Let’s take a cue from the off-the-cuff Hawk Harrelson comment as a prompt for a full article. On a Baseball Prospectus site. This always goes well. Hawk is outspoken on the value of the bullpen, which can make him seem somewhat sage now near the crest of the run on elite relievers. During Sunday’s rout […]
Tag: Zach Putnam
White Sox need to face facts about chronic offense shortcomings
I’m not sure what I expected. Kenny Williams speaking to assembled media on a golf course is not exactly the forum for a public bloodletting on the state and fate of the White Sox, or even the ideal place for an adjustment on their general policy to err on the side of opaqueness. But in […]
South Side Independence Day 5: Ahead of Schedule
1. Here was my route for how the Sox would go to the break four games over .500: 5-1 vs. Twins and Braves 1-2 vs. Houston 2-1 vs. Yankees Dropping the very first game to the Twins in incompetent fashion certainly didn’t provide much hope, but the Braves are still dreadful and the Sox are […]
South Side Morning 5: The circumstances that necessitate Matt Davidson
1. It feels wrong to open up immediately after a victory, albeit far less emphatic and encouraging of a victory than at one point anticipated, and talk about how the White Sox lack of depth–and apparent lack of interest in fortifying that depth–has left them hopelessly ill-suited to catch a surging Cleveland Indians team. So […]
The White Sox bullpen is overmatched
As is often the case in free agency, the White Sox look like they are paying for David Robertson‘s prime in New York, and getting his last, declining years of useful production in return. The stuff is still closer-worthy and uniquely untouchable despite his love for living up in the zone with low-90s heat, but […]
South Side Morning 5: Chris Sale’s bizarre reign of terror
1. To date, we’ve had two starts of traditional-looking Chris Sale: one was a step away from greatness due to a command lapse and in the other he was just freezing cold. There has been one kitchen sink, 1,000 ways-to-kill-you masterpiece, and two starts where Sale has thrived with a couple of miles on his fastball tied behind […]
White Sox bullpen could have strength in numbers
While most of the focus during the 2015-16 offseason was on where all the premier free agent outfielders would land, one of the other trends that continued during the offseason was teams loading up their bullpen. The highlight, of course, was the Yankees adding Aroldis Chapman to a bullpen that already featured Dellin Betances and […]