For a while there, the Chicago White Sox, along with their North Side counterparts, were the talk of the Major League Baseball offseason. They made some sweeping additions in order to improve what was an absolutely miserable bullpen last season, bringing in relievers David Robertson and Zach Duke, while signing outfielder Melky Cabrera as well. There was also that whole acquiring Jeff Samardzija thing. He’ll team with Chris Sale, as well as Jose Quintana, to prove one of the game’s top trios at the front of the Chicago rotation. The new additions will be leaned on quite a bit in order to quickly turn this team around from the misery that the last couple of years have been. With a dynamite rotation, an improving bullpen, and a decent enough offense (‘decent’ becomes the operative word once you get past Jose Abreu), this year could represent the turning of a corner for the White Sox. The only problem for them? They still play in a very tough division.
Depth Chart (as of 3/17)
C: Tyler Flowers
1B: Jose Abreu
2B: Micah Johnson
SS: Alexei Ramirez
3B: Conor Gillapsie
LF: Melky Cabrera
CF: Adam Eaton
RF: Avisail Garcia
DH: Adam LaRoche
SP: Jeff Samardzija
SP: Chris Sale (currently out with injury)
SP: Jose Quintana
SP: John Danks
SP: Hector Noesi
CL: David Robertson
New Faces: Jeff Samardzija, David Robertson, Melky Cabrera, Adam LaRoche, Geovany Soto, Gordon Beckham, George Kottaras, Emilio Bonifacio, Zach Duke, Dan Jennings, Michael Ynoa, Rob Brantly, J.B. Shuck
Departures: Ronald Belisario, Matt Lindstrom, Felipe Paulino, Andre Rienzo, Chris Bassitt, Dayan Viciedo, Marcus Semien, Josh Phegley, Moises Sierra, Jordan Danks
PEORIA, AZ – MARCH 06: Carlos Rodon #80 of the Chicago White Sox pitches against the San Diego Padres during a spring training game at Peoria Stadium on March 6, 2015 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
Impact Rookies: Any talk about impact rookies for the White Sox is undoubtedly going to begin (and potentially end) with Carlos Rodon. At one point, he was a consensus no. 1 overall pick in the MLB Amateur Draft for 2015, but ended up slipping to the Sox at third overall. Armed with a devastating slider, Rodon is currently fighting for the fifth spot in the rotation with veteran Brad Penny. The injury to Chris Sale opened up an opportunity for Rodon to reach the bigs early, despite having less than 25 career professional innings to his name. There’s little question that he has the stuff to make it as a starter for the White Sox, but there’s still a question of when he harnesses it enough to lock down a permanent spot on the staff. If he doesn’t crack the big league roster out of camp, it won’t be long before we see him mowing down hitters at The Cell.
ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 12: Geovany Soto #8 of the Texas Rangers tags out Sean Rodriguez #1 of the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 12, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
Position Battles: The spot behind the plate is most certainly up for grabs. Tyler Flowers is decent enough as a defensive catcher, but failure to come through consistently with the bat could open the door for other opportunities. Geovany Soto is a more than capable backstop and could get a long look, potentially to the point where he could carry that no. 1 spot for a stretch. Rob Brantly is also in the mix for a spot back there, though he isn’t off to the type of start this spring that indicates anything other than Flowers and Soto will be the play.
Second base is also a position of intrigue, as there’s no clear starter for the position at this point. Micah Johnson currently ranks as the no. 1 guy on Chicago’s official site, but fan favorite Gordon Beckham, as well as super utility guy Emilio Bonifacio, also find themselves in the mix. One would imagine that the battle would come down primarily to Johnson and Beckham, with Bonifacio serving in that super utility role. If Johnson takes it, Beckham could still serve as a backup infield capable of holding down multiple positions.
DETROIT, MI – SEPTEMBER 24: Chris Sale #49 of the Chicago White Sox pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park on September 24, 2014, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Injury Concerns: As far as current injuries are concerned, Chris Sale is out until mid-April with a fractured right foot. He could be ready for his first start, but the Sox have Rodon and Brad Penny battling for a rotation spot in the event that he’s not. Luckily, that’s not anything that should hinder him long term. This is a Sox team that ran into a lot of bad luck with injuries last year, as only one player (Alexei Ramirez) managed to appear in over 150 games. Luckily, players that experienced injury shouldn’t suffer from any sort of carryover from last season.
KANSAS CITY, MO – SEPTEMBER 16: Jose Abreu #79 of the Chicago White Sox grounds out in the first inning during a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 16, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. Adam Eaton scored from third on the play. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Most Important Player: With Paul Konerko’s retirement, Jose Abreu essentially takes over as the face of the franchise, and will need to build off of his offensive success if the Sox are going to have as successful a year as many are hoping. The Cuban first baseman played to a 5.3 WAR in his first season, reaching base at a .383 clip and absolutely mashing to the tune of a .264 ISO. We could see a bit of a regression in terms of his average and OBP, with his BABIP coming in at .356 last year, but even if that takes a bit of a step back, he demonstrates a strong approach and a great ability to make contact.
The addition of Adam LaRoche to the mix has the potential to also benefit Abreu. Having some days where he’ll serve exclusively as a DH should help him remain fresh throughout the season as well. With a full season to adjust to the bigs, particularly in terms of the grind itself, we should continue to see great things from Jose Abreu.
GLENDALE, AZ – MARCH 5: Melky Cabrera #53 of the Chicago White Sox is seen prior to the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 5, 2015 at Camelback Ranch-Glendale in Glendale, Arizona. The Dodgers defeated the White Sox 6-1. (Photo by Rich Pilling/Getty Images)
X-Factor: Melky Cabrera was a somewhat surprising addition to the White Sox, who paid him handsomely with a three-year, $42 million deal that many viewed as an overpay. Regardless of that fact, Cabrera is going to have to back it up. As many changes as the Sox made, this is still a club that is in need of offense behind the likes of Abreu and LaRoche. He has the chops to be a key offensive piece, with a career .339 OBP, but he’s never been a tremendous power threat, with an ISO of just .144 last season. He’s also a below average fielder. If he can build on his offensive numbers from last season, though, in crossing over the 15 HR plateau and maintaining an OBP anywhere near .350, it’ll be worth the money for the Sox.
GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 28: David Robertson #30 of the Chicago White Sox poses for a portrait during Photo Day on February 28, 2015 at Camelback Ranch-Glendale in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Rich Pilling/Getty Images)
Key Question: Did Rick Hahn do enough to fix the bullpen? The White Sox are coming off of a season in which their bullpen ranked 28th in the league in ERA. As a result, the Sox threw a ton of money at the likes of David Robertson and Zach Duke, as well as going out and acquiring Dan Jennings from Miami. They’ll join a group that includes the likes of Jake Petricka, Zach Putnam, Maikel Cleto, and Javy Guerra, as well as Daniel Webb. Putnam and Cleto are question marks, but Petricka and Guerra were decent enough last year, with the former serving as the team’s closer for 18 save opportunities last year. Even with the new additions, and the couple of solid pieces, the bullpen picture still isn’t a clear one, while its ability to successfully navigate the latter innings is also up for questioning at this point.
CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 27: Jose Abreu #79 of the Chicago White Sox celebrates in the dugout after scoring on an RBI double off the bat of Adam Dunn during the third inning against the Cleveland Indians at U.S. Cellular Field on August 27, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Brian Kersey/Getty Images)
Best Case Scenario: Samardzija and Sale make up the league’s best 1-2 punch, while Rodon sticks in the rotation and makes a bid for AL Rookie of the Year. Abreu builds off of his rookie campaign and continues to mash, garnering attention as AL MVP. LaRoche and Cabrera provide effective secondary offense, while Avisail Garcia turns in a career year. The bullpen additions pay off, as the pitching carries the Sox to a division title and their first world championship since 2005.
Worst Case Scenario: All of that spending and attention that they attracted this winter is for naught. Cabrera is a bust in the first year of his deal, Rodon can’t get it together at the Major League level, and nobody provides Jose Abreu with any sort of protection in the lineup. Injuries take their toll up and down the lineup, and not even a decent staff can save the White Sox, as they battle with the Twins to keep out of the AL Central cellar.
Realistic Prediction: The White Sox are in a similar situation to that of their crosstown “rivals”, the Chicago Cubs, in that they’ve improved substantially, but they still play in a division that’s going to make it tough for them to grab the top spot. Detroit is likely still the class of the division, though the field has caught up. Cleveland is going to be in the mix. Kansas City, while a regression is expected, is still coming off of a World Series appearance. Minnesota will be better.
With that said, this White Sox team can still contend. Provided their pitching stays healthy, they certainly have the arms to do it. Samardzija, Sale, and Quintana, the latter of which flies under the radar as one of the league’s higher quality mid-rotation arms, is a formidable group, not to mention when you get somebody with the stuff Rodon has at the backend. The bullpen has improved by leaps and bounds, just purely based off of the winter additions. The offense is still suspect (they were a middle-of-the-road group last year), and what they can produce as a group will definitely overshadow the individual parts (with the exception of Jose Abreu) simply because there aren’t a lot of impact bats to go around. Nonetheless, this team should still find itself in good position with quality pitching and average offense, and could definition be in the mix for a wild card spot when it’s all said and done.
