Rumors for Chicago White Sox
PRO Rumors 2012 Predictions
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The sweetest time of the year has come upon us with the start of Major League Baseball. We hope that you all take time to visit your favorite ballpark in the coming days (we know we will).
In the spirit of predicting the future, here are PRO Rumors’ 2012 predictions:
| Writer | National League West |
| Allan | Rockies |
| Ryan | Diamondbacks |
| Juan | Giants |
| Writer | National League Central |
| Allan | Cardinals |
| Ryan | Brewers |
| Juan | Reds |
| Writer | National League East |
| Allan | Marlins |
| Ryan | Phillies |
| Juan | Phillies |
| Writer | NL Wild Card |
| Allan | Dodgers, Reds |
| Ryan | Giants, Marlins |
| Juan | Rockies, Braves |
| Writer | American League West |
| Allan | Athletics |
| Ryan | Angels |
| Juan | Angels |
| Writer | American League Central |
| Allan | White Sox |
| Ryan | Tigers |
| Juan | Tigers |
| Writer | American League East |
| Allan | Red Sox |
| Ryan | Yankees |
| Juan | Yankees |
| Writer | AL Wild Card |
| Allan | Rays, Yankees |
| Ryan | Red Sox, Rangers |
| Juan | Rays, Rangers |
| Writer | MVP (NL, AL) |
| Allan | Buster Posey, Alex Rodriguez |
| Ryan | Joey Votto, Albert Pujols |
| Juan | Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera |
| Writer | Cy Young (NL, AL) |
| Allan | CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay |
| Ryan | Josh Johnson, Justin Verlander |
| Juan | Matt Cain, Felix Hernandez |
| Writer | RoY (NL, AL) |
| Allan | Bryce Harper, Yu Darvish |
| Ryan | Devin Mesoraco, Yu Darvish |
| Juan | Bryce Harper, Yoenis Cespedes |
Do you agree? Disagree? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
Image by Sean Winters under the Creative Commons License.
White Sox sign Conor Jackson
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The Chicago White Sox have signed Conor Jackson to a minor league deal, Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribute reports. Jackson had signed a minor league deal with the Rangers earlier this offseason where he hit .091 in 33 at-bats (3 hits) while striking out 5 times this Spring.
Last season, Jackson started the season off with the A’s before he was traded to the Red Sox at the end of August. In 390 plate appearances for both teams, he hit .244/.310/.341 with 5 home runs and 43 RBIs while striking out 53 times.
Jackson is a former number one pick in 2003 who has seen better days in his career. In 2003, he hit .300 with 162 hits and 75 RBIs.
Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
PRO Rumors Customer Survey
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Hi all,
With baseball season coming up, we’d like to poll our readers regarding our current features and see if you have suggestions regarding future features. We have a really short survey and we’re hoping that you can take less than 5 minutes to help us out. Thanks!
Allan
Right hander Jon Hunton is looking for new representation
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Jon Hunton who was the closer of the year in Venezuela,reached out to PRO Rumors earlier this week and explained that he is looking for new representation. Hunton, 29, had a strong 2011 season both in the summer and the winter leagues respectively.
As part of the Grand Prairie AirHogs (The American Association of Independent Professional Basebal) Hunton was named “Reliever of the Year” in 2011 (link here). Hunton went 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA, 25 saves, 47 SO, 0.4 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 8.3 SO/9 in 51.0 innings.
During the winter, Hunton was named “Closer for the Year” again (link here), but this time in Venezuela as part of the Caribes de Anzoategui. He was 2-4 with 3.16 ERA, 18 saves, 0.3 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 7.0 SO/9 in 31.1 games. Then he was selected as a replacement for Tiburones de la Guaira in the Final and was Francisco Rodriguez’s setup man. He also represented Venezuela in the Caribbean Series .
While Hunton was in Venezuela he left a great impression among the other teams, players and the media. He was one of the first foreign players to report and stayed until the last game of the Caribbean Series, his commitment with the Caribes organization and the rest of the league was undeniable.
I had the opportunity to watch Hunton pitch in Venezuela at least a dozen times this winter. The first thing you notice about him is his height, Hunton is 6′9” with a fluid delivery. He’s not a flame thrower, but he will keep hitters off balance with his slider, which has nice movement. Also, his 3/4 delivery makes all of his pitches move. I believe he is a great athlete in good physical condition (he used to play basketball in College), he is also a strong competitor and he definitely showed that in Venezuela.
Most of you don’t have an idea of how hard it is to pitch in winter ball. Fans are harsh with their players and they will let you know when you’re not doing your job right. You have to face strong competitors, not only young Minor Leaguers, but also Major Leaguers as well. There’s also a lot of competitiveness here but Hunton cruised throughout the season without a sweat. This league has chewed up and spit out countless top MLB prospects, but Hunton wasn’t one of them.
Hunton was drafted five times during the June Amateur Draft, the last one in 2004 by the Chicago Cubs in the eleventh round. During his eight years as a professional player Hunton is a career 34-27 with 3.18 ERA, 0.5 HR/9, 4.0 BB/9 and 8.9 SO/9 in 453.1 innings. In 2010, he was 6-6 with a 3.57 ERA, 0.7 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 5.7 SO/9 in 63.0 innings for the A’s Triple-A team.
last offseason we had a Q & A with Hunton. Make sure to check that out if you haven’t.
Having the right representation can sometimes be the key to getting that tryout or invite to Spring Training that can open the door to a big league career. If you wish to contact Hunton you can write or follow him on Twitter (@Big_Jon_Hunton).
Image by Edixon Gamez of LiderEnDeportes.com.
Magglio Ordonez could be close to retirement
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Veteran outfielder Magglio Ordonez is still a free agent and according to his official Twitter account he could be nearing retirement. He said earlier this year that he doesn’t want to play in the Minors, and would retire if he doesn’t receive a Major League deal.
Even though Ordonez has had some great offensive seasons including 2007 when he won the batting title, injuries, age, declining abilities and below defensive capabilities have hindered him from receiving a Major League contract. And to be honest, who can blame them? Ordonez missed 34 games in 2011 due to an ankle injury and 67 more games in 2010 for the same reason. Earlier in his career he had problems with his knees and missed 108 games due to knee surgery.
His FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average) has been negative since 2005, meaning that an average and cheaper outfielder would do a better job there. His VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) during his last three seasons has been 13.3, 20.6 and -7.4 respectively, but adding his FRAA, his WARP (Wins Above Replacement Player) during his last three seasons were 0.5, 1.9, -1.4.
This means that when Ordonez was making $19.2 million he only contributed 0.5 more wins than a replacement player, or a minimum wage player would. And in 2011, the Tigers would have been better with that replacement player in their outfield, because he cost the team -1.4 games with his performance. When we talk about a replacement player we’re talking about a guy that makes minimum wage and won’t be an everyday player in any of the 30 MLB teams.
If I were a General Manager I wouldn’t sign Ordonez to a Major League deal either. I wouldn’t even consider giving him a guaranteed Major League contract without knowing if his ankle is going to hold up over the course of a 162 game season.
In 15 Major League seasons, Ordonez has hit .309/.369/.502 with 294 HR’s and 1,236 RBI’s in 6978 AB’s. His OPS is .871 and his OPS+ 125. His career VORP is 381.1, his FRAA -70.6 and his WARP 30.4. To be honest, his fielding hurt his true offensive value. If he would have been a DH for most of his career, he would have contributed a lot more to his teams.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Royals trade Greg Golson to the White Sox
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The Kansas City Royals have traded outfielder Greg Golson to the Chicago White Sox for cash considerations according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
The Yankess released Golson back in December 2011. Golson is a career .214/.244/.244 hitter in 41 AB’s throughout four years in the Majors.
Image by anneh632 under the Creative Commons License.
White Sox not looking to move Gavin Floyd… for now
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Despite a report by sources close to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, the Chicago White Sox have no intention on moving starting pitcher Gavin Floyd. In an email from GM Ken Williams to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, Williams said, “I am not looking to move him.”
Morosi reported earlier on Monday that the Toronto Blue Jays were in pursuit of the right-handed pitcher. The Jays want to bolster their rotation with Floyd who is under contract for 2012 for $7 million with a $9.5 million club option for 2013.
The Red Sox and Orioles had interest in Floyd over the winter with Balitmore nearly landing Floyd, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com notes.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Boras thinks trade deadline activity will decrease in time
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Here’s the latest from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:
– Agent Scott Boras thinks that the top spenders in baseball are going to save money on the luxury tax and won’t spend money on the draft due to restrictions so trade-deadline activity will decrease in time. Here’s what Cafardo adds: “Boras is taking this tax-savings scenario a step further. He figures the savings will simply be profit because the money can’t go toward scouting and player development. Eventually, he reasons, minor league systems will have less depth and ultimately teams won’t be able to make big deals because they won’t have much to give up.”
– Cafardo wonders if Terry Francona could end up managing the Mets.
– Boras is taking the patient approach with client Johnny Damon.
– J.D. Drew has not announced his retirement.
– Adam Jones’ name is rumored to be in trade discussions with the Nationals.
– Free agent Roy Oswalt is still in play and Cafardo speculates that the Red Sox could make a play for him.
– Gavin Floyd could be a trade candidate between the White Sox and the Blue Jays or Red Sox.
– Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is in wait-and-see mode.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Could the Cuban Missile Crisis be blamed on a baseball scout?
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We all know what the Cuban Missile Crisis was, and how the world lived in fear during those days, when the world was on the brink of nuclear war. But could a Washington Senators’ scout be responsible for this?
Well, apparently the famous scout Joe Cambria, who was known for his trips to Cuba to sign amateur players for his organization rejected, not once, but twice, a pitcher named Fidel Castro. Yes, the same Fidel who in 1959 overthrew Fulgencio Batista’s government and established a communist dictatorship in Cuba.
It is hard to imagine Castro as a Major Leaguer, but it would have saved the world a lot of trouble if Cambria would have given him a Major League contract, at least for a couple of year. Some people say that it is a folk tale and that Cambria never rejected Castro, but if it was true we can assume that indeed Cambria is responsible for the Cuban Missile Crisis (not that he could have foreseen that Castro was going to become one of the worst dictators in history).
Now, lets do a mental exercise and imagine that Cambria and Castro did meet and Cambria signed Castro to a Major League deal. If so, maybe Castro could have become an average Major Leaguer instead of a megalomaniac dictator. Historically speaking, this could of have had an enormous impact on the history books.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, and Bay of Pigs would have probably never existed and the most important for me, Hugo Chavez wouldn’t have had a mentor and a role model in Castro. So Chavez would still be either in jail or retired in some hacienda breeding cows. Instead of giving away our gas to countries like Cuba, Iran, Bolivia, Ecuador and supporting communist dictatorships all around the globe.
Baseball speaking, this could have had repercussions as well. First, Cuban players wouldn’t have to defect from their countries in order to become Major Leaguers and second, there wouldn’t be such mysticism and hype around them. The good players would go to the States at younger ages and develop like the rest of the Latin American players, and the not so good ones would stay in Cuba and play their local professional baseball league.
Also, players like Yonder Alonso, Aroldis Chapman, Alexei Ramirez and Yoenis Cespedes would have been discovered earlier in their careers, and with better developing I’m pretty sure that they could have become better players than they could ever be as defectors.
So if the stories are correct, Cambria rejecting Castro was a huge world-changing event. Actually, the kind of event that you see in time-travel movies, where the slightest change in the past totally rewrites the future. So if one of you have a Delorean with a Flux Capacitor please lend it to me so I can talk to Cambria and tell him to sign Castro.
Amnesty Clause in MLB-AL Central
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Next, we visit the AL Central and take a gander at the possible amnesty clause candidates.
In case you missed our amnesty candidates for the AL West make sure you check them out.
AL CENTRAL
Twins- This player is only a candidate because he has been unable to recover from the aftermath of the concussions he sustained. My selection for the Twins is Justin Morneau who has two-years left on his six-year $80mm deal that started in 2008. Morneau who will make $14mm in the next two seasons has played in only 150 games over the last two seasons. When healthy, Morneau was an MVP and capable of putting up 34 home runs and 190 hits. Last season, Morneau hit .227 in 69 games while spending time on the DL for an assortment of injuries which included concussion symptoms.
Royals-This was another tough selection as the Royals don’t have many expensive contracts or multi-year deals that would fall into the amnesty category. But since we have to select one, Jeff Francoeur and his brand new two-year $13.5mm wins the amnesty award (Francoeur signed his new deal during the season). Though the breakdown of his contract is still not known, it would evenly breakdown to him earning $6.75mm which may be a little to rich for the Royals and there game plan.
Tigers- Unfortunately for Victor Martinez coming back from a torn ACL with $25mm left over two-years will get you on my amnesty list every time. Martinez was a stud last year hitting .330 with 103 RBIs but coming back from such a severe injury like he is, you just don’t know how someone will rebound. Plus, the money freed up will allow them to sign somebody to help fill the offensive void (like they did with Prince Fielder) and help fill other holes on the roster.
Indians- Travis Hafner who signed a four-year $57mm deal in July ‘07 cashed in after three seasons of hitting at least .305. Since then, his best numbers came last season when he hit .280 but played in only 94 games. Hafner is set to earn $13mm as the clubs primary DH this season. Hafner also has a $13mm club option for 2013 that probably won’t be exercised.
White Sox- Adam Dunn and Alex Rios, you are the weakest link. Goodbye. Ok, wrong game show but both are strong candidates to send away. But I would have to select Adam Dunn. Dunn is owed $34mm over the next three seasons, Rios $36.5mm over the same period so the money is close to even. But the thing that separates the two is that Rios is serviceable on defense while Dunn played only 39 games on defense. Rios has tasted success in the AL while Dunn is still searching for success in the AL.
Next we will look at the Amnesty candidates in the AL East.
Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
