Chicago White Sox
2015 Win/Loss Record:
76-86, 4th in American League Central
Last Postseason
Appearance: 2008
Last World Series
Championship: 2005
Key Arrivals: Alex
Avila (C), Todd Frazier (3B), Brett Lawrie (INF)
Key Departures: Alexei
Ramirez (SS), Jeff Samardzjia (P), Tyler Flowers (C)
Manager: Robin
Ventura, 5th Year W/L 297-351
Overall Review: Look for the Chicago
White Sox to take a huge step forward in 2016. After bottoming out at 63 wins
and 99 losses in 2013, the Sox improved to 73 wins in 2014 and then 76 last
year. Some key off-season additions (Alex Avila, Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie and
Dioner Navarro) should help improve the team offensively.
And losing a pitcher from the
rotation like Jeff Samardzjia won’t hurt as much as you may think. The rotation
will still be a bit questionable but continued improvement could lead Chicago’s
south side team to a winning record. However, a spot in the post season is just
a pipe dream at this point.
Offense: The team’s best offensive
player is first baseman Jose Abreu. In his second year in the league, Abreu
batted .290, hit 30 home runs and had 101 RBIs. And those numbers are down from
his Rookie of the Year totals from 2014. He should hit over 30 and drive in
over 100 again this season. Left-fielder Melky Cabrera was a good pick-up a
year ago. In 2015, he batted .273 and managed to hit 12 home runs and drive in
77 runs. And Adam Eaton should be a solid batter at the top of the batting
order. Last year, the centre-fielder hit .287, 14 homers, 56 RBIs and he stole
18 bases.
Acquired in a trade with the
Reds, third baseman Todd Frazier was the biggest pick-up of the off-season. For
last-place Cincinnati, Frazier hit 36 home runs, had 89 RBIs, batted .255 and
even stole 13 bases. It’s hard to believe he could improve on those numbers,
but if he’s got more Sox on base than what the Reds provided, the RBIs could
reach 100. Catcher Alex Avila was a big steal for Chicago. Not only do they get
a good receiver to handle the pitching staff, they took one away from division
rival Detroit. He has had concussion issues however, and Chicago must hope he
plays more than the 67 games he appeared in last year.
Pitching: The ace of the staff will be
Chris Sale. He only won 13 games last year, but he did have a fairly decent ERA
(3.41) and he struck out 274 batters. He will be joined in the rotation by Jose
Quintana (9-10, 3.36, 177), Carlos Rodon (9-6, 3.75, 139), John Danks (7-15,
4.71, 124) and Erik Johnson (3-1, 3.34, 30 in six starts). The rotation has the
potential to improve on their stats if they can get more run support.
After saving 34 games in 2015,
David Robertson returns to the closer’s role for his second year with Chicago,
after saving 39 games with the Yankees in 2014. His ERA was a bit high for a
closer (3.41), but he did strike out 86 batters in 63 1/3 innings. Bullpen help
will come from Zach Duke. Pitching 71 games in relief in his first year with
the Sox, Duke had a 3-6 record, a 3.41 ERA and struck out 66 batters.
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| Slugger Jose Abreu |
Prediction: While the White Sox will
improve on their 2015 season—and a shot at one of the Wild Card spots may be a
possibility—they will finish in third place in the AL Central this season. They’ll
be better than Cleveland and Minnesota, but they won’t nearly be as good as
defending World Champion Kansas City, and vastly improved Detroit. A strong
season from the starting pitchers could see them edge Detroit for the second
slot in the division.
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