NP: ADAM COLE BAY-BAY!!!!!!!
So in part 1, I went over the history of the last decade of the Chicago White Sox and everything that led up to this season. To summarize, The Sox spent a lot of effort revamping their development system to have a farm that can bring up competent players on a regular basis. With that, the team would have to take some lumps along the way. Starting this season.
That said, this year, there were no expectations of this team. Nothing was on the line for the coaches or the players. Just play ball. The team that was coming out on the field... wasn't going to be good. Not in the... "we're throwing these games" type of way... but they signed bad players, had young players that didn't have high expectations, and just basically putting on band-aids for the next up coming seasons as the youth grows and right free agents get signed.
But you know what happened? They became a fun team to watch, they were loose, they were having fun and whether they won or lost, they knew there wasn't any pressure to do any better.
Some highlights:
Avisail Garcia. Those who know me, know that I just did. not. like. him. He came from a trade for Jake Peavy several years ago. Touted with the nick name of "Little Miggy" (after the great hitter Miguel Cabrera) he showed none of the power or speed they claimed he had, his defense was awful and he spent most of 2014 injured. While I have no problems with the original trade, Avisail just frustrated the shit out of me. This year though, he became an actual baseball player! Made the All-Star squad, an over 4.5 WAR... will probably garner a couple MVP votes (top 10 for sure). Bad season aside, its nice to see a player that is supposed to be good.... BE good.
Yolmer "Carlos" Sanchez. Not in the same vein as Garcia, since Sanchez wasn't supposed to be a top tier player... but he performed his balls off this season. Especially on defense. As a utility player, he showed a lot of heart, wanting to play. He won't be an All Star or anything, but one of the fun players to watch!
Tommy Kahnle & Anthony Swarzak. Before the two of them were traded near the deadline, they were contributing from the bullpen. Where as the rest of the pitching staff was sort of a mess, these two were reliable and fun to watch. Also, they were moved for younger players that can contribute for longer!
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The Sox also started bringing some of the previously mentioned youngsters up to start getting them in front of major league players to start seeing how they really are:
Yoan Moncada The unspoken Crown Jewel of the Sox farm system. Was already the #1 prospect when the Sox traded for him and stayed that way all the way to when he was called up. It's funny that a lot of people think patience is just a Guns N Roses song, as Moncada didn't really hit the ground running and was struggling for a while. HOWEVER, he was drawing walks, he was working counts and he was learning. He was struggling with a .150ish BA for a long time... but will be finishing with a .235ish BA, an OBP of like a billion (.341) and a SLG of .417. All said and done, a WAR of about 1.8 isn't bad for a guy getting his first GOOD look at the majors (He had some playing time last year in Boston, but not a lot to judge from.) He'll break camp in 2018 and will look to really punish pitchers.
Reynaldo Lopez. The first of 2 pitchers called up. Lopez finishes the season looking very promising. He wasn't impressive, but there is still plenty of time to throw like he did in the minors. He should be one heck of a contributor.
Lucas Giolito Giolito, like his Nationals teammate above, was solid, but nothing too impressive. And like Lopez, that doesn't mean anything one way or another... its a positive in a sense... as not being bad... is good! Him and Lopez should more than likely break camp in 2018, so we'll see plenty of these dudes next season.
Other young players seeing significant major league time for the first time: Nicky Delmonico, Matt Davidson & Kevan Smith
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The Sox will be finishing up their season this weekend and won't be playing past October 1, well below .500, which is fine. This season was a step in the right direction, letting the youngsters develop, and developing well... look at Eloy Jimenez! The team didn't contend, so there wasn't any panic moves, Hahn stayed the course and the Sox will be looking at a top 5 pick in this upcoming draft, which is supposed to be one of the more deeper drafts in a long time, meaning, there's a LOT of high end quality players that can, and should be drafted. That's a different story for a different post.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Friday, September 29, 2017
The Chicago White Sox 2017 Season Part 1: The Background
NP: Going back and forth with Bang Camaro and Barbarian Overlords. Seriously, listen to both of them, the best rock of the East Coast with the best rock of the West Coast. Here, I'll make it easy: Barbarian Overlords - The Harvester & Bang Camaro - Revolution
The 2017 MLB Season is coming to a close and like predicted, the Chicago White Sox did not have a great season... and that's a good thing. Wait, what? How, why, where?!??!
Let's take a quick trip backwards. The White Sox won the World Series in 2005, 12 years ago, and made the playoffs in 2008, 9 years ago. Since 2008 the Sox haven't even sniffed a Wild Card spot. This is mostly due to the front office, lead by then GM, Kenny Williams. KW's approach ran like your traditional/stereotypical GM of the late 90's/Early 00's... where the farm system wasn't important and the middling players you can sign for cheap were "going to pay off." It worked in 2005 as a bunch of mid-level players peaked at the same time, but it becomes apparent how hard it is to continue to catch lightning in a bottle like that on a consistent basis. So KW would make weird trades to get old baseball players... REALLY decimating the farm, and generally not improving the team. KW had the old school approach, so as the "Moneyball*" approach became popular, KW ignored the benefits.
A switch was necessary and vital for the future of the Sox, so in walks Rick Hahn and after a stint as ASS GM (LOL) he gets the nod to take KW's spot in 2012 (Between 2012 season and 2013 season). His impact was not immediate, but there was a sense of a change in direction. Hahn spent a lot of time trying to uproot the scouting and developmental system, which KW gleefully ignored. Building the team within is what he was focusing on... getting smart about drafting and putting together a good system peaked this past off-season (up to the 2017 Non-Waiver draft deadline) as Hahn put together some trades that knocked the sox off (LOL) everyone! First was top tier pitcher Chris Sale being Shipped to Boston (Woah-oh-oh) for a boat load of young prospects/talent. Led by Yoan Moncada, the #1 prospect in all of baseball, and supplemented with top level pitching prospect Michael Kopech and lottery tickets Luis Alexander Basbae & Victor Diaz. This is the trade most GM's would have stopped at, but Hahn wasn't done yet.
Only a few days later, Hahn sent OF Adam Eaton to the Nationals for Top 10 prospect Lucas Giolito, and top prospects Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning. For 2 current baseball players, Hahn received 7 minor league players that were considered some of the best. As the season went along, Hahn also traded for elite prospects Eloy Jimenez and Blake Rutherford (and others). Basically taking the farm system, and shoving a bunch of crop enhancers in it, to make sure everyone succeeds. You can take most of the Sox prospects that are in the back end of their top 10, and they would be in the top 5 of probably 70% of other team's systems... that's how solid it is. Meanwhile, continuing to draft baseball players, rather than athletes that KW was drawn towards. With his more business oriented background, Hahn was able to see the benefit in investing for the future.
So this ended up being a lot longer than I thought, so this is going to be Part 1. I'll have a part 2 for sure, with the actually Season in review.
*The Moneyball approach isn't exactly ADVANCED STATISTICS like a lot of people like to believe. I can write a whole post about it. But simply, It's idea is that you find something that no one else is focusing on, and investing in it, to take advantage. Example, in the early 2000's, it was all about power, and dingers and all that... not much to be invested in players that took walks. Beane was able to sign players that had high OBP for the cheap because they weren't sought after. Biggity Bam, A's win 20 games in a row, en route to a 100+ win season (this doesn't seem as impressive with what the Indians did :) )
The 2017 MLB Season is coming to a close and like predicted, the Chicago White Sox did not have a great season... and that's a good thing. Wait, what? How, why, where?!??!
Let's take a quick trip backwards. The White Sox won the World Series in 2005, 12 years ago, and made the playoffs in 2008, 9 years ago. Since 2008 the Sox haven't even sniffed a Wild Card spot. This is mostly due to the front office, lead by then GM, Kenny Williams. KW's approach ran like your traditional/stereotypical GM of the late 90's/Early 00's... where the farm system wasn't important and the middling players you can sign for cheap were "going to pay off." It worked in 2005 as a bunch of mid-level players peaked at the same time, but it becomes apparent how hard it is to continue to catch lightning in a bottle like that on a consistent basis. So KW would make weird trades to get old baseball players... REALLY decimating the farm, and generally not improving the team. KW had the old school approach, so as the "Moneyball*" approach became popular, KW ignored the benefits.
A switch was necessary and vital for the future of the Sox, so in walks Rick Hahn and after a stint as ASS GM (LOL) he gets the nod to take KW's spot in 2012 (Between 2012 season and 2013 season). His impact was not immediate, but there was a sense of a change in direction. Hahn spent a lot of time trying to uproot the scouting and developmental system, which KW gleefully ignored. Building the team within is what he was focusing on... getting smart about drafting and putting together a good system peaked this past off-season (up to the 2017 Non-Waiver draft deadline) as Hahn put together some trades that knocked the sox off (LOL) everyone! First was top tier pitcher Chris Sale being Shipped to Boston (Woah-oh-oh) for a boat load of young prospects/talent. Led by Yoan Moncada, the #1 prospect in all of baseball, and supplemented with top level pitching prospect Michael Kopech and lottery tickets Luis Alexander Basbae & Victor Diaz. This is the trade most GM's would have stopped at, but Hahn wasn't done yet.
Only a few days later, Hahn sent OF Adam Eaton to the Nationals for Top 10 prospect Lucas Giolito, and top prospects Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning. For 2 current baseball players, Hahn received 7 minor league players that were considered some of the best. As the season went along, Hahn also traded for elite prospects Eloy Jimenez and Blake Rutherford (and others). Basically taking the farm system, and shoving a bunch of crop enhancers in it, to make sure everyone succeeds. You can take most of the Sox prospects that are in the back end of their top 10, and they would be in the top 5 of probably 70% of other team's systems... that's how solid it is. Meanwhile, continuing to draft baseball players, rather than athletes that KW was drawn towards. With his more business oriented background, Hahn was able to see the benefit in investing for the future.
So this ended up being a lot longer than I thought, so this is going to be Part 1. I'll have a part 2 for sure, with the actually Season in review.
*The Moneyball approach isn't exactly ADVANCED STATISTICS like a lot of people like to believe. I can write a whole post about it. But simply, It's idea is that you find something that no one else is focusing on, and investing in it, to take advantage. Example, in the early 2000's, it was all about power, and dingers and all that... not much to be invested in players that took walks. Beane was able to sign players that had high OBP for the cheap because they weren't sought after. Biggity Bam, A's win 20 games in a row, en route to a 100+ win season (this doesn't seem as impressive with what the Indians did :) )
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
It's been a while, huh?
NP: Barbarian Overlords - Static in the Attic
*Blows dust off the page*
Hello? HELLLLLOOOOOOOOO?! Is this thing on? Last time I was writing was when I went through ACL repair surgery. And that was over 4 and a half years ago! I guess to put that part of my life to rest, the knee is still pretty strong, I've been in and out of the gym forever but the repaired ACL is hanging in there!
The reason Im writing today is because while I would love to post this on social media, I am of the mindset that everyone on SM just loves talking over each other and no one really listens to the other person, they just see someone with a different view and freak out on them. So, while this is pretty much the same thing, Im not talking at anyone, Im not putting this out there... if you found this, you did it on your own accord, so congrats!
The big topic this past weekend was WWE Hall of Famer, President Trump making some weird remarks about NFL players taking a knee during the singing of the National Anthem and how it's "disrespectful to the troops" and owners should fire those "sons of bitches." Here's the deal, the troops fight for our rights to the freedoms we have, including the right to protest. Especially a peaceful protest. These players aren't making a spectacle about what they are doing, they're just making a statement.
It's also pretty telling that our WWE HOF member President didn't even bother acknowledging the reason the players were protesting. Him, like most others, seem to think these players are just protesting for the sake of protesting. There's a very big and important reason these players are protesting (Racial discrimination especially amongst police profiling) and the President is basically hand waving it away. And why should players that feel discriminated against celebrate an anthem that tells them that they are otherwise free?
When Colin Kaepernick first started doing this last season, it irked a lot of people, as the whole idea of the National Anthem is standing appreciative of your country that grants you your freedom. Yes, your freedom to make choices! Colin chose to take a knee, and he's made the choice to accept the consequence of his actions by not being signed for 2017. (Mike Glennon and Jay Cutler were clearly better choices to be starters. As well as Case Keenum [until this past week, wowzers!]) But his word has spread quite far, to the point where NFL owners and personnel have also joined in in linking of arms/kneeling because a WWE Hall of Famer that is also President told them how to do their jobs.
It's pretty crazy that there's an actual thing/person that makes supporting Roger Goodell not that bad of an idea. I also do kinda wish Al Davis was still alive as he would have LOVED dealing with this. Al was HUGE in racial equality in the league and life.
The problem is that the overall reason why Kaepernick started doing this and why players have continued taking a knee is lost, not just on the people that are angry that they are doing this, but even some people that support them are lost on the reason why... which defeats the purpose, right?
So let's take the next few days before Week 4 begins to really read up on Kaep's reason for doing what he did and the movement it started and not just call him unpatriotic. Because let's face it... you're probably not standing in your living room watching this on TV.
*Blows dust off the page*
Hello? HELLLLLOOOOOOOOO?! Is this thing on? Last time I was writing was when I went through ACL repair surgery. And that was over 4 and a half years ago! I guess to put that part of my life to rest, the knee is still pretty strong, I've been in and out of the gym forever but the repaired ACL is hanging in there!
The reason Im writing today is because while I would love to post this on social media, I am of the mindset that everyone on SM just loves talking over each other and no one really listens to the other person, they just see someone with a different view and freak out on them. So, while this is pretty much the same thing, Im not talking at anyone, Im not putting this out there... if you found this, you did it on your own accord, so congrats!
The big topic this past weekend was WWE Hall of Famer, President Trump making some weird remarks about NFL players taking a knee during the singing of the National Anthem and how it's "disrespectful to the troops" and owners should fire those "sons of bitches." Here's the deal, the troops fight for our rights to the freedoms we have, including the right to protest. Especially a peaceful protest. These players aren't making a spectacle about what they are doing, they're just making a statement.
It's also pretty telling that our WWE HOF member President didn't even bother acknowledging the reason the players were protesting. Him, like most others, seem to think these players are just protesting for the sake of protesting. There's a very big and important reason these players are protesting (Racial discrimination especially amongst police profiling) and the President is basically hand waving it away. And why should players that feel discriminated against celebrate an anthem that tells them that they are otherwise free?
When Colin Kaepernick first started doing this last season, it irked a lot of people, as the whole idea of the National Anthem is standing appreciative of your country that grants you your freedom. Yes, your freedom to make choices! Colin chose to take a knee, and he's made the choice to accept the consequence of his actions by not being signed for 2017. (Mike Glennon and Jay Cutler were clearly better choices to be starters. As well as Case Keenum [until this past week, wowzers!]) But his word has spread quite far, to the point where NFL owners and personnel have also joined in in linking of arms/kneeling because a WWE Hall of Famer that is also President told them how to do their jobs.
It's pretty crazy that there's an actual thing/person that makes supporting Roger Goodell not that bad of an idea. I also do kinda wish Al Davis was still alive as he would have LOVED dealing with this. Al was HUGE in racial equality in the league and life.
The problem is that the overall reason why Kaepernick started doing this and why players have continued taking a knee is lost, not just on the people that are angry that they are doing this, but even some people that support them are lost on the reason why... which defeats the purpose, right?
So let's take the next few days before Week 4 begins to really read up on Kaep's reason for doing what he did and the movement it started and not just call him unpatriotic. Because let's face it... you're probably not standing in your living room watching this on TV.
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