John Sickels top 20 Sox prospects

[SoxxoS]

A good read

I think Sickels contract didnt' get renewed from ESPN, so he has that free site now. Good times. Not that high on Brian Anderson (below) but said Joe Borchard was going to be a 40 HR guy that compares equally to Adam Dunn IIRC.

I'm less impressed with Brian Anderson than some people are. I mean, I think he's a good solid prospect. Has some power, some speed, has hit .307/.386/.494 through his first 130 pro games, although his production did tail off after his promotion to Double-A. The White Sox are high enough on him that they were more willing to trade Jeremy Reed. But there's just something about Anderson that makes me think he's as good now as he's ever going to get. I can't prove that, of course. But the feeling is there, and sometimes these "intuitive feelings" are actually subconscious pattern recognition. Sometimes.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by SoxxoS

A good read

I think Sickels contract didnt' get renewed from ESPN, so he has that free site now. Good times. Not that high on Brian Anderson (below) but said Joe Borchard was going to be a 40 HR guy that compares equally to Adam Dunn IIRC.

I don't think Anderson is going to be a perennial All-Star, but I think he's basically a sure-thing everyday CF'er in the major leagues. Sickels must have failed to notice that Anderson was being bothered by the wrist and pulled his groin coinciding with the slump in AA. He started out there like gang-busters before tailing off.

[SoxxoS]

Originally Posted by Randar68

I don't think Anderson is going to be a perennial All-Star, but I think he's basically a sure-thing everyday CF'er in the major leagues. Sickels must have failed to notice that Anderson was being bothered by the wrist and pulled his groin coinciding with the slump in AA. He started out there like gang-busters before tailing off.

Don't you think if he can continue that "gang-buster" start he can be an (not saying perennial) but 1-3x All Star? Who does he compare to, a faster Mark Kotsay?

[Ol' No. 2]

Originally Posted by SoxxoS

A good read

I think Sickels contract didnt' get renewed from ESPN, so he has that free site now. Good times. Not that high on Brian Anderson (below) but said Joe Borchard was going to be a 40 HR guy that compares equally to Adam Dunn IIRC.

I don't know about Joe. He still needs 28 more.

[SoxxoS]

Originally Posted by Ol' No. 2

I don't know about Joe. He still needs 28 more.

I don't think Sickels meant in his career, though.

[Stroker Ace]

Originally Posted by SoxxoS

A good read

I think Sickels contract didnt' get renewed from ESPN, so he has that free site now. Good times. Not that high on Brian Anderson (below) but said Joe Borchard was going to be a 40 HR guy that compares equally to Adam Dunn IIRC.

LIES!!!!!

[The_Cheesiest_Idiot]

when did we sign ray liotta? he's pretty old isn't he?

[mike squires]

I read where Liotta is supposed to be damn good!! I think it was Beckett baseball card magazine the rookie card issue compared him to Andy Pettite.

[MRKARNO]

This is sort of off-topic, but Sickels has WSI linked in his blog now.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by mike squires

I read where Liotta is supposed to be damn good!! I think it was Beckett baseball card magazine the rookie card issue compared him to Andy Pettite.

He was at Tulane (IIRC) for a year and transferred to a JuCo so he could be drafted after his sophomore year. He has darn good stuff, we'll see if he can do anything with it.

I was pretty damn impressed with Lucas Harrell when I saw him pitch last year. Not as projectible as BMac, but he had a very good curve and was able to spot it well (similar to McCarthy). We'll see if he starts in Kanny, haven't heard how he fared in instructional ball, so it will be interesting...

[CWSGuy406]

Randar -- this is a bit off-topic, but in BA's or BP's top 100, for their quote on Brian Anderson, a scout compared him to Jeremy Reed.

How is Anderson's plate discipline compared to Reed? I know people have said he'll probably have more power than Reed, but what about OBP/K's. Does he project to be a leadoff hitter, or a middle-of-the-lineup hitter?

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by CWSGuy406

Randar -- this is a bit off-topic, but in BA's or BP's top 100, for their quote on Brian Anderson, a scout compared him to Jeremy Reed.

How is Anderson's plate discipline compared to Reed? I know people have said he'll probably have more power than Reed, but what about OBP/K's. Does he project to be a leadoff hitter, or a middle-of-the-lineup hitter?

Anderson is a middle-of-the-order player. He will hit for a high average and good power. Reed will walk more and K less (and might hit for a higher average), but also has a lot less power than Anderson. Anderson is a much better defensive CF'er than Reed.

I think Reed has more bat-control than Anderson, but again, I think Anderson, even with fewer walks and a potentially lower average, should still end up producing higher-OPS seasons than Reed, IMO. Reed, in my opinion, is an ideal #2 hitter (although he has never bunted much) in terms of his approach at the plate. High OBP and contact, not a blazer, but above average base-runner.

I think Anderson could be a Carlos Lee type player (in terms of production) at the plate in the near future with far greater defensive abilities.

[Rex Hudler]

Randar, I agree with your assessments to the T, except I think expecting Carlos Lee production out of Anderson might be a bit of a stretch. It could happen but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

I tend to agree somewhat with Sickels on Anderson. I think he will become a regular MLB outfielder, but I question how much upside he really has. You are dead on that his nagging injuries are what caused his decline in AA. But there was still something that bothered me about him. I saw him swing and miss (badly) at a lot of breaking balls. I mean he was completely fooled and missed them by a foot or more. I know things like that can be corrected, but I just wonder how he will react as he gets to higher levels and they see his weaknesses. He is very talented and a really good guy. I hope he does well, which would mean I am wrong, but there is just something about him that is holding me back.

[Rex Hudler]

Here is another thought I would like opinions on. I don't necessarily sit on one side of this or the other.

This is as much a general question as it is a Anderson/Reed comparison. I do agree that Anderson is more likely to have somewhat higher OPS seasons because he is likely to hit for more power.

My question is this..... In comparison, would it not be advantageous to keep a really good #2 hitter (who hits lefty to boot) than to keep a slightly more productive hitter like Anderson? My thought is that a guy like Anderson is not that hard to find. I would think that finding a solid OF who will hit 5th or 6th in the order would be easier than finding a very good, high OBP two-hole hitter.

One can argue there is a difference in defense between the two that would make this point moot, which is why I want you guys to think in general terms too, not just as it applies to Anderson and Reed.

Lastly, for what it is worth, I didn't see a big difference between the two defensively. Maybe I drank too much of the Jeremy Reed Kool Aid, but he was pretty damned good in CF while in Birmingham. I know I saw him at his best and saw Anderson partly while injured (he wasn't playing CF with the groin problem, however), but I just didn't see a discernable difference between the two.

Enough thought for the day...... I'm going back to being mindless.

[Ol' No. 2]

Originally Posted by Rex Hudler

Here is another thought I would like opinions on. I don't necessarily sit on one side of this or the other.

This is as much a general question as it is a Anderson/Reed comparison. I do agree that Anderson is more likely to have somewhat higher OPS seasons because he is likely to hit for more power.

My question is this..... In comparison, would it not be advantageous to keep a really good #2 hitter (who hits lefty to boot) than to keep a slightly more productive hitter like Anderson? My thought is that a guy like Anderson is not that hard to find. I would think that finding a solid OF who will hit 5th or 6th in the order would be easier than finding a very good, high OBP two-hole hitter.

One can argue there is a difference in defense between the two that would make this point moot, which is why I want you guys to think in general terms too, not just as it applies to Anderson and Reed.

Lastly, for what it is worth, I didn't see a big difference between the two defensively. Maybe I drank too much of the Jeremy Reed Kool Aid, but he was pretty damned good in CF while in Birmingham. I know I saw him at his best and saw Anderson partly while injured (he wasn't playing CF with the groin problem, however), but I just didn't see a discernable difference between the two.

Enough thought for the day...... I'm going back to being mindless.

Good question, but I don't think you can answer that without considering the rest of the team. If Podsednik and Iguchi produce like we all hope they will, then you might rather have Anderson. If one of them stumbles, then you might well wish you had Reed instead.