The Official 2019 Chicago White Sox Thread

[Jiddy]

I was typing up a bunch of long winded responses to the past few posts. But now I'm just depressed upon reviewing them so I cut they ass and instead am now just gonna wallow in the sadness and cliffs notes what are my true feelings of the current White Sox.

We're going nowhere anytime soon. I want to believe like some of you, but ball don't lie. Trade some guys/Sign some guys...What the f*ck ever. Figure something out because we're all gonna have to accept we're going to be cinching it up and hunkering it down for some serious ass kickings over the next 1-3 years. There is nothing this 2019 team has done to convince me otherwise.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

We're going nowhere anytime soon. I want to believe like some of you, but ball don't lie. Trade some guys/Sign some guys...What the f*ck ever. Figure something out because we're all gonna have to accept we're going to be cinching it up and hunkering it down for some serious ass kickings over the next 1-3 years. There is nothing this 2019 team has done to convince me otherwise.

I'll be the first to admit that I thought 2019 would look brighter than it has to date. Altho OTOH, right up to the AS break, things seem to be a lot rosier. Not sure how to explain why we were such a tough to beat team for more than half a season to suddenly looking like a bad Orioles or Marlins squad. When the rebuild officially got underway once Sale was traded to the Red Sox, I had a timeline of 2019 as the year we would compete for a playoff spot, but perhaps fall short. Then when 2020 came around, we'd be thick in the postseason conversation, perhaps with a little luck going deep into them. 2021 would be the year we'd either play for the World Series or even win it outright.

Think I'm now easily off now by a year. In partial fairness, our key prospects and young future stars have been ravaged by the injury bug. But this only partially excuses us. There's also been some serious underperformance on this roster as well.

However, the koolaid drinker in me continues to feel there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We still have some talent in the minors who just might take the majors by storm once they're settled in. Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal, and Andrew Vaughn immediately come to mind. Existing roster guys like Moncada and Jimenez are just beginning to scratch the surface of their respective talents. There's hope. It may be a year or two later than some of us originally thought, but there is hope.

 

[ChiSoxFan]

Tim Anderson activated before the Mets series.

Trade deadline on the horizon. Wonder if they stay pat and keep Colome, Bummer, Fry.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Tim Anderson activated before the Mets series.

Trade deadline on the horizon. Wonder if they stay pat and keep Colome, Bummer, Fry.

I highlighted Bummer because I simply refuse to believe the Sox would trade him. 25 years old, only 3 years of service, he's just now coming into his own. He's been lights out for much of this season, and he's even been touted as the closer of the future, with the future being super soon if Colome is traded. Just don't see this trade happening unless the trading team was to insanely overpay, which I doubt.

Kinda the same, but to a lesser extent with Fry, who's only 26 and also has just 3 years of service. He got off to a rough start this season, but has come on strong of late and has not had a run charged to him in his last dozen appearances. These two are the building blocks to our pen in the coming seasons. Trading them means we're just endlessly rebuilding. That would be total bullshit.

 

[idseer]

... we're just endlessly rebuilding. ...

there. i fixed you comment. :P

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Well we did get rid of one dead weight. The Sox traded Nate Jones and some international signing money for a pair of minor league pitchers. I also heard they demanded that to complete the trade, the Rangers also had to throw in a ham sandwich.

 

[ChiSoxFan]

Well we did get rid of one dead weight. The Sox traded Nate Jones and some international signing money for a pair of minor league pitchers. I also heard they demanded that to complete the trade, the Rangers also had to throw in a ham sandwich.

The trade was for the international money. Sox wanted the Rangers to have to buy Jones out. That’s all. Super exciting Hahn! We all know Jerry wanted to save the difference of $250,000.

 

[Jiddy]

We're on pace for 72 wins....Our expected w/l pace is for 62 wins.

We're actually outperforming ourselves by 10 wins at a pace of 72-90.

Good Lord this team. *weeps internally*

 

[richig07]

I was typing up a bunch of long winded responses to the past few posts. But now I'm just depressed upon reviewing them so I cut they ass and instead am now just gonna wallow in the sadness and cliffs notes what are my true feelings of the current White Sox.

We're going nowhere anytime soon. I want to believe like some of you, but ball don't lie. Trade some guys/Sign some guys...What the f*ck ever. Figure something out because we're all gonna have to accept we're going to be cinching it up and hunkering it down for some serious ass kickings over the next 1-3 years. There is nothing this 2019 team has done to convince me otherwise.

What specifically has gone wrong with this rebuild that has you feeling so negatively? What prospects are failing? What has broken down? Who isn't developing among our young players? What would you have done differently? What would you now do differently? Please, be more specific.

It's just so odd... Fans wanted to rebuild. Then, you go through what a rebuild entails... losing. They act surprised. lol. A month ago, there's nothing but optimism swirling. A bad month of baseball in a developmental season and the sky is falling? What? Not to mention, a month where we lost Eloy and TA.

I have heard only very few people who had a window for us that involved winning before 2020.

 

[ChiSoxFan]

What specifically has gone wrong with this rebuild that has you feeling so negatively? What prospects are failing? What has broken down? Who isn't developing among our young players? What would you have done differently? What would you now do differently? Please, be more specific.

It's just so odd... Fans wanted to rebuild. Then, you go through what a rebuild entails... losing. They act surprised. lol. A month ago, there's nothing but optimism swirling. A bad month of baseball in a developmental season and the sky is falling? What? Not to mention, a month where we lost Eloy and TA.

I have heard only very few people who had a window for us that involved winning before 2020.

If they haven’t been to the playoffs since 2008, “rebuild” means diddly to me.

 

[Jiddy]

What specifically has gone wrong with this rebuild that has you feeling so negatively? What prospects are failing? What has broken down? Who isn't developing among our young players? What would you have done differently? What would you now do differently? Please, be more specific.

It's just so odd... Fans wanted to rebuild. Then, you go through what a rebuild entails... losing. They act surprised. lol. A month ago, there's nothing but optimism swirling. A bad month of baseball in a developmental season and the sky is falling? What? Not to mention, a month where we lost Eloy and TA.

I have heard only very few people who had a window for us that involved winning before 2020.

They expanded the playoffs in 2012 to include 5 of of the 15 teams in each league. 1 out of 3 teams make it each season. Since it's obvious we're not making the playoffs this year, that means we've statistically had a chance to make the playoffs 33.3% (repeating) for the past 8 years and have not.

During those years how close have we come?

2019 - 10th (currently...by all statistical measures we should be and probably will be worse when all is said and done)
2018 - 13th
2017 - 14th
2016 - 11th
2015 - 12th
2014 - 11th
2013 - 14th
2012 - 8th

So, in a time where more teams than ever make the playoffs over the past 8 years...The best we've come to them is 3 spots out...once in the first year back in 2012...We've been 6 spots behind the LAST playoff spot for 7 years when 1 out of 3 teams is guaranteed to make it.

That's f*cking horrible. Ain't no f*cking way I'm gonna argue how comparable Eloy Jimenez is to the other 14 AL teams' "Eloy Jimenez" when I know for a certainty their "this could be the next guy" guys are better. It's been long established at this point. We are not good until we are good. I'm not gonna tunnel vision our team. Or, if you want I'll make you a deal: I'll tunnel vision our team when you tunnel vision all the teams that are between 1 and 12 spots in the AL and make a case why all of them are going to all of a sudden fall below us.

I think that's fair right?

Spoiler alert: You won't like the findings I'm sure of it.

Why does everyone have trouble hammering it home that we are not in a bubble and this is a competitive environment? We've shown hardly any statistical improvement this year. And while numbers are not everything, they do tell a story in baseball...and that story is we've got a long way to go and are going to need a LOT of help...and luck. There's no reason to dial down to the semantics of Yoan Moncada's approach at the plate or Lucas Giolito's delivery for that "extra inch" when we're in the dumpster.

 

[richig07]

If they haven’t been to the playoffs since 2008, “rebuild” means diddly to me.

Not even sure what this means. This regime has only been rebuilding since the 16-17 winter. What happened in the 2000's is irrelevant.

 

[ChiSoxFan]

Not even sure what this means. This regime has only been rebuilding since the 16-17 winter. What happened in the 2000's is irrelevant.

The team’s recent historical performance is hardly irrelevant. There’s a trend of inefficiency stemming from the front office that darea back over a decade. The same exact people are running the show.

 

[richig07]

The team’s recent historical performance is hardly irrelevant. There’s a trend of inefficiency stemming from the front office that goes back over a decade. The same exact people are running the show.

How many players are left from 5 years ago again? Is our manager still here from that time?

How many rebuilds has Rick Hahn embarked on? How many has our largely new scouting department been apart of?

So, go ahead and explain to me exactly what the hell this has to do with anything.

Every team sucks until they don't. Every team is good until they suck. The only thing identical between this team, the 00's White Sox or teams earlier in the decade is that they take the field wearing the same uniform.

Again, I will ask... drop the "poor us"... "we suck because we suck and we always will" melodramatic nonsense. All of that shit is just fans drowning in their own feces. Make a coherent argument as to why you feel this rebuild IS failing and why it WILL fail.

Otherwise, this is nothing but fans feeling sorry for themselves and misplacing emotion.

 

[ChiSoxFan]

How many players are left from 5 years ago again? Is our manager still here from that time?

How many rebuilds has Rick Hahn embarked on? How many has our largely new scouting department been apart of?

So, go ahead and explain to me exactly what the hell this has to do with anything.

Every team sucks until they don't. Every team is good until they suck. The only thing identical between this team, the 00's White Sox or teams earlier in the decade is that they take the field wearing the same uniform.

Again, I will ask... drop the "poor us"... "we suck because we suck and we always will" melodramatic nonsense. All of that shit is just fans drowning in their own feces. Make a coherent argument as to why you feel this rebuild IS failing and why it WILL fail.

Otherwise, this is nothing but fans feeling sorry for themselves and misplacing emotion.

What’s with this response? You’re acting like Hahn’s aunt.

I simply told you recent history under the same “regime”, to use your word, isn’t irrelevant. If you want to pretend it is, go for it. The team hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2008, so I don’t give a shit if they use the nomenclature “rebuild” now.

 

[Jiddy]

How many players are left from 5 years ago again? Is our manager still here from that time?

How many rebuilds has Rick Hahn embarked on? How many has our largely new scouting department been apart of?

So, go ahead and explain to me exactly what the hell this has to do with anything.

Every team sucks until they don't. Every team is good until they suck. The only thing identical between this team, the 00's White Sox or teams earlier in the decade is that they take the field wearing the same uniform.

Again, I will ask... drop the "poor us"... "we suck because we suck and we always will" melodramatic nonsense. All of that shit is just fans drowning in their own feces. Make a coherent argument as to why you feel this rebuild IS failing and why it WILL fail.

Otherwise, this is nothing but fans feeling sorry for themselves and misplacing emotion.

Actually, this is not true. Plenty of teams that should be good fall well short and vice versa. But that's usually the 5-10%. Not at the level that we're at. Which is dumpster level.

Our problem is that we're not only bad, but we're overperforming while being bad.

That is a trend arrow that is pointing down. Not up.

Our fans and organization make it sound like there's this great youth movement happening on our team. Our best position player, Moncada, is sitting at 3 WAR. Respectable. And he's young! Oh wait. There's 15 guys above him right now in the AL...from about 8 or 9 different teams...and the large majority of them are 25-28 years old...and all of them are outperforming him, who is our BEST performer currently. (He's injured now too! Yay!)

I have no doubt you can run down the line for our second...and third...and fourth best guys in the lineup, sum it all up, and come up with a "Well hey, maybe we're not as good as we think we are" determination when you actually compare us to our competition. But I have neither the time nor inclination to go that far. Why? Because IT'S F*CKING OBVIOUS.

Do I want us to be bad? No. Do I have zero doubt that we're bad? Yes. Without a f*cking doubt...We're f*cking bad. If you or I were a fan of the Indians or Twins right now, you'd have us duly written off without any consideration going forward until we did anything at even an average capacity. As if any of those teams' fans are like "look out here come the pale hose!" Just imagining that is painstakingly laughable considering what we've put on the field these first 105 games.

Repeat after me:

We

Are

Not

In

A

Bubble.

It's not a solo test. It's a competition. We have to not only improve, but improve in relation to our opponents. That is
not happening...Not by a long shot.

We don't add up part by part. Nor do we add up as a whole to something greater. We're worse than our parts combined, as impossible as that seems.

If you really must have a go at this, knock yourself out. Try to statistically make an argument that we'll be anywhere near 5th best in the AL next year. Not 5th or better...I know you'll immediately fall back into a Johnnie Cochran defense spouting off about how you never said playoffs and this or that would happen immediately. No...I mean...I'd like you to make an argument that, say, we'd even be withing 3 f*cking places of 5th place. Like, make an argument for 8th. Pick apart the teams that we're gonna leapfrog and while at the same time pumping us up with any kind of logically backed numbers.

(Honestly, this is all rhetorical...cuz let's be honest...You don't want to do that because you'd be digging for the biggest pile of bullsh*t in the history of statistics.)

Sorry to break it to you....but there's no emotion to numbers. They're sound and reliable. Baseball is not football or basketball...The former allowing for more rapid variance in results due to a shorter season. The latter having a team that can be completely redefined by just a single player. Baseball...Numbers don't lie. We are what they say we are.



And now, this:

You know it's a rough season when the BEST thing that has happened to your team is one of your opponents traded one of their best pitchers away. Thank you Indians. Maybe we'll cut that -118 run differential a few points.

 

[idseer]

How many players are left from 5 years ago again? Is our manager still here from that time?

How many rebuilds has Rick Hahn embarked on? How many has our largely new scouting department been apart of?

So, go ahead and explain to me exactly what the hell this has to do with anything.

Every team sucks until they don't. Every team is good until they suck. The only thing identical between this team, the 00's White Sox or teams earlier in the decade is that they take the field wearing the same uniform.

Again, I will ask... drop the "poor us"... "we suck because we suck and we always will" melodramatic nonsense. All of that shit is just fans drowning in their own feces. Make a coherent argument as to why you feel this rebuild IS failing and why it WILL fail.

Otherwise, this is nothing but fans feeling sorry for themselves and misplacing emotion.

how many rebuilds has hahn embarked on is meaningless question. is this somehow in his favor? how? same goes for the scouting dept. if being hopeful that 'new' people will make a difference is all you got, you've got nothing!

you want some actual facts? since this bum has owned the team it's been to exactly 5 post seasons. .... since 1981! that's 38 years! he's a baseball idiot that thinks loyalty is the ONLY thing. winning is somewhere down the line. the whole organization reflects this jerk! so stop with the "Every team sucks until they don't. Every team is good until they suck. " bullshit. with this team the board is tilted AWAY from success. this is no ordinary rebuild. this is a rebuild that SHOULD have started in 2010 ... only he or his minions weren't smart enough to do it. they kept throwing their money away on garbage! and they're still doing it 9 years later. they have a proven track record and this is something you refuse to take into account.

hahn hasn't shown me anything. yes he picked up some talent, but only because he had big talent to give away to get it. doesn't mean he knows how to add all the pieces to make a team a winner. he didn't know enough to even get a couple decent pitchers (they didn't have a money problem) in the off-season. he got the worst ones available and expected all his 'youth' would be just fine. how bright was that?

as chisoxfan said ... the same exact people are (still) running the show.

if you wish to act blissfully ignorant about this team, fine. just stop trying to sell everyone else on this mess.

 

[podsox]

How many players are left from 5 years ago again? Is our manager still here from that time?

How many rebuilds has Rick Hahn embarked on? How many has our largely new scouting department been apart of?

So, go ahead and explain to me exactly what the hell this has to do with anything.

Every team sucks until they don't. Every team is good until they suck. The only thing identical between this team, the 00's White Sox or teams earlier in the decade is that they take the field wearing the same uniform.

Again, I will ask... drop the "poor us"... "we suck because we suck and we always will" melodramatic nonsense. All of that shit is just fans drowning in their own feces. Make a coherent argument as to why you feel this rebuild IS failing and why it WILL fail.

Otherwise, this is nothing but fans feeling sorry for themselves and misplacing emotion.

Every team in the central has been to the playoffs at least twice since the Sox last made it. Where the hell are all the prospects from the shitty yrs of 2012-2015. Why don’t they have any prospects out of their own farm system that wasn’t a first rd pick? How do you only have a top heavy farm system when you have sucked for so long. Why did their head of scouting just get demoted last week?

 

[Jiddy]

how many rebuilds has hahn embarked on is meaningless question. is this somehow in his favor? how? same goes for the scouting dept. if being hopeful that 'new' people will make a difference is all you got, you've got nothing!

you want some actual facts? since this bum has owned the team it's been to exactly 5 post seasons. .... since 1981! that's 38 years! he's a baseball idiot that thinks loyalty is the ONLY thing. winning is somewhere down the line. the whole organization reflects this jerk! so stop with the "Every team sucks until they don't. Every team is good until they suck. " bullshit. with this team the board is tilted AWAY from success. this is no ordinary rebuild. this is a rebuild that SHOULD have started in 2010 ... only he or his minions weren't smart enough to do it. they kept throwing their money away on garbage! and they're still doing it 9 years later. they have a proven track record and this is something you refuse to take into account.

hahn hasn't shown me anything. yes he picked up some talent, but only because he had big talent to give away to get it. doesn't mean he knows how to add all the pieces to make a team a winner. he didn't know enough to even get a couple decent pitchers (they didn't have a money problem) in the off-season. he got the worst ones available and expected all his 'youth' would be just fine. how bright was that?

as chisoxfan said ... the same exact people are (still) running the show.

if you wish to act blissfully ignorant about this team, fine. just stop trying to sell everyone else on this mess.

It could have been 6...but we can't really give that one to him now when he actually was at the forefront of the strike can we?

Also, to be fair...Our franchise is historically comical when it comes to postseason success. 9 appearances in 119 seasons despite being 11th in overall franchise win %. We had only been to the playoffs 4 times in those first 81. Granted, there were a lot less playoff spots many of those years, but there were also less teams too...so there's some fudging in those numbers. Regardless, it hasn't been pretty. Highly likely we'd be the biggest laughingstock in Sports if it wasn't for 2005...with all those "Most maligned sports franchises" articles having us at or near the top. That year saved our asses from a historical perspective. We should have "2005 WS Champions" on every piece of marketing for the rest of time. We're gonna need it from the looks of things.

 

[ChiSoxFan]

Jose Abreu Reportedly Won't Receive In-Season Extension Offer