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24 Aug 2023 02:27:40
Rick Hahn fired LOL.
I was confidently told that every MLB GM was trying to emulate Hahn.
21 Sep 2023 19:10:08
And then they hire Chris Getz LMAOO.
This is like dumping your girlfriend only to start dating her less-attractive sister.
08 Jul 2023 20:12:19
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Sporting Villains 4: Lance Armstrong
04 May 2023 09:01:43
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Boxing Legends Part 5: Sugar Ray Leonard
06 Apr 2023 20:57:09
What an embarrassing, EMBARRASSING series for the White Sox versus the Giants.
The White Sox:
-Gave up 13 (THIRTEEN!) home runs
-Lost by a margin of 13-31
-Had a position player pitch in TWO of the three games
-They had a player ejected because he didn't understand the new rules
-They had a player get chirpy because the Giants pitched a slider on a 3-0 count to him.
For all the talk Chi Sox did, this was an utterly embarrassing series for his team.
(I won't even bring up his hilarious standards from last year, but if he's willing to be consistent, we know who is the better team now)
06 Apr 2023 21:16:51
My apologies. A -15 run differential. They were blessed with the Giants mercifully giving them a pitcher on the mound as well (which was the result of the Giants being ahead 16-3 LOL)
07 Apr 2023 06:03:54
Haha I knew this was coming. Props to the Giants for taking advantage of some brutal Sox pitching this weekend. 13 homers is impressive.
Kopech looked to be tipping and Lynn had God awful stuff. Cease wasn't even close to his best but he's just that good. Aces gonna ace.
I'll take a 4-2 record against the Giants over the last 2 seasons. It was pretty much the opposite in San Fran in '22, except the Sox swept. Giants tried to, but our ace is better than your's.
Both teams have 3 wins this year. I'm not particularly moved by either so far.
"For all the talk Chi Sox did, this was an utterly embarrassing series for his team. "
I'm not sure how this is the case? I picked both teams to miss the playoffs and the Giants just won a series 2-1 in early-April. Go off, I guess?
29 Mar 2023 03:40:28
2023 MLB Predictions
AL East:
1. Yankees (93-69) [2]
2. Rays (90-72) [5]
3. Blue Jays (88-74) [6]
4. Red Sox (81-81)
5. Orioles (80-82)
AL Central:
1. Guardians (88-74) [3]
2. White Sox (84-78)
3. Twins (83-79)
4. Royals (65-97)
5. Tigers (63-99)
AL West:
1. Astros (102-60) [1]
2. Mariners (92-70) [4]
3. Angels (80-82)
4. Rangers (77-85)
5. Athletics (56-106)
NL East:
1. Phillies (97-65) [2]
2. Braves (93-69) [4]
3. Mets (90-72) [6]
4. Marlins (78-84)
5. Nationals (54-108)
NL Central:
1. Cardinals (94-68) [3]
2. Brewers (85-77)
3. Cubs (76-86)
4. Pirates (68-94)
5. Reds (61-101)
NL West:
1. Dodgers (98-64) [1]
2. Padres (93-69) [5]
3. Diamondbacks (81-81)
4. Giants (78-84)
5. Rockies (63-99)
AL Wild Card: Guardians over Blue Jays (2-0), Mariners over Rays (2-1)
NL Wild Card: Mets over Cardinals (2-0), Braves over Padres (2-1)
ALDS: Guardians over Yankees (3-2), Mariners over Astros (3-2)
NLDS: Phillies over Mets (3-0), Dodgers over Braves (3-1)
ALCS: Mariners over Guardians (4-2)
NLCS: Dodgers over Phillies (4-3)
World Series: Dodgers over Mariners (4-1)
Awards:
AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani - Angels
NL MVP: Ronald Acuna Jr. - Braves
AL Cy Young: Framber Valdez - Astros
NL CY Young: Aaron Nola - Phillies
AL ROY: Gunnar Henderson - Orioles
NL ROY: Corbin Carroll - Diamondbacks
AL MOY: Terry Francona - Guardians
NL MOY: Dave Roberts - Dodgers
29 Mar 2023 13:04:06
Dang. Things must be rough when you're not even predicting the "AL Equivalent to the Dodgers" aren't even making the playoffs.
And putting the Giants at 78 wins is just trolling at this point. It would be the worst record Gabe Kapler has had with the Giants, all the while with objectively his best team.
But no one has ever accused you of having reasonable takes regarding the Giants, so why start now?
29 Mar 2023 14:38:05
I mean you obviously watch more Giants than me, but saying this year's roster is the best Kapler has had is interesting. I don't agree with that at all.
They're betting on 75th+ percentile outcomes from a TON of guys to make the postseason.
No trolling, I don't expect them to be very good.
29 Mar 2023 17:25:54
They have the best bullpen, top to bottom, they've had with Kapler.
They have the deepest rotation I think I can ever recall them having in my time on this earth, with 7 legitimate starting options. This doesn't even include Sean Hjelle or a potential Kyle Harrison addition later on.
They added 30 HR potential in Michael Conforto while losing just Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria offensively. Guys like Yaz and Joc Pederson won't be affected as severely by the shift.
This is, objectively, Kapler's best Giants team.
Your prediction is anywhere from 4-10 wins below the projections of the experts. Meanwhile, you're projecting the White Sox are anywhere from 3-10 wins BETTER?
Yeah, pardon me for not buying what you're selling.
29 Mar 2023 22:34:08
It can't "objectively" be his best team before they play a single game. That's not what "objectively" means.
If Conforto has "30 HR potential" (playing half his games in SF, mind you) with a 15 total projection from THE BAT X, then boy, the White Sox have 8 regulars with 30-homer potential too.
And the Giants swapped Rodon for Manaea who was more than a full run worse by botERA (well, would you lookie there - look which metric got added to FanGraphs. Legit enough for ya now? ) .
They added Stripling, but does he have a better outlook than DeSclafani did coming into last year? No. Otherwise, the rotation is exactly the same as last year.
The rotation depth is good, but I don't think it moves the needle for them above anything other than a .500 team. Just my opinion.
30 Mar 2023 01:36:47
And I know you're keen on the opinion of "experts", but ESPN & FanGraphs agree with my last statement.
30 Mar 2023 12:16:30
ZiPS projected the Giants to win 87 games.
They projected the White Sox to win 74.
But I can fully understand why you'd all of a sudden dismiss ZiPS. I don't entirely blame you.
30 Mar 2023 12:25:54
As far as Manaea is concerned, no one has accused you of paying attention, so I won't begin to do so either.
However, a few notes:
1. He worked with Driveline this offseason and the effects were pretty obvious this Spring. His velocity is up by 3mph.
2. Manaea has really focused on his sinker, which has been highly effective. That sinker is why the Giants acquired him. It's why they went for Alex Cobb. It's why they like Alex Wood. They seem to know what they are doing when it comes to guys with sinnkers.
3. Cherry-pick whichever bizarre metric you'd wish, here's what we know about Manaea's 2022 season (which, frankly, doesn't matter anymore) : he was a full run LOWER by xERA. He was a half-run lower by FIP. I won't use xFIP with you, because now that it is no longer favorable to your argument, you dismiss is (again, you're the most predictable person ever) .
But surprise, surprise, nearly every projection has Manaea performing at his xERA from 2022. I suspect if they were able to quantify the changes he made this winter, that number would be even lower.
You've already convinced me you don't know what you're talking about, you don't have to continue to sell the point.
30 Mar 2023 12:30:18
"If Conforto has "30 HR potential" (playing half his games in SF, mind you) with a 15 total projection from THE BAT X, then boy, the White Sox have 8 regulars with 30-homer potential too. "
For someone who LOVES projections*, you sure seem to ignore the realities, don't you?
Of course Conforto is going to be around 15-19 HR via projection systems. The systems can't operate knowing if he's healthy. They can't account for changes he made. Conforto had 14 HR in 2021 and ZERO in 2022. Why would any projection, mathematically, give him a number in the 20s? That makes no sense.
His four seasons prior: 27, 28, 33, 27 (it was 9, but adjusted to 27 for 162 games) . Dang, it's almost like, I don't know, Michael Conforto has 30-home run potential.
Crazy how that works.
*Chi Sox only loves projections when they are favorable to his argument. And he consistently uses the most favorable for White Sox, and the least favorable for the Giants.
13 Feb 2023 15:52:35
2023 MLB Predicted Standings
AL EAST:
NY Yankees 99-63
Toronto 91-71
Tampa Bay 83-79
Baltimore 80-82
Boston 77-85
AL CENTRAL:
Minnesota 89-73
Cleveland 86-76
Chicago WS 79-83
Detroit 70-92
Kansas City 61-101
AL WEST:
Houston 98-64
Seattle 92-70
Texas 84-78
LA Angels 73-89
Oakland 54-108
NL EAST:
NY Mets 97-65
Atlanta 95-67
Philadelphia 90-72
Miami 75-87
Washington 57-105
NL CENTRAL
St. Louis 92-70
Milwaukee 84-78
Chicago Cubs 80-82
Pittsburgh 66-96
Cincinnati 60-102
NL WEST
LA Dodgers 95-67
San Diego 94-68
San Francisco 87-75
Arizona 82-80
Colorado 60-102
PLAYOFFS
AL WILD CARD
Minnesota over Cleveland, 2-1
Toronto over Seattle, 2-0
NL WILD CARD
Philadelphia over St. Louis, 2-0
Atlanta over San Diego, 2-1
AL DIVISION
Houston over Minnesota, 3-0
NY Yankees over Toronto, 3-1
NL DIVISION
Philadelphia over NY Mets, 3-2
Atlanta over LA Dodgers, 3-1
ALCS
NY Yankees over Houston, 4-2
NLCS
Atlanta over Philadelphia, 4-0
WORLD SERIES
Atlanta over NY Yankees, 4-2
30 Dec 2022 22:04:57
Per Maria Guardado of MLB.com:
"Our organization was totally unified every step of the way as this unfolded," Zaidi said. "In the initial pursuit, in the negotiation and in unfortunately what happened subsequently. There was complete alignment from ownership to the baseball group to the business side."
Seriously, Chi Sox's post gets worse and worse each time.
EVERYONE was in agreement on each step of the process.
30 Dec 2022 22:57:26
The alternative here is that Zaidi releases a statement that insinuates tension between ownership and the front office. Even he's not that dumb.
It's cute how naïve you are.
You think public statements from club executives are always an accurate representation of what actually goes on behind closed doors.
Just like how anything that "reputable writers" like Keith Law say in terms of player valuation or biblical.
31 Dec 2022 02:50:08
Comical for someone who fell for Scott Boras' statements hook, line and sinker to call anyone "naive"
Between this and trying to suggest the Giants operated like an alt-right team, this hasn't been a good stretch of hot takes for you.
I'm a little worried you might be hitting the bottle like TLR. Just stay off the roads, otherwise Jerry Reinsdorf will hire you!
31 Dec 2022 03:03:31
You're also the same guy who ran with a rumor from Bennet Karoll LMAOOOOOOO.
Bennet Karoll, a shock jock radio host.
Scott Boras, the clown super-agent who literally lied (and changed his story multiple times) to reporters about what happened with the Correa/ Giants saga.
Yeah, I think it's probably safer to assume that Farhan Zaidi, who is probably the most open about what his team is doing to the public & media, is telling the truth.
But you don't want to accept it because it doesn't appeal to your laughable and ridiculous nonsensical takes regarding the Giants.
You've been wrong at literally every point regarding the Correa saga. You continue to embarrass yourself and honestly, I actually feel bad for your family and acquaintances.
25 Dec 2022 20:24:24
Let's switch subjects. Who has some analysis on the latest Blue Jays Diamondbacks trade. I'm a life long Jays fan. Hard to see Moreno get traded but I don't know much about Varsho.
29 Dec 2022 13:42:25
Varsho is an elite defender, but his bat leaves a lot to be desired. His Statcast numbers are yucky.
29 Dec 2022 18:06:22
You'd like to see the xwOBA higher, but a 66th percentile max EV and a 70th percentile barrel rate are not "yucky" (Gurriel is in the 56th and 12th percentiles for these metrics, respectively) .
Avg. EV, xBA, and HH% (you'd want to use a dynamic hard hit rate, not static) are not the best metrics to leverage.
Love this for both teams, but especially the Jays - creating an elite defensive outfield and a much needed LH bat. Being able to also catch is the cherry on top.
29 Dec 2022 22:31:57
He was a 106 wRC+ hitter in 2022 while outperforming his xwOBA by 25 points.
Coincidentally, Varsho has performed at his xwOBA in each of his previous two seasons. The wRC+ in those seasons? 76 and 99.
At best, Varsho is a league average hitter. Which is perfectly fine, considering he's elite defensively. Toronto got an elite defender at CF, who can be league average with the bat. That's a very good player by any rights, and totally worth giving up Moreno.
TL:DR version (aka the Chi Sox version) : if Toronto wanted an elite offensive OF, they crapped the bed. If they wanted someone with elite skills on either side and average on the other, they struck gold.
I, too, like this for Toronto.
31 Dec 2022 12:09:14
I love the fact that this will push Springer to one of the corners for most of the year. I wasn't too concerned about the defence if Kiermeier can stay healthy (big if) . Losing the offensive production from Hernandez will hurt. His injuries last year and pending Free agency brought his trade value down. I think they should of kept him while still making the other moves. Kiermeier to me is no more than a late inning defensive replacement at this point in his career. Similar to what JBJ brought last year. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.
01 Jan 2023 18:28:14
Kiermaier is so good in the outfield that if he stays healthy, he's a minimum 2-win player. He's better than JBJ because he's shown over his career that he has a playable offensive floor. He's never had lower that a 79 wRC+ in a season, and isn't even a complete dud against LHP.
Hernandez's power production should bounce back at least somewhat, but that lineup wasn't exactly starved for right-handed power. Plus his $15+ million arb projection was more than they were willing to pay. Getting Swanson for him was a nice move.
Varsho being able to catch allows to you still comfortably be able to DH Kirk or Jansen also.
Arizona get more right handed and a really good young catcher in Moreno.
24 Dec 2022 17:05:39
Per The Athletic: The Mets, yes, the team who models their spending after the U.S. Government, have concerns of an issue with Carlos Correa's physical.
Let this be a lesson to this forum: Don't listen to Chi Sox.
He has no idea what he's talking about and he fell for the Scott Boras narrative hook, line and sinker.
08 Dec 2022 16:04:59
Anyone hear from Chi Sox lately? He was going strong and then the 2023 ZiPS for the White Sox were released.
He hasn't been heard from since.
13 Dec 2022 12:56:35
Glad to know you're thinking of me, Nathan.
13 Dec 2022 13:26:19
I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Those projections were rough. You put a lot of stock in them and it's pretty clear the experts aren't high on the White Sox right now.
Maybe for your own safety, you're in the denial stage of grief. I can't wait to hear how ZiPS is now a bad projection system.
14 Dec 2022 02:38:06
No I think they’re pretty solid if you understand how to properly use them. ZiPS isn’t “experts”, it’s a calculation — math.
I think the Sox need to make a couple solid moves between now and Opening Day to make the postseason FWIW.
You’re attempting to stir up a nonexistent argument.
14 Dec 2022 14:32:25
Imagine having to add pieces to make the playoffs in the AL Central. especially for the "Dodgers of the American League". LOL.
07 Aug 2022 12:20:04
"[The Giants] have ONE hitter projected to have a wRC+ over 110 (Belt) . This is tied with the Dbacks, Orioles, Pirates, Cubs, A's (LOL, great company) for the 2nd worst in baseball (only the Tigers have zero) . For reference, the White Sox and Blue Jays have 6 and the Dodgers have 7. No one else is higher than 5." -Chi Sox, before the season began.
We're over 100 games into the season, let's see how things are going with his "it's just math" prediction.
Minimum 150 PAs:
White Sox: 4 players over 110 wRC+.
Giants: 6.
Let's go with a minimum of 250 PAs:
White Sox: 4
Giants: 4.
Anyone else wanna tell Chi Sox where he should stick those projections he was using?
07 Aug 2022 22:59:32
Someone doesn't know how projections work, lol.
Well, the Giants do have 6 hitters over a 110 wRC+ and they're only, er, 22 games back! Just need to get hot!
08 Aug 2022 00:31:44
"Someone doesn't know how projections work"
Says the dude who's "projections" were so laughably wrong, for two years in a row now.
I'm not entirely sure YOU know how to make projections LOL.
08 Aug 2022 00:47:28
I'll sum it up this way: Projections are confirmed by their accuracy.
So far, your projection has not been remotely accurate, as the Giants have 6x as many hitters over 110 wRC+ than the "projection" states they would have.
When your projection holds accurate, come find me.
08 Aug 2022 05:57:30
Those are not "my projections", those are the projections that FanGraphs displays. They all said that the Giants wouldn't sniff their wins pace from last season, and here we are.
How's your projections working out? 2 egregious ones were that Jose Abreu's 2020 MVP season was a fluke (he's put up a 133 wRC+ and 6.1 WAR since then and is the 3rd best 1B in baseball this season only behind Goldschmidt and Freeman) .
Darin Ruf? He finally got a shot to get more regular ABs and sputtered to a 105 wRC+ with SF, just like I said the weak-side platoon piece would. Putting him up against Abreu was laughable.
The other was that "Craig Kimbrel is no longer a good pitcher". Well, Craig is has the 9th best FIP (2.04) and the 4th best xRV among RPs this season.
Whoops.
The Sox also have 5 hitters > 110 wRC+ even with your convenient 150 PA qualifier (Abreu, Vaughn, Robert, Burger, Anderson) and in 2022 PAs, Eloy Jimenez will be > 110 too.
Going down to a more logical 100 PA qualifier, the Sox have 7 hitter above 110, with the Giants still at 6. Nice trick there!
08 Aug 2022 14:29:58
"Going down to a more logical 100 PA qualifier, the Sox have 7 hitter above 110, with the Giants still at 6. Nice trick there! "
Wait, so you're acknowledging that the Giants have more than one hitter above 110?
Good to know LOL.
(Not to mention, it was YOUR claim. You didn't specify a minimum PA threshold. )
14 Nov 2022 04:10:43
"The other was that "Craig Kimbrel is no longer a good pitcher". Well, Craig is has the 9th best FIP (2.04) and the 4th best xRV among RPs this season. "
The Dodgers literally left him off the playoff roster LMAOOOOO.
02 Aug 2022 20:14:22
Holy Darin Ruf trade, Batman.
The Giants get a controllable MLB bat, 2 40 FV prospects, and another piece for Darin Ruf.
LOL.
Fleeced.
05 Aug 2022 16:45:29
Farhan got fleeced indeed! Ruf is an elite bat! Better than the 148 wRC+ Jose Abreu!
07 Aug 2022 11:51:36
The Mets clearly thought he was worth a controllable MLB bat, 2 40 FV prospects and another prospect on top of it all.
They should have just emulated Rick Hahn and acquired a lefty-reliever with -0.5 WAR since 2021.
07 Aug 2022 23:02:20
Darin Ruf's most recent MLB season when the Giants picked him up: -0.5 fWAR.
You can't make this stuff up, Batman.
08 Aug 2022 00:32:32
Yes, and then he went to Korea and revived his career.
08 Aug 2022 01:06:38
Darin Ruf since 2021: 3.2 WAR.
The -0.5 WAR season that you reference was 2016.
Normally, this wouldn't be that difficult, but then again, I got to realize the source.
08 Aug 2022 06:02:11
My point is that supporting the Giants and their front office's philosophies while simultaneously bashing another GM for picking up a RP with poor results but elite stuff for absolutely nothing is kind of ironic, don't ya think?
08 Aug 2022 14:18:29
My point is that when the Giants signed Darin Ruf to come back the US and play for them, Darin Ruf was good. He was one of the best hitters in Korea at the time.
When the White Sox acquired Jake Diekman, he was not good.
I didn't think this would be that difficult to comprehend.
09 Aug 2022 00:28:47
Being good in Korea doesn't guarantee anything in MLB. It's essentially AAA.
Zaidi just picked up Dixon Machado who put up average numbers in the same exact same league over the past 2 seasons. Should he be condemned for that move too?
The Sox got a guy with 70-grade stuff (who's now struck out half of the hitters he faced in a Sox uniform and has pitch quality numbers that are significantly better than his results) for an out-of-options backup catcher that they were going to DFA otherwise, and your observation is "lol, that guy sucks".
Like, alright man. You just have a passionate hate for all things White Sox, probably stemming from them ruining your 4th of July weekend.
07 Sep 2022 15:00:42
LOL. It's comical that you highlight Diekman's K numbers, but conveniently ignore the fact that he's among the worst in baseball when it comes to walking batters and giving up home runs.
As far as the trade in the OP goes, since the trade:
Darin Ruf- 29 wRC+
J. D. Dav9s- 141 wRC+
Meanwhile,
Reese McGuire- 0.7 WAR (140 wRC+)
Jake Diekman- -0.1 WAR (5.23 ERA)
Let's take it one more step:
Since the trade deadline:
Yasmani Grandal- 104 wRC+, .314 wOBA (61 PAs)
Seby Zavala- 110 wRC+. .321 wOBA (64 PAs)
Reese McGuire- 140 wRC+, .370 wOBA (66 PAs)
That catcher they were "going to DFA otherwise" would be their best offensive catcher by leaps and bounds since the deadline. They traded him for one of the worst relievers in baseball.
Your 2020 Executive of the Year Runner-Up, everyone.
But hey, it's a good thing the White Sox play in a laughingstock of a baseball division. They might have a chance to still win it! Any other division, they'd be at least 12 games back. But not the AL Central. They are just 3 games back LMAOOOO.
07 Apr 2022 14:09:47
Updated 2022 Predictions
AL East
Toronto 98-64
New York 92-70
Boston- 82-80
Tampa Bay- 81-81
Baltimore- 59-103
AL Central
Chicago- 95-67
Minnesota- 84-78
Cleveland- 76-86
Detroit- 76-86
Kansas City- 64-98
AL West
Houston- 99-63
Seattle- 92-70
Los Angeles- 89-73
Texas- 74-88
Oakland- 60-102
NL East
Atlanta 95-67
Philadelphia 86-76
New York 84-78
Miami 81-81
Washington 65-97
NL Central
Milwaukee 96-66
St. Louis 90-72
Chicago 79-83
Cincinnati 66-96
Pittsburgh 65-97
NL West
Los Angeles 99-63
San Francisco 90-72
San Diego 89-73
Colorado 65-97
Arizona 59-103
Playoffs:
AL Wild Card
(6) Los Angeles vs. (3) Chicago. LAA wins 2-1
(5) Seattle vs. (4) New York. NYY wins 2-1
NL Wild Card
(6) San Diego vs. (3) Atlanta. ATL wins 2-0.
(5) St. Louis vs. (4) San Francisco. SFG wins 2-1.
AL Divisional Series
(6) Los Angeles vs. (2) Toronto. TOR wins 4-1.
(4) New York vs. (1) Houston. HOU wins 4-0.
NL Divisional Series
(3) Atlanta vs. (2) Milwaukee. MIL wins 4-2.
(4) San Francisco vs. (1) Los Angeles. LAD wins 4-3.
AL Championship Series
(2) Toronto vs. (1) Houston. HOU wins 4-2.
NL Championship Series
(2) Milwaukee vs. (1) Los Angeles. MIL wins 4-3.
World Series
Houston vs. Milwaukee. MIL wins 4-1.
Awards
AL MVP: Luis Robert, CHW
NL MVP Mookie Betts, LAD
AL Cy Young: Gerrit Cole, NYY
NL Cy Young: Max Fried, ATL
AL ROY: Julio Rodriguez, SEA
NL ROY: Bryson Stott, PHI
13 Jun 2022 13:22:06
Damn. Looks like I was FAR too generous toward the White Sox.
07 Jul 2022 04:59:01
Yup, you forgot to add that the White Sox would sweep the Giants right out of San Francisco, including curb stomping them on get away day.
07 Jul 2022 13:24:05
The White Sox have as many wins as the Baltimore Orioles.
But then again, I forgot about how the Orioles were the Los Angeles Dodgers of the American League!
Imagine being third in a division where the team ahead of you will struggle to stay .500 all season.
07 Jul 2022 13:28:46
A comprehensive list of the White Sox's successes this season, so far:
1. Sweeping a third place team on the road.
2. Their star SS pretending someone was racist toward him.
End of list.
Now we wait for La Russa to get behind the wheel of a car again.
07 Jul 2022 23:18:39
Hold those Ls my friend. (I know, it was a lot of them) .
Maybe pipe down on the White Sox criticism for a while - your team didn't even belong on the same field as them. By the end of it all, Kapler was helplessly deploying position players to pitch to save his already brutal bullpen. LMAO!
07 Jul 2022 23:19:12
Defending racism is apparently your thing. First Charles Johnson and now Josh Donaldson. Not a great look, but we know what to expect outta ole' Natedog at this point.
09 Jul 2022 00:07:39
I probably wouldn't criticize any manager when Tony La Russa is legitimately starting Leury Garcia and his 39 wRC+ on a nightly basis.
Just for emphasis: there were pitchers who hit better than that last year.
Again, your White Sox have LESS wins than the Baltimore Orioles at the midway point. This was the team you've deemed the "Los Angeles Dodgers of the American League" and projected to win 95 games.
They'll need to go 56-25, or .691 the rest of the way to get there. They'll need to go .567 just to win 85 games. Your Chicago "LA Dodgers" White Sox, everyone.
And to think, they also get the Royals and Tigers in that division to tee off on.
09 Jul 2022 00:18:04
And I've never once defended Charles Johnson. I've simply stated that Charles Johnson's "affiliation" with the team is literally just playing Mr. Money Bags.
His son, Greg, who is a staunch Democrat, has pointed out, multiple times, that Charles has almost no interaction with the team, its leadership, or even in decision making. He just makes the investment into the team, and that's where the relationship ends.
Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox KNOWINGLY hid information about TLR's DUI arrest and hired him anyway. Their next hiring option was one of the masterminds of one of the biggest cheating scandals in baseball history. Really speaks to the morals of that team: it was going to be a drunk or a cheater.
Then, you had Tim Anderson who was literally suspended to start the season due to making physical contact with an official.
Then, he calls himself Jackie Robinson, and then thinks it's racist when someone else calls him Jackie Robinson in a mocking manner (that was 100% worthy of all the mockery, just like all of your outlandish White Sox takes) .
To call that racist makes you hilariously dumb. Frankly, I'm not the least bit surprised you bought the narrative.
Calling that racist is a literal affront to the countless racist incidents that ACTUALLY exist, and if you actually care about racism (you don't), you won't be dumb to stoop to this level.
But you're not interested in defending good morals or good people. You're literally defending a team who hired a drunk (and wanted to hire a cheater) . This is the White Sox for you.
And the longer you defend this, the longer it is that you're an objectively bad person.
09 Jul 2022 00:55:14
And just for comparison's sake, let's see how reflective their performance truly is:
Record vs. Pythagorean Record:
White Sox: .488 vs. .439
Giants: .506 vs. .527
Or translated more simply: Wins vs. PythW
White Sox: 39 vs. 35
Giants: 41 vs. 43
The White Sox are actually playing BETTER than they really are, by FOUR GAMES, while the Giants are under-performing.
In fact, the White Sox 35 PythWins are right there in line with the Rockies, Cubs, Reds and Diamondbacks.
The Giants are along the same lines as the Rays, Brewers and Mariners.
So you're right, the Giants and White Sox don't deserve to be on the same field. The White Sox belong on a AAA field, as that's how they are playing.
09 Jul 2022 01:21:23
"Already brutal bullpen"
Let's explore.
Giants bullpen, as a whole: 4.29 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.6 WAR, 11 Blown Saves.
White Sox bullpen, as a whole: 4.22 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 2.0 WAR, 13 Blown Saves.
I'm not sure the White Sox bullpen is THAT much better LMAOO.
But you've hit the point where you just say things and then hope and pray they'll be true later on. Seriously, did you bother looking at the White Sox bullpen stats?
Or is the season just that bad for you that you'd prefer not to look? I fully understand if that's the case. That window opened and shut awfully quick.
09 Jul 2022 02:38:09
I did some advanced analytics to compare the 2 teams:
Head to head matchups this year (wins) :
White Sox: 3
Giants: 0
You are big mad lol. They outscored them by 12 runs. You defend Donaldson for a blatantly racist comment and willing support Charles Johnson’s business, you can just admit you’re a little racist. Donaldson was suspended and Tim Anderson curb stomped Johnson’s sorry team, so the good guys won.
TA also didn’t call himself Jackie, he said he wanted to be a modern day Jackie in terms of bringing the game back to the black communities. He also didn’t make malicious contact with an umpire. The umpire grabbed him off of a pile of guys and he shoved him off not knowing who it was. I know you tend to not mind, but facts are important.
I just find it funny that the Sox ruined your 4th of July weekend. They showed no mercy on the fighting Charles Johnson’s.
While you’re frustrated, you may not want to compare Ruf and Abreu’s stats from this year. It’ll put you truly over the edge.
10 Jul 2022 12:33:36
Hey man, I'll let you take the W versus the Giants. That's fine.
If it means you can rest easy having a worse record than the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, and two (2) other teams in your own division mid-way through the season (one of those teams finished last in the AL Central last year), then I should probably play nice.
As far as this whole Tim "Jussie" Anderson thing is concerned: it ended in a suspension, you're right. A one game suspension. If there was "blatant racism" involved here, MLB would have dropped the hammer. They had to do SOMETHING, so they gave Donaldson a penalty that would satisfy the masses . His own teammates acknowledged it was a mistake not due to racism, but due to the history between Donaldson and Anderson that was already tense.
And for the last time, I haven't "supported" Charles Johnson and his "racism" any more than you continuously support Reinsdorf and his hiding a DUI prior to hiring TLR.
Again, THE WHITE SOX WERE EITHER HIRING A MAN WITH MULTIPLE DUIs OR THE MASTERMIND OF A MASSIVE CHEATING SCANDAL.
Those were what they narrowed it down to. Unsurprisingly, they hired the criminal.
And completely unlike the Giants, the "bad guys" in these situations have direct influence and decision-making in the team and its operations.
Charles Johnson doesn't, and hasn't for several years now. Larry Baer and Greg Johnson have taken care of that. If Charles Johnson did have a say, do you think Gabe Kapler would still have a job after his decision to not join the team for the anthem (a decision I support FWIW)? Hint: he would not. Do you think they'd hire the first Muslim president of baseball operations? Hint: they would not. Or the first woman coach? Hint: they would not.
Charles Johnson literally isn't making any decisions. He hasn't had a say in what happens with the San Francisco Giants or Franklin Resources since 2013.
For someone who wants to accuse someone of not minding the facts, you sure do love to ignore these details.
Again, for recap: the White Sox legitimately knew about La Russa's DUI arrest (not his first one) and decided to hire him anyway. Their second choice was the guy who led a team to an illegitimate WS win by using trash cans and cameras to cheat.
The Giants on the other hand, have a senile 89-year-old principal owner who isn't involved with the team in any capacity beyond his main investment who makes extremely unfortunate campaign donations.
For what it's worth, Charles Johnson hasn't put up any significant money for the Giants in over 15 years. None of their owners have needed to, as three World Series victories, owning their stadium outright (as well as high-end real estate surrounding the stadium) and the marketability of their team does the work for them.
If you think the Giants are the bad guys here, you simply aren't willing to think objectively.
Denounce Reinsdorf, Kenny Williams, Rick Hahn, and Tony La Russa, as each of them continually play a role in propping up TLR as the leader of the White Sox (Hahn had multiple chances to denounce TLR and has yet to do so, so please, spare us of the "it wasn't his decision" nonsense), and then you can proceed your hand-wringing over the objectively better baseball franchise.
10 Jul 2022 23:25:46
You seem to think that an owner can hire a coach and then a GM can proceed to denounce the hire without complete organizational turmoil. You’re completely naive. Hahn can’t reasonably denounce TLR. It would put his players in an impossible position.
All you can go off of is what’s public knowledge. We don’t need you to pretend that you’re privy to the daily conversations of Charles Johnson, and what exactly he has say over. You also apparently know how every dollar of the Giants is spent, so that’s fascinating. If Baer didn’t want to associate with Johnson, he doesn’t have to or could simply buy him out. But he clearly doesn’t care enough to make a change. If your logic is that Rick Hahn can do something about Jerry Reinsdorf (which is complete nonsense), then Larry Baer can certainly do something about his co-owner.
Them hiring minority execs and one female coach is the equivalent of a racist saying “ but I have black friends! ” He’s the principal owner of the team you support and defend on a daily basis. It’s his company. Any major decision is cleared by him because he literally has the largest stake in the team. It’s how it in everything company in the country is run. But sure, tell me how the Giants are conveniently different. Principally owner is principal owner.
Reinsdorf was wrong for hiring TLR, both for the moral & baseball reasons - but I can at least say he’s not a proud racist, no matter what his influence is in day-to-day operations.
Think about it, Nate. Donaldson could have resorted to various other digs towards TA (e. g., the Sox are sub-.500, TA was leading MLB in errors, etc. ), but we’re supposed to believe the Donaldson recounting a complete non-story from 3 years ago where TA talked about his impact on MLB as a black man didn’t have racial motivation? You’re insane if you think that.
MLB handed him a suspension to “satisfy” the masses because the masses know that Donaldson was being a racist jackass. The good guys won then too - the Sox swept a double header from the Yankees the next day & TA’s an all-star starter. Donaldson has been hated pretty much everywhere he’s been - 6 teams in 11 years is telling. You defending Donaldson here is the least surprising thing all season.
11 Jul 2022 14:06:14
Are we just conveniently ignoring the FACT that La Russa literally suggested black players should sit in the clubhouse instead of kneeling for the anthem?
Not only that, he literally went out of his way, in that Dan Le Betard interview, to attack Adam Jones for highlighting racism within baseball. He called Colin Kaepernick "insincere. "
But as you know, he's totally moved on from those antiquated stances (from 2016) and no longer believes any of it. That shift in belief certainly wouldn't be merely convenient denial because he already had enough to worry about (i. e. his DUI arrest), could it? Nah, people never hide their true feelings for the sake of their jobs?
Oh wait, you just said that Rick Hahn did! Man, Hahn didn't once speak out about how his owner railroaded him, how his owner hired a drunk as the manager, or how his new manager has public comments about black players that are extremely concerning?
He didn't say this because it was his job and he's scared of the owner? That's your defense of him? Who cares if your manager is a racist, drunk buffoon, you have a job to keep, so be quiet!
Man, it must be par for the course for leaders and team personnel to not question the owners! Oh wait, you're telling me Gabe Kapler, Farhan Zaidi and Larry Baer have all questioned Charles Johnson and made very public comments about him?
Why ever would they do that? (Probably because Johnson has no day-to-day influence and has no seat at the table for decision-making for the Giants anymore) . But I was under the impression that every person was to be as limp-wristed as Rick Hahn.
After all, ALL of baseball is trying to emulate him! (Is Ricky secretly the one telling TLR to play Leury Garcia every day? )
So all of baseball should then just sit down and shut up when their boss hires a multiple-offender DUI arrestee and a man who has deeply concerning comments in regards to minorities in baseball. After all, they all clearly want to be him!
Man, what a joke this has become.
11 Jul 2022 16:57:16
"Oh wait, you're telling me Gabe Kapler, Farhan Zaidi and Larry Baer have all questioned Charles Johnson and made very public comments about him? "
So why don't they simply get him out of there? Show me exactly where Kapler, Zaidi and the rest of the Giants ownership group called C. Johnson a proud racist. Johnson spoke on his issues, pledged to not donate, and then proceed to MAX OUT his donations to these groups that eventually helped fund January 6th. These are not "unfortunate donations", these are awful human beings. Charles Johnson owns a company that you choose to still support, Nate. He still signs all of the checks and gives his final stamp of approval on everything, or else he wouldn't be the principal owner of an MLB team. I don't care about his involvement in day-to-day baseball operations.
Now, you don't support Johnson personally (and I don't support La Russa - albeit a DUI arrest where no one was hurt is not close to Johnson's issues, but I digress), but you will bring up TLR's hire as a stain on Hahn's resume as if he had any control over that decision. It's clear that he never wanted Tony from what we can see and it's why the front office is now (likely) leaking reports to the media saying that the White Sox clubhouse is not in great shape - they want to make sure that Jerry realizes his mistake so that TLR is not back next year.
Also, many believe that it was someone in the White Sox front office that surfaced the Arizona police report to get rid of him before this even started. The team was so ready to hire Hinch that the Twitter graphic had A. J. Hinch's signature on the graphic by mistake. I would have preferred Hinch to La Russa, but I didn't like the idea of Hinch in general. But in reality, if you are going to condemn every team that has since picked up someone involved in the Astros cheating scandal, you are going to have to start condemning A LOT of teams.
You have a very naïve understanding of how any basic organizational hierarchy works. The GM can be the best baseball mind on the planet and if the owner thinks differently and is stubborn enough to not trust he people he's hired to run the baseball side (i. e., Jerry Reinsdorf), then the owner is going to get what he wants - plain and simple, and the same goes for the Giants if they were in the same circumstance. It's the same thing with every company in America, but somehow it's still "limp-wristed Rick Hahn" not doing enough. Give me a break.
"Probably because Johnson has no day-to-day influence and has no seat at the table for decision-making for the Giants anymore"
This is your perception of the Giants front office. You pretending to have an acute understanding of the Giants daily inner-workings is fun tho. Natedog, our cute little pretend Giants insider.
"He didn't say this because it was his job and he's scared of the owner? That's your defense of him? Who cares if your manager is a racist, drunk buffoon, you have a job to keep, so be quiet! "
You say this like it's false. Hahn can condemn one of the winningest owners in the history of pro sports, or he can try to put of the fire of TLR as best as possible for hopefully 2 seasons and then move on once Jerry gets the regret of firing La Russa in the 80s off his chest. It's a dumb org, but it's the reality of the situation.
28 Jul 2022 16:16:03
"This is your perception of the Giants front office. You pretending to have an acute understanding of the Giants daily inner-workings is fun tho. Natedog, our cute little pretend Giants insider. "
It's not like I'm privy to some trade secret. Johnson is 89. He's not involved in the day-to-day operations of ANY of the companies he owns. Not at Franklin Resources, nor with the San Francisco Giants. This has been pretty open info to just about anyone, and when all the dumb donations became news stories, that point was made even more clear.
"He still signs all of the checks and gives his final stamp of approval on everything, or else he wouldn't be the principal owner of an MLB team. "
No, he doesn't. Greg Johnson and Larry Baer are in charge of those things. Johnson acts as chairman for the team while Larry Baer acts as CEO. I'm sure Charles Johnson is informed on what decisions are being made, but he handed over the reins to his son years ago.
Meanwhile, the White Sox have an owner who WILLINGLY hired a manager with not one, but TWO DUI arrests on his record, and apparently runs an organization where no one is allowed to question him, or so says Chi Sox.
If Rick Hahn felt it was so bad, and he didn't like being railroaded by his owner, he should have quit and found a new job. According to your perception of him, it wouldn't have been difficult. He's a trailblazer and the greatest executive in American Sports History, so every team would have fired their guy to hire him!
And yet, he stuck around with a mediocre baseball club that employs a drunk, out-of-touch old man who is tearing at the clubhouse morale day by day.
Something tells be that either a) Rick Hahn isn't as desired of a baseball mind as you've built him up to be or b) his moral compass isn't as true north as you believe it to be. I'm actually going to go with "both", but I'm sure you'll disagree with me.
I mean, after all, how is it that so many GMs and PBOs (president of baseball ops) are able to get ownership's blessings to have final say on decisions, such as who the manager will be, but not Rick Hahn? Maybe some of that has to do with Reinsdorf, but so much of that falls on Hahn as well.
And again, Hahn's pick was A. J. Hinch. So that should tell you something about ol' Ricky's moral compass right there. He was hoping to sign the cheater.
30 Jul 2022 03:39:07
And just like that, Tim Anderson makes contact with another umpire. He simply can't help himself.
It's almost like the White Sox enjoy having low character individuals around their team. Such a modern-day "Jackie Robinson" LMAO. He's an embarrassment.
01 Aug 2022 15:33:23
Nate, just admit you're a racist and let's move on. Calling TA low-character because he got ejected for arguing a call in a baseball game is very telling. He got in an ump's face and you'd think he killed someone.
Anderson's fWAR is 14.0 since the start of 2019. That embarrassment is FIVE WINS BETTER than your team's best player over that span. LMAO.
The Sox employ guys like Tim Anderson - the guys trying to bring baseball prominence into this country's black communities. The Giants employ Aubrey Huffs for 4 years - A favorite of Charles Johnson.
The embarrassment is you my friend.
02 Aug 2022 21:17:26
The Giants won't even let Aubrey Huff inside of Oracle Park LMAOOOOOO.
Meanwhile, the White Sox just traded for a major MAGA reliever (Jake Diekman. I played Legion Ball with him in HS) and let Tony La Russa MANAGE their team.
05 Aug 2022 16:47:44
MAGA? The Giants have made Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt lifetime players, lmao. Save it. The Giants lead the league in MAGAs.
07 Aug 2022 11:56:33
Brandon Crawford is MAGA? What gives you that indication?
Jake Diekman has made no secrets to his political leanings. Nor has his wife, Former Miss Nebraska. Trust me, I'm more familiar with the Nebraska baseball scene than you'll ever be. I played with Jake Diekman. I played with Joba Chamberlain. I played against Darin Ruf and even Alex Gordon.
I can confidently tell you that Jake Diekman is closer to the awful, terrible Charles Johnson than you'd prefer.
But you're literally talking out of your you-know-where about Crawford's political leanings LOL.
07 Aug 2022 12:08:08
Now, to be completely honest, I don't care how people vote. I dropped the MAGA card because you've invested so much hand-wringing over Charles Johnson, I thought I'd inform you about the "awful person" the White Sox just acquired! (Diekman is an incredibly nice guy, for what it's worth. )
I'd reckon that MOST baseball teams have a significant amount of hardcore Republicans, especially considering the culture of baseball and where a lot of these dudes come from.
But if you want to talk about the Giants and their current (and past) stars, they have a lot of left-leaning guys. a LOT:
Yaz, Dominic Leone, Curt Casali (now traded), Brebbia, Austin Slater (whose grandfather was the mayor of Jacksonville), Logan Webb, Joc Pederson. Not to mention previous stars like Tim Lincecum, Hunter Pence, and Matt Cain, just to name a few.
Every team has guys from all across the political spectrum. Only an immature child is concerned about the fact that Republicans (or Democrats) exist on a team.
After all, don't the White Sox have two prominent players who are proudly anti-c.v. vax? How dare they employ people with that political affiliation!
07 Aug 2022 23:05:09
*Literally brings up that the Sox traded for a supposed right-leaning relief pitcher*
"Only an immature child is concerned about the fact that Republicans (or Democrats) exist on a team. "
Ok dude.
08 Aug 2022 14:24:31
Bruh, do you not realize it was YOU who made a big stink about Charles Johnson, a non-involved, geriatric billionaire's political leanings? You pretended like it made this massive stain on the San Francisco Giants' organization.
I was merely pointing out to you that the Chicago White Sox have a relief pitcher who has the EXACT SAME political leanings as Charles Johnson. The only difference is: Jake Diekman actually has involvement with the White Sox organization. He plays for them.
Yes, you'll have to root for him. I repeat: you are now rooting for a player who supports MAGA and QANON politicians.
I'm just trying to help you be consistent. Something you have really struggled to do around this site!
08 Aug 2022 14:26:07
And speaking of Tim Anderson. he's currently serving his THIRD suspension in 2022.
Let's perhaps quit treating him like he's some victim or pretending he's a good person. No one serves three suspensions in a season and remains a good human being.
The White Sox just love their low-character players.
08 Aug 2022 14:48:06
LOL at you being unable to see what I was pointing out.
If Charles Johnson, a senile, uninvolved billionaire's politics put a huge stain on the San Francisco Giants, doesn't Jake Diekman, who has the exact same political leanings put a huge stain on the Chicago White Sox, who already hired a criminal as their manager?
If you're seeking to be consistent, you should be upset that the White Sox would go out of their way to acquire Jake Diekman, who hasn't exactly hidden what he believes about politics. After all, it's gonna be difficult to root for the White Sox without directly rooting for Diekman's success.
That was my point. I literally don't care how people vote. But you seem very worked up over how Charles Johnson votes. So I think you should know about how Diekman votes. Because it's the exact same way as Charles Johnson.
06 Apr 2022 21:52:00
2022 Predictions:
AL East
1. Toronto (93-64)
2. Tampa Bay (92-70)
3. New York (89-73)
4. Boston (85-77)
5. Baltimore (55-107)
AL Central
1. Chicago (95-67)
2. Minnesota (81-81)
3. Cleveland (78-82)
4. Kansas City (77-83)
5. Detroit (74-86)
AL West
1. Houston (94-68)
2. Seattle (84-78)
3. Los Angeles (82-80)
4. Texas (74-86)
5. Oakland (60-102)
NL East
1. Atlanta (100-62)
2. Philadelphia (95-67)
3. New York (87-75)
4. Miami (80-82)
5. Washington (63-99)
NL Central
1. Milwaukee (97-65)
2. St. Louis (86-76)
3. Cincinnati (75-87)
4. Chicago (73-89)
5. Pittsburgh (57-105)
NL West
1. Los Angeles (104-52)
2. San Diego (85-77)
3. San Francisco (84-78)
4. Colorado (74-86)
5. Arizona (57-105)
Wild Card
Red Sox (6) < Blue Jays (3) (2-0)
Yankees (5) > Rays (4) (2-1)
Cardinals (6) < Brewers (3) (2-0)
Mets (5) < Phillies (4) (2-1)
Divisional
Yankees (5) < White Sox (1) (4-2)
Blue Jays (3) > Astros (2) (4-2)
Phillies (4) < Dodgers (1) (4-1)
Brewers (3) < Braves (2) (4-3)
Championship
Blue Jays (3) < White Sox (1) (4-3)
Braves (2) < Dodgers (1) (4-3)
World Series
White Sox (1) < Dodgers (1) (4-1)
AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
NL MVP: Trea Turner
AL CY Young: Shane McClannahan
NL CY Young: Corbin Burnes
AL ROY: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL ROY: Seiya Suzuki
07 Apr 2022 13:05:30
White Sox in 4 is LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.
07 Apr 2022 15:19:52
Where do I pick the White Sox in 4?
07 Apr 2022 17:18:45
Sorry, in 5. Against the Dodgers? Man, it's nice that you're excited for Opening Day, but yikes.
07 Apr 2022 19:40:25
Let's really work hard here, Nate. I clearly show the Sox losing in 5 to the Dodgers. I don't show them winning any series in 5 games.
07 Apr 2022 22:12:01
You could serve to use better means than.
07 Apr 2022 22:55:26
Or, and this may be a stretch, you could learn to read? Talk about yikes. LOL.
07 Apr 2022 23:05:24
"Talk about yikes"
Wait, when did we start talking about your prognosis of the Giants' future?
Yikes.
07 Apr 2022 23:06:17
Also, the dude who legitimately has the Blue Jays playing only 157 games shouldn't criticize someone else for their oversight.
Just throwing that one out there.
07 Apr 2022 23:41:35
Nice catch. 93-69*.
08 Apr 2022 04:18:22
Detroit, Cleveland, Texas, and Colorado are all playing 160.
And how unfair is it that the Dodgers only have to play 156 games?
This thing is loaded with more errors than Fernando Tatis' Fangraphs page, so maybe dial back the condescension for someone mistaking the symbols you used.
04 Apr 2022 13:02:39
RIP to the White Sox giving up a "Top 5 RP" and future Hall of Famer for AJ Pollock, losing Lance Lynn and Garrett Crochet, all in the same day.
Can someone do a wellness check on Chi Sox? I just don't want him to become Tony La Russa or Michael Kopech all of a sudden.
05 Apr 2022 18:13:09
Gotta give Hahn credit for netting a guy coming off a 137 wRC+ season for a "completely washed" (according to you) RP like Kimbrel.
But let me guess, Kimbrel is good now? One of the top orgs in baseball just dealt for him. The Sox ate none of his contract and saved $ in the process.
Masterclass.
Glad you're still constantly thinking about me, Nathan.
05 Apr 2022 18:31:45
"The White Sox will have to attach a pretty intriguing prospect just to clear the salary. "
"The White Sox gave up Heuer and Madrigal for Kimbrel AND picked up his $16M option. But here you are, thinking the White Sox are on par with the Dodgers! LOLOLOLOL. "
"If you don't think teams make decisions on small sample sizes, then you truly aren't paying attention. "
"But yeah, maybe there's a GM out there dumber than Rick Hahn right now who'll give up something--ANYTHING--for Craig Kimbrel, but I seriously doubt it. "
"Again, you know it's bad when the exact idea he came up was mocked openly by Mike Petriello on Twitter, along with other baseball guys. "
Safe to say these all aged pretty poorly for ole Natedog. Like clockwork.
06 Apr 2022 14:06:16
I was just making sure that you didn't quit this site like Michael Kopech quit 2020. So I'm glad you're okay.
And for what it's worth, the White Sox, impressively, won that trade. If Pollock can stay healthy (that's a big IF) getting him while unloading Craig Kimbrel, who gave up 7 runs to AAA players in Spring, will look really good.
Sure, it puts Kyle Crick in the Sox's bullpen instead of Kimbrel, but then again, I think that's probably a wash.
In the meantime, enjoy running on the gloating tour. It might be the only positive experience of your baseball season. The fun will likely end when Darin Ruf has a better season than Jose Abreu for a second season in a row.
06 Apr 2022 15:50:21
While we're at it, I LOL'd today looking back at your lengthy predictions. 8 for 84, a solid 9.5%.
Meanwhile, I got 12 just in the top 50 alone and sit proudly in MLBTR's top 25.
Or do you want me to bring up the trade where the D'Backs get Justin Upton and his 28M salary while the White Sox shed Keuchel's salary AND get Ketel Marte?
Good news for the Diamondbacks: they can just get their mans without giving up Marte!
You seem to gloat here, but you ignore how hilariously terrible some of the trades you've made on here were. And to think, you spent MULTIPLE comments defending that awful idea.
Also, if we want to talk about things that aged well, can your infamous "the White Sox are on par with the Dodgers" take count here? I think it absolutely should.
Or what about the fact that the Giants were 5-6 years away from contention (they led the league in wins last season, and had 103 pythagorean wins, but you don't need reminded of this)? Or where you said Zaidi would be lucky to accomplish 75% of what Hahn has done.
In just three years, the Giants have more wins than the "on-par-with-the-Dodgers" White Sox. Yes, the team 5-6 years away from contention has more wins during Zaidi's tenure, a rebuilding club, than the Chi Sox-proclaimed "preeminent AL club. "
He's done this while bringing up exactly one top prospect: Logan Webb. He'll add another with Joey Bart, and the young players will just keep coming.
Yes, he won 13 more games in 3 seasons than Rick Hahn's Dodgers, ahem, White Sox, with a lineup containing Brandon Belt, Evan Longoria, Darin Ruf, Donovan Solano, and finding nobodies like Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade, Jr.
In just 3 years into his tenure, Farhan Zaidi has the Giants contending for WS titles and his most expensive FA signing was Carlos Rodon on a 2-year deal.
But please, remind me of your take about Zaidi? For good measure, I'll help you out: The Giants are multiple years away from contention.
How'd that prediction go? It went poorly. It was the worst-aged prediction I've seen on this here website. And the bar was pretty high, especially out of the content you have graced us with.
06 Apr 2022 16:34:43
You were just as high on the 2021 Giants as I was, Nathan. This is not a victory lap for you, bud.
I already conceded that I underestimated how quickly they could turn around their team. No one expected them to get career years from their entire team last year.
We'll see if they can do that again, but it's a very good org top to bottom.
Also, if Crick and Velasquez were signed by SF, you'd be telling me to stay tuned for their breakout. Crick gave up 1 hit and 2 walks in 7 innings this spring. They're low risk dart throws with high upside, and you're acting like it's a bad thing?
Finally, I, for one, am extremely excited for Dain Ruf's 2022 MVP campaign to commence now that he should see more regular ABs in 2022.
07 Apr 2022 13:05:11
"You were just as high on the 2021 Giants as I was, Nathan. This is not a victory lap for you, bud. "
Not that I expect you to own up to the most impressively inaccurate take this website has ever seen, but maybe at least don't acknowledge the point if you refuse to own it?
We're not talking our predictions on the '21 Giants. We're talking about your level of confidence regarding the Giants. That they were a half-decade from contending. That they'd be lucky to accomplish 75% of what Rick Hahn has done (never mind them exceeding it already) .
Just acknowledge how hilariously bad your take on the Giants was. It's really simple.
07 Apr 2022 15:21:10
Surely they won a playoff series last season with how much better they've done.
07 Apr 2022 17:21:03
Yes, because Rick Hahn's White Sox teams have done so well in that department.
Let that sink in: the guy whose success Farhan would be lucky to accomplish even 75% of hasn't made it once out of the first round, despite being the GM everyone is clearly trying to emulate.
And ironically, in 3 years, Farhan has matched Rick Hahn's career playoff win totals. Absolutely remarkable how that works.
08 Apr 2022 00:10:31
I said: "I already conceded that I underestimated how quickly they could turn around their team. "
Then you said "Just acknowledge how hilariously bad your take on the Giants was. "
Make it make sense
Zaidi still hasn't built a sustainable roster in SF yet however. He has to prove that last year wasn't a flash in the pan. They replaced Posey with Bart and Bryant with Pederson. Not great for the lineup.
Belt, Crawford and Longoria may not have career years again. It's actually extremely likely that they don't. They really don't have a single game changing hitter in their lineup (No, Darin Ruf doesn't count) . They have ONE hitter projected to have a wRC+ over 110 (Belt) . This is tied with the Dbacks, Orioles, Pirates, Cubs, A's (LOL, great company) for the 2nd worst in baseball (only the Tigers have zero) . For reference, the White Sox and Blue Jays have 6 and the Dodgers have 7. No one else is higher than 5. We're talking about two massively different tiers here based on the best projections available. The Giants could legitimately have one hitter slug over .450.
And before you ho-hum projections in general, it's literally math my man. No need to get upset.
Their biggest FA signing has only pitched 173 innings over the last THREE seasons with a history of recurring shoulder and elbow issues. Acting like Zaidi has the same kind of roster as Hahn in Chicago is laughable. Zaidi deserves credit for piecing together last year's masterpiece, but acting like they are going to stroll to 90 wins again isn't wise IMO, but we're allowed to give him the benefit of the doubt after last year.
18 Apr 2022 15:15:56
"And before you ho-hum projections in general, it's literally math my man. No need to get upset. "
No, it's theory. And considering the projections were wrong at nearly every projection for the Giants in 2021, maybe they aren't as accurate as you're suggesting?
I mean, ZiPS was off by 30+ wins. They were 2.0 or more WAR UNDER on Crawford, Posey, Ruf, Webb, Gausman, DeSclafani, and Duggar and 1.5 WAR UNDER on Wade and Belt. That's 9 players. The next team to have that many misses for ZiPS was 5, and it was the Brewers.
For what it's worth, just two (2) players had projections 1.0 WAR or more OVER their actual performance: Yastrzemski and Dubon. That's also the lowest amount of any team last year.
So excuse me when I look at ZiPS projections and see the same make similar ZiPS projections two seasons in a row on the same players. But surely, ZiPS is gospel truth that can't be disputed, now can it?
Surely they weren't so historically off that Dan Szymborski should be laughed out of any room he walks into, right?
MLB front offices are clearly rejecting these projection systems, and it's evidenced by how they are spending their money and the roster decisions they are making. Maybe it's time that fans do as well?
18 Apr 2022 16:04:02
"They have ONE hitter projected to have a wRC+ over 110"
Ahh yes. The team that had EIGHT (8) from last year and brought back 6 of those players, they'll have just TWO in 2022?
Seriously, do you even bother looking up anything before you type it, or do you just run with it because it sounds good? And if you still, after all these years, think that ZiPS is a remotely decent projection system, especially after they were so historically off in 2021 for one team in particular that it was almost contemptuous, I really don't have much belief you'll continue to operate in good faith in these discussions.
No front office in baseball is even the slightest bit focused on ZiPS or any of the publicly available projection systems. In fact, I'd contend, simply by the way they operate, that teams have written off Szymborski's system altogether.
21 Apr 2022 06:15:43
Could you show me where I said I was referencing ZiPS?
19 May 2022 14:14:18
Nearly a quarter way through the season, let's check in on how things are going:
White Sox players over 110 wRC+ (min. 50 PAs) : 3.
Giants players over 110 wRC+: 7.
I was so confidently told that it was "just math". Your math sure seems to be wrong an awful lot, now doesn't it?