Guest: Jim Callis, MLB.com
The Rundown
- White Sox are on their longest winning streak of 2018 thanks to some big performances this weekend. Is Lucas Giolito’s past five starts progress, or a mirage? Is this peak Carlos Rodon? Should Thyago Vieira and Tyler Danish get more high leverage opportunities?
- Our good friend, Jim Callis of MLB.com, joins the show to discuss MLBPipeline’s new Top 100 and the White Sox Top 30 prospects. What does he think of the current status of Eloy Jimenez and Michael Kopech? Will Dylan Cease become a starter in the major leagues? Who is the most improved, and how have injuries impacted some of the prospects?
- Preview the Yankees series, recap action in the Minor Leagues, and answer your questions in P.O. Sox.
Based on what success metrics would the Sox retain the services of their hitting coach for 2019?
— Joe Farrell (@jtfarrell6) August 5, 2018
Would Sox fandom cool off if Hahn announced tomorrow that Eloy’s remaining boxes to check are to improve his fielding, throwing, and/or base running?
— Matt Hinckley (@EFCHistProf) August 6, 2018
Guess at second half record? Can they put together a .500 second half?
— MadManx (@madmanx89) August 6, 2018
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To listen, click play below:
Regarding Callis’s argument that there’s no reason for Elopech to be called up: This CBA is the worst. Callis makes sense, which means the players agreed to a terrible, no good, very bad deal. Anything that keeps good players from not playing in the majors is dumb. Imagine if this CBA had been in place when Frank, Robin, et al had been at the beginning of their careers.
If the Owners aren’t flexible with changing how Service Time works when this CBA expires in 2021, I could see a work stoppage. The MLBPA has to make this the top priority.
It’s simply ridiculous.
Not sure the MLBPA sees it as a priority. Every time a prospect is promoted to the majors, another MLBPA member loses his job.
but the prospect becomes a member of the MLBPA
Yeah, I know. I’m just saying there are competing interests within the MLBPA. Veteran players are already having trouble securing/keeping jobs. If teams are disincentivized from keeping players in the minors, it will only get worse for the vets.
Yep, this is exactly correct. Once you’ve made it into the CBA, your own personal interests are actually to limit the number of young players making it into the league.
Owners and GM’s are working to pay veterans less and get them out of the league sooner, while gaming the promotions and service time of young prospects. So the MLBPA’s strategy will switch to getting the newly promoted prospects as much $ as quickly as possible.
I thought the larger issue – which maybe dovetails somewhat – concerned veterans not receiving the big free agent payouts they expected as teams are less willing to pay big for declining years. If anything, a few high profile cases aside, seems teams are actually very willing to advance younger players (even to the detriment of veterans). The problem may be more about how to spread the money differently throughout player careers while ensuring owners are spending what is expected in total payroll
Yes, we’ve seemingly settled into a system where players have from approximately ages 24-30 to earn money.
That’s just it, we’re only now seeing what the effects of the last CBA are. In this case, it’s incentivized teams to manipulate service time and push back free agency. The second order effect of that is that free agency is being pushed back beyond a player’s prime, at which point teams are then balking at paying for a declining asset. This is the result of the MLBPA getting pantsed by focusing on current members and not their future members, to the detriment of their younger members. There should be some sort of avenue for minor league players to bring suit against blatant service time manipulation, because it’s basically punishing them for their team’s unwillingness to field a competitive team.
Lamarre instead of Eloy. Welp. There’s hope for the end of the week though.
Makes sense. Team doesn’t have much position flexibility. At least LaMarre can cover CF
Can he? His defensive numbers are not good in CF.
He gets the call over Palka or Delmonico.
Neither of whom should be in the outfield at all.
Only one DH and one 1st baseman per game.
What’s the end of the week hope? I get Lamarre because of CF need but why not Tilson or Cordell? Aren’t they both more a potential part of future plans than LaMarre?
I really hope next year we start brining up the mid-prospects for short term gigs rather than signing 4AAAAs who were cut and throwing them on the big league Squad.
Next year let’s see Savala instead of Gurneau. Cordell or Tilson instead of Lamarre. Hamilton or Budi over Minaya or Infante. Stephens make a spot start instead of Volstad.
Result may be the same but at least it feels like progress.
Cordell is not a CF’er the times I’ve watched him there this year. Tilson, I’d like to see get another chance.
The Sox may want Tilson and Cordell getting daily at bats in Charlotte vs sitting on the bench in Chicago. Hopefully they get a better look in Sep
I don’t see why Tilson couldn’t be the starting CF over Engel. It’s not like we really need to see if the latter is about to have a breakout at the plate.
Completely agree and it’s one of those small things that makes you wonder about this front office and rebuild.
Is 4AAAA longhand for 16A?
I’d day Gordon Beckham was a 16A.
PS: how the heck do you put a space between lines on these posts? Two returns? Three returns?
Two return/enters. You won’t see it in your text box, but it will show up in the post.
Service time for a large market team like the Sox should be a non-issue. Besides that, they have a franchise that has been dying on the vine for the last decade. If they don’t bring these guys up this year it’s a real kick in the teeth to the season ticket holders.
Bring them up or send them home.
Wrong Chicago team. Money is absolutely an issue on this side of Chicago.
Their current payroll is about $50-60 million under their previous norms. I can pretty much guarantee they have not lost even a fraction of that in revenues. They’re basically stockpiling money at this point, with no guarantee they’ll spend it when the time comes. And they could absolutely be a higher tier (top-10) payroll if they chose to and still turn a profit, they just choose not to cut into their bottom line beyond a certain point.
The organization did pay more than $50 mil to get Robert, so not sure payroll captures their expenditures
True, but that also precluded them from spending big in subsequent international signing periods, so they saved around $15 million in that regard. I’d still say their expenses are far lower than before.
To the extent that it is an issue, it’s because of the way this franchise has operated under JR.
I wonder if they don’t feel a need to boost the Yankee series, preferring instead a Friday against Cleveland. It could be a big crowd that night.
At this point I have no idea what they’re thinking.
I don’t think they want Jimenez and Kopech’s first impression of their home park to be one where it’s 80% filled with visiting fans.
Good point especially with all the yappy Yankee fans who will be present during the next 3 days.
Thanks, Rick. Great move. I would assume Trayce is next on the list.
On MLB network Sabr show yesterday they had the author of Astroball stating that of the keys to the Astros sucess and his SI prediction in 2014 that they would win the WS in 2017 was that the Astros were willing to go several years with 100 + losses and a virtual zero Neilson rating not calling up prospects. I do not like the concept of any Sox team losing 100+ losses having lived through those abysmal Sox teams of the early 70s but could live without Elopech being called up until next April.
Except, near as I can tell, they didn’t spend the time from 2014 to 2017 playing a service time manipulation game. Guys like Bregman, Correa, McCullers, and others got called up when they were ready, and not held down for the sake of gaining an extra year of control.