Full analysis from future journalist

[MERPER]

I for one applaud every move made this offseason considering the budget and realizing we are not the Yankees.. so let's analyze a little bit...

Overall, I am all about CHANGE... I am sick of home run derby and finishing second place, this year we are actually going to play baseball, a novel concept

Pods= finally, a speedster... his average dropped cuz he was trying to do to much in Milwaukee, kid can play

Rowand= last year was no fluke, a friend didn't like him at the beginning of last season and I told him that Aaron can flat-out hit.. he is tough nose and he can field with the best of them.. also can run and has a terrific arm for a centerfielder

Dye= OK, so he's not Maggs... Personally, I think Maggs has some real knee problems, anyone who has to go to Vienna for surgery has something wrong.. he also canceled his workouts for all other clubs and Boras is making them rely on medical records alone... Dye loves hitting at our park and anything better than the 8 HR's Maggs put up in '04 is a plus

Konerko= last season was no fluke... he is a great character guy, a solid fielder and will repeat

Harris= let's give him a chance... if he hits in the 9-hole, anytime he gets on ahead of Pods we have some serious speed and a manufactured run

Uribe= I remember 4 years ago when this kid was deemed as an "untouchable" prospect for the Rockies... had a rough rookie year as most do and was injured his second year... last year he put up terrific numbers on the whole and was a sparkplug.. he has a cannon for an arm, is a terrific fielder (his splits as a SS would have put him #1 in fielding percentage if played over 162 games)... will be better at the plate than watching Valentin whiff all year

Crede= biggest ?... in the 8-hole not as big a concern though... good year by him makes us serious contenders... nonetheless, a top-3 defensive hot corner in the AL

Pierzynski= knows the Twins, hits well in AL... a lefty bat... He's the type of guy that guys love to play with and hate to play against.. low risk at 1-year, 2.25 mill

The bench is solid with Timo's defense and clutch hitting, Everett's switch-hitting power, a pair of solid catchers, good utilityman in Gload and speed in Valdez

Bullpen may be best in baseball, honestly...

Marte= may be best lefty reliever in baseball, even in down year in '04 still had low ERA

Cotts= still developing

Shingo= this guy can close, I am thrilled to have him

Hermanson= proved he likes the bullpen with Giants and will be a solid setup guy.. more importantly, should a starter go down he is not a bad replacement

Vizcaino= what a steal.. I have been following this guy since he was a prospect... throws hard (95) and has a mean slider... was gonna be Brewers closer after trading Kolb (why do u think they were shopping an All-Star)

Rotation might be best in AL other than Yankees:

Garcia= on today's market he would have gotten $15 mill per.. we have him for 9.. a true #1, can't wait for a full year with the Rock

Buehrle= After RJ, best lefty in baseball the past 3 years.... great #2

Hernandez= a big game pitcher, if he stays healthy he can make noise...

Contreras= guy is thrilled to be out of NY... has significant talent (we saw glimpses last year).... I found it interesting that in 1 week our pitching staff noticed he was tipping pitches with his glove... once corrected he looked pretty good.. a solid #4

Garland= 14-14 last year isn't bad for your #5... No, he will never be the 20-win guy we had all hoped for... but as our 5 he is as solid as a 5 comes

This may be a bit optimistic, but I love what I have seen this offseason... If you're a realistic fan you shouldn't have expected RJ or Beltran... Keep in mind that the Marlins and Angels weren't star-studded either... it will be fun on the South Side!!!

:bandance:

[SoxFan48]

Dear future Journalist,

Nice start! Do you really thinks Pods is that good? Here is a quote from Cheat's ChiSox Blog to consider:

"Podsednik is a .265 hitter in his 9 minor league seasons. In those 9 seasons, he stole more than 30 bases just once. He stole successfully about once every 14.5AB's, while walking once every 8.5AB's. To compare, Willie Harris was a .290 minor league hitter, who stole more than 30 bases 3 times at a rate of once every 12AB's, walking once every 8.4AB's.
Minors BA SLG AB/BB AB/SB
Podsednik .265 .347 8.5 14.5
Harris .290 .415 8.4 12.0Harris actually hit better, stole more often, and walked at the same rate as Podsednik during their minor league careers. Harris is two years younger than Podsednik, and with some patience could absolutely become that table setter he was at the minor league level. There's nothing in Podsednik's past to suggest that he will even remotely live up to his fluke of a 2003 season.(Think Esteban Loiaza)"

[konerko1413]

Dear future Journalist,

Nice start! Do you really thinks Pods is that good? Here is a quote from Cheat's ChiSox Blog to consider:

"Podsednik is a .265 hitter in his 9 minor league seasons. In those 9 seasons, he stole more than 30 bases just once. He stole successfully about once every 14.5AB's, while walking once every 8.5AB's. To compare, Willie Harris was a .290 minor league hitter, who stole more than 30 bases 3 times at a rate of once every 12AB's, walking once every 8.4AB's.
Minors BA SLG AB/BB AB/SB
Podsednik .265 .347 8.5 14.5
Harris .290 .415 8.4 12.0Harris actually hit better, stole more often, and walked at the same rate as Podsednik during their minor league careers. Harris is two years younger than Podsednik, and with some patience could absolutely become that table setter he was at the minor league level. There's nothing in Podsednik's past to suggest that he will even remotely live up to his fluke of a 2003 season.(Think Esteban Loiaza)"
No Comment- well put, but i hope to god u are wrong about pods

[munchman33]

There's nothing in Podsednik's past to suggest that he will even remotely live up to his fluke of a 2003 season
Except the fact that he had it. :cool:

That's a helluva lot more than we can say for Willie Harris.

[SoxFan48]

Geez, I guess we should make very effort to bring Esteban Loiaza back to the rotation..maybe trade one of our starters who never won 20 games...oops, isn't that all of them.

Fluke seasons happen...Don't assume they are the norm.

[konerko1413]

Geez, I guess we should make very effort to bring Esteban Loiaza back to the rotation..maybe trade one of our starters who never won 20 games...oops, isn't that all of them.

Fluke seasons happen...Don't assume they are the norm.
but lets pray the good ones will become the norm

[SoxFan48]

I have been a Sox fan for 55 years. I know a lot about praying.:wink:

[konerko1413]

I have been a Sox fan for 55 years. I know a lot about praying.:wink:
ive been one for 16 and trust me, i have not had that much luck with the big guy upstairs either:D:

[WhiteSoxFan84]

ive been one for 16 and trust me, i have not had that much luck with the big guy upstairs either:D:
Don't waste your prayers on baseball.

I'm sure you all know this already, but there are things a lot more important than baseball.

And as for the future journalist, good luck with your future. All I have to say is if you remain a Sox fan, the Tribune won't be hiring you. My advise; lie to them. Tell them you're a die hard Cubs fan. After you get hired and you're on the inside, begin your reign of terror.

[HebrewHammer]

I'm excited about this team, maybe its the fact that I haven't had a good dose of baseball in a few months, but the more I look at the roster, the more I want to see what this team can do.

I think we're going to see actual baseball played next year, we're not going to see the juiced up ballplayers swinging for the fences and this team is built with that in mind.