Chris Getz is happy man these days after a brief chat with Sox bench coach Joey Cora. He was informed that he indeed beat out Brent Lillibridge, Jayson Nix and 1st round pick Gordon Beckham for the starting 2nd-sacker position for The Chicago White Sox. It is not clear exactly where Getz will hit in the order, but presumably it will be 1st, 2nd or 9th as a table setter for the big boys.
"He's going to be my second baseman," Guillen said. "He worked hard enough. He showed people he can play in this game. He showed people he can help us to do what we want to do."
Brent Lillibridge has impressed enough, however, to put his hat in the ring for role of utility man. The flexibility he offers in playing centerfield and 2nd base is appetizing to the coaching staff who would prefer to carry more pitchers if given the opportunity. Of course, if Lillibridge does land that role it further muddies the CF picture. Scott Merkin of mlb.com explains.
The issue involving Wise and Owens, who also is out of options, stands out as one of the personnel decisions manager Ozzie Guillen and his staff have to make before the team flies back to Chicago on Saturday, April 4. There's a chance that both Wise and Owens could make the team, but Brent Lillibridge appears to have the edge in a utility role with his ability to play the infield and center field.
A lot of tough decisions are going to have to be made based on a lot of different factors, but at the end of the day I believe Brian Anderson's body of work is most worthy of a full-time role in CF. Wise could be kept on as an additional bench player, as he's experienced in that role and can provide nice lift off the bench. That would leave Jerry Owens with some packing to do it appears. Then Ozzie will have to go to work on that lineup to see who's hitting where at the top of the order. I like Getz as a #2 man myself, but he might be asked to step up into the leadoff position where he's hit before in the minors.
From the start Getz was my choice for 2nd base, so I like where things are heading. One decision down, a few more to go.
Ahhh...the platoon situation in baseball. Defined by me as "The act of rotating players into a position based on matchups due to the lack of a definitive everyday player at said position." It comes with a bit of a stigma to it and makes you feel like the guy in the picture, now doesn't it? It makes you think, "we couldn't have one good player, so we mashed 2 together to hopefully make up for it."
Well, both southsiders and northsiders alike could have first hand experience with it this year it. Both centerfield positions are a possible platoon situation along with second base for the White Sox. It seems as though everybody is set on Reed Johnson and Corkscrew Fukudome alternating in centerfield for the Cubs , presumably on lefty-righty matchups.
The White Sox would like for Jerry Owens to outright win the job in centerfield this year, because that would solve their position issue as well as their leadoff issue. However, his disappointing spring thus far offensively (.233 avg .333 OBP) has probably solidified his status change from "lots of potential" to "bust", as this is not the first time Jerry has failed to impress.
This leaves career replacement player and minor leaguer, Dewayne Wise, and defensive whiz, Brian Anderson to battle it out. Wise appears to be having an OK spring, but you already know what you're going to get out of him anyway. Adequate defense and scrapy, but mediocre offense. Anderson on the other hand is chalked full of potential, a gold glove candidate, yet he hasn't maximized at the plate despite many chances.
The 2nd base situation for the White Sox is as clear as mud. The 3 horse race between Chris Getz, Brent Lillibridge, Jayson Nix has added a 4th horseman - 2008 First Round pick Gordon Beckham. Beckham, presumably set for a year in the minors after being drafted last summer, has wowed the coaches and GM thus far (.321 avg, 2 HR, 5 2B, 6 R, 6 RBI in 28 plate appearances) so much so that they are considering the position switch. They have stated that Beckham will be a full timer wherever he ends up, in other words no platooning for him. Nix, while solid so far, went down with a possible Spring Training ending injury, which surely hurts his chances to start off the year in the bigs. Lillibridge seems to be falling back in the pack, but it's still quite possible that 2nd base will be rented out as a time-share.
It's not likely that the Sox will platoon at both 2B and CF, but who knows since these situations are tied together in one big, hot mess because of all of batting order questions out there. But my question is - is it really that bad of a situation to be in? Bullpens have evolved over time to share roles and responsibilies, the NFL has adopted it's own timeshare situation in the two-running back model. So why not the platoon position player? Most teams aren't the Yankees, so financial considerations are always relevant. Going with a platoon situation can give you lineup versatility, matchup advantages, offense/defense specialties, etc at a low cost (maybe not for Fukudome).
So in the case of the Cubs, a Johnson-Fukudome CF marriage seems like the right play. Neither is stellar enough to carry all the way, but each has certain skills that make them valuable in the right situations. Same for a Wise-Anderson combo. The only drawback is how big of an effect does a lack of consistent AB's have on a player. Reed Johnson and DeWayne Wise have been around the block and can certainly perform on command, and are used to it. Fukudome and Anderson seem to be the ones that will be tested in this role if that is how it plays out. Only time will tell.
I don't view either these scenarios is not a team waving the white flag on a position, but rather I believe both situations have real potential for success and production.
The White Sox have many questions yet to be answered by the spring training process. As I have previously mentioned, 2nd Base, 3rd Base and Center field are fielding positions that are varying degrees of open for competition at this point. Centerfield features familiar names in Dewayne Wise, Brian Anderson and Jerry Ownes who are unfamiliar with carrying the full time starter role. 3rd Base seems to lean in Josh Field's favor based on experience, but Dayan Viciedo could surprise in camp and keep the competition alive. 2nd Base seems to be the biggest question mark because we have seen very little of Jayson Nix, Chris Getz and Brent Lillibridge who come into Arizona in a dead heat for the position.
That will all play out as they get onto the field, but my biggest question is not who will play 2nd base but rather who will hit in the 2nd spot in the batting order? Ozzie has gone on record in support of A.J. in the 2-hole, a role in which he performed admirably last year (batting .284). A.J. is a decent left-handed pull hitter, which helps in the critical role of moving runners, and he is more than content in "doing his job" moving runners through bunts, sac flys and concocting a crazy way to piss off the other team. However, he has a low OBP historically (.312 last year) largely in part to his speed, and he's very average when it comes to contact and strike out ratios. When and if he does reach base, he is completely a station-to-station guy, despite trying to will speed at times (it doesn't work).
The problem for Ozzie is that the other fielding positions are net set yet, so who knows who what the options are at both the lead-off spot AND the 2-hole. Likely, there will be inexperience at the lead-off spot so I get that Ozzie doesn't want to leave inexperience to run wild at the top of the order. However, the decision was made to give some of the younger talent their deserved shot, so I think they must be whole-hearted about that choice. A leap of faith will be required to insert some young, inexperienced faces as table-setters, but I much prefer this approach than trying to fit a square piece in a round hole.
So I say 'No Ozzie', keep AJ in that 6 or 7 position where he stacks up just fine offensively for a catcher, and don't try and get something out of him that he can't provide. Instead stick Jerry Owens and Chris Getz at the top of the order and see what happens. If I'm going to buy what the White Sox are selling in their young talent, I have to believe that they can muster up better than a .312 OBP. I'm looking for a someone to go first-to-3rd, a guy who can score on Carlos Quentin's double, infield hits and stolen bases. A.J. is a lot of things, but he's not that guy. What are they going to lose?
ESPN's Rumor Central is reporting that the White Sox have offered Bobby Abreu a 1 year $8M offer, half of his salary last year.
It may be a first, but I don't know how to react to this quite yet, mostly because it doesn't make complete sense...as it stands now. However, I will speculate that if this offer is in fact true it will most likely preempt other moves.
In my opinion, if they were to add Abreu someone significant would need to head out of town to make room. The Daily Herald suggests that Brian Anderson may be headed out of town, but that doesn't solve the problem because I don't think Abreu is capable of playing center field. They tried the put an aging outfielder in CF experiment last year with Ken Griffey Jr., and it didn't work out well defensively (or offensively for that matter).
Jim Thome is a possibility to be moved, freeing up the DH spot for Dye and/or Abreu, but given the landscape of the free agent and trade markets I doubt that anyone wants to pick up Thome's price tag and age/health risks. The only other logical option is Jermaine Dye. This makes the most sense, because it would be a straight position swap and you would get similar offensive production (RBI, R) out of Bobby Abreu as you would Jermaine Dye. In addition to what Dye gives, you would be getting a left handed bat, 20 steals and a higher OBP with Abreu (and he's cheaper $8M v. $11.5M). So not a bad deal if you look at it that way.
However, you do have control of Jermaine for this year and possibly next year (mutual option) so you would want to get good value for him if you were going to move him, and setup your future with young pitching and/or someone that could be a viable OF option after Abreu/Dye are gone. I would have to think Kenny would have to have a deal of his liking in place before he pulled the trigger (Maybe the Homer Bailey deal?) on this. Stay tuned to see if its accepted and what happens after that.
Coming off a 1st round playoff exit last year, The Chicago White Sox go into the 2009 season with larger aspirations than last year. While everyone in the sporting world thought the 2008 White Sox were destined for mediocrity, Kenny Williams had expectations of playoff success. Most however, including myself, would say that last year was a successful follow up to a dreadful '07 season. As I left the blacked-out stadium after the final loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays there was the expected feeling of sadness (unlike the disappointment felt on the Northside) in the air, but it was coupled with a sense of hope and excitement for the things to come in 2009. The White Sox, who were predicted to finish 3rd or 4th in the division by most, seemingly overachieved in a very difficult division mainly due to the unexpected contributions from some of the question marks going into season.
So here we stand at the cusp of a new baseball season and I still have that excitement, but I also have a little bit of that same feeling I had going into last year. That "I don't know what to expect" feeling that stems from unanswered questions. Right now, Cubs fans across the nation are penciling in the batting order and putting the final tweaks on their starting lineups. It's a different story for the White Sox with Glendale, AZ just a month away. No lineups are set, no batting orders established and a rotation is not even close to finalized. This is not uncharted waters for the White Sox, but knowing that still doesn't give me a warm feeling inside, despite the success in a similar situation last year.
Starting spots are open in CF, 2nd Base and 3rd Base, and the 4th and 5th rotation spots are fair game for a number of guys - which is eerily similar to a year ago. Although things turned out wonderfully in 2008, the questions that were "answered" in spring training through open competition, weren't exactly the right answers. If you recall, Alexei Ramirez started off in center field, Swisher in left, Uribe at 2nd, Crede played 3rd and John Danks and Gavin Floyd won the last two spots in the rotation (Danks was more of a lock though). Before long, Alexei Ramirez was stealing time at 2nd base and Swisher was rotating into CF. Going further back had Jerry Owens not gotten hurt he was the front runner for starting CF and leadoff man. The things learned in spring training didn't result in the best team on the field, and a number of happenstances and a bit of luck led the emergence of Carlos Quentin as an AL MVP candidate (could have potentially won if not for injury) and Alexei Ramirez as the ROY runner-up.
I understand that there's always going to be injuries and luck that play a factor into everything, but what if Owens was healthy and Carlos Quentin didn't get a chance to redeem a slow spring because he didn't make the big league club? Or what if that same injury doesn't give Alexei Ramirez a chance to showcase his ability with more playing time? Boil it all down and my point is simple - Does an open competition for a month in March really paint a good enough picture to make sound personnel decisions? I think not, but those are the cards that are dealt so i94sports.com will preview those competitions in the near future.
First off, I'm happy to bring some White Sox commentary to the blog - it's long overdue. Thanks Rex for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts. I hope everyone enjoys.
Now to the good stuff - The White Sox recently made a call to Bobby Jenks. Let's listen in:
Well that didn't go as planned, but Ozzie and the White Sox eventually got in touch with their man, and avoided arbitration by reaching an agreement on a 1-year $5.6 Million contract with closer, Bobby Jenks. This contract was followed up a day later by the 1-year deal signed by Jonathan Papelbon for $6.25. The flurry of closer activity got me thinking - How does Bobby stack up to the other closers out there? Physically, he's a lot bigger - but let's take a look at the pitching instead.
I started out my research with some statistical analysis. First, I narrowed down the field by finding the closers who posted at least 25 save opportunities (SVO) last year, and I also took the liberty of cutting out some guys not worth looking at. Next my goal was to sort the remaining individuals by career save %, because in my opinion that's really the only stat that matters for closers. Who cares about ERA, K's or WHIP? It's all about whether they lock down the W or not. What I found is that Foxsports.com, ESPN.com and MLB.com don't have save % as a sortable statistic. Sure, they have Saves (S) and SVO listed so you can get there with some simple math, but who wants to do that? Well, lucky for you I did it for you. Lastly, I showed the 2009 contract value for some comparison purposes.
Player
SV
BS
SVO
SV %
2009 Salary**
Mariano Rivera*
398
42
440
90.5%
$15,000,000
Trevor Hoffman*
366
39
405
90.4%
$6,000,000
Joe Nathan
200
22
222
90.1%
$11,250,000
Joakim Soria
59
7
66
89.4%
$1,000,000
Jonathan Papelbon
113
15
128
88.3%
$6,250,000
Bobby Jenks
117
16
133
88.0%
$5,600,000
Billy Wagner*
323
47
370
87.3%
$10,500,000
Francisco Rodriguez
208
33
241
86.3%
$8,500,000
Jose Valverde
142
23
165
86.1%
$8,000,000
Brad Lidge
164
27
191
85.9%
$11,500,000
Brian Wilson
48
8
56
85.7%
$392,500
Troy Percival
244
41
285
85.6%
$4,000,000
BJ Ryan
115
20
135
85.2%
$10,000,000
Kerry Wood
34
6
40
85.0%
$10,000,000
CJ Wilson
38
7
45
84.4%
$1,850,000
Brian Fuentes
115
23
138
83.3%
$8,500,000
Francisco Cordero
211
49
260
81.2%
$12,000,000
Kevin Gregg
62
15
77
80.5%
$4,200,000
George Sherrill
35
10
45
77.8%
$900,000
Huston Street
94
27
121
77.7%
$4,500,000
* Since 1999. Save Opportunities were not kept as a stat prior.
**Contracts do not include bonuses, incentives, etc.
Jenks stacks up very well against some of the best in the game. Not surprisingly, Mariano Rivera leads the pack, and rightfully is paid for those efforts. The Brewer's new closer is 2nd on the list, and surprisingly hasn't fallen off Save %-wise over the last few years, despite his age. At $6M it looks like there's good value there, but at minimum at least the Brewers aren't paying Francisco Cordero or Eric Gagne ridiculous money for terrible production. I hate Joe Nathan, but I've known for a few years now from watching many Twins-Sox games that he's the best in the game right now and worth every penny he's paid.
Jenks and Papelbon along with Joakim Soria, appear to provide very good value for the money they're making right now.
Notable observations :
K-Rod hit the save record last year (in a contract year), which is all about the amount of opportunities he had and not as much as his ability to convert. His contract escalates to Nathan's level next year and upwards towards Rivera's in the years following (Nathan & Rivera's contracts don't escalate). Going by the numbers, he doesn't seem quite worth it.
Huston Street - All hype, very little production.
The Angels are still paying a chunk of change for a closer (Fuentes), even though they lost K-Rod (3% loss in save conversion). It's the future years of the contract that scared them off.
Cubs Fans - You excited about Kevin Gregg looking at those numbers?
Chicago Tribune reporter Dave van Dyck reports this morning that Nick Swisher has joined Javier Vasquez on the trading block. From the report, it appears that Kenny Williams would like to upgrade the Sox's speed and that Willy Taveras, the Colorado center fielder, is on their radar. Taveras hit a disappointing .251 in 2008, but manged to steal 68 bases in 133 games.
Swisher hit .219 with 24 home runs and 69 RBI in his disappointing 2008 season. He is also owed $21 million for three years. Some think that the move to put Swisher on the trading block may have other implications for some of the bigger names on the Sox as well.
I can tell you that Swisher does have one thing going well for him, besides that $21 million:
Update: I have suddenly got a spike in traffic looking for Swisher's girlfriend. I'm not sure Gamba is anymore. I think his new lady is Joanna Garcia, at least according to this People article.
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cult division mainly due to the unexpected contributions from some of the question marks going into season.
So here we stand at the cusp of a new baseball season and I still have that excitement, but I also have a little bit of that same feeling I had going into last year. That "I don't know what to expect" feeling that stems from unanswered questions. Right now, Cubs fans across the nation are penciling in the batting order and putting the final tweaks on their starting lineups. It's a different story for the White Sox with Glendale, AZ just a month away. No lineups are set, no batting orders established and a rotation is not even close to finalized. This is not uncharted waters for the White Sox, but knowing that still doesn't give me a warm feeling inside, despite the success in a similar situation last year.
Starting spots are open in CF, 2nd Base and 3rd Base, and the 4th and 5th rotation spots are fair game for a number of guys - which is eerily similar to a year ago. Although things turned out wonderfully in 2008, the questions that were "answered" in spring training through open competition, weren't exactly the right answers. If you recall, Alexei Ramirez started off in center field, Swisher in left, Uribe at 2nd, Crede played 3rd and John Danks and Gavin Floyd won the last two spots in the rotation (Danks was more of a lock though). Before long, Alexei Ramirez was stealing time at 2nd base and Swisher was rotating into CF. Going further back had Jerry Owens not gotten hurt he was the front runner for starting CF and leadoff man. The things learned in spring training didn't result in the best team on the field, and a number of happenstances and a bit of luck led the emergence of Carlos Quentin as an AL MVP candidate (could have potentially won if not for injury) and Alexei Ramirez as the ROY runner-up.
I understand that there's always going to be injuries and luck that play a factor into everything, but what if Owens was healthy and Carlos Quentin didn't get a chance to redeem a slow spring because he didn't make the big league club? Or what if that same injury doesn't give Alexei Ramirez a chance to showcase his ability with more playing time? Boil it all down and my point is simple - Does an open competition for a month in March really paint a good enough picture to make sound personnel decisions? I think not, but those are the cards that are dealt so i94sports.com will preview those competitions in the near future.
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 