WEDNESDAY, 6:20pm: Cowley follows up on Pierzynski's comments by getting a few reaction quotes from Ozzie Guillen. The White Sox skipper attempted to quell speculation about a possible trade or Flowers promotion, saying of Pierzynski: "He's not going to lose his job. I'm very happy with what I've got and I have a lot of optimism with what I have and I think A.J. is my catcher…. As long as I'm here, I don't see why he's not going to be my catcher."
TUESDAY, 9:28pm: Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times caught up with A.J. Pierzynski about his future with the White Sox. As pointed out by Tim earlier today, the catcher would achieve 10-and-5 rights this June, meaning he could veto any trade.
Pierzynski, 33, wanted to work out an extension with the White Sox, but with that off the table for now, he's looking for a resolution about his future.
‘‘Everyone knows my situation, I’m a free agent at the end of the year," Pierzynski told Cowley. "But I also know this, if it gets to about June then they can’t trade me, so they’re going to have to make a decision here pretty quick.’’
He added that Chicago is his first choice. Pierzynski is hitting just .171/.227/.195 in his first 44 plate appearances this season, but says his status has nothing to do with the slow start.
With Tyler Flowers in the wings, it is hard to imagine that the White Sox will keep Pierzynski around for anything other than a pennant race.
For his part, White Sox GM Kenny Williams is preaching patience.
The saddest thing is that Pierzynsky isn’t the biggest douchebag mentioned in this post.
Flowers isn’t very good. I think AJ might get a 2 year extension.
I was just going to say that…It’s hard to say Flowers is waiting in the wings when he really isnt doing anything. Acutally I would rather see cole armstrong be the starting catcher over Flowers. Cole is not a bad hitter and a much better defensive catcher. I think the reason most people dont know his is because the organization is keeping quite about it. IE a trade involving flowers and slotting armstrong in as the catcher
2 yrs ight be a little much considering he is one of the worst defensive catchers in the league and cant throw a snail out stealing second
Pierzynski can’t take all the heat, our pitchers, ESPECIALLY Gavin Floyd and the relievers, need to do a better job of holding the runners on
this is true but still AJ is very very bad at the transfer the throw speed and throw accuracy and he is bad at choosing when to pitch out
the only way i extend AJ is if PK does not get resigned and AJ can prove he can play 1st move AJ to first every few days
That’s also part of an organisational philosophy. Cooper preaches focus on the batter & not to worry about base runners.
If that’s true then I don’t understand Danks throwing back 8 times for Dioner Navarro
Throwing to first isn’t always done w/ the intention of picking someone off. Moreover, it’s not as if Cooper has said never try picking someone off but rather has stressed focusing on the batter as pitchers have a tendency to get hung up on runners & lose their mindset.
I didn’t say it was done with that intention, but it’s clearly focusing a bit too much on a runner that isn’t going anywhere
How could you ever want Armstrong over Flowers? Armstrong projects as a Paul Bako-type guy in the majors at best. I mean, he has a .287 OBP at Charlotte last year. That screams offensive death in the majors. Flowers may not exactly be a UZR stud, but getting that kind of hitting from a guy at catcher is rare, and awfully tough to keep out of the lineup.
Flowers’ defense might not be great, but what part of .293/.407/.497 in AAA between ’09 and this year qualifies as “not good”?
If the Sox are out of contention by June, they should by all means trade AJ. If they’re still hanging with the Twins, keep him around for a playoff run. Either way, there’s not much reason to keep him beyond this season.
im sorry but the fact that this kid is supposed to be the catcher of the future and could not hit over .190 in his stint(yes small sample size) in the bigs last seaosn and simply is not a good defensive catcher is not good to me…Its nice to have an offensive minded catcher but the main point of a cathcer is to calla good if not great game, handle a staff, throw runners out and be a great defender and flowers has yet to prove that..untill he does he is nothing more than a prospect to me…besides when castro went down he should have been called up no donnie lucy if he is the catcher of the future to gain MLB experience…I honestly dont think he is our catcher next year or this year i bet he is part of a trade later this season
It was his first time in the Major Leagues and he was 23 years old. Not every prospect is going to come up and hit like Albert Pujols the second he gets to the big leagues. Seriously, you cannot be judging his offensive potential based on a 16 at-bat stint. Also, Lucy was called up because Flowers needs to play every day at AAA instead of sitting on the bench five days per week. Lucy, like Armstrong, is no more than a career backup.
You just admitted to small sample size yet you still bring it up? Lots of rookies do poorly when they’re first called up. In some cases, it takes more than a year to adjust. In this case, you’re basing it on 20 — that’s right TWENTY — plate appearances.
“Its nice to have an offensive minded catcher but the main point of a cathcer is to calla good if not great game, handle a staff,”
Handling a staff comes from experience. How would you do if you had to learn a new pitching staff as a rookie? Now how is going to get that experience when you don’t even want him to play?
He may never become a great defensive catcher but his offense can make up for his defensive shortcomings.
Beckham went 1 for his first like 30 major league at bats. I’m glad the Sox didn’t give up on him, I’m sure you would have. Not to mention you have to notice that those 20 at bats for Flowers, they weren’t as a full time starter. He was getting sporadic at bats the rest of the season. If he had played full time, he may have been able to work it out, but still, it’s 20 at bats. Let the kid get 300-500 at bats before you label him a bust.
Flowers is a terrific hitter. I can’t believe you White Sox fans don’t appreciate what a good prospect he is.
I do.
A.J. is not a douchebag at all!
And they need to extend his contract!
I’m pretty sure Kenny sucks!
ur right AJ is a real cool guy?
The Sox are in trouble with this one, anyone who has seen Flowers play more than a few times knows there’s very little to no chance of him ever succeeding as a catcher at the MLB level. He is not a viable option at catcher.
AJ is AJ, he handles a staff well but is pretty bad defensively and there is no one in baseball worse than him trying to throw out a runner. He can hit in fastball counts, but not for much power and rarely when it matters. They need to unload him but have nothing to replace him with. They may be better off keeping him as there would be a very minimal return on the trade market for someone like him.
Flowers has been improving behind the plate since he came into the Sox organization. While they said he wasn’t very good when he left Atlanta, they are now saying he’s an above average defensive catcher.
Even Flowers said he was glad he went too an A.L. team because he couldn’t see himself making a MLB lineup as a catcher and that DH was his best shot.
Improving on something when you suck at it is not very hard to do. Any golfer can get from 120 to 100 with some practice but not many can go from 80 to 70 no matter how much they try.
Who knows, maybe the guy will be the exception, but I saw him catch about 25 games last year and I don’t see any reason to believe he will.
Even if Flowers is an average catcher, his bat is much more valuable at catcher than it is at 1st or DH. Look at AJ, he is an average catcher, if Flowers is at least as good as AJ, which I think he could be, why would anyone move him? I’m just going by what I’ve read from people watching Flowers catch and scouts that he has improved into an above average catcher. We also don’t need Flowers to be Joe Mauer, not many people are. You usually get a great defensive catcher with no bat, or an average defensive catcher with some bat or a good bat. Flowers could be the latter or even a slightly above catcher with a good not great bat.
If Flowers ever becomes an “average” defensive catcher, I agree he would have significant value. I just don’t believe he ever will.
I think the Sox are going to unload him before HGH testing starts in MILB, one way or another he needs to be moved or on the MLB roster by next February or the Sox are at great risk.
I don’t know where to start with this. But I will give it a shot:
1. Flowers won the Top Defensive Catcher Award for his league last year. Has improved vastly since he started so you might want to check your stats.
2. AJ doesn’t handle a staff well, he handles them great.
3. He is average defensively not bad.
4. You are right, he can’t throw out runners.
5. AJ has never been on the DL and is one of the most reliable catchers in the game.
6. He hit .300 last year and knows how to move runners up. How many catchers not named Joe Mauer hit .300 or better last year? Not many.
Number 1) Tyler Flowers did not win “Top Defensive Catcher Award” last year.
Number 2) AJ is at best, a poor fielding catcher.
Number 3) AJ did hit .300 last year, his OBP was .330 due to his refusal to take walks. He did though have 6 sacrifices last year, a good months worth.
flowers will more than likely be moved to first if hi bat is needed that bad. And please dont bring up dyan vicedo that guy is the future DH thats it he has no glove at all
I don’t think anyone thinks Dayan Viciedo will ever play a game in the MLB.
Fat, no glove, no feet and lazy is no way to get to the big leagues.
If Viciedo can figure out how to hit, he will make it, whether it’s at 1st or DH. You have to remember, he’s only 19 years old, and coming from another country. Sure there are players that are playing in the majors at that time, but not many.
Everything we heard about him being fat and lazy before he was signed has been exactly what he has been since he cams here, and those guys rarely make it.
But you never know…..
#1 – soxbronzetitan.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/tyler-flow… – you are wrong.
#2 – How so?
#3 – So .300 means nothing in your book?
Number 1) Yes He did as voted on by the coaches of the league.
I think this is how it is going to play out. AJ isn’t going anywhere but he will be gone after this year. Flowers is ready to be called up.
Konerko will most definitely stay as long as he puts up his normal .275 ~30HR ~90RBI season. They want stability in the clubhouse, they want a leader, and they can’t part with two of them.
On top of that there is no viable option to call up to replace Konerko. Yes there are plenty of 1B on the market next year, but that just plays in the White Sox hand because not only will Konerko be forced to sign cheaply but he will also give us a hometown discount.
Paul Konerko is more valuable to the White Sox than any other team and they both know that.
they could also, god forbid, look out side for an different option at 1st. Adrian Gonzlez(if they fall out of contention the padres that it) And the 1st base market is a buyers market next winter due to the amount of guys hitting the market. There are option out there that a miles a head of PK. If we cant get one of the big name guys next season. then yes sign Pk on the cheap but only if its on the cheap
Since 06, Konerko is a .259 hitter averaging 79 RBI’s and 26 HRs while giving a team average defensive numbers at 1st and clogging up the basepaths when he does get on.
I love how you leave out 06 and start your time line at 07 when he was injured. Should I start my time line at 08 to prove my point?
Hows Juan Pierre doing?
not bad considering he has what like 6 steals already and is only costing the whitesox something around 7 mill total from the sox ..so thanks for a lead off guy who will figure it out and thanks for the 10 million out of your teams pocket…Oh and side note thanks for paying Andruw Jones something like 18 million a season while we pay him 500K and he rakes for us….how is the roided out freak manny working out for you guys and his 22 million dollars?
Kenny Williams Rule #1- you never know who will be traded, and when.
I strongly doubt the White Sox are out of contention by mid-season. They’ll probably need to make an addition at the deadline, like most contenders do, but I see them as buyers during the deadline, so I doubt AJ is traded at the deadline. I also see them keeping him around if Flowers is traded.
If the White Sox are close enough mid-season, then Flowers could very easily be traded for some help at 1B/DH (pushing Konerko to DH or getting a new DH).
Assuming Beckham’s off limits, and I’m betting Dan Hudson replaces Freddy Garcia in the rotation midseason, Flowers is likely trade bait.
The debate between AJ and Flowers is worth it…
But….
I have read all the comments so far and no one has mentioned anything to the point about what the White Sox could get back if they traded AJ?
Kenny trades AJ for ….I really have no clue???
maybe AJ gets shipped to the Yankees for a Brett Gardener?
I doubt AJ gets traded. If anything, he is let go after his contract is up. If they start tanking, he will probably be kept around to mentor Flowers.
Why would that ever happen? Answer: It wouldn’t.
the one thing that goes against aj being moved or even moved to back up for flowers is ozzie and his stubbornness ozzie said today or yesterday “as long as im here he is my catcher”
Pierzynski is just awful at baseball, he’s like Varitek: only around because his team cant trade him. Neither of those 2 deserve jobs, they are only holding back guys you could grab from AAA from almost any team.
You mean the Pierzynski who hit .300 last year? And you obviously have no appreciation for defense, or in the case of catchers, game-calling. And Pierzynski is one of the best at calling games, not to mention being VERY good at playing antagonist.
there was only one or two other catchers in the league last year who had a year like AJ Mauer obviously and maybe Vmart but not many hit .300 like aj did…also he does calla great game but he is still one of the worst defensive catchers cant throw a snail out
We in Chicago have heard discussion about keeping AJ as Flowers’s backup.
I know it sound crazy, but given that Andruw Jones isn’t (hopefully) a long term solution, would it be crazy for the White Sox to carry three catchers next year and platoon Flowers and Pierzynski between Catcher and DH? I know Pierzynski isn’t much of a batter, specially for the DH position, but Flowers might be, and by platooning them in those positions, both Flowers value as catcher and Pierzynski’s game calling abilities would still be available for the team.