Pitching: I pointed this out the AL Central preview but the rotation for the White Sox this season could be the best in all of baseball, at the very least it will be in the top 10. The reason I'm so high on this staff is because of Jake Peavy, I really think he's going to have a huge year for the Sox, a potential Cy Young year. In the 3 starts he made for the Sox at the end of last season he was 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA. Now I'm not big on end of the year stats because you see a lot of minor leaguers playing, but this was against the Tigers twice and the Royals once and his worst start was against the Royals. He shutout the Tigers, a team fighting to make the playoffs, twice in 15 innings over 2 appearances. I also think John Danks is poised to take a huge step forward this season. He experienced circulation problems in his pitching hand but reports are that those are fixed and he'll post impressive numbers because of it I think.
From the standpoint of the bullpen, I think that too will be a strength for the Sox as long as Bobby Jenks stays healthy. I'm a firm believer in a bullpen being effective when everyone has a role and everyone knows their role. With Jenks as the closer it puts JJ Putz and Matt Thornton in the set-up roles, Tony Peña and Scott Linebrink in 6th and 7th inning roles and then Randy Williams as the left-handed specialist and Sergio Santos as the long-reliever. To have a guy with the ability of a Scott Linebrink coming into the 6th or 7th inning is a real luxury to have as long as he is throwing strikes. The bullpen might be lacking a lefty but I trust Kenny Williams to go get a left hander if he feels it is necessary. A lot of people are sour on Jenks because of his declining K rate and decrease in velocity. The only thing I think Jenks needs to do is have more confidence in his fastball and not rely so much on his curveball. Yes his velocity is down from his rookie year, but he's developed a killer curveball and that's something he can use to replace that lights out fastball to strike hitters out but he can't throw it as often as he has been in previous seasons.
Offense: With each passing day of Spring Training, the White Sox offense is getting me more and more excited about the potential. Having a lineup where 8 of the 9 guys can all realistically hit at least 20 home runs is something that any team would like, but to have 6 of the 9 guys steal double digit bases is not something many teams can claim. Ozzie Guillen loves to run and I expect him to have his guys really aggressive on the basepaths this season, whether that's stealing bases or just going from first to third on a single or scoring from second on a single. The one major concern I have is Guillen himself. Guillen loves to tinker with his lineups and as of today he is contemplating batting Mark Kotsay in the three hole against right handed pitchers. Now I love Guillen as a manager and think he's grossly misunderstood by fans and the media, but when you have guys in a lineup like Carlos Quentin, Alex Rios, or even Gordon Beckham there is no need for Mark Kotsay to be hitting third in this lineup. This season is a major test for Guillen I think because he was given the exact roster that he has wanted since being in Chicago and Williams has largely voiced his displeasure for not having a prototypical DH. I see the merit in the argument that you want to play the hot hand offensively but to switch a lineup almost daily isn't good for the guys playing to get into a rhythm. Guillen will hopefully find a cohesive offensive unit and stick with it for the majority of the season.If this offense sputters and the team fails to make the playoffs because of it, Guillen could likely be shown the door.
Defense: Overall the team defense has been vastly improved this season. The outfield with Quentin moving to his natural right field, Rios in center and Pierre in left is much better than previous outfields with the White Sox. While Pierre has a noodle for an arm, he has such great range that I can live with his poor arm. Rios is a natural center fielder who played right field in Toronto because of Vernon Wells and Quentin came up in the Diamondbacks organization as a right fielder so he is back where he should be more comfortable. Add Andruw Jones off the bench to spell the other three outfielders and you have a pretty solid outfield defensively. In the infield we have a very defensively underrated Paul Konerko at first base, Beckham at second base should be a fairly easy transition for the former shortstop, Alexei Ramirez at shortstop provides unbelievable range and a good arm to make the deep throws. The only real question mark on the defense is Mark Teahen, but his natural position is third base so maybe he'll improve his defense with a full season at that position alone instead of being jerked all around the diamond. Much like Jones, having Omar Vizquel and Kotsay coming off the bench is a real asset to the defense when guys need a break.
Overall I have the Sox pegged at 88 wins, I think Rios bounces back in a big way, Quentin stays healthy all year and the team rides the arms of the rotation and the bullpen to the playoffs, where pitching can dominate and the Sox could very easily be a dangerous team.
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