… Now that we’ve established that this system is foolproof, let’s take a look at the 2011 HR/FB leaderboard, where we’ll undoubtedly find our 2012 breakout star:
1. Mike Napoli 2. Prince Fielder 3. Logan Morrison 4. Mark Reynolds 5. Pablo Sandoval 6. Adrian Beltre 7. Brent Morel 8. Michael Morse 9. Ian Kinsler 10. Ryan Braun Where do we start? Napoli, Fielder, Reynolds, and Braun have already established themselves as among the best power hitters in the game. Kinsler, Sandoval, Beltre, and now Morse have all shown good-to-great pop in the past too. Morrison doesn’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers, but he’s a 24-year-old with a history of slugging in the minor leagues and a solid track record in the majors so far.
That leaves only one option: Brent Morel. He’s not a perfect fit with Zobrist, Bautista and Morse—this will be his age-25 season so a significant improvement wouldn’t be seen as coming out of nowhere, and having appeared on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list he’s of a higher pedigree than his breakout predecessors. …
February 23, 2012
Predicting the next next Jose Bautista
Herm Schneider is in the best shape of his life
The most noticeable change among the Sox’s traveling party was trainer Herm Schneider, who declined to disclose how much weight he lost this winter.
Daryl Van Schouwen says it’s 70 pounds:
Nobody looks better than White Sox trainer Herm Schneider, who lost about 70 pounds over the offseason.—
Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) February 22, 2012
BTW, here’s a picture of Herm from August of 2011:
Good job Herm!
Other White Sox links:
- James looks at Tyler Flowers replacing A.J. Pierzynski, and replays the April 12, 2008 Sox-Tigers game (Gavin Floyd’s breakout).
- J.J. looks at the battle for the last spot in the Sox bench, and contributes to publishing the All-Chicago 2000-2011 baseball team.
- Baseball America released its ’2012 Top 100 prospects’ list. The only Sox prospect on the list is 23-year old RHP Addison Reed at #66.
