Chi Town faithful hoping Ventura era will be ace
A disappointing April and September, where they went a combined 21-35, cost the White Sox dearly as they finished with a 79-83 record that ultimately saw the volatile Williams-Guillen partnership come to an end when enigmatic manager Ozzie Guillen departed for the bright lights of Miami shortly before the end of the season
Star pitcher Mark Buehrle followed his mentor as the biggest free-agent move in the White Sox off-season after 11 consecutive seasons of double digit wins in a Chicago uniform. He ranks inside the top ten in franchise history in wins, innings pitched, games started and strikeouts and his departure will make it even tougher for the Sox to compete in a very challenging AL Central. Unfortunately, however, Buehrle was just one of several key players to depart, with little in the way of reinforcements arriving.
There were positives last season, despite another inconsistent season. Phil Humber emerged, finally, as a decent starter, going 9-9 with a 3.75 ERA, but will it just be a flash in the pan? The bullpen was largely solid with the likes of Jesse Crain and Chris Sale proving a lethal duo, combining for a 2.71 ERA in over 130 innings pitched.
On the other hand, big free agent signing Adam Dunn was a whole new shade of awful after signing a four year, $56 million contract. He fell just six at-bats short of qualifying for the batting title, but had he done so, his .159 AVG would have been the worst for over a century. You don’t get much for $14 million these days, do you?
IN : Kosuke Fukudome (OF – Cleveland), Hector Gimenez (C – Toronto), Dan Johnson (INF – Tampa Bay), Eric Stults (RP – Colorado)
OUT : Mark Buehrle (SP – Miami), Ramon Castro (C), John Frasor (RP – Toronto), Josh Kinney (RP – Seattle), Shane Lindsay (RP – L.A. Dodgers), Donny Lucy (C – Retired), Lasting Milledge (OF), Tony Pena (RP), Juan Pierre (OF – Philadelphia), Sergio Santos (RP – Toronto), Carlos Quentin (OF – San Diego), Omaz Vizquel (INF – Toronto)
Catchers : For the eighth consecutive season, A.J. Pierzynski will be behind the plate for Chicago. While his power may be declining, he consistently hits for a decent average and is one of the best defensive catchers around. Tyler Flowers will heads into Spring Training as his back-up. The 25 year old saw significant game time last season for the first time in his MLB career and showed some pop despite hitting just .209. Hector Gimenez is a non-roster invitee but will have to perform out of his skin to make the Opening Day roster.
Infielders : Minus the loss of Omar Vizquel, the infield remains largely intact with the ever dangerous Paul Konerko at first coming off a 30 and 100 season. This will be his 14th season in a White Sox uniform and he currently sits on 1917 games played and 389 HRs for the South Siders. Brent Morel will man third after struggling somewhat last year, his first as an everyday player. Alexei Ramirez is an outstanding defensive shortstop and the 30 year old will be counted on to make some big plays. Gordon Beckham has largely disappointed after being a highly touted prospect and this season may well be his last chance to prove his worth as an everyday player having regressed in each of his first three seasons. There really isn’t much in the way of back-up, with Dan Johnson the only genuine infielder with experience to call upon. The former Ray has been a career back-up, playing less than 50 games per season since breaking into the Majors in 2005. Eduardo Escobar and Osvaldo Martinez are the only other full-time infielders on the roster. Adam Dunn and Brent Lillibridge can provide depth but both will be utilised mainly in other areas of the park. Dallas McPherson saw some time last year and will be given a look in Spring Training.
Outfielders : The departures of Quentin and Pierre result in a decidedly youthful look to their outfield. Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza will be given full-time jobs for the first time in their respective careers. De Aza hit .329 in 154 at bats last season, so there is certainly reason to be optimistic. Alex Rios is the man with the experience in the outfield but hit just .227 last season and has largely disappointed since being claimed off waivers during the 2009 season. Brent Lillibridge has been a consistent utility back-up for the past three season in Chi Town and is coming off a career best season in which he hit .258 and 13 HRs. Kosuke Fukudome was highly touted when he moved from Japan, but his career hasn’t panned out the way he would have hoped, and the White Sox are his third team in 12 months. Former Pirate Delwyn Young has a shot at a roster spot and could provide depth and pace, while Jordan Danks and Jared Mitchell are Minor League prospects that will be given a chance to display their talents in Spring Training.
Designated Hitter : Despite a truly horrendous first season in Chicago, Adam Dunn will be the full-time DH and clearly will have to display the talent that has led him to hit 38 or more homers in each of his seven seasons prior to moving to the American League. Dayan Viciedo is considered the primary back-up.
Starting Pitchers : Clearly the departure of the face of the franchise, Mark Buehrle, will be a huge loss, but the White Sox still have a dangerous rotation. John Danks and Gavin Floyd have been staples of the rotation for a good few years now and will be counted on to continue providing the consistency that has seen them both pitch 170.0+ innings in the last four season. Elsewhere, Philip Humber emerged from the scrapheap to become the feel good story of the White Sox 2011 season. Having struggled throughout his career, Humber finally showed his potential finishing the season with a 3.75 ERA in 26 starts. Jake Peavy has had an injury hit spell in Chicago since his move from San Diego, and while an ERA nearing 5.00 is clearly less than ideal, if fully fit, he can still be dangerous. Chris Sale, who has been outstanding in the bullpen during his first two seasons in the Majors is expected to make the step up to the rotation and that will certainly be one storyline worth keeping an eye on. As with other positions, they really have very little depth with Dylan Axelrod arguably first in line. He impressed during three starts last season but may start the year as a long reliever rather than a Triple-A starter, while Nestor Molina went 12-3 with a 2.21 ERA in 23 Minor League starts last season and will be looking to break into the roster.
Relief Pitchers : Following the trade of closer Sergio Santos, Spring Training will be about who stakes the best claim for that position. Jesse Crain greatly impressed in his first season and may be considered the favourite but there are a slew of others perfectly capable of taking the job. Matt Thornton went 3 of 7 in save opportunities last year but will be a vital part of a very good bullpen that also features top prospect Addison Reed who could be a star in the making. Elsewhere, Will Ohman will form a veteran lefty partnership with Thornton. Zach Stewart started 8 of his 10 games last season but struggled and is expected to shift to a long reliever role this season. Hector Santiago is another top pitching prospect for Chicago and will surely see significant game time barring a disastrous Spring Training while Gregory Infante is expected to complete the bullpen although a number of youngsters are waiting in the wings desperate to showing new manger Ventura that they are worthy of a shot in the big leagues. Brian Bruney saw time last year but was poor and Eric Stults was brought in from Colorado to provide depth, while Jhan Marinez and Simon Castro are top 10 prospects but are likely a year away from making an impact on the roster.
PREDICTION : Behind Detroit, who seem to be the strong favourites for the AL Central title, the remaining teams seem to be of a fairly similar talent level. The White Sox have two major things working against them, however. A roster that is both young and lacking in depth, and they will struggle if the injuries mount. They do have a strong bullpen and a decent rotation, but I still see them finishing fifth.