So let's talk about the real change this year...

[cabiness42]

Peter Gammons ‏@pgammo 2h2 hours ago

 

Individual Def Runs Saved Leaders:Eaton,Ahmed,3.14scotty

 

[caulfield12]

 

There was a really good article on John Farrell (can't find the link now) and how he needs an analytics/game-management bench coach, and how these "second managers" often don't necessarily have the requisite set of skills to be the head guy, but are often actually utilized for "managers in waiting/training" like Lovullo in Boston.

 

With the White Sox, you'd have to at least partially attribute the return to 2012 style of play (defensively) to Rich Renteria.

 

To me, the biggest one is Jackson/Eaton and then Melky at least being passable, which is 10X better than Avi last year (minus robbing a home run in July against the Yankees and a number of good throws). The most pleasantly surprising thing has been his arm strength and accuracy, which we rarely saw in CF for some reason.

 

Frazier's clearly better, Rollins/Saladino a slight upgrade over Alexei last year, Lawrie's been better than expected (although still perhaps a notch below Sanchez, still much better than Micah, who pulled down overall positional numbers), Abreu's been mostly a non-issue (Sands has gotten more attention)....then we can argue pitch framing and Flowers vs. the veterans we have now, but at least both those guys tend to be stronger leaders, which is what we've been lacking in that clubhouse (of course, it's harder to be a leader if you're not playing well or hurt).

[Lillian]

There was a really good article on John Farrell (can't find the link now) and how he needs an analytics/game-management bench coach, and how these "second managers" often don't necessarily have the requisite set of skills to be the head guy, but are often actually utilized for "managers in waiting/training" like Lovullo in Boston.

 

With the White Sox, you'd have to at least partially attribute the return to 2012 style of play (defensively) to Rich Renteria.

 

To me, the biggest one is Jackson/Eaton and then Melky at least being passable, which is 10X better than Avi last year (minus robbing a home run in July against the Yankees and a number of good throws). The most pleasantly surprising thing has been his arm strength and accuracy, which we rarely saw in CF for some reason.

 

Frazier's clearly better, Rollins/Saladino a slight upgrade over Alexei last year, Lawrie's been better than expected (although still perhaps a notch below Sanchez, still much better than Micah, who pulled down overall positional numbers), Abreu's been mostly a non-issue (Sands has gotten more attention)....then we can argue pitch framing and Flowers vs. the veterans we have now, but at least both those guys tend to be stronger leaders, which is what we've been lacking in that clubhouse (of course, it's harder to be a leader if you're not playing well or hurt).

 

Isn't the shoulder problem, for which Eaton had the surgery, the reason he didn't have the same arm last year?

[caulfield12]

Isn't the shoulder problem, for which Eaton had the surgery, the reason he didn't have the same arm last year?

 

It was his left shoulder, October last year...he and Aaron Hicks might have futures pitching, especially Hicks.

[GreenSox]

Frazier's clearly better, Rollins/Saladino a slight upgrade over Alexei last year, Lawrie's been better than expected (although still perhaps a notch below Sanchez, still much better than Micah, who pulled down overall positional numbers), Abreu's been mostly a non-issue (Sands has gotten more attention)....then we can argue pitch framing and Flowers vs. the veterans we have now, but at least both those guys tend to be stronger leaders, which is what we've been lacking in that clubhouse (of course, it's harder to be a leader if you're not playing well or hurt).

I haven't seen a drop of in our pitching due to the loss of Flowers' pitch-framing; and I was tired of looking at him, so I'm good with the change.

 

Yes, the big improvement is Eaton>>>>>>>>Avi and Jackson>>>>> Eaton

[caulfield12]

Also, as many writers have started to pick up on...."pitch framing" can quickly be turned from an advantage to a disadvantage in the sense that umpires (who are very sensitive about being "tricked" by catchers into calling strikes that should have been balls on pitch trax) have started to really notice and study these numbers, and so many of the more famous ones (it started with Russell Martin, then Cervelli in PITT) are actually getting hosed in an effort to correct or over-correct for this particular statistic. It's all balancing out and no longer the "difference maker" it might have been considered 2-3 years ago because EVERYONE is aware by now, especially the umps.

[OmarComing25]

Also, as many writers have started to pick up on...."pitch framing" can quickly be turned from an advantage to a disadvantage in the sense that umpires (who are very sensitive about being "tricked" by catchers into calling strikes that should have been balls on pitch trax) have started to really notice and study these numbers, and so many of the more famous ones (it started with Russell Martin, then Cervelli in PITT) are actually getting hosed in an effort to correct or over-correct for this particular statistic. It's all balancing out and no longer the "difference maker" it might have been considered 2-3 years ago because EVERYONE is aware by now, especially the umps.

I'm a still a bit skeptical of the stat anyway, because it ignores the role umps and pitchers play. Do you think Maddux got all those strike calls because his catcher framed them for him?

[justBLAZE]

I remember when we got Lawrie and we thought he will be Sox third baseman before we got Frazier.

 

I remember reading comments like he also could play 2B. He's been pretty damn good out there, def not a liability.

[southsider2k5]

I remember when we got Lawrie and we thought he will be Sox third baseman before we got Frazier.

 

I remember reading comments like he also could play 2B. He's been pretty damn good out there, def not a liability.

 

I think Lawrie has actually better than Sanchez was. Their range has been pretty similar in my eyes, but Lawrie has an absolute cannon for an arm. Sanchez didn't have the throw going up the middle. Lawrie makes it look routine.

[bmags]

I think Lawrie has actually better than Sanchez was. Their range has been pretty similar in my eyes, but Lawrie has an absolute cannon for an arm. Sanchez didn't have the throw going up the middle. Lawrie makes it look routine.

 

I have felt the same. There has not been a play to Lawrie this season where I've thought "Sanchez would have had that", to the extent that Sanchez is better, it is luckily very small.

 

It's also just really nice to be able to have 3 3rd baseman on the roster to spell Frazier as a DH or bench player.

 

Again, this is where Leury is attractive to me in that he can be a 2b and OF. Would love if we traded for a blum type to give us more versatility than Shuck/Sands.

[asindc]

I haven't seen a drop of in our pitching due to the loss of Flowers' pitch-framing; and I was tired of looking at him, so I'm good with the change.

 

Yes, the big improvement is Eaton>>>>>>>>Avi and Jackson>>>>> Eaton

 

My sentiments also. Flowers did so many other things subpar that his framing could not possibly justify not trying another option at C.

[fathom]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChuckGarfien/sta...804647420252160

[Kalapse]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChuckGarfien/sta...804647420252160

When I checked yesterday I swear he was at 10 DRS.

[bmags]

Baltimore has a bunch of guys who hit the ball hard and put pressure on defense, not surprised d has had issues this weekend. Hope today we see a clean game behind Chris