Week 16 Record: 3-4 (37-68 Overall), 4th in AL Central
The Trade Deadline is upon us, and in a fairly uneventful week, the White Sox traded Joakim Soria to the Brewers. Almost time to turn the page to the Dog Days of August!
Weekly Score Update
Game 99: White Sox 5, Angels 3 | Box Score
Game 100: White Sox 4, Angels 2 | Box Score
Game 101: White Sox 3, Angels 11 | Box Score
Game 102: White Sox 8, Angels 12 | Box Score
Game 103: White Sox 5, Blue Jays 10 | Box Score
Game 104: White Sox 9, Blue Jays 5 | Box Score
Game 105: White Sox 4, Blue Jays 7 | Box Score
Week By the Numbers
6 – Runs scored in the 8th inning of Saturday’s comeback win
4 – Number of newly inducted Hall of Fame players by BBWAA (Trammel and Morris elected in by Modern Era ballot)
62 – Number of plate appearances Nick Madrigal has gone without striking out
1.172 – Eloy Jimenez’ OPS after going 2-2 on Monday night
46 – Number of outs Carlos Rodon has recorded in his last two outings
.357 – Jose Abreu’s batting average this week
3 – Number of additional losses 2018 Sox have compared to the 2013 team at 105 games (40-65)
0 – Number of times I’ve worried about Yoan Moncada this week
Quote of the Week: Jim Thome’s Advice for Young Players
Quite the human being. Absolute honor to have been able to watch him. Congrats Jim!
Question of the Week
More talk about Eloy and Kopech! This week, I asked why you believe the White Sox are keeping Eloy and Kopech are in the minors, since Hahn won’t give us much more than their need to “check the boxes.” So, basically, what are the boxes, and and have all your boxes been checked?
Thanks for all the responses to this question!
A lot of Twitter and Facebook users seemed to be okay with the decision, citing service time, Kopech’s secondary pitches, potential trade deadline moves, and even Gordon Beckham as reasons not to rush Eloy and Kopech to the MLB. It appears that most people would be satisfied with a September 1st callup date for both.
I am in agreement with keeping Eloy and Kopech in the minors. As much as we love to make fun of Rick Hahn’s “checking the boxes” mantra, the only people who know what boxes haven’t been checked – and which boxes are even on the list – are Hahn, Kopech, and Eloy. The only insight we have is the box score at the end of the game, and Hahn already stated that the box score isn’t the only determinant of major league readiness.
There could be many things at play here: it’s very possible that Rick Hahn is waiting on deals to go through this afternoon for Avi, Delmonico, and others, which would free up space for Eloy to be called up – this is similar to the Frazier trade that brought Yoan Moncada to the majors. Service time could also be a consideration, but that’s a strategy that is used more often in April or May.
At the end of the day, Rich Hahn is the GM – if we can’t as fans place some trust in him, it’s likely that we will never be able to enjoy the process and the rebuild. This is supposed to be exciting for fans. With the failure of rush jobs like Gordon Beckham and the slower development of rushed prospects such as Tim Anderson, Carlos Rodon, and Carson Fulmer, it’s better that the White Sox take things slowly. Plus, when Eloy and Kopech eventually struggle – because they will – the doubters will be quieter. Who’s going to honestly argue, “He’s a bust because he spent so much time in the minors”?
Trust. The. Process.
Player/Moment of the Week
Thanks to all who voted! In what was an exciting week filled with an awesome comeback and a fan-favorite’s induction into the Hall of Fame, Carlos Rodon stole the show and won both Player and Moment of the Week! In 2 starts this week, Carlos absolutely dominated the competitions, throwing 15.1 innings while giving up 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, and 14 K, good for a 2.35 ERA and a .137 batting average against. Great to see Carlos starting to become the Ace the Sox drafted him to be.
The Week Ahead: Series Versus the Royals and Rays
Tuesday: James Shields (4-12, 4.53 ERA) vs. Danny Duffy (6-9, 4.70 ERA), 7:10 CT
Wednesday: Dylan Covey (4-6, 5.40 ERA) vs. Jacob Junis (5-11, 4.06 ERA), 7:10 CT
Thursday: Reynaldo Lopez (4-9, 4.57 ERA) vs. Brad Keller (4-4, 3.43 ERA), 1:10 CT
Friday-Sunday: Series vs. Tampa Bay Rays… Starters TBD
Enjoy the Week, White Sox Fans!