posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 1:32 AM
by
Jim
Bobby Jenks has retired three consecutive hitters
Did you enjoy
tonight's seven-pitcher effort? Then you're in luck, because Mike Myers is only going to prolong the process.
The
White Sox signed Myers, an Arlington Heights native, for the rest of the year, with a team option for $1.1 million next year. They optioned Andy Gonzalez to Charlotte to make room on the roster.
It's going to be fascinating to see how Ozzie Guillen uses Myers, because although he's been the embodiment of a true LOOGY since Jesse Orosco retired, his splits have reversed completely in 2007. Here's how the OPSes stack up:
- Career: .860 vs. RHB; .609 vs. LHB
- 2007: .563 vs. RHB; .821 vs. LHB.
What we do know is that Myers is going to have a
very light workload. Since 2000,
Myers has faced the fewest batters of any reliever to appear in 60 games, and owns seven of the top 25 spots on that list.
Myers will use this stint as an audition for the 2008 season, but I'm hoping the Sox see this as an opportunity to provide tutelage for Boone Logan, who is on the verge of getting it. If Logan can stick, he and Matt Thornton give Ozzie enough left-handed options for 2008. Myers' cost isn't prohibitive by any means, but $1.1 million can add up, especially for a guy who may throw an inning a week, spread out over four outings.
Besides, if the bench is going to be as limited in skills as it is now, the Sox need as many options as possible. Andy Gonzalez isn't a major-league caliber player right now, but it would've been nice to see how he might handle shortstop for more than two innings.
As it stands, Alex Cintron (and
his second-worst OPS+ in the AL for those with 50 games under their belt) is the sole backup at three positions. Gonzalez will probably be back in Chicago when the rosters expand in September, but I'm a little concerned that the management is a little too comfortable with Cintron. Gonzalez may be hard to watch, but if he can play shortstop once in a while without bursting into flames, he's miles better than Cintron for a fifth of the price.
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What do I have in common with Rob Neyer, Mark Gonzalez and Eric Young? We're all on the same ESPN.com panel trying to answer this singular pressing issue:
Who is the face of the White Sox?My answer is published Wednesday (Neyer's went up Monday, Gonzalez's goes today), but if you look at the page, there are four facts about the team listed across the top. Here's one of them:
Best nicknames: Scott Podsednik (Pods)
Why has Hawk Harrelson escaped criticism for allowing this to happen? In
1993, we had, Pudge, Officer, The Big Hurt, The Little Hurt, The Deacon, The Pope, One-Dog, Black Jack and Spanky on the same roster -- even though he didn't come up with two of them.
Now, we have Pods, and that isn't even a nickname. It just helps us avoid a name that doesn't roll off the tongue and isn't natural off the fingers. The only one that's close is "Kong" for Konerko, but that hasn't caught on.
The Emperor and the Secret Weapon didn't catch on. I'm still trying to tag Jim Thome with "The Gentleman Masher," but that's a losing battle. The only way a moniker is going to stick is if it comes from the broadcast booth, and Hawk hasn't come up with one since El Caballo.
That's way too long for a guy who has plenty of drawbacks as a broadcaster. It's basically the equivalent of Jerry Owens going years without bunting or stealing.
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Minor league round-up:- West Tenn 4, Birmingham 2
- Gio Gonzalez survived five innings despite control issues. He struck out six, but walked three and allowed two runs over five innings.
- The Barons only managed four hits; Ricardo Nanita had two of them.
- Chris Getz went 0-for-2 with two walks.
- Kannapolis 2, Savannah 1
- Carlos Perez allowed only one run over seven innings, allowing five hits and no walks while striking out three.
- Matt Long and Ryan Rote pitched a scoreless inning apiece.
- Brandon Allen went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI; Sergio Miranda and Anderson Gomes went 1-for-3 with two walks apiece.
- Charlotte, Winston-Salem OFF