John Sickels on Jared Mitchell

Sickels:

… Mitchell is an amazing athlete with excellent speed and plenty of physical strength. He doesn’t show much home run power yet, but many scouts think he’ll develop at least 10-15 home run power to go with 40-50 steal potential. Unlike most raw tools players, Mitchell works counts and draws plenty of walks, boosting his on-base percentage. His swing is very smooth at times, but he goes through phases where he can’t make contact, giving him a high strikeout rate that could be an issue as he moves up. He is still learning how to steal bases, and scouts have sometimes criticized his outfield routes, although I think the latter issue is overblown and reviews on his glovework in the Sally League were positive. He’s intelligent and coaches praise his makeup and work ethic. I really like Mitchell a lot, and while he has work to do refining his game, his upside is very high and I think he’s already made a great deal of progress refining it. My main worry is that the White Sox will rush him before he’s ready. Grade B.

Also:

Jared Mitchell, OF, Grade B: Great tools, draws walks, somewhat worried about the strikeouts, but a great ceiling.

As jeeves pointed out though Buddy Bell said don’t worry about rushing Mitchell:

[Buddy] Bell said the White Sox “will be slower with him then we would be with most No. 1 picks.”

Ozzie’s comments

from Ozzie’s press conference:

to Alex Rios:give me 50 SB and 3 HR

on Alex Rios: he’s a shy guy

on the Twinkies: dropped from piranhas to cold sardines.

Bonus Ozzie from CTL: on Wilson Betemit: he makes errors while DHing

Paul Konerko endorses Kenny Williams’ off-season moves

Paulie approves Kenny’s moves:

“I think Teahen, he’s kind of coming into his prime,” Konerko said. “I think that’s obviously a good move; you’re hopefully catching him on the upswing. Pierre, he’s (32), but he’s had a couple of years now where he didn’t play every day so he’s probably fresh and ready to go.

“You’ve got J.J. in the bullpen, which I think is probably the big sleeper move of the off-season because if he’s healthy, that’s another big arm down there and that’s really going to shape us up at the end of the game. We’re shaping up well.” …

“There have been some nice moves in the off-season, and you’ve got to like the pitching staff, No. 1,” said Konerko, who is entering the final season of a five-year, $60 million contract. “I like the way the team’s shaping up. Obviously, there are a lot of things that still have to go right, but we’re looking pretty good going in. I like our chances.” …

Ozzie Guillen’s annual ‘Spring Training will be different’ speech

Gonzales:

”From the first day in spring training, we have to create how we’re going to play during the season,” Guillen said. ”I’m not going to wait until the last week of spring training. No, you’re going to see in the first day bunting and hit-and-run.

“You’re going to see stupid things from the manager, crazy things from the manager. You’re going to wonder what Ozzie is doing, but we’re going to see what we can work with.” …

That’s the way it’s going to be?

Say it ain’t so Ozzie:

As for Thome, Guillen said there is no bigger fan of the veteran than him, but life in the American League is changing.

“No one except his wife is a bigger fan of Jim Thome than me,” Guillen said. “I will be grateful and pleased one day to say that I had an opportunity to manage this man, but this game is changing a little bit. It’s easy for manager when you don’t have a true DH. I can move things around, give guys more playing time. That’s the way it’s going to be.

“Fans out there will be looking at this team a little different. They might be saying, ‘Hey, we’re missing something.’ I think we’re going in a different direction, but the right direction. Our team is going to create different things. That’s why things will look weird. People shouldn’t be worried about that. Thome to me is one of the best guys ever to wear the uniform, but DH is changing. Few teams will have a legit DH. Those days are going away.”

Easy for manager? No. It’s easy for the other team’s manager. 2010 is gonna suck. Save us Kenny

BTW, Ozzie will be at ‘Chicago Tribune Live‘ today at 5:30 p.m. E-mail him at CTL@comcastsportsnet.com

UPDATE: More sadness/craziness from Ozzie:

” … (Thome’s departure) gives this ballclub an opportunity to give more people more at-bats and to be flexible in different ways.”

… “To me, it’s easier and we get more production with the team we have now that way,” Guillen said.

… ”Fans, they’re not going to be happy about something,” Guillen said. “Or a question mark as to why we don’t have a big left-handed hitter. We did for a couple years. The ballclub we had in the past didn’t create that many runs.

“We’re going to play different. We’re not going to wait for guys who can hit 30 home runs. I hope not. I hope they don’t come to the mentality that we need pop.” …

UPDATE: Merkin:

“But [the DH by committee] gives this ballclub an opportunity to give people more at-bats and to be flexible in different ways.”We are not a home-run team anymore.”

… “We have that big left-handed bat for a couple of years, and I think the ballclub we have in the past is a club that can’t create runs,” Guillen said. “We still have guys who can hit 30 home runs, but I don’t want them to come with the mentality that we need power.

“Sometime we will be down by one run in the ninth inning and wish we had [Frank] Thomas or Thome, but this is a different type of game. We have the ballclub to play baseball, make the catch and make the plays. We change everything around.

“It’s not to say we will win. But we are going in the right direction. I think this team is almost set.”