You guys think Thome will be our DH again next year? God I'm sick of ground balls to short right that the 2B fields. Good guy but done. Bobby Abreu is the guy I want but he wouldnt be cheap. Having him hit behind Carlos or in the three hole would be especially with the left handed power. possibly between Carlosand JD somewhere. You figure Fields will be at third so our bases will be clogged enough without Thome. Speed in CF, Speed at 2B. are essential to winning next year.

**On a side note.


I PREDICT the Sox will trade AJ this winter. I think Ozzie is sick and tired of NEVER throwing out base stealers. AJ's hitting isnt good enough to mask his week arm and slow delivery.

Just a hunch.

Thome will be here.

9 times out of 10, AJ doesn't have a chance to throw anybody out, because (sans Buehrle), our pitchers suck at holding runners at 1st base.

Your hunch is stupid.

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Thome will be here, and so will A.J.....I would make it a priorty to sign a backup catcher known for his defense (H.Blanco would be perfect)....They do need to keep A.J. fresh down the stretch. This year, I think they wore him down some, and he did struggle in September. Sign Blanco, give A.J. 5 starts a week, Blanco 2 starts (or 4 and 2) and put Blanco in late in games when we are trying to protect leads.

Then you would need a 3rd catcher on the roster. Very rarely does the starting catcher for a given day get replaced unless its an extra inning marathon.

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My "stupid Hunch" is only a hunch but you see every team with sspeed run every chance they get. The Twins and Rays ran ran and ran. They steal third. They steal second. They steal with 2 strikes. They steal with leads. They steal when trailing. They steal on starters. they steal on relievers. The pitchers gotta work on holding runners but I did not see AJ throw out one ruinner last year. I could be wrong but I dont think he did. I like AJ. but he doesnt hit well enough to justify turning every baserunner into an extra base automatically. I'd rather have Pudge batting 9th hitting .200. Henry Blanco every day would be better than AJ as far as whats better for the team. Teams dont fear AJ. The game has changed since the steroid era. Its back to the seventies when you had to steal bases. The Sox need to counter the trend.

But again its just a "stupid hunch"

[quote="Frank Coztansa"]Thome will be here.


Thanks for the insight.

Thome guaranteed his option by reaching 1100 plate appearances over the past 2 seasons. Reading is a skill. There were multiple threads on that subject.

AJ DOES NOT HAVE A CHANCE to throw any basestealers out because of the pitchers not holding anybody on.

It is a stupid hunch.

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Why does everything have to a fucking arguement. Thanks again FRANK for your tremendous wisdom. And you're right. Reading is a skill. Option or not, that means nothing if He cant produce or is injured. His option status has NOTHING to do with whether he is the EVERYDAY DH or not. Yes, the option assures him of beign on he roster but in no way does it gaurantee he will be the Main DH. I will consider him an Opening day DH but with Paulie and Dye there and Thomes sinking average and injury issues, someone else may be that guy. Thome is great insurance and make them much deeper with a left handed Pinch hitter or against tough righties (even though he's hit Leftys just as well)

For example- Sox go speed/defense. LF-CQ, CF-Owens/Anderson/Wise, RF Wise/Anderson DH-Jermaine Dye.

When the White Sox won the series, they hit a lot of Homers but they also scored many other ways. With A power hitting SS, Thome's power is negated somewhat. Between Ramirez, CQ, Dye, KOnerko and Fields there should be plenty of power. Add Thome's legs to that group with AJ. and you have a station to station team. Tried that and it failed.

And FRank? AJ can handle a pirching staff, but are you saying AJ is an average or better defensive catcher?

AJ is above average defense and calling a game. He is below average in throwing out baserunners, but again he does not have help from his pitchers in that department. Its going to be much easier to work with the pitchers on holding guys on than it will be to replace a starting catcher that does what AJ can do.

When Thome is getting paid $13 or 14 million guaranteed, he is the everyday DH. The option doesn't guarantee him a roster spot, it guarantees him a paycheck unless he retires. And the Sox aren't going to pay him to play somewhere else. The Sox have 3 DHs on thier team, but Dye can still play a solid RF, and Konerko can manage over at 1st. Thome can't play the field anymore. He is guaranteed millions this year. Thats why he's the everyday DH.

There are problems on this team, but DH and your primary catcher is not something that the Sox can really upgrade on, and not something that need to upgrade on either. Those positions rarely have speed anyway. Catchers very rarely can run, and a DH is there for power anbd RBIs, not stolen bases.

Anymore brain busters?

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Maybe on the first point, dreadfully understated on the second. He's a disaster throwing out runners, thumbsucking videos about how tough it is for beat writers to steal on him to the contrary. I make no claims about his game-calling abilities, because it's hard to measure, but at this point the only benefit you're getting from A.J. is offensive production (which is admittedly pretty good from the catcher position.)

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Fire Phil Emery

A.J. remains because he can hit the ball better than most catchers. He will still be miserable as on defense as far as throwing out baserunners goes. You get what you get and you don't throw a fit.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

And that is exactly why they wont sign him, unless they can clear that payroll of dye and Vazquez, but I think Abreu ends up with the........I will say the Dodgers.

Getting back to Thome...I would not be shocked to see the bottom fall out on him this season. However, his money is guaranteed, he is a left handed hitter, and he led DHs in home runs last year.

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

I agree, IF he comes into next season with the same approach he had this past season. Thome MUST make an adjustment that allows him to hit the ball to left field more often. I think he can cut down his strikeout total and improve his BA if he stops trying to pull everything. His power numbers may go down a little but not much because he still has the power to hit the ball out to left field (especially in the Cell).

If he would just bunt against shift he would be fine

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I would love to see him do that just once.

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Just once, because after he gets thrown out, you'll be yelling about why Thome is bunting...

You gotta keep Jimbo for his base running!

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I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

If he gets thrown out, he gets thrown out, big deal. Just once, in a 0-0 game in the 2nd inning, I would like to see him drop down a bunt. If Ortiz can do it in Boston, no reason for Thome not to try it.

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I have to think that since his option kicked in, that he will come back and take the (what is it, 13 million??) money. If he does, there is no way they pay him that much and sit him. Unless he's hurt, he's the main DH. I think if they were not planning to bring him back, they would have sat him enough to prevent the final year from kicking in. I think it was a bad move. He strikes out way too much and is a base clogger. But he still hits the ball out of the park relatively often. If it were not for his homer against Minnesota in the 163rd regular season game, they don't win the division as they did. Sure they might still have won it some other way, but he hit the game winner. Gotta give him credit for that. But I am very anxious to see how Kenny re-constructs this team. As hard as it is to find a quality Catcher, I think A.J. is here too. He really needs a day off more often. But who are they going to get to replace him? I don't see that change happening.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Jimbo is slow but he is a smart baserunner. There are far worse on the team with knowing how to run the bases.