Podcast: Gut Punch

Guest: Rick Gregg, 780 AM WBBM

The Rundown:

  • Guest Rick Gregg joins the show to share his reaction to the news of Michael Kopech requiring Tommy John surgery. Also Tim Anderson’s improved defense, the clubhouse vibe, and manager Rick Renteria’s long-term status.
  • [19:58] Jim and Josh further discuss the impact of Kopech’s injury. How it will impact the 2019 season, and if this delays the rebuild.
  • [52:47] Jim delivers the last Minor League Update and we answer your questions in P.O. Sox:

Presented by Mack Weldon and SeatGeek. Save 20% off menswear at mackweldon.com with promo code MACHINE, and save $20 off your first ticket purchase at seatgeek.com with promo code SOXMACHINE.

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asinwreck

Jay Jaffe on the Kopech and Ohtani diagnoses: Everything is awful and solutions are elusive.

roke1960

So while we struggle to score runs, our best hitter gets a month vacation. Nice job Hahn. With Kopech out, he’ll probably want to kick the opening of the competitve window back to 2021. The White Sox- the team of the endless rebuild!!

metasox

Szymborski’s assessment feels right. Same potential as a year ago, but don’t seem to be moving forward much at all

WaltWilliamsFan

I don’t get why there is such gloom about the 2019 season. Without Kopeac, the 2018 team has been essentially a .500 team since the All Star break. If they can do it for half a season there is no reason they can’t do it for a full season. Even with no off season moves, we can expect upgrades in left field and probably catcher and bullpen. Since much of the second half success has come without Jose Abreau, we could count his return as an upgrade. There is a non zero probability that 2017 Avi might show up next year, a substantial upgrade over 2018 Avi. We could hope for progress by Moncada. It may not be a contending team but there is no reason to believe that the 2019 Sox cannot play .500 ball.

Patrick Nolan

2017 Avi had a .392 BABIP. 2017 Avi is never coming back.

Ted Mulvey

“We had to put 2017 Avi on a farm, sweetie. Don’t worry: he’ll have a lot more space to run around, and he’ll be a lot happier there.”

lil jimmy

Avi? Hmm, Avi’s on the roof.

35Shields

Sure, but he also probably won’t sport a .278 BABIP either. He’s had a .352 xwOBA since the start of last season. Combined with averagish defense, he should be a decent bet for a bounceback next year.

Though I’m not sure it’s worth it for the Sox to bother paying for that bounceback.

metasox

I suspect a healthy Avi could up some decent numbers – maybe lower BABIP but more power. But he has trouble staying on the field.

karkovice squad

True talent matters more than a second half win-loss record. The Sox still have massive deficits there.

As is, the stars aligning for a .500 season would basically be 4+ win seasons from Giolito, Lopez, Rodon, Anderson, Jimenez, and Moncada plus meaningful contributions elsewhere. Signing Machado barely makes the math more plausible.

The rash of prospect injuries capped off by Kopech really hurts short-term plans. Probably enough to justify not signing more than 1 player with draft pick compensation. Fortunately, Machado changed teams which means the dream of adding him and Grandal is still alive.

Trooper Galactus

The problem is even when it looks like this team is playing out of their minds in relation to their talent level they’re still a sub-.500 team. A lot of that second half record looks like the apex and not a baseline.

Lurker Laura

My husband, upon my distress at the Kopech news, very helpfully said, “Big deal. Your team is going to be terrible for the next three years anyway.”

This is why I have to hang out in White Sox chat rooms.

asinwreck

“For better and for worse.”

karkovice squad

today any day.

Lurker Laura

No kidding. Which is worse, hoping Moncada turns into something, or hoping Trubisky turns into something?

Anohito

Both and adding hoping Markkanen turns into something. Though there seems to be much more hope for Lauri so far than the other two…

lil jimmy

Yeah, but no hope for the Bulls. Zero.

Anohito

On par with the bears and now sox…

I’d probably have to rate it

sox
bears
bulls
and putting numbers on that is like sox at 5% speaking of their next/current/upcoming seasons respectively. Just dismal all around and people wonder why I’m always so bitter and glum.

VAChisox

Try being married to a Packer fan for 27 years. And then walking into class this morning and seeing a kid in the front row wearing a Packer sweatshirt. Tough Monday.

Anohito

God do I hate the people who that

“come on ano don’t be so sad, you already knew the sox/bears/bulls suck and will keep sucking hahahahaha”
Freaking those people…

CarolinaSoxFan

Of all the Podcasts from the Sox Machine and SSS days, this one is by far the most aptly titled.

Trooper Galactus

There is certainly no sugar coating this season. Just look at the B-Ref list of our top 12 players in bWAR (yes, I know it’s not the best measure, but it’s still useful):

1) Rodon – on the DL half the season and still our most valuable player.

2) Yolmer – Solidified his place as a legitimate major league contributor, but shouldn’t be the second-best player on any team.

3) Timmay – Having a good season and improved through the year, but still runs an unacceptably low OBP.

4) Abreu – One of his career-worst years at the plate and spent a month on the DL, provides no defensive value at all, and still in our top-5.

6) Reynaldo Lopez – Getting an average-ish season out of Lopez has actually been a bright spot in the season, and he’s made late-season strides that seem sustainable.

7) Davidson – Reinvented himself at the plate and still is on the low end of intriguing.

8) Omar Narvaez – Breakout at the plate is welcome but his presence on this list ignores his Dioner-level framing.

9) Yoan Moncada – There’s no sugar coating it; this is a big disappointment from a guy who was the top prospect in baseball, even if it isn’t the outright disaster some make it out to be.

10) Joakim Soria – Yep, a reliever we traded before the deadline is in our top-10.

11) Ryan LaMarre – Makes the list seemingly on the basis of a single game’s performance and a lack of playing time otherwise.

12) James Shields – It’s both sad that he makes the top-12 and encouraging that he even provided any amount of positive value whatsoever.

PopeDonnPall

By returning Covey to rotation and calling up Scahill,is the organization saying they prefer these two guys to the possibility of losing Spencer Adams and Jordan Stephens to Rule 5?

Having a hard time wrapping my head around the logic.

metasox

Could still be added to the roster w/o using an option. Though also not clear how the org feels about them. Last offseason, fans had their panties in a bunch over Guerrero not being added last year.

Trooper Galactus

He posted decent numbers at AAA and would be an easy pick for any rebuilding team with a few open spots in their rotation. His proximity to the majors probably means he gets selected this time around since he’s displayed he might be able to hang on a roster long enough to get control of.