You’re Either In or You’re Out – 25 Man Gambles

Good day friends, it’s BeefLoaf.  I have the 25 man roster rattlin’ in my brains and I figured I would quickly spill it out here………..these are the gambles that the White Sox SHOULD take, but might not.  Remember the days when KW and Hahn would go find a Jermaine Dye that nobody wanted anymore or a post hype prospect like a Carlos Quentin?  Or scoop up a Jose Quintana as a minor league free agent.  Those were good old days, those were gambles with high upsides.  Those are the type of gambles I would like to see from our front office again, so let’s get to it…….as Danny Ocean would say, you’re either in or you’re out, right now!

IN – Jacob May

He’s shown promise in the past, but injuries derailed previous runs at a big league spot.  Now he appears healthy and is really succeeding with the bat in spring training.  Peter Bourjos is here, but nobody really needs to see what he has and the incumbent (sort of) Charlie Tilson is still not ready.  This is a bet with a decent chance of paying off.  May could register a .725 OPS and play plus defense, you have at least found a 4th outfielder on a good team, and possibly a player who can take a step or two forward.  In a perfect world, May becomes a league average hitter, runs like a muthafucka and becomes Devon White in CF defensively.  IT.  CAN.  HAPPEN. When the 108ers trudge to the ballpark on April 3rd, we’d like to see Jacob May in CF.

OUT – Matt Davidson

I was reading somewhere that the way a team accumulates a lot of talent is carefully managing their options and keeping players on the big league club that are out of options.  This article was in reference to why the White Sox should keep Matt Davidson on the 25 man roster.  This is a steaming pile of bullshit.  Davidson has scarcely hit at any upper level minor league affiliate and he has ZERO defensive value.  Take a look at this most recent offseason and look how hard it was for guys with bad hit tool, tons of power and no defense, to get signed………..the difference between the Chris Carters and the Mike Napolis of the world is that those guys have hit > 30 HR in the major leagues multiple times.  Davidson has been shaky at best hitting in AAA.  Gimme a break.  Rick Hahn really showed me something by cutting Brett Lawrie and I hope he does it again with Davidson.  If I am right, he’ll clear waivers and you can comfortably sign him back to a minor league deal.

IN – Michael Ynoa

We saw a fair amount of Ynoa and he was effective, but perplexing, as he out pitched his peripherals.  He was very wild, but unlike the other youngins that came up to the majors, he got outs.  I see plenty of potential here and what he needs is more time with Don Cooper.  This may end up being a Matt Thornton situation, where eventually he figures it out and becomes the lynchpin of a very good bullpen.

OUT – Leury Garcia

I know he’s quick, I know he plays many positions, but exactly what are we expecting out of him?  He’s not likely to ever hit and we already have a quality utility player on this squad (I know Saladino doesn’t YET play the OF, but I can’t envision why he couldn’t at least man LF).  There is just no upside here.  There really isn’t a world where Leury Garcia can be a big league regular for a good team.  Time to cut bait now.  Truthfully, keeping him on the 25 man roster is as dumb as the double decker couch.

IN – Rymer Liriano

I know, I know, I have been on the Rymer bandwagon since he was signed here.  I can’t help it, the thought of him hitting his potential makes my man parts happy.  The key here is that Liriano had an injury, which was a freak accident of sorts that derailed his development.  He has hit in the upper minors (okay, fine, it was the PCL, but at least it is something) which is a good sign and he’s been a touted prospect that just hasn’t found a spot.  He can’t play any CF, so you are probably thinking, BeefLoaf, how can this guy be our 4th OF, when we have Avi in RF and Melky in LF to go with #1 with a bullet other 108 man crush contestant Jacob May.  Here’s the thing……..Melky Cabrera doesn’t need to play LF every day…….or any day, he could predominantly DH.  Liriano has the upside potential to be an everyday regular, but the Sox need to run him out there and give him a chance.

Do you have strong feelings about a roster spot?  Reach out to us on the Twitter Machine or on Facebook to discussion.

– BeefLoaf