This Week In White Sox Minor League Baseball

by larry on Jun 18, 2011 3:00 PM CDT in White Sox Minors

This week:

Let's just get this out of the way first. Dayan Viciedo: .324/.369/.538. I questioned prior to the season whether there was anything more he could actually learn/develop offensively with more time in the minors. But I recognized that he was learning a new position so a few months in the minors was probably appropriate, particularly since there wasn't an obvious place in the White Sox starting lineup for him and Viciedo is not the sort of player you sit on the bench five days a week. But now it's mid-June. The line for the White Sox leftfielder is .255/.318/.298. The DH is .185/.329/.341. Dunn is trending upwards and is the most likely to actually perform going forward. However, he isn't particularly good against lefties. Guess who Viciedo mashes? Pierre is hitting like Pierre hits. Unfortunately, he isn't stealing bases like Pierre steals bases. And he also is playing bad defense. That means Pierre has no redeeming value on a baseball field. Thus, there is no way Viciedo isn't a superior performer. The Dodgers had the cojones to bench Pierre. It's time to show how all-in the White Sox are.
RHP Addison Reed is this year's fast-tracked reliever, reaching Birmingham after less than a year as a pro. He's been spectacular at three levels this season, combining for a 40.1 IP, 26 H, 8 BB, 54 K line. Reed has the repertoire of a closer: an excellent mid to upper 90s fastball with a plus-potential slider. AA and, if he gets there, AAA will be a test for Reed, who won't be quite so able to simply blow hitters away with his fastball at those levels.
1B Andy Wilkins: .248/.332/.424. A 2010 5th round pick, Wilkins made a little bit of noise by raking in the Pioneer League last season. Of course, anytime a three-year collegiate does that, the salt should be brought out. The White Sox correctly were aggressive by skipping a level and sending him to the Dash. He's held his own so far, hitting better than the league average. Of course, offense-first prospects need to do more than that. He's going to have to start raking soon to live up to the preseason expectations some placed on him.

LHP Santos Rodriguez was one of the additional pieces in the Vazquez for Lillibridge blockbuster. He was extremely raw and hadn't pitched above short season rookie ball. He matched gaudy strikeout rates with gaudy walk rates. This continued through his first two years in the White Sox organization, culminating in a 13.2 K/9 and 7.1 BB/9 last season for the Dash. In his return engagement with the Dash this season, the walk rate has remained high - 5.5 per 9 - but his strikeout rate has collapsed to just 6.6 per 9. He's also giving up hits at an alarming rate of almost 10.3 per 9 innings, more than 4 hits more than last season's rate. Rodriguez was one of the great hopes for a system starved for lefties. His age 23 season hasn't turned out to be the breakout that was hoped for.

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Comments

Short has bounced back from a bad running game last season.

In W-S he was caught stealing over 50% of the time. This year he is on pace for 33 SB and only 4 CS.

by 3E8 on Jun 18, 2011 3:30 PM CDT reply actions

Major strides here...

Big difference in this guy’s ceiling if he’s a 30+ base stealer. Still has nice pop for a smaller guy. It sounds like he needs to play a corner, so he’s going to need to slug at a decent clip. Hopefully he can at least get the plate discipline to a manageable level.

by polodude017 on Jun 18, 2011 8:36 PM CDT up reply actions

Lineup:

sox @ dbacks 7:10, Ch.9, 670-AM; Lillibridge LF Morel 3B Quentin RF Konerko 1B Ramirez SS Rios CF Castro C Beckham 2B Danks. danks v. duke

Not really sure why Beckham is still so low. But at least its a little different.

by 815Sox on Jun 18, 2011 3:56 PM CDT reply actions

Pierre on Stay-cation

Will the Pierreminator be cured or is this the beginning of Tank warfare?

NISFW (now it's safe for work!)

by greenlight on Jun 18, 2011 4:27 PM CDT up reply actions

you do have to wonder

Why hasn’t Pierre received the few games off to get his mind right that ozzie seems to hand out so freely to others. He has struggled as much as the others have.

by 815Sox on Jun 18, 2011 6:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Pierre is a veteran who works hard and plays the game the right way.

In Ozzie’s fucked up mind, he has a lifetime pass. At the expense of him job failing and his team failing? Yes.

by 25or6to4 on Jun 18, 2011 6:45 PM CDT up reply actions

small point on Viciedo

doesn’t he have reverse splits this year?

by metasox on Jun 18, 2011 4:39 PM CDT reply actions

yes. and this year is not even a half season. don't ever use such things to support anything, viciedo will hit lefties hard. certainly harder than dunn.

by larry on Jun 18, 2011 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions

Thanks.

No Mitchell or Thompson slash lines?

And despite his prodigious, powerful display,Battling loneliness, rage, misery
There really isn’t much else left to say.

by winningugly on Jun 18, 2011 4:40 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

he didn't put them up so as to avoid slash lines from you.

by craigws on Jun 18, 2011 4:45 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Worry lines.

Beware the cure isn't worse than the disease

by Chiburb on Jun 18, 2011 6:52 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't think he has room for any more

I'd just as soon never hear another word from that fluttering asswheel. - RWShow

by blackoutsox on Jun 18, 2011 8:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Not a lot to like there.

by polodude017 on Jun 18, 2011 8:37 PM CDT up reply actions

Thank you.

Beware the cure isn't worse than the disease

by Chiburb on Jun 18, 2011 4:44 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

Does anyone else find it idiotic that Addison Reed...

is having his ceiling capped by being tabbed a reliever? I mean this system is almost completely devoid of starting pitching talent. Yes, I agree it’s more likely he makes it as a reliever long-term, but why not try him as a starter until he falls on his face?

by polodude017 on Jun 18, 2011 8:39 PM CDT reply actions

this was nice:

LHP Santos Rodriguez was one of the additional pieces in the Vazquez for Lillibridge blockbuster.

"You go up there, against a dog-ass line up AND pitcher, and you don’t do a fucking thing with it. They whip your silly, sorry, saggy ass AGAIN, and you look like fucking bottom-ass, bitch-ass chumps doing it." - 2HA

by Shoeless In SC on Jun 18, 2011 10:17 PM CDT reply actions