Kuzul

Baseball fans generally fall into two categories. There are the fans who love superstars and the fans who love guys who have the potential to be superstars. Personally, I’m the latter, and that’s why the event that happens four days from now is like a second opening day for me.

This year’s 2010 MLB Draft boasts a youtube sensation who is the surefire No. 1 pick (Bryce Harper , C), as well as a trio of SEC stars who will likely be gone before the top 10 is over (Drew Pomeranz , P, Ole Miss, Zack Cox , 3B, Arkansas, and Anthony Ranaudo , P, LSU).

Unfortunately, only Ranaudo has a realistic shot of still being on the board when the White Sox make their first selection at pick No. 13. The good thing is Ranaudo is exactly the type of player the Sox need to go after with their top picks.

Pitching. Top –flight pitching.

Now I’m not saying Ranaudo is the perfect pick. He’s had elbow issues and isn’t willing to take a physical right now. Here is a visual representation of what goes through my mind when a young pitcher REFUSES to take a physical.

However, the Sox need to go after a guy like Ranuado who has shown the ability to be dominant at the collegiate level.

One possible choice is Deck McGuire , a RHP from Georgia Tech. He’s reportedly been slipping down draft boards, which could benefit the White Sox. Deck (yes, that’s his real name) put up a 105:27 K:BB ratio last season at Georgia Tech. He also has good size at 6’6″, 218 pounds. McGuire doesn’t necessarily have the upside of some of the guys going at the top of the draft, but he has all the tools necessary to be a No.2 or No. 3 starter in a few years.

Another candidate is Karsten Whitson , a RHP who is a high-schooler from Florida. Whitson is the type of pitcher who shows up in every draft. He’s got a great arm, a nearly MLB-ready slider, and enough inconsistency to already pitch for the Sox. Whitson is at least three or four years away, but when he does arrive in the big leagues he will have the stuff to stick around for a long time. If he’s still around at 13 the Sox will be hard-pressed to pass on him.

These are just two of the guys who fit the plan the Sox ought to have for the draft. Though as with any draft, if a certain guy is still around at their pick who the Sox had ranked higher than the others, they should pick him regardless of his position.

But as a general strategy, the Sox should be stockpiling pitchers in this year’s draft.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Sometimes we as fans forget that professional sports are not just around so we have an excuse not to go to the store with the wife or something to talk about with that uncle who insists the Bears will never win again until they bring Ditka back.

The fact of the matter is professional sports are around so that the owners of the teams can make money. Sure, the owners aren’t the only ones making money when you go to the stadium or buy a jersey. Everyone from the players and coaches down to the ticket takers and security guards make money from a professional sports team. Why?

Because it’s a business.

This leads me to a basic business concept that any owner this side of Al Davis understands, buy low and sell high .

Easy right?

It’s the reason that teams scout themselves and try to find out if that highly rated prospect is overrated. In which case he’ll be traded before other teams find out his true value (hello Andy Marte). Likewise, teams want to find out if that 38th round pick out of Jefferson is going to be Mark Buehrle , or a future used car salesman .

So what am I getting at? Well, there’s been a growing sentiment among White Sox fans that Carlos Quentin should be traded because of his lack of production this season as well as his inability to stay healthy.

I can’t help but be disappointed at the lack of business knowledge of some of my fellow Sox fans.

By trading Quentin right now, you’d be selling low on a guy who in 2008 was the odds on favorite for AL MVP before he punched his bat and subsequently was out for the rest of the season.

If the Sox were to trade Quentin, what would we as fans want in return? That’s right, a guy who could put up the numbers that Quentin did less than two years ago.

Well guess what, we already have a guy who has the potential to put up those numbers, it’s Carlos Quentin!

I’m not saying that at some point in the future the White Sox shouldn’t trade Quentin, or any other player on the team. My point is that now is not the time to move him. To do so would be to lose an asset that not long ago was worth vastly more, and could reasonably be expected to reach those numbers again in the future. Not to mention, even by holding on to him, his value can’t go much lower.

We as fans might not all have MBA’s or be prepared to work on Wall Street. But we should be able to understand the concept of buying low and selling high.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The same three-word phrase keeps popping into my head during every White Sox game: “hard to watch.”

It’s gotten to the point where something has to change.

Now I’m not talking about a small change, like releasing Mark Kotsay IMMEDIATELY.

A change like that would be welcomed, but it wouldn’t be enough to jump-start this team.

The change I’m talking about is trading one or two veterans right now and infusing younger talent into the lineup.

Candidate No. 1 to be dealt is A.J. Pierzynski. A.J. has struggled mightily thus far. Going into today’s game, he sports a .198 average with two home runs and 11 RBI.

Now, I know he’s a “leader” on this team. However, my question is, what is he leading? The lineup isn’t hitting, so he’s clearly not leading them, and the Sox’s veteran pitching staff doesn’t need a veteran catcher to help them through the season.

It’s clear A.J. is expendable, and with Tyler Flowers waiting in AAA, now is the time to move A.J. while he still has some value to another club.

Moreover, what better time to bring up Flowers to take over at catcher than now, when the pressure isn’t on him to produce since the lineup as a whole already isn’t producing? Another benefit would be that he’d be able to learn and develop a rapport with veteran starters like Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy that would carry over into next season.

Trading Pierzynski and bringing up Flowers makes too much sense for it not to happen sooner or later. With A.J. gaining five and 10 rights on June 14, it looks like it might be happening soon.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com