Despite reports Wednesday that the Phillies are turning their attention to Carlos Quentin in the wake of their lack of progress on the Hunter Pence front, an NL executive who had spoken with both teams said: “I can’t see that working.” Nevertheless, there has been increasing evidence the White Sox are talking to several teams about Quentin, one of which is believed to be Atlanta. “They would move him,” said an executive of one team that has been in touch with the White Sox. “I wouldn’t say they’re bound and determined to move him. But would they? Absolutely.” Another name we were told the White Sox have dangled, just to see what happened: Adam Dunn.
July 28, 2011
Sox make Adam Dunn available? Think about trading Carlos Quentin,?
Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia want Carlos Quentin [UPDATE]
Source: Braves "hot" for Quentin – and #WhiteSox love ATL's young arms. One holdup… MORE #tradedeadline #MLB—
Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2011
…the condition of Viciedo's thumb at AAA. Would replace Quentin for #WhiteSox. Hasn't played since Saturday. #Braves #tradedeadline #MLB—
Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2011
Red Sox continue to look at starting pitchers, but as of now they're telling teams that focus is a RH hitting OF. #tradedeadline—
(@DKnobler) July 28, 2011
Red Sox would almost certainly try for Quentin, if White Sox make him available. #tradedeadline—
(@DKnobler) July 28, 2011
UPDATE:
#mlb The #Phillies loved what they saw scouting #White Sox OF Carlos Quentin 3 days in Chicago, but Sox remain in race, plan to keep him—
Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 28, 2011
July 26, 2011
Ken Rosenthal says Jerry Reinsdorf wants to trim the White Sox payroll [UPDATE #2]
The White Sox do not figure to become outright sellers, not when they’re only 3 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central. But owner Jerry Reinsdorf wants to trim payroll, according to a major-league source.
So, while the White Sox aren’t about to dust off their dreaded “white flag,” Williams could seek to make deals that lower the payroll while keeping the team competitive for a post-season run.
The Sox went “all-in” this season, increasing their Opening Day payroll to a club-record $127.7 million, the fifth-highest in the majors. However, the team ranks only 19th in home attendance, and their average is down more than 2,000 from a year ago, dropping from 27,091 to 24,647.
Those numbers hint at financial pressure, and the White Sox possibly could move two players – right-hander Edwin Jackson ($8.35 million) and right fielder Carlos Quentin ($5.05 million) without greatly compromising their chances. …
Other White Sox trade links:
- Alejandro De Aza was pulled in the top of the 1st inning of Charlotte’s game today. Will he come up? Will he be traded? Brett Ballantini takes a look, and J.J. puts odds on the various scenarios. UPDATE #2: De Aza was called up and played CF instead of Alex Rios, who was benched.
- James looks back at Kenny Williams’ buy/sell moves in the previous years.
- Mike has a hard time believing that Kenny Williams will conduct a fire sale.
- Joe Pawlikowski at Fangraphs wonders ‘What Would A White Sox Fire Sale Look Like?’ and ‘Should/Would The White Sox Do A Fire Sale?‘
- And a couple “scouting” tweets: the Phillies are scouting Carlos Quentin in case the Sox decide to move him, while the Sox are spending a lot of time scouting the [minor-league] systems of the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Phillies.
UPDATE: Kenny’s answer to Rosenthal’s report:
“We should just get to the Trade Deadline and where we are, what we do, what we may do, all these questions will be answered,” Williams said. “And let’s go from there. We’ll see how we do this week.”When asked if there were any untouchables on his roster, Williams smiled and reiterated, “Let’s see how we do this week.”
July 23, 2011
Ken Rosenthal says don’t be surprised if the Sox end up sellers
MLBTR transcribes Ken Rosenthal’s latest video:
Don’t be surprised as to see the White Sox end up as sellers, says Rosenthal. They’ve got six starters as it is, so Edwin Jackson could be moved without harming the rotation much. Carlos Quentin could be dealt as well, and be replaced by Dayan Viciedo. Controlled through 2012, Quentin would become one of the hottest chips on the market.
BTW, the “White Sox and Red Sox have done a lot of scouting of one another over the last week,” tweets the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.
July 14, 2011
Atlanta and Philadelphia scouting White Sox games
Two Braves scouts watched the Sox in Minnesota on June 15-16 and in Colorado on June 29-30, and Phillies representatives have watched the Sox throughout this season, including last week against the Royals. …
Will Kenny get an offer good enough to make him trade Carlos Quentin?
For prospect lists and scouting reports go to the ‘2011 MLB Prospect Rankings.’
Other White Sox links: James shows us how to fix tweak the White Sox, J.J. explains the problems with trading Carlos Quentin, Steve Slowinski at Fangraph compiles his 2011 All-Flub team and 3 Sox players are in, Kenwo grades the Sox players, and Nick Shepkowski at WSCR says the prospects of a Sox second half run don’t look good.
July 7, 2011
Dayan Viciedo goes walk crazy! [UPDATE #2]
Dayan drew 3 walks in yesterday’s game!:
| Charlotte Knights | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
| Viciedo | RF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .324 |
Dayan is hitting .324/.371/.530/.901 with 23 BB and 65 K in 336 AB.
3 walks in one game! Dayan has seen the light!
UPDATE: That’s a 6.3% BB% and a a 17.9 K%. Other numbers: .369 BABIP, 48% GB%, 17% LD%, 61 RC, 6.92 RC/27, .384 wOBA, 120 wOBA+, 145 OPS+.
Other White Sox links: J.J. gives us his roster changes thoughts, James does the same (offensive improvement is the object of both), Chuck Garfien writes about the Most Intersting Man in the Sox locker room (photo gallery) (J.J. says ‘yeah, but’), and MLB Daily Dish’s Adam Bernacchio gives us the 5 best Free-Agent bargains this off-season (Brett Ballantini has been beating this drum for aquite some time now).
UPDATE #2: John Sickels talks about Dayan Viciedo:
Cuban defector signed to $ 10 million contract in 2008. Hitting .322/.364/.528 with 15 homers, 20 walks, 65 strikeouts in 335 at-bats for Triple-A Charlotte. Power to all fields, should produce a solid batting average with plenty of homers despite so-so strike zone judgment. Poor defender at any position and likely a born DH, but he’ll hit. Age 22. Major League ETA: 2011.
July 6, 2011
This is just too good to be true
Remember the Brandon Beachy-Carlos Quentin trade rumors? Well, MLB’s Mark Bowman says it’s not Carlos Quentin the Braves are after:
Like many Major League clubs, the White Sox seem interested in the Braves’ wealth of young pitching talent. But those fans hoping this means outfielder Carlos Quentin could be headed to Atlanta should be prepared for disappointment.
White Sox advance scout Bill Scherrer was at Turner Field for this past weekend’s series against the Orioles and he stuck around for this week’s series against the Rockies. Given the White Sox and Orioles will not meet again until Aug. 8, Scherrer has likely focused most of his attention toward the Braves’ pitchers.
While the Braves might be in the market for an outfielder, their primary focus will likely not be aimed toward corner outfielders like Quentin. Instead they will continue to evaluate what Jordan Schafer can provide in the leadoff spot and determine whether they need to increase their efforts to find a proven leadoff hitter like the White Sox have in Juan Pierre.
Pierre has batted .261 with a .322 on-base percentage and been successful with just 12 of his 22 stolen base attempts. In other words, he hasn’t been the same guy who was successful with 68 of 86 stolen base attempts last year. But since May 1, he has hit .270 with a .340 on-base percentage and been successful with seven of his 10 stolen base attempts.
With Brandon Beachy, Mike Minor, Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado, the Braves are loaded with the non-arbitration-eligible, Major League-ready arms the White Sox are seeking.
Take him. Take him immediately! Of course, we won’t be getting a pitcher in return for Juan Pierre. Much less one with about 1 year of MLB service time and outstanding numbers. A couple slabs of barbeque ribs will be enough for the return.
Ozzie Guillen doesn’t like the chances the White Sox start a long winning streak
So when manager Ozzie Guillen was asked if his team should shoot for something like a 14-5 record in the current 19-game stretch against the Central, Guillen spoke the truth.
“We’re not that good,’’ Guillen said. “I wish I could say, ‘Well, we’re going to win 15 and lose two.’ We can do that, but we’re not doing it.’’
Mostly true but doesn’t it feel weird to hear it from the manager of the team?
Other White Sox links: James looks on the Brandon Beachy-Carlos Quentin trade rumor and on Adam Dunn and his game yesterday, FutureSox looks at Tyler Kuhn’s promotion to AAA and Jose Martinez’s promotion to AA, and Brett Ballantini posts his mid-season report for the Sox.
July 1, 2011
Another nasty 1-2-3 inning for Sergio Santos
Nice comeback. Alexei and Juan came through. Sergio and the bullpen shut it down. Crain has been very good this year.
RE24: Juan Pierre 1.58, Alexei Ramirez 1.07, A.J. Pierzynski 0.88, Alex Rios 0.69, Carlos Quentin -2.05, Edwin Jackson (P) -0.75, Brent Lillibridge -0.59, Edwin Jackson -0.55 (H).
| Chi White Sox | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson, E(W, 5-6) | 6.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4.24 |
| Bruney(H, 3) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.27 |
| Crain(H, 12) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.63 |
| Santos(S, 18) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.92 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 3.84 |
At-bat screenshots for Santos from MLB Gameday:
1st batter:
pitch #1: 94mph 4-seam fastball: foul
pitch #2: 84mph slider: foul
pitch #3: 86mph slider: swinging strike
2nd batter:
pitch #1: 95mph 4-seam fastball: strike
pitch #2: 84mph slider: strike
pitch #3: 85mph slider: swinging strike
3rd batter:
pitch #1: 95mph 4-seam fastball: strike
pitch #2: 84mph slider: ground out
The first pitch was a 4-seam fastball all time though.
| Pitch Statistics | |||||||||
| Pitch Type | Avg Speed | Max Speed | Avg H-Break | Avg V-Break | Count | Strikes / % | Swinging Strikes / % | Linear Weights | Time to Plate |
| FF (FourSeam Fastball) | 94.80 | 95.3 | -2.36 | 7.57 | 3 | 3 / 100.00% | 0 / 0.00% | -0.1292 | 0.392 |
| SL (Slider) | 84.54 | 85.7 | 3.76 | -1.99 | 5 | 5 / 100.00% | 2 / 40.00% | -0.7332 | 0.442 |
| Pitch classifications provided by the Gameday Algorithm and may be inaccurate. Pitch Type LWTS correspond to how many runs were likely to score on a particular pitch based on average run expectancy when each pitch was thrown and what happened as a result. Negative scores indicate more effective pitches. Time to Plate is the time, in seconds, that it takes an average pitch of this type to reach the plate. This is strongly correlated with velocity, but also factors in movement. | |||||||||
| Inning-by-Inning Pitch Totals | ||||||||
| Inning | Pitches in Inning | Strikes in Inning | Strike% in Inning | Cumulative Total Pitches | Pitch LWTS in Inning | |||
| 9 | 8 | 8 | 100.00 | 8 | -0.862 | |||
| Pitch Statistics | |||||||||
| Pitch Type | Avg Speed | Max Speed | Avg H-Break | Avg V-Break | Count | Strikes / % | Swinging Strikes / % | Linear Weights | Time to Plate |
| FF (FourSeam Fastball) | 94.71 | 95.3 | -1.53 | 10.19 | 9 | 6 / 66.67% | 1 / 11.11% | -0.5081 | 0.394 |
| SL (Slider) | 85.13 | 86.3 | 2.61 | 0.78 | 8 | 6 / 75.00% | 3 / 37.50% | 0.1163 | 0.436 |
| CU (Curveball) | 72.40 | 72.4 | 5.57 | -9.71 | 1 | 0 / 0.00% | 0 / 0.00% | 0.0421 | 0.527 |
| Pitch classifications provided by the Gameday Algorithm and may be inaccurate. Pitch Type LWTS correspond to how many runs were likely to score on a particular pitch based on average run expectancy when each pitch was thrown and what happened as a result. Negative scores indicate more effective pitches. Time to Plate is the time, in seconds, that it takes an average pitch of this type to reach the plate. This is strongly correlated with velocity, but also factors in movement. | |||||||||
| Inning-by-Inning Pitch Totals | ||||||||
| Inning | Pitches in Inning | Strikes in Inning | Strike% in Inning | Cumulative Total Pitches | Pitch LWTS in Inning | |||
| 8 | 18 | 12 | 66.67 | 18 | -0.350 | |||
June 29, 2011
Sergio Santos throws 3 fastballs and then turns to a slider-only pitcher
First 3 pitches: three 95mph 4-seam fastballs. After: eight 84-85mph sliders.
| Chi White Sox | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buehrle | 7.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3.65 |
| Thornton | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.68 |
| Bruney(W, 1-0) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.60 |
| Santos(S, 16) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.08 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 3.84 |
| Pitch Statistics | |||||||||
| Pitch Type | Avg Speed | Max Speed | Avg H-Break | Avg V-Break | Count | Strikes / % | Swinging Strikes / % | Linear Weights | Time to Plate |
| FF (FourSeam Fastball) | 95.00 | 95.3 | -0.73 | 8.75 | 3 | 2 / 66.67% | 0 / 0.00% | -0.2914 | 0.390 |
| SL (Slider) | 84.41 | 85.1 | 4.60 | -0.02 | 8 | 7 / 87.50% | 2 / 25.00% | -0.5710 | 0.439 |
| Pitch classifications provided by the Gameday Algorithm and may be inaccurate.Pitch Type LWTS correspond to how many runs were likely to score on a particular pitch based on average run expectancy when each pitch was thrown and what happened as a result. Negative scores indicate more effective pitches.Time to Plate is the time, in seconds, that it takes an average pitch of this type to reach the plate. This is strongly correlated with velocity, but also factors in movement. | |||||||||
| Inning-by-Inning Pitch Totals | ||||||||
| Inning | Pitches in Inning | Strikes in Inning | Strike% in Inning | Cumulative Total Pitches | Pitch LWTS in Inning | |||
| 9 | 11 | 9 | 81.82 | 11 | -0.862 | |||
RE24: Paul Konerko 2.15, Alexei Ramirez -1.71, Alex Rios -1.40.
Thankfully Seth Smith’s throw bounced and Ianetta didn’t throw didn’t stop Carlos Quentin from scoring. Coxie must’ve realized there were 2 outs. And Alex Rios had a couple nice catches tonight. Maybe yesterday’s benching woke him up.
Other White Sox links: J.J. says the Sox won’t trading for a centerfielderer this year, James looks back on yesterday’s game and the season to this point, Paul Konerko is 2011′s worst base-runner (Fangraphs)., and soxman thinks Adam Dunn should change his at-bat song.
And a non-White Sox link: John Sickels gives us his thoughts on drug policy. Good stuff.
June 28, 2011
Sarris @ Fangraphs: Carlos Quentin: Best Ever?
Some players make their name for prodigious power and hit home runs in five consecutive games like Paul Konerko. Other players are known more for their feet and steal bags in four straight like Juan Pierre did earlier this year.
But, among these great luminaries of our time, there is one White Sox player who threatens to be the best ever at what he does: Carlos Quentin. That’s right, in more than 2,200 plate appearances, Quentin is already threatening the top of a certain leaderboard. ….
June 25, 2011
Jake Peavy is getting stronger
“Physically I feel good,’’ he said two days after throwing 5 1/3 innings and 104 pitches against the Cubs. “I’m looking forward to Colorado [next start]. “Obviously, I’m not even a year out of surgery yet [July 14], and I’ve always been told that a year out of surgery you should feel close to normal and be gaining strength. I hope I’m going to get stronger, but that stuff is to be determined. Certainly, I hope I can pitch the remainder of the season healthy, or semi-healthy, and help the team win.’’
Other White Sox links: J.J. doesn’t like Ozzie Guillen’s lineup moves, James tries to explain why Edwin Jackson hasn’t lived up to expectations, Jim calls the Dan Hudson and David Holmberg for Edwin Jackson trade the worst trade Kenny has ever made (aye on that), and MLBTR estimates how much would the Sox have to pay to sign Carlos Quentin to an extension.
June 18, 2011
Jake Peavy to start on Wednesday against the Cubs?
After breezing through six scoreless innings of a rehab start for Class AAA Charlotte on Thursday night, Jake Peavy appears ready to face the Cubs on Wednesday night at U.S. Cellular Field, pitching coach Don Cooper said Friday.Manager Ozzie Guillen said the six-man starting rotation also appears to be back, probably through the All-Star break.“Without discussing it with Ozzie and [GM] Kenny [ Williams], it looks like he’s lined up for the last game against the Cubs,’’ Cooper said. “That’s unofficial, as well as the six-man rotation. But all of that is going to be discussed and probably shook out after the game today or tomorrow. We’ll talk more about it.”
Other White Sox links: J.J. wants more Brent Lillibridge and less Juan Pierre, and Brett Ballantini updates his most and least valuable Sox players calculations. and colin looks at the last 15 Home Runs that were hit by Carlos Quentin.
June 13, 2011
Kenny Williams wants Dayan Viciedo but Ozzie Guillen is sticking with Juan Pierre
All White Sox parties agree that Viciedo is a Major Leaguer. The 22-year-old looked prepared offensively in 2010 when he hit .308 over 104 at-bats during his big league callup, but he didn’t really have a definitive defensive position. Now, Viciedo has found a home in the outfield, leaving only a pair of questions to be decided about his future.
How will Viciedo be used with the White Sox? And when will he arrive? During a conversation with MLB.com, general manager Ken Williams seemed strongly inclined to get Viciedo up to the White Sox soon, but definitely not in a reserve capacity.
“It would be awfully interesting to have him in this lineup,” said Williams of the player dubbed “the Cuban Tank.” “He’s ready. He’s obviously got some things he still needs to work on, but I would have no qualms about bringing him here. I’m not going to bring him here to sit. [White Sox manager] Ozzie [Guillen] is not ready to change the mix he has right now, and that has to be respected.”
…
Adam Dunn is locked in for three more years at designated hitter, and Alex Rios is set in the outfield for another three as well. There are those who believe that Viciedo and Carlos Quentin will become an either/or outfield proposition. Williams is not one of those people.“That’s going to be the trio of Chicago,” said Viciedo of an outfield including himself, Quentin and Rios, with Quentin potentially moving back to left.
“There are some pretty good hitters in the lineup just mentioned,” Williams said. “Someone else will have to figure out the leadoff spot, if that were something to think about.”
You can force Ozzie’s hand Kenny.
June 12, 2011
Another W for Humber. 7/2 K/BB too.
Seems Crisp beat Morel’s throw to 1st for the 3rd out in the 9th. Could Morel have tagged third base before the runner got there instead of throwing at 1st? Look at the video and judge for yourself. Seems very close to me. In any case, as J.J. says, Sergio must get his breaking stuff in the strikezone.
| Chi White Sox | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humber(W, 6-3) | 7.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2.95 |
| Thornton(H, 8 ) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.63 |
| Santos(S, 12) | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.41 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 4.10 |
RE24: Adam Dunn 1.92, Carlos Quentin 1.12 Alex Rios -1.44, Alexei Ramirez -1.32.
| Pitch Statistics | |||||||||
| Pitch Type | Avg Speed | Max Speed | Avg H-Break | Avg V-Break | Count | Strikes / % | Swinging Strikes / % | Linear Weights | Time to Plate |
| FF (FourSeam Fastball) | 89.95 | 91.9 | -5.97 | 7.73 | 44 | 32 / 72.73% | 0 / 0.00% | -0.2030 | 0.419 |
| CH (Changeup) | 83.13 | 84.8 | -5.75 | 5.01 | 12 | 8 / 66.67% | 0 / 0.00% | -0.9588 | 0.453 |
| SL (Slider) | 83.85 | 85.4 | 0.92 | 2.83 | 10 | 4 / 40.00% | 3 / 30.00% | 0.0458 | 0.447 |
| CU (Curveball) | 79.58 | 81.5 | 5.51 | -5.45 | 36 | 20 / 55.56% | 8 / 22.22% | -0.7153 | 0.477 |
| FT (TwoSeam Fastball) | 88.90 | 88.9 | -9.48 | 6.30 | 1 | 1 / 100.00% | 0 / 0.00% | -0.2644 | 0.421 |
| Pitch classifications provided by the Gameday Algorithm and may be inaccurate. Pitch Type LWTS correspond to how many runs were likely to score on a particular pitch based on average run expectancy when each pitch was thrown and what happened as a result. Negative scores indicate more effective pitches.
Time to Plate is the time, in seconds, that it takes an average pitch of this type to reach the plate. This is strongly correlated with velocity, but also factors in movement. |
|||||||||
| Inning-by-Inning Pitch Totals | ||||||||
| Inning | Pitches in Inning | Strikes in Inning | Strike% in Inning | Cumulative Total Pitches | Pitch LWTS in Inning | |||
| 1 | 25 | 14 | 56.00 | 25 | 0.389 | |||
| 2 | 10 | 8 | 80.00 | 35 | -0.862 | |||
| 3 | 7 | 5 | 71.43 | 42 | -0.834 | |||
| 4 | 14 | 8 | 57.14 | 56 | -0.848 | |||
| 5 | 14 | 9 | 64.29 | 70 | -0.862 | |||
| 6 | 11 | 7 | 63.64 | 81 | -0.004 | |||
| 7 | 22 | 14 | 63.64 | 103 | 0.926 | |||
| Pitch Statistics | |||||||||
| Pitch Type | Avg Speed | Max Speed | Avg H-Break | Avg V-Break | Count | Strikes / % | Swinging Strikes / % | Linear Weights | Time to Plate |
| FF (FourSeam Fastball) | 94.89 | 96 | -3.48 | 8.73 | 19 | 14 / 73.68% | 0 / 0.00% | 0.1315 | 0.396 |
| CH (Changeup) | 86.35 | 87.7 | -9.14 | 3.14 | 4 | 2 / 50.00% | 1 / 25.00% | 0.0449 | 0.437 |
| SL (Slider) | 83.77 | 84.4 | 3.98 | -1.42 | 3 | 1 / 33.33% | 0 / 0.00% | 0.1480 | 0.454 |
| CU (Curveball) | 83.90 | 85.9 | 3.77 | -2.13 | 2 | 0 / 0.00% | 0 / 0.00% | 0.1399 | 0.455 |
| Inning-by-Inning Pitch Totals | ||||||||
| Inning | Pitches in Inning | Strikes in Inning | Strike% in Inning | Cumulative Total Pitches | Pitch LWTS in Inning | |||
| 9 | 28 | 17 | 60.71 | 28 | 0.464 | |||
