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Adam Eaton's biggest concern is harnessing his energy enough to stay on the field without losing the edge that makes him beat the odds.
His counterpart in the trade that brought him to Chicago faces bigger problems.
The Angels demoted Hector Santiago to Triple-A on Thursday. He went 0-6 with a 5.19 ERA over seven starts in Anaheim. He didn't get much help from his teammates, as the Angels scored an average of 2.1 runs in a Santiago start. But he didn't help himself either, with control and inefficiency issues that limited him to a shade under five innings a start.
He pitched well out of the bullpen, but with only two appearances over 11 days, the Angels thought he'd be more useful remaining stretched out in Triple-A. The diagnosis sounds familiar:
"We still have high expectations for Hector," Scioscia said. "Right now, the only course of action is for him to go down and pitch. He needs to find his delivery, repeat pitches, get that continuity he had in spring training. Once he does that and commands counts better, you'll see a guy who is a major league pitcher."
While the Angels aren't getting what they need out of Santiago, Tyler Skaggs -- who they received from Arizona in the three-team deal -- is holding his own (4-1, 4.14 ERA, 3.66 FIP), and he doesn't turn 23 until July. And while the White Sox could use Santiago in the rotation mix, they'd be even thinner in the outfield without Eaton, who is a major part of the lineup.
So both the Sox and Angels have to be pretty pleased with the players they picked up from the Diamondbacks.
Meanwhile, Mark Trumbo hasn't played since April 21 due to a stress fracture in his foot, and he probably won't come off the disabled list until sometime in June. This deal is one of many reasons why Kevin Towers has a new boss.
Christian Marrero Reading Room
Jose Abreu rejoined the Sox upon their return to Chicago. He's still in the boot and will remain so through the weekend, but Rick Hahn says they're encouraged by the progress, and they're not inclined to regard it as a chronic issue yet.
Hahn says the Sox see some extra potential from Hector Noesi, because he's had to stretch out as a starter on the fly. Meanwhile, Scott Carroll isn't going to complain about moving to the bullpen.
As Major League Baseball tries to figure out life after Bud Selig, Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times says Jerry Reinsdorf is going rogue.
But as Mr. Selig’s final season unfolds, [Rob] Manfred’s candidacy is meeting turbulence from an unexpected antagonist: Jerry Reinsdorf, the 78-year-old owner of the Chicago White Sox and long one of Mr. Selig’s most loyal allies in the game. Mr. Reinsdorf has broken ranks and tried to upend the plan to slide Mr. Manfred into the commissioner’s office on Park Avenue, several owners say.
In discussions with other owners, Mr. Reinsdorf has raised questions about Mr. Selig’s transparency as commissioner and argued that Mr. Selig should play only an advisory role in picking his successor. Mr. Reinsdorf argued that, unlike owners who have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in their teams, Mr. Selig has no ownership in the game after he retires.
"What I have said about Rob is none of your business," Mr. Reinsdorf said in a telephone interview, interjecting an expletive.
Adam Dunn is known for his self-deprecation, but Jeff Passan says that his business instincts are sharper than he'd have you believe, and other White Sox come to him for financial advice. The most recent example is a strong one -- he passed on investing in "Major League 3" to buy into "Dallas Buyers Club."
Prince Fielder is done for the year, as he has a herniated disc in his neck that will require surgery. Most of us here thought the Tigers lucked out by getting out from under that contract, and it's even worse for the Rangers than most expected.
Friend of the South Side Sox Podcast Ben Reiter has an article about MLB Advanced Media's new player-tracking system in the upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated. Lucky for us, we can read it right now, and it's incredible. Here's why you should be excited:
The system will be invaluable to teams, which will use the vast data to critique their own players and strategize for opponents. It will also provide a new level of insight and entertainment for fans. MLBAM plans for the tracking data to be available almost instantaneously so it can be used in broadcasts just as replays are now. How fast did Billy Hamilton get down the first-base line? Does Andrelton Simmons have the strongest arm at shortstop? What kind of jump does Jacoby Ellsbury get on flyballs in the gap? Now we will know.
The data will also expose the nuances in seemingly routine events, like Jay's grounders. "To the naked eye, it looks like they're about the same play," says Bowman. "When you break it down, you find that everything was different." MLBAM provided SI with the proprietary data it collected for those two plays to demonstrate the tracking system's capabilities — and show how slim the difference between a double play and a two-RBI base hit can be. "Baseball is a game of inches," Bowman said. "Now we're going to know if it's one inch, or three."
- Obama pitches U.S. tourism - Albany Times Union
- Obama signs Hall of Fame's guestbook: "Go Sox!" - Politics on the Hudson
President Barack Obama visited the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown to promote the tourism industry. While he was there, he donated the White Sox jacket he wore while throwing out the first pitch of the 2009 All-Star Game, and signed the museum guestbook with the note, "Go Sox!"
