd to make room for Corey Seager

 

Orioles - DFA'd him after picking up Hoes. Had him for 2 months.

 

Mariners - DFA'd him after picking up Lind.

 

He's available at the moment. I reckon we pick him up on a minor league deal with an invite to Spring training ready to come in when we eventually DFA La Roche.

 

His stats last year was .251 with 18 homers and 79 RBI's in AAA.

 

Guys who have a legitimate and believable MLB power bat aren't getting cut that many times. Even if they had studs in front of them, they are assets which can be traded. No one in MLB thinks the guy is worth keeping except as maybe the last guy on their 40 man roster. Look at all of the garbage players on the 40 man rosters of those teams, and tell me why none of them could make room for a guy with 30 homer talent... The reason, he doesn't have that talent at the major league level.

 

[southsider2k5]

and you think this is a good gamble to make, so the sox should not address any improvement in this particular position???

 

the salary is committed to, but it still doesn't mean the sox can not improve that position.

 

I think the LaRoche hate is overdone. They have more important things to worry about fixing.

[ChiSox59]

He went through the organisations that he did because he was blocked by All-Star MLB talent.

 

Toronto - he had Bautista and Encarnacion ahead of him and was DFA'd to free up roster room.

 

Dodgers - He had Gonzalez ahead of him and was DFA'd to make room for Corey Seager

 

Orioles - DFA'd him after picking up Hoes. Had him for 2 months.

 

Mariners - DFA'd him after picking up Lind.

 

He's available at the moment. I reckon we pick him up on a minor league deal with an invite to Spring training ready to come in when we eventually DFA La Roche.

 

His stats last year was .251 with 18 homers and 79 RBI's in AAA.

 

What is your obsession with Wilkins??

[LDF]

I think the LaRoche hate is overdone. They have more important things to worry about fixing.

 

let me understand this more clearly,

 

are you saying that i have a laroche hate???? b/c if you do, you are wrong, i was for this signing, if nothing else, in other words, if the sox couldn't get anyone else, then yes he could have been a fall back.

 

well, it failed. ok, but the sox will not explore any other moves or improvements unless some contract relief comes in. the sox tried to trade him and failed.

 

i am more disgusted at the sox FO for not moving on and continue to improve this team. so what the sox will have to eat this contract, who cares the sox will see if he rebounds, they the sox need to continue the improvements.

[southsider2k5]

let me understand this more clearly,

 

are you saying that i have a laroche hate???? b/c if you do, you are wrong, i was for this signing, if nothing else, in other words, if the sox couldn't get anyone else, then yes he could have been a fall back.

 

well, it failed. ok, but the sox will not explore any other moves or improvements unless some contract relief comes in. the sox tried to trade him and failed.

 

i am more disgusted at the sox FO for not moving on and continue to improve this team. so what the sox will have to eat this contract, who cares the sox will see if he rebounds, they the sox need to continue the improvements.

 

I can't count the ways that this post is wrong.

 

LaRoche is a sunk cost, and no one else wants him. You literally have nothing to lose, and a 30 homer guy to gain if he can get back to where he was before. LaRoche has a myriad of things going against him last year, and is a prime bounceback candidate. If he still doesn't hit, you can cut him later. Once you cut him, you can't get him back.

 

This team is continuing to try to improve. Just because LaRoche hasn't been cut quick enough for you, doesn't disqualify the other improvements the team has already made this winter. They are already better at 3b and C. They are also still trying to bring in another bat.

 

[LDF]

I can't count the ways that this post is wrong.

 

LaRoche is a sunk cost, and no one else wants him. You literally have nothing to lose, and a 30 homer guy to gain if he can get back to where he was before. LaRoche has a myriad of things going against him last year, and is a prime bounceback candidate. If he still doesn't hit, you can cut him later. Once you cut him, you can't get him back.

 

This team is continuing to try to improve. Just because LaRoche hasn't been cut quick enough for you, doesn't disqualify the other improvements the team has already made this winter. They are already better at 3b and C. They are also still trying to bring in another bat.

 

bold #1 - i agree and i have stated that.

bold #2 - so should the sox not try to improve that position, there is no guarantee he will bounce back and for me, too much of a gamble esp if the sox do nothing else.

bold #3 - he is a pro player of how many yrs???? and he needs to be babied.

bold #4 - i never said nor implied of cutting him. i am saying to continue improving this team.

bold #5 - continuing to improve. you are making a generalization here or are hoping. until something else is done, there is no proof anything else is forth coming until it happens.

 

so unless you have the in"s with the FO you, just like all of us are hoping that they will continue to improve.

 

[southsider2k5]

bold #1 - i agree and i have stated that.

bold #2 - so should the sox not try to improve that position, there is no guarantee he will bounce back and for me, too much of a gamble esp if the sox do nothing else.

bold #3 - he is a pro player of how many yrs???? and he needs to be babied.

bold #4 - i never said nor implied of cutting him. i am saying to continue improving this team.

bold #5 - continuing to improve. you are making a generalization here or are hoping. until something else is done, there is no proof anything else is forth coming until it happens.

 

so unless you have the in"s with the FO you, just like all of us are hoping that they will continue to improve.

 

You are saying "continue improving this team", while ignoring that the team is doing exactly that. As I said previously they have improved at C and 3B, and are still looking to improve in other places. The proof in that is both in the team statements, and in the rumors that keep popping up with the Sox name in them.

 

Centering the argument that LaRoche's status somehow means the team isn't trying to improve is 100% WRONG.

 

[LDF]

You are saying "continue improving this team", while ignoring that the team is doing exactly that. As I said previously they have improved at C and 3B, and are still looking to improve in other places. The proof in that is both in the team statements, and in the rumors that keep popping up with the Sox name in them.

 

Centering the argument that LaRoche's status somehow means the team isn't trying to improve is 100% WRONG.

 

i have never said anything of what the sox have done, already. geeze.

 

i am saying i will wait to see if they continue to improve, via the FO statement of on 20 mil to spend.

 

and pls quit trying to put words into my mouth so you can get a long anger feed thread going. i never said b/c of laroche contract, the sox shouldn't improve. actually you implied that but, "oh he is a good bounce back project"

 

it is you who would not do anything b/c he is a bounce back player.

 

i am saying who cares, improve that position anyway.

 

smell the bull s*** you are shoveling.

[hogan873]

I think we're at the point now that we can figure on LaRoche being a part of the White Sox in 2016. And as others have said, he is a perfect bounce back candidate. Even after his horrible 2015 season, he's still a .260 career hitter. I'm not saying that he gets back to that, but if he hit .240+ with 20+ HRs while playing a decent 1st base at times, I'll take it.

 

Compared to his career numbers, 2015 stands out as an outlier, no question. There's more going for him to return to more career-like numbers than to repeat 2015.

 

All that being said, I would imagine (and hope) that Hahn will still look to add a big bat by shifting some of the cost to beyond 2016 when LaRoche and Danks come off the books.

[LDF]

I think we're at the point now that we can figure on LaRoche being a part of the White Sox in 2016. And as others have said, he is a perfect bounce back candidate. Even after his horrible 2015 season, he's still a .260 career hitter. I'm not saying that he gets back to that, but if he hit .240+ with 20+ HRs while playing a decent 1st base at times, I'll take it.

 

Compared to his career numbers, 2015 stands out as an outlier, no question. There's more going for him to return to more career-like numbers than to repeat 2015.

 

All that being said, I would imagine (and hope) that Hahn will still look to add a big bat by shifting some of the cost to beyond 2016 when LaRoche and Danks come off the books.

 

you may have a good point, i would still find if anything a platoon player, just in case he doesn't get any better.

[southsider2k5]

i have never said anything of what the sox have done, already. geeze.

 

i am saying i will wait to see if they continue to improve, via the FO statement of on 20 mil to spend.

 

and pls quit trying to put words into my mouth so you can get a long anger feed thread going. i never said b/c of laroche contract, the sox shouldn't improve. actually you implied that but, "oh he is a good bounce back project"

 

it is you who would not do anything b/c he is a bounce back player.

 

i am saying who cares, improve that position anyway.

 

smell the bull s*** you are shoveling.

 

Honestly, I think the problem is I have no idea what you are saying in these posts, because I see you're contradicting everything I think you say in the next one. I give up.

[LDF]

Honestly, I think the problem is I have no idea what you are saying in these posts, because I see you're contradicting everything I think you say in the next one. I give up.

 

good b/c it doesn't become you to berate me on some really petty B/S. going to the can't understand card and contradiction.

 

i have yet to contradict anything in what i have said. believe me and if not, who cares. i never knew you to be like this contradiction stuff.

 

 

[lasttriptotulsa]

good b/c it doesn't become you to berate me on some really petty B/S. going to the can't understand card and contradiction.

 

i have yet to contradict anything in what i have said. believe me and if not, who cares. i never knew you to be like this contradiction stuff.

 

You contradict yourself all the time. Not just in the this thread.