Trick or Treat, you decide

by The Cheat on Nov 2, 2007 4:07 PM CDT in Minors

Whether or not you choose to believe the claims about who he is or who he works for, the discussion raised by a (supposed) member of the White Sox new minor league guard over at SoxTalk is well worth reading. Though, I don't know how excited we're supposed to get over a talent evaluator from the Orioles. That'd be like getting excited about a new minor league pitching coach from the Pirates. Oh, wait.

The discussion centers on our rookie leaguers, so consider this you "Better Know a League" post that I promised and never delivered.

Reading and responding to the post has killed the better part of my afternoon, during which I had planned to outline my off-season plan. Since my sister is due to show up at my door in the next hour, I doubt I'll be able to get to it before Sunday. I'm just like the Sox promising something (We're gonna win in '08), delivering something else (losing '09-'10).

There's also a video (mms), on the main page of MiLB.com of Egbert and Sweeney, but my Firefox just upgraded and needs a restart, which I suspect is the reason it's not launching for me. Update [2007-11-2 17:35:32 by The Cheat]: Turned out to be a puff piece on the current AFLers.

***** Speaking of trick or treat (wiz):

Trick-or-treaters who arrived at the suburban home of Jim and Andrea Thome on Wednesday received a special surprise, as the couple handed out full-size candy bars, autographed by the prolific slugger.

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Comments

I

have a hard time believing the guy is legitimate.

by dantesox on Nov 2, 2007 4:40 PM CDT 0 recs

I did at first

but the info is accurate (only the Martinez 1b/LFer thing didn't jibe with what I'd heard)

You don't have to believe his claims about the Sox or his position within the organization. But, if nothing else, he knows what he was talking about in regards to the rookie leaguers. And that's info that's usually hard to come by.

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Nov 2, 2007 4:46 PM CDT up 0 recs

Cheat

What name do you post under over at SoxTalk?

by BoKnows on Nov 2, 2007 4:49 PM CDT up 0 recs

Max power

cheat is max power at sox talk.

Ozzie for president!

by Solja's Puppet on Nov 3, 2007 7:36 PM CDT up 0 recs

Gene Honda Civic

by SSH2005 on Nov 4, 2007 10:02 AM CST up 0 recs

He

sounds like he knows what he's talking about, but, really, it has no more value than if it were you or I.

by dantesox on Nov 2, 2007 4:54 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yes it does

I'll readily admit to having never seen these guys play. He has (though it seems like in instructional league for many)

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Nov 2, 2007 4:57 PM CDT up 0 recs

Sweeney

hinted at in the SoxTalk thread is that he was upset about not getting a September call-up (even though he was coming off an injury)... and more troubling, in every comment I've seen from him this off-season, he seems contented with his production, his '07 season.

I would argue that he didn't take a step backwards since he had essentially the same minor league numbers as last season when he went down with the wrist, but I'm quite troubled with his acceptance of his production coupled with him questioning why he wasn't called up.

Hello?! You weren't called up because you were hurt and couldn't hit the ball out of the infield. We already had Owens/Pods/Erstad for that. You've continued that by slugging .213 in the AFL. .213! in Arizona!!

Hit dammit! Then you can complain.

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Nov 2, 2007 4:43 PM CDT 0 recs

Is Sweeney BA, Jr.?

Gooddamn pampered (young, unproven) players - the trouble with bonuses is the same as the trouble with being a rust fund baby - it kills your initiative.

Time for the ass-kissing to stop, already.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Nov 2, 2007 6:36 PM CDT up 0 recs

relax!

I've read a lot on how down fans are on Ryan Sweeney. Rest-assured, Ryan Sweeney will be a quality, very quality MLB player. The kid was only 22 years old this past year (and a bit down on how the organization has treated him by not giving him a full-fledged shot like Fields). Sweeney is going to be a 290-20 HR guy in the big leagues. There is little doubt about that. To give up on a kid so young is foolish. All the tools, all the instincts, all makeup is there with him.

by The Wizard on Nov 2, 2007 10:07 PM CDT up 0 recs

I think this meshes with what I could have gleaned

from looking at the statistics and matching that with age/college stats. Except Gerst. That was a surprise to me, so I guess add him to the watch list.

Honestly, I'm surprised how much of this I already knew from staring at baseball-reference and minorleaguesplits for too long.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Nov 2, 2007 5:13 PM CDT 0 recs

The guy at ST is legit

We talked to him before he started to post. He is legit.

by Tony82087 on Nov 2, 2007 5:19 PM CDT 0 recs

if he's legit

he should be fired.

by larry on Nov 2, 2007 6:56 PM CDT up 0 recs

Really?

I didn't know honesty to fans was something that could get you fired.

by Tony82087 on Nov 2, 2007 7:01 PM CDT up 0 recs

honesty?

releasing internal scouting reports without authorization? posting on internet sites about the team? ken williams and ozzie guillen and other guys can be "honest" with fans about this sort of stuff if they want. let's say all this stuff he writes is true; what does that do to the sox bargaining position if they wanted to, say, trade an aaron poreda? this isn't any different than you or any other employee releasing confidential information about the company you work for.

i know what the white sox employee confidentiality agreements state. this guy has violated nearly every pertinent provision.

by larry on Nov 2, 2007 7:04 PM CDT up 0 recs

Hopefully he's a fraud

because he'll be fired shortly otherwise.

This reminds me of The Simpsons episode where Homer drives the truck of the guy who died eating the huge steak at the Slaughterhouse and proceeds to enrage the entire trucking community by abusing the automated driving program.

The other scouts might kill this guy for blurting out whatever is on his mind.

But if he's a former MLB Scouting Bureau employee like his name suggests, this wouldn't surprise me. Those guys are arrogant as hell and have limited accountability since they aren't responsible for signing anybody.

by Bull Pain on Nov 2, 2007 9:12 PM CDT up 0 recs

MLB Scouting Bureau possibly

see link

oh, MLB Scouting Bureau info

by The Wizard on Nov 3, 2007 6:58 PM CDT up 0 recs

only sox fans can load soxtalk?

that's a terrific invention!

by The Wizard on Nov 2, 2007 7:05 PM CDT up 0 recs

Poreda

Without a doubt, the most depressing part of the ST thread:

LHP Aaron Poreda: Poreda complained of a hurting shoulder & elbow and the player development guys said he had complained much of the year (this is why he missed a good portion of time mid-season). Poreda is a disaster with his arm swing and is an injury waiting to happen. He possesses some power stuff, but he has no feel for a breaking ball. He can't spin a curveball or a slider. At this point, he projects much more of a pen-guy than a starter, but even that is in question because of his inability to throw a breaking ball to keep Left-Handed hitters honest. The West-Coast coordinator & regional scouts both lost their jobs for this draft pick recently. Should say something about his future ability

It sounds like the Poreda pick is every bit the disaster that Gomez from THT said it was. What a terrible organization.

Speaking of which, I have to think whomever from the Sox is posting is on a fast track to getting canned. For one, this person is effectively driving down the value of the Sox minor leaguers in trades (I know...other teams scouts probably see the same thing, but it's still not the kind of info Williams would want out there). Second, his comments about Griffith being a KW-mandated pick and also being a prima donna with injury concerns seem like a slap at the boss for not knowing what he's doing (which might be true, but again it's not the thing you effectively make public).

by hitlesswonder on Nov 2, 2007 5:50 PM CDT 0 recs

on the legitimacy of this guy

Poreda is a disaster with his arm swing

is 'arm swing' a term a guy like him would use?

wouldn't he say motion or windup?

by The Wizard on Nov 2, 2007 6:09 PM CDT up 0 recs

He used a couple phrases that didn't sound

like things that I could tell you what they were. And I fancy myself a pretty good fake expert.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Nov 2, 2007 6:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

my thoughts

are that he probably has seen these guys. doesn't mean, however, i should take his analysis as anything more than a guy who has seen them and is posting his opinion. he says some rather odd things to be anything more than a low level employee.

at any rate, i find it quite hard to believe that he works for the sox organization. he's basically claiming to be posting confidential, internal sox information for all the world to see. you'd have to be pretty dumb to risk your job over this. the sox would obviously become aware of these postings and ferret out the person. and if such a person is that dumb, that certainly makes me discount their analysis even more.

by larry on Nov 2, 2007 7:01 PM CDT up 0 recs

Odds are...

That it is a low-level employee (if employee at all) that wants to bask in the glow being a Sox employee on a Sox message board.

I have to believe that a swift firing will be in the works; this would be warranted in any organization let alone one run by Kenny "under the radar" Williams.

I'm not optimistic about the direction the minors are taking if these are the kind of people the Sox are bringing in.

by hitlesswonder on Nov 2, 2007 9:17 PM CDT up 0 recs

Then again

Perhaps this is an employee who has recently been released and wants to get his opinion of the state of the minors heard

by Brush Back on Nov 2, 2007 9:29 PM CDT up 0 recs

if this guy is legit, what a horrible draft

gallagher was in duke, we have so many teams/guys there, couldn't someone scout him for pete's sake?

dammit, we're full of deadweight

save us buddy bell, you're our only hope

by The Wizard on Nov 2, 2007 6:03 PM CDT 0 recs

And you think my sig is only

being cheeky. 2010 at the earliest.

Fer Chrissakes. We need an offseason from God.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Nov 2, 2007 6:38 PM CDT up 0 recs

Mariners decline option on Guillen

mlb:

Right fielder Jose Guillen, one of the clubhouse leaders who helped the Seattle Mariners surpass a .500 record last season for the first time since 2003, likely will not return to the club in 2008.

The Mariners announced Friday that Guillen, who hit .290 with 23 home runs and 99 RBIs, will not have his 2008 option picked up. He had signed a one-year deal with Seattle last winter with a club and player option for next season.

Guillen, 31, ranked second in the American League against left-handed pitching in batting average (.362) and set a club record by getting hit by a pitch 19 times. He can still exercise his player option, but the club is not required to accept it.

by The Wizard on Nov 2, 2007 8:13 PM CDT 0 recs

You think we could get him to agree to a contract?

We have plenty at bats for him against lefties between the OF, 1B and DH.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Nov 3, 2007 6:57 PM CDT up 0 recs

mlbtr says he'll likely get a 3/30 contract

seems bavasi wasted $500k

if seattle had picked up the $9mil club option, guillen would've void it and forfeited the buyout
bavasi though exercised the $500k buyout

sources: mlbtr, seattle times

by The Wizard on Nov 3, 2007 7:28 PM CDT up 0 recs

man, i was way off on 7.

is 10 worth it?

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Nov 3, 2007 9:50 PM CDT up 0 recs

I dodn't know

but since I see now Jim being aboard I'd say 10 is OK

by The Wizard on Nov 5, 2007 2:48 PM CST up 0 recs

I would totally offer him a 3M/yr contract

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Nov 3, 2007 7:00 PM CDT up 0 recs

and you'd, like, totally get hung up on

by larry on Nov 3, 2007 7:31 PM CDT up 0 recs

5 then? I mean it's clear he's only the

left side of a platoon at this point right?

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Nov 3, 2007 9:04 PM CDT up 0 recs

oh i'm totally wrong

he had a .303/.362/.476 line away from home. he's worth a corner OF spot. sign him, ditch crede for betemit and you've got everything but your CF situation resolved for relatively cheap. he'd cost 7M then?

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Nov 3, 2007 9:07 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yeah, that sucks,

even in euros or loonies.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Nov 5, 2007 10:10 AM CST up 0 recs

joey to stay?

to:

The Pittsburgh Pirates have settled on their next manager but aren't ready to say who it is.

There were strong indications Friday night that the choice was former Pirate third-base coach John Russell.

Russell, 46, who was on the Pirates staff in 2003-05, is currently the manager of Philadelphia's Class AAA Lehigh Valley farm club.

by The Wizard on Nov 2, 2007 8:22 PM CDT 0 recs

The guy is obviously knowledgable

...but doesn't the certainty he writes with seem a bit odd? For example, hew writes "Sweeney is going to be a 290-20 HR guy in the big leagues. There is little doubt about that."

Really? I think there is a lot of doubt about that.

Poreda doesn't just have mechanical issues, they are a "disaster".

Sergio Morales "is a very soft player, who takes himself out of many games".

The information is interesting, but I wouldn't put too much faith in some of his "expert" opinions.

by buda on Nov 2, 2007 9:57 PM CDT 0 recs

Bureau Employee17's comments

WOW! We'll see how long he lasts and how really tolerant KW is on unpleasant comments. What BE#17 says will be watched carefully by all of us to see if his comments can be supported by the actions or inaction of the players in question. Anyway, I love it it has spiced up the offseason and gotten several SSS people back to add their thoughts. I pray for a better 2008.

by Florida Jim on Nov 3, 2007 11:36 AM CDT 0 recs