The White Sox Bright Future

October 10, 2019


I am extremely excited and optimistic regarding the future of the Chicago White Sox. In the 2018 season, they were playing extremely well and were two games under .500 at the all-star break. Was it possible they could contend in the second half? Even reaching .500 would be a major improvement Alas, they lost the first seven games after the break to make those possibilities moot. They were inconsistent the rest of the year, including another seven game losing streak. Despite that, the Sox won 72 games, 10 more than the previous year. The won-loss record is immaterial. The season was all about the development of the core players in the White Sox future.

I had seen of flashes in 2018 that led me to believe Yoan Moncado would get better. What I didn’t foresee was that he would become an elite third baseman. He had 34 doubles, 25 homers and led the Sox with a .915 OPS. He had a strong second half and improved his average 90 points to finish at .315, third in the league A. major reason for his success was cutting his strikeout total from 217 to 154. He could be even better in 2020. He is 24 years old.

Tim Anderson was voted the best player in the March/April month of the season. He was having a fine year when he went on the disabled list and missed over a month of the season. When he returned, he caught fire. Having many multi-hit games he raised his average 95 points and led the league with .335 average. He no longer was swinging at pitches way out of the strike zone. He seldom walked (15) but was getting pitches to hit batting in front of Jose Abreu and Moncada. I know he may not hit for the same average as last year however, I see no reason why he can’t consistently hit .300, add power and steal bases. He is 26 years old.

Eloy Jimenez struggled early in the year. As the season progressed, he became the player the White Sox envisioned. He had 31 homers and 79 RBI in only 122 games and I believe he is’ just scratching the surface. If healthy he should hit 40 homers and drive in 100 runs. The way he was hitting the ball from August on, he should also have a .300 average. Jimenez homers are out of sight and will be fun to watch. He is 22 years old.

Lucas Giolito became the ace of the Sox pitching staff. He went 14-9 for a team that was 17 games under.500. In 2018 he had a 6.13 ERA, the worst in both leagues. This year he was fifth lowest in the American League at 3.41. He also ranked among the leaders with 228 strikeouts. He dominated the first half of the season but like the team he went into a lull. He finished strong and could have possibly won 17 games with better run support. His season included complete game shut-outs against two of the best hitting teams, the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins. The game I remember most  was when Giolito pitched four scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. With rain imminent, he needed one more inning to make it an official game. Speeding up his delivery he struck out the side. The rain came, and he was credited with a five inning complete game shut-out. He is 25 years old.

More future stars are coming. Five-tool player, Luis Robert has nothing left to prove and should be the opening day center fielder. General Manager Rick Hahn should have let him have some at-bats last year to ease any growing pains he may have. He is 22 years old. I believe they will let Yolmer Sanchez go and let Kyle Kendrick play second base to start the season. Once the Sox get one more year of contract control, they will call up 2018 first round draft pick Nick Madrigal. He is 22 years old.

The Sox can contend next year if Hahn does what he says. Upgrade right field and say sayonara to Adam Engel, Ryan Cordell and Jon Jay. The Sox haven’t had a good DH since Jim Thome. Rumor has it that Boston’s J.D. Martinez is available. They need to add starting pitching. Cy Young candidate, Houston’s Gerrit Cole is available but not realistic. He will probably be the highest paid pitcher in history. San Francisco Giants Matt Baumgartner and Atlanta Braves Dallas Keuchel should be on the Sox radar. If these moves are made, the window will become wide open for World Series appearances in the near future.