In hindsight, maybe the Twitter flap was the best thing to happen to the White Sox. Kenny Williams called the debacle "draining," but following the Sox's box scores have the same effect. A move from Tucson to Glendale hasn't helped the Sox muster any additional enthusiasm for the spring schedule.
They lost both games of split-squad action on Sunday, scoring one run over the two contests. They're 2-8-1 over their last 11 games, and even when they pull out a win, it's thanks to facing guys like Tim Redding.
It doesn't matter, of course, but I'm getting the idea that the Sox are so bored, they've taken to messing with us. It's not just that...
Everybody's getting hammered, and nobody cares
*Jake Peavy gives up seven runs on 12 hits over seven innings in a minor-league game, but says that getting up for minor-league games isn't the best choice for the extremely intense.
*Freddy Garcia gets tagged for seven runs on 11 hits over five innings, and Ozzie Guillen blames it on the outfield positioning and the lack of Harold Baines.
*Gavin Floyd is "peppered" for eight hits over six innings against the Rangers, including two bases-loaded jams.
No, what's worse is seeing...
Bad ideas gain traction
*Sergio Santos has the 12th bullpen spot all but wrapped up, which is leading people to wonder whether a 13th reliever is necessary.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals have hit as many homers as the Sox this spring (19), and in two fewer games.
These two ideas are connected.
Adding a 13th reliever means goodbye to Jayson Nix. I don't care much for Nix's game -- he has tools, but his mind seems to let him down -- yet he can hit left-handed pitching, and for power. He could make a decent platoon partner for Mark Teahen, if Teahen underwhelms like many of us are expecting.
A 13th pitcher rarely appears in victories, but Nix could appear in White Sox winners on a fairly routine basis.
That's the heart of the matter. The Sox have one of the deepest starting rotations in the league, and they've invested a commensurate amount of money, talent and thought into it. And yet all that money and talent isn't enough to eliminate hand-wringing over who would pitch in the fourth inning after a starter's early exit.
The answer's simple: Santos (or anybody else if Santos flops) can pitch then, Tony Pena can go two, and that's the only time Randy Williams should be allowed to face righties. That combination can work once a week. If a D.J. Carrasco type is truly needed, the Sox can cross that bridge when they get to it. That bridge's name is "Carlos Torres."
I don't think the Sox are going to carry 13 pitchers, but it's worth talking about. Hawk Harrelson often says that the offense is only as good as the bullpen, but the opposite is true when it comes to this kind of glut. Carrying an extra reliever who adds little to the cause of winning games restricts the mixing and matching that forsaking a true DH was supposed to provide. And at that point, the Sox are half-assing both chief tenets of their offseason strategy, neither riding on the backs of the starters nor truly tailoring lineups to fit the need.
Forget Jake Peavy or Gordon Beckham. The face of that team -- one with no identifiable traits -- is Mark Teahen.
*Tyler Flowers' bad 18 at-bats have doooooomed him. At least if you believe Joe Cowley:
4. Tyler Flowers, C -- With Brent Lillibridge falling short of expectations, the Javy Vazquez deal is starting to look one-sided, especially with Flowers looking lost at the plate this spring.
In other words, re-sign A.J. Pierzynski.
Keeper or trade bait: Trade bait.
Tyler Flowers' unimpressive spring showing makes it more likely the White Sox will look to extend catcher A.J. Pierzynski's contract during the season. …
The more that's written about Flowers, the steeper his uphill climb to gain respect in Chicago becomes. The problem is twofold:
No. 1: He strikes out a lot. This is a big problem for some people, both inside and outside the White Sox organization.
No. 2: Catchers need more time to start hitting. Guys who create projection systems have seen this pattern with catchers before. Hell, Matt Wieters was rocking a .670 OPS over his first two months before his bat started coming around, and he was projected to be Jesus with a chest protector by PECOTA.
Sticking with Flowers as Pierzynski's replacement is going to take a mission statement, sticktoitiveness and balls. Kenny Williams usually has them, but he spent most of this offseason deferring to Guillen. If that keeps up, I can see Flowers not having much of a future in Chicago.
But that's not the senseless part of the equation. Now, extending a 33-year-old catcher with limited physical skills and an even more restrictive market... I mean, what the hell's the rush?
(Additional senseless part: Jordan Danks, he of the same strikeout rate and a .200 batting average, is considered a "keeper" by Cowley.)
At least Mark Gonzalez is keeping a level head, for the time being. I appreciated this sly reference to Pierzynski's self-defeating ways:
"I like this style," said A.J. Pierzynski, who hasn't been afraid to attempt to stretch singles into doubles.
