This one slipped by. Kenny from SoxFest:
KW: I think Sisco was stunted, his growth was stunted. He was drafted rule 5 from A-ball and put right in the big leagues as a reliever. Had he been allowed to start all this time instead of being in the big leagues, number one we wouldn't have had a chance to get him. Number two he'd be - he has unlimited potential as a starter. Masset has power stuff with three pitches to put together. So, yeah, I can envision him as a starter too. ... Now, I find myself, I'd like to see Sisco - in winter ball next year - start.
Update [2007-1-30 17:47:57 by The Cheat]: I thought the most interesting exchange came from an innocent question about other players we should keep an eye on.
(KW) Other than names we mentioned. (Hall?) We know what he can do.
(OZ) My opinion, myself, I want to talk a look at Valido and ask him why he went backwards so much when I was counting on him personally and with baseball people. I’ll say why are you so stupid and put yourself in that situation – you know you have a shot here. I talked to you personally. If you’re a player and you see who’s in front of you, you know you have a shot. Then all of a sudden you go back to the minors and don’t do what you’re supposed to do – not hit 300, but do what you’re supposed to do. I’m going to ask him those questions because I think this kid, he has a good chance to be a pretty good player.
(KW) He should have been ready, his timetable is he should have been ready at some point this year -- and possibly challenging for a job.
(OZ) We counted on him. I like what I saw in spring training. That happened with two of my players, they go to spring training the first week then go back to the minor leagues and all of a sudden they’re big leaguers. And I want to talk to him face to face, I don’t want to see that thing happen. You have a good enough talent to challenge this. And you put us on the spot because we have you at one point and all of a sudden you go backwards, now we have to figure out who’s going to be there because you don’t do what you’re supposed to do. That kid, if he plays like he did in spring training, he has a chance to be in the big leagues because he plays the game, plays defense, does a lot of good things to make people happy.
I don't know if I agree with Kenny's timeline, but I would have thought that Validio would be opening the season in Charlotte by the upcoming season. As it is now, I don't have any confidence that he can handle an assignment to Birmingham this year.
I also wonder who else Ozzie was referring to when he mentions that "two of his players" went back to the minors acting like Big Leaguers. Liotta and Logan seem the most obvious candidates.