Introduction
The Chicago White Sox were the definition of mid when it comes to baseball in the 2022 season. Nearly every stat category ranks near the middle including their 2022 record of 81-81. The White Sox had a tough season dealing with injuries and bad play. The White Sox brought in a few free agents but nothing that will totally change their outlook. They notably lost Jose Abreu who was one of their most consistent hitters. The biggest free agent acquisition was Andrew Benintendi. Unfortunately they won’t have star closer Liam Hendriks due to cancer at least to start the season. The White Sox came in 2nd place, 11 games behind the Guardians. The White Sox are a much more talented team than their record shows. They just need to play up to that potential. The MGM Power Ranking List ranks them at 9th with odds of +2500 to win the World Series.
Batting Lineup
The White Sox batting lineup probably doesn’t look all that intimidating because the 2022 stats just weren’t great. However, when this lineup is at its best I think it’s one of the better all around lineups in the league. You’ll notice immediately despite the struggle for power, the White Sox mostly hit for average. That doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of power hitting, with guys like Eloy Jimenez and Andrew Vaughn. I really like the leadoff and 2nd hitter, Tim Anderson and Andrew Benintendi bring high on base percentages and high batting averages. The White Sox have a classic top lineup with a few guys who can get on base then some power guys to bring them in. They will need to hope for better production from 7th down to 9th. My standout is Eloy Jimenez. Jimenez will need to be the power bat in this lineup. He will be replacing Jose Abreu. If Jimenez can’t find the power and Andrew Vaughn can’t either, this team will struggle again. Overall I like this lineup if they perform up to their potential.
Starting Rotation
With the exception of Dylan Cease, the whole starting rotation underperformed last season. The White Sox added Mike Clevinger, who proceeded to immediately come under investigation for domestic abuse. (Piece of shit) If practically the whole rotation has a bounce back season, the White Sox can win more games than 81. My standout is Lucas Giolito who really struggled. Giolito is capable of great things just look at career stats, in years that he’s at his best, he can give you a mid-3 ERA and 170 IP. (See Giolito’s stats below) The White Sox need Giolito to be good and they need Dylan Cease to continue to dominate. Overall I like the rotation but they will need to replace Clevinger in my opinion.
Bullpen
The White Sox bullpen is incomplete without Liam Hendriks and Garrett Crochet who are out with injuries. What’s left of the bullpen is about half good and half not so good. The White Sox need more relievers to step up this year. My standout is Joe Kelly who has been good for the past few seasons but just didn’t have it last season. Kelly had 2.86 ERA in 2021. Gravesman, Bummer, and Lambert all gave good performances and will need to repeat them. The White Sox might think about adding at the trade deadline for their bullpen. Overall I like the bullpen if Hendriks comes back.
My Prediction
I don’t believe the White Sox improve their team significantly this offseason. I think they will have some kind of bounce back because last season was just so bad. The question with the White Sox is how do they compare to their division rivals? On paper they are a more talented team than most of the teams in that AL central. I also don’t think the White will regress any further, they can only be better. I also don’t see the Guardians taking a step back. I think the Twins are very close behind the White Sox, possibly tied. My prediction is a worst record of 81-81 and a best record of 87-75. The floor is 3rd place and the ceiling is 2nd place in the AL Central. My thinking is that if White Sox perform to their ability they get 2nd place behind the Guardians. I think if the Twins outperform expectations they can finish in a tie or within a game. If you are a White Sox fan, root for the team to meet that potential.
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Thanks to Baseball Reference and Fangraphs for the charts and statistics!
Technically Analytics 