White Sox retool top of the order
After missing the postseason the last two years, Chicago’s 2005 World Series win seems a long time ago. And with both Detroit and Cleveland to beat, getting back could be difficult.
Ozzie Guillen and the Chicago White Sox looked like a team that would hang around for many Octobers to come when they swept past the competition in the 2005 playoffs, winning 11 of 12 postseason games including a four-game blanking of the Astros in the World Series. They combined dominant starting pitching with solid defense and a long ball offense, a recipe that has proven successful for so many teams over the years.
The big boppers on offense have continued to do their job, but that’s been about it since Oct 2005. After their 90 wins weren’t enough for an AL playoff berth in ’06, the Pale Hose went the other way in 2007 with 90 losses, hitting an AL-worst .246 and finishing last in the AL in runs despite ranking second in the Junior Circuit with 190 homers.
Five players knocked 20 or more home runs a year ago, but the problem was a lot of them were solo blasts as nobody seemed to get on base in front of Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko, the Big 3 of the order.
GM Ken Williams addressed that concern in the winter, he hopes, and may not be finished dealing with his eyes on a return to the post season this year. But it might be all for naught as getting past Detroit and Cleveland is going to be tough in 2008.
PITCHING
Let’s face it: Chicago had an unbelievable year on the mound in ’05 when they won it all. The top four arms in the 2005 rotation all checked in with ERAs no higher than 3.87 and all four pitchers logged 204+ innings. In this day and age of pitch counts, innings counts and calling for a reliever at the drop of a hat, seeing any staff have four, 200+ IP hurlers is remarkable.
Mark Buehrle and Jose Contreras are the only two starters remaining from that 2005 Championship squad. Buehrle rebounded from a disappointing 2006 to post a 3.63 ERA a year ago, but Contreras needed a strong September to work his ERA down to 5.57.
Javier Vazquez won 15 games and also closed strong in the final month to give White Sox fans and backers some hope for this year. But with Jon Garland now having departed for the Angels, it leaves youngsters John Danks and Gavin Floyd behind the veteran trio. Danks, a lefty, was competing in his first full MLB season and the former first round pick (No. 9 overall in 2003) should improve this time around.
Floyd will be pushed this spring by another first round pick, Lance Broadway.
Bobby Jenks returns as the Round Mound of Closing Down, and leads a band of misfits and castoffs in the bullpen. Scott Linebrink, who had a few solid seasons setting up in San Diego, signed a free agent deal in the offseason, as did Octavio Dotel who was once a teammate of Linebrink’s in Houston. Matt Thornton will serve as the left-handed complement in the seventh and eighth innings. Behind them, or in front of them as the case may be, it’s anyone’s guess.
Floyd will work out of the pen assuming Broadway earns the No. 5 starter’s job this spring, and Nick Masset is going to get a look at the long relief job more than likely. Mike MacDougal, despite being a seven-year veteran, actually has options left and coming off a 6.80 ERA last year could find his way back to the minors. Ehren Wassermann, who is a nice story after making his way up to the majors last year despite not being drafted out of college, is another relief candidate.
OFFENSE/DEFENSE
Before we discuss some of the newcomers Williams and the Pale Hose front office did bring in this winter, let’s mention one veteran they didn’t trade and is very likely going to be dealt sometime this spring.
Joe Crede could fetch some help on the mound, at least a strong reliever, now that he’s been pushed out from the starting third base job by Josh Fields. Several rumors have floated about Crede, but it all hinges on whether or not he shows his back problems are behind him, no pun intended. Another chink in the possible trade of Crede is his agent, Scott Boras, who has been saying all winter that his client insists on testing the free agent market after 2008. So stay tuned.
As it stands right now, it appears that seven spots in the batting order – C, 1B, SS, 3B, RF, CF and DH – are spoken for. Three of those positions (DH, 1B and RF) go to the aforementioned trio of Thome, Konerko and Dye. AJ Pierzynski will be back behind the plate, and Fields is penciled in as the everyday glove at the hot corner.
Taking over at shortstop will be Orlando Cabrera, who will be toiling for his fourth club in six seasons after coming from the Angels in the Jon Garland trade. Cabrera, despite not fitting the conventional mold, is also expected to man the leadoff slot in the batting order. Hitting No. 2 behind him will be Nick Swisher who will play CF after being brought in from Oakland in another offseason swap. That pair combined for an on-base mark over .360 a year ago, well above the 1-2 hitters Guillen tried on 2007.
Left field is supposed to be Carlos Quentin’s job to lose coming into spring, assuming he’s fully recovered from shoulder surgery last October. Quentin also arrives on Chicago’s South Side via trade, this one with the Diamondbacks.
Second base appears to be the only real battle that Guillen has going on at camp. Danny Richar had the pole position in the race, but **** troubles getting to camp could put him behind and also into Guillen’s doghouse. Alexei Ramirez or Juan Uribe might now claim the job, and both should at least stick as reserves.
Other backups at the moment are Brad Eldred (1B), Jerry Owens (OF), Royce Huffman (INF) and Toby Hall (C).
Key Player(s): Like every team out there, the ChiSox will go only as far as their pitching carries them. Chicago needs Buehrle and Vazquez to anchor the rotation, with at least one more arm stepping up to support. And some 2-3 reliever mix is going to have to bridge the gap between the starters and Jenks. But the most crucial player this spring just might be Crede who could fetch a nice return, either for this year or the future.
Futures: Speaking of the future, 5Dimes lists the White Sox at +900 to take their division, +2800 to win the AL Pennant and +4500 to go all the way. BetCris has their wins break at 76 for the O/U, with the Over drawing a -120 price and the under -110.
I like the Over, with my sims averaging an even 81-81 season for the gang on the Windy City’s South Side. Three of the five sims, including the best case run, came in with 80+ wins.
After missing the postseason the last two years, Chicago’s 2005 World Series win seems a long time ago. And with both Detroit and Cleveland to beat, getting back could be difficult.
Ozzie Guillen and the Chicago White Sox looked like a team that would hang around for many Octobers to come when they swept past the competition in the 2005 playoffs, winning 11 of 12 postseason games including a four-game blanking of the Astros in the World Series. They combined dominant starting pitching with solid defense and a long ball offense, a recipe that has proven successful for so many teams over the years.
The big boppers on offense have continued to do their job, but that’s been about it since Oct 2005. After their 90 wins weren’t enough for an AL playoff berth in ’06, the Pale Hose went the other way in 2007 with 90 losses, hitting an AL-worst .246 and finishing last in the AL in runs despite ranking second in the Junior Circuit with 190 homers.
Five players knocked 20 or more home runs a year ago, but the problem was a lot of them were solo blasts as nobody seemed to get on base in front of Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko, the Big 3 of the order.
GM Ken Williams addressed that concern in the winter, he hopes, and may not be finished dealing with his eyes on a return to the post season this year. But it might be all for naught as getting past Detroit and Cleveland is going to be tough in 2008.
PITCHING
Let’s face it: Chicago had an unbelievable year on the mound in ’05 when they won it all. The top four arms in the 2005 rotation all checked in with ERAs no higher than 3.87 and all four pitchers logged 204+ innings. In this day and age of pitch counts, innings counts and calling for a reliever at the drop of a hat, seeing any staff have four, 200+ IP hurlers is remarkable.
Mark Buehrle and Jose Contreras are the only two starters remaining from that 2005 Championship squad. Buehrle rebounded from a disappointing 2006 to post a 3.63 ERA a year ago, but Contreras needed a strong September to work his ERA down to 5.57.
Javier Vazquez won 15 games and also closed strong in the final month to give White Sox fans and backers some hope for this year. But with Jon Garland now having departed for the Angels, it leaves youngsters John Danks and Gavin Floyd behind the veteran trio. Danks, a lefty, was competing in his first full MLB season and the former first round pick (No. 9 overall in 2003) should improve this time around.
Floyd will be pushed this spring by another first round pick, Lance Broadway.
Bobby Jenks returns as the Round Mound of Closing Down, and leads a band of misfits and castoffs in the bullpen. Scott Linebrink, who had a few solid seasons setting up in San Diego, signed a free agent deal in the offseason, as did Octavio Dotel who was once a teammate of Linebrink’s in Houston. Matt Thornton will serve as the left-handed complement in the seventh and eighth innings. Behind them, or in front of them as the case may be, it’s anyone’s guess.
Floyd will work out of the pen assuming Broadway earns the No. 5 starter’s job this spring, and Nick Masset is going to get a look at the long relief job more than likely. Mike MacDougal, despite being a seven-year veteran, actually has options left and coming off a 6.80 ERA last year could find his way back to the minors. Ehren Wassermann, who is a nice story after making his way up to the majors last year despite not being drafted out of college, is another relief candidate.
OFFENSE/DEFENSE
Before we discuss some of the newcomers Williams and the Pale Hose front office did bring in this winter, let’s mention one veteran they didn’t trade and is very likely going to be dealt sometime this spring.
Joe Crede could fetch some help on the mound, at least a strong reliever, now that he’s been pushed out from the starting third base job by Josh Fields. Several rumors have floated about Crede, but it all hinges on whether or not he shows his back problems are behind him, no pun intended. Another chink in the possible trade of Crede is his agent, Scott Boras, who has been saying all winter that his client insists on testing the free agent market after 2008. So stay tuned.
As it stands right now, it appears that seven spots in the batting order – C, 1B, SS, 3B, RF, CF and DH – are spoken for. Three of those positions (DH, 1B and RF) go to the aforementioned trio of Thome, Konerko and Dye. AJ Pierzynski will be back behind the plate, and Fields is penciled in as the everyday glove at the hot corner.
Taking over at shortstop will be Orlando Cabrera, who will be toiling for his fourth club in six seasons after coming from the Angels in the Jon Garland trade. Cabrera, despite not fitting the conventional mold, is also expected to man the leadoff slot in the batting order. Hitting No. 2 behind him will be Nick Swisher who will play CF after being brought in from Oakland in another offseason swap. That pair combined for an on-base mark over .360 a year ago, well above the 1-2 hitters Guillen tried on 2007.
Left field is supposed to be Carlos Quentin’s job to lose coming into spring, assuming he’s fully recovered from shoulder surgery last October. Quentin also arrives on Chicago’s South Side via trade, this one with the Diamondbacks.
Second base appears to be the only real battle that Guillen has going on at camp. Danny Richar had the pole position in the race, but **** troubles getting to camp could put him behind and also into Guillen’s doghouse. Alexei Ramirez or Juan Uribe might now claim the job, and both should at least stick as reserves.
Other backups at the moment are Brad Eldred (1B), Jerry Owens (OF), Royce Huffman (INF) and Toby Hall (C).
Key Player(s): Like every team out there, the ChiSox will go only as far as their pitching carries them. Chicago needs Buehrle and Vazquez to anchor the rotation, with at least one more arm stepping up to support. And some 2-3 reliever mix is going to have to bridge the gap between the starters and Jenks. But the most crucial player this spring just might be Crede who could fetch a nice return, either for this year or the future.
Futures: Speaking of the future, 5Dimes lists the White Sox at +900 to take their division, +2800 to win the AL Pennant and +4500 to go all the way. BetCris has their wins break at 76 for the O/U, with the Over drawing a -120 price and the under -110.
I like the Over, with my sims averaging an even 81-81 season for the gang on the Windy City’s South Side. Three of the five sims, including the best case run, came in with 80+ wins.