Random Thoughts 2.1

[Mingo]

I'm surprised the White Sox are doing as well as they are considering the injuries. In the field - last year's 2020 team was better, but 2021's starting rotation is becoming epic.

 

[Mingo]

Adam Engle is tearing it up in AAA - batting over .400 and making balls out plays in the field. Hamilton appears to have saved his job - Lamb's a LH bat and seems to have settled in. In roster management - it suggests to me that Garcia moves back to 1st back up middle infielder and Mendick gets the shaft. I suppose the Sox could put Adam Eaton on a 10 day injury list and let him heal up. Either way - this isn't even the toughest roster decision they will have to make this season.

Zach Collins has evolved enough that he is a decent back up catcher. The pitchers like working with him - he blocks pitches in the dirt much better than Grandal -and he has some pitch framing success. Collins also jumps out and fields his position very well and has a good arm. I hope he goes on a tear in his at bats at some point in the season.

I've been very impressed with the defensive infield. For no reason other than personal pride - and led by Abreu and Anderson - the defense has been fabulous. Moncada has great at the around the horn double plays and Abreu keeps getting 1st base tag for one - to 2nd for the tag double plays. This is well oiled machine type baseball. Madragal still has considerable defensive ceiling to go, but he is a plus and Anderson is having his finest season in the field by far.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

We really need Engel back on the roster. I don't care who gets cut, Lamb or Mendick, or if this gets delayed a bit by placing Eaton on the IL. In any event, we need Adam's excellent defense and ever-improving bat playing for the big club.

 

[Mingo]

It looks to me like the bullpen is coming around - which is real bad news for Sox opponents.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

100% capacity coming our way as of 6-11:

Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field set for 100% capacity

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Chicago will join the rest of Illinois in entering Phase 5 of the COVID-19 recovery plan, which includes Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field.

www.nbcsports.com

It will be interesting to see how enthusiastic our fan base will be in the coming months.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

And in further developments:

Chicago White Sox: Breaking news on Andrew Vaughn, Gavin Sheets

The Chicago White Sox have some breaking news on their roster. There are updates on Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets' status.

southsideshowdown.com

Fortunately (if one chooses to phrase it as such), Vaughn is not really injured, he's on the list due to the covid protocols. Hopefully, he'll miss the minimum amount of time away. I think we've all been curious to see how Sheets can perform at the top level. He's been tearing it up in Charlotte, so let's see what he can do on the South Side.

 

[Mingo]

Pitching Coach Katz has been outstanding - the starters have been superb and it looks like the bullpen is sorting itself out into a talented and dependable unit. If hiring Katz was an experiment to something to placate Giolito - I don't know, but I think it is really paying off on the field.

 

[Mingo]

Gavin Sheets is a good ballplayer and projects a fun charisma - I think Sox fans will like him. He may be too ready to be a major leaguer - since Abreu still has plenty of life in his career. He would be an attractive trade option for the Sox - even though they would hate to give up a lefty with power.

Rutherford - who also bats left - is doing very well in Charlotte - still has the stigma of not enough power in his bat, but is a good player.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Gavin Sheets is a good ballplayer and projects a fun charisma - I think Sox fans will like him. He may be too ready to be a major leaguer - since Abreu still has plenty of life in his career. He would be an attractive trade option for the Sox - even though they would hate to give up a lefty with power.

Rutherford - who also bats left - is doing very well in Charlotte - still has the stigma of not enough power in his bat, but is a good player.

Agreed. I've said on a few occasions that Gavin might be the right prospect for the wrong organization. Sad fact is the Sox are overloaded with 1B/DH types. As for Rutherford, I've been waiting for this kid to emerge since we traded for him in that lopsided trade with the Yanks - with the Yanks getting the lopsided end of the deal. But he was supposedly the lynchpin on our end. Maybe he's finally starting to show why we traded for him.

 

[Jiddy]

Pitching Coach Katz has been outstanding - the starters have been superb and it looks like the bullpen is sorting itself out into a talented and dependable unit. If hiring Katz was an experiment to something to placate Giolito - I don't know, but I think it is really paying off on the field.

I was waiting for this post. Starting the weekend off right boys...

 

[Jiddy]

My random post of the day is if I played rec league softball and hit .137, BUT, I walked like a million times...How f*cking razzed would I get if I dropped the bat like an asshole after hitting a dong? Would I have to duck out to my car right after the game while the rest of the team went to the post-game eating fiesta? Is this on the level of getting rejected during a public marriage proposal?

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

My random post of the day is if I played rec league softball and hit .137, BUT, I walked like a million times...How f*cking razzed would I get if I dropped the bat like an asshole after hitting a dong? Would I have to duck out to my car right after the game while the rest of the team went to the post-game eating fiesta? Is this on the level of getting rejected during a public marriage proposal?

So let me get this straight.......you think a player shouldn't 'drop the bat' after jacking one if his BA is below the Mendoza line? Do we now have the Jiddy Rules of bat dropping/flipping?

 

[Jiddy]

So let me get this straight.......you think a player shouldn't 'drop the bat' after jacking one if his BA is below the Mendoza line? Do we now have the Jiddy Rules of bat dropping/flipping?

It's about 75% of the egregiousness of that dumbsh*t (forget his name) that tore his ACL celebrating while we were getting mauled by the Patriots.

 

[idseer]

always felt it strange people could be so preoccupied with how players let go of their bats after homeruns. is there a niche dedicated to this in the hall of fame?

this is possibly the biggest "who gives a fuck" in baseball!

 

[Jiddy]

always felt it strange people could be so preoccupied with how players let go of their bats after homeruns. is there a niche dedicated to this in the hall of fame?

this is possibly the biggest "who gives a fuck" in baseball!

Listen...If Fatty McFatterson (who can't even get down the court half the time) hits a 3 once in a blue moon during a game of pickup...He has everything coming to him if he starts doing some obnoxious type celebrating.

"Aw hell naw" comes to mind.

 

[Jiddy]

To clarify: If Jose Abreu stopped and did a goddamn spinaroonie Booker T-Style right on home plate after a dong, I'd be fine with it...Because he's the RBI champ...

...and a pimp.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

To clarify: If Jose Abreu stopped and did a goddamn spinaroonie Booker T-Style right on home plate after a dong, I'd be fine with it...Because he's the RBI champ...

...and a pimp.

And the interesting thing with that is Pito has no exaggerated bat flip, bat drop to his game whatsoever. One of the most unassuming power hitters in the sport with his post-jack style. Definitely old school.

 

[Mingo]

I'm fine for a bat drop when you hit the ball over 450 feet. It's not like Grandal's knock trickled over the fence.

 

[Jiddy]

I'm fine for a bat drop when you hit the ball over 450 feet. It's not like Grandal's knock trickled over the fence.

Found the "I'm impressed with the amazing golf ball whacker guy at the range" guy.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

We really need Engel back on the roster. I don't care who gets cut, Lamb or Mendick, or if this gets delayed a bit by placing Eaton on the IL. In any event, we need Adam's excellent defense and ever-improving bat playing for the big club.

If Engel was to return to the roster tomorrow, I'd think it's almost a certainty that if it's between Lamb and Mendick as to who would be sent down, I'd go with the latter. Mendick's perhaps a bit more versatile than Lamb, maybe even give him the slight edge in defensive prowess. But with both of these attributes, the edge is pretty much negligible. Hitting-wise, it's all Lamb. More power, higher BA.