No, just a little. I expect him to not collapse along with the rest of the team in the second half. I also don't expect him to win the batting title, even though he led the league or was in the top few for most of the first half of the season.

As far as the stupid "Want me to post what you people said when Maddon was first hired?" crap...the bloom was well off the rose when we all watched Joe mismanaged the team in 2015.

Troll better.

_________________

Are you admitting that you were wrong when you thought Maddon was great? If so, why is it so difficult for you to admit you might also be wrong about Almora?

I'm not here making outlandish predictions for Sox draft picks. You obviously think anyone who puts on a Cub uniform is better than he really is, until you hate him at which point he's worse than he really is.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I'm not sure there has been a more overloved guy that Albert Almora playing in Chicago.

_________________

Yep and the 07-08 Cubs were real good teams, too.

He's similar to Adam Engel but Cub fans think he's better than Adam Jones.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

So you prefer Hall of Famers?

Way too many Sox fans falling into the Cub fan worshiping or worrying about prospects rut. Wait until all of these guys get 200 MLB ab's or maybe they won't. Until then yawn.

_________________
Elections have consequences.

Yeah, you can win with a guy like that. As I've said a couple times in this thread, it's not easy. You take a look at a top GM like Epstein or Beane and you expect that their first round picks are a bunch of perennial All-Stars. It isn't the case. There are a lot more Bryce Brentzes and Anthony Ranaudos than Kris Bryants.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

AA has a better bat then Engel, but that isn't saying much as Tim Anderson has a better bat than Engel too.

But, you're right. If Almora really was that good, he would start 130+ games in the outfield. There is a reason he doesn't and its not to make room for Zobrist and Schwarber out there.

_________________

Yeah, Anderson is way better than Almora and I wish he were on another team.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Theriot is better than Almora.

Almora might end up better but probably not.

Baez is better than Theriot on defense alone considering the importance of the position.

Having a Theriot type is not a bad thing. Yea, you hope for all top 10 picks to be super stars but they arent. See Almora.

Sure, I might be wrong about Almora...but I still contend he's going to have a long career as a starting CF in the majors. Great fielder, hits for average, great teammate.

I was thrilled when they hired Maddon. That didn't last all that long. He clearly struggles with in-game management and doesn't take responsibility when he messes up...highlighted by his WS fuckups.

This is exactly how you treat political discussions.

Troll better.

_________________

People love great defense and baserunning that leads to World Series championships.


Almora is a solid mlb player.

I dont think anyone has been worked up over the actual production of a prospect. But the conversation of hoping the 4th overall pick is a journeyman infielder is frightening.

_________________

But they make up for it by despising their catcher

Happ and Schwarber have the potential to be better then Theriot. Theo has not missed on drafting position players.

I get that but no one knows so to me don't waste the time. I am a Chicago White Sox fan. Not their affiliated minor teams.

_________________
Elections have consequences.

What is with all this Cub fan bashing in a thread where Sox fans are expecting a prospect who has never played to be a superstar/hall of famer?


Maybe its NOT just a Cub fan thing?

If he were as solid as you think he is, he would have had more than 1 plate appearance in the 2016 World Series and likely would start 120-130+ games a year. As I said, there is a reason he doesn't.

_________________

Residual bitterness from the Manny mess.

_________________

That's a fair take, but like I said to RFDC, they're different types of players. I consider Theriot a better offensive player. Of course you can argue that Baez's power makes him superior. I might argue it depends what your team needs. I think if you look at the Cubs' offensive woes, you might come to the conclusion that they could use a couple more Theriots and a couple less Baezes. And that's one of the reasons Zobrist plays more than Almora.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

And I'm arguing with them. Don't say I'm not consistent.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Moncada and Jimenez have potential to be better than Ruth and Gehrig.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Almora is like a Cub prospect from a byegone era. There were feature stories about him in the paper well before he was even close to making MLB and he gained an unearned, beloved status. Even the defense is terribly overstated but I think that's just a product of the fans needing something to retain their affection for him. The unnecessary dives are ridiculous.

He wasn't even all that impressive in the minors.

He looks like a platoon starter or 4th OF.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Theriot has a career WAR of 6.7. Schwarber is currently at 2.7. I wouldn't be so sure Schwarber is a 4 WAR player for the rest of his career with the Cubs.

If he goes to the AL and primarily DH's, then it could be a different story.

_________________

Not sure who you think you're talking to. I dont call Almora a star. He is solid.

He was a rookie with 47 games played when the 2016 playoffs began.

I don't know what you think solid means. Good defensive outfielder who hits about .280 and would start on most (20-25) teams qualifies for me. He's not a star. He's a solid player.

Has anyone said they expect Madrigal to be a superstar?

I know MANY have said that if he isn't more than a journeyman infielder, then that's another indictment on the White Sox front office.

But I haven't seen MANY people saying they expect him to be great.

_________________

If you look at the last 30 years of number 4 picks, Theriot is among the better guys. The Orioles alone have selected three mediocre pitchers. And the buster that The Hawk coached as a kid was picked fourth.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

He makes spectacular plays in the outfield (your diving statement is ridiculous) and played a prominent role in the most important inning in franchise history. It makes sense that fans like him.


He's not what I wanted out of a 6th overall pick but he's a solid mlb player.


You guys do realize that many first round picks dont even reach the majors? The expectations here are very odd.

WTF you smoking JORR? Theo drafted, Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie, Jonathan Papelbon , Anthony Rizzo , Will Middlebrooks, Josh Reddick, (Drafted but didn't sign)Brandon Belt, Pedro Alvarez, Yasmani Grandal.

That's a fucking all star team when you add Bryant to the list.