October 2, 2020
Things may have been different for the White Sox with a
healthy Eloy Jimenez or Garrett Crochet not coming out of game three of the
playoffs with shoulder stiffness. However, despite bowing out in the first
round of the playoffs 2020, year four of the rebuild was a success. After a
slow start, the Sox became the most exciting team in recent memory. They were
in first place with the best record in the American League, before a crash and
burn in the last 10 games landed them as the seventh seed. Instead of being at
home, they had to go to Oakland. The future looks bright, as year 5 of the
rebuild was the goal for the Sox to be bona-fide World Series contenders. Here
is a recap of the season with an eye towards 2021.
The Sox season got off to a bad start when last year’s best
player Yoan Moncada, contracted COVID-19. Although he started the season, he
was not the same player. It seemed throughout the course of the year his bat
and feet were sluggish. He is a main cog in the line-up of one the best hitting
teams. If Moncada returns to form, this offense can be much more potent.
The Sox hit more homers than any other team. MVP candidate
Jose Abreu led the way with 19. He had the best 60 game stretch of his career.
He was at the top of most offensive categories and had an amazing 60 RBI in 60
games. Eloy Jimenez provided power and flirted with a .300 batting average. Tim
Anderson was competing for his second consecutive batting title. Rookie Nick
Madrigal, who should have started the season at second, hit a whopping .340 and
was the best two strike hitter in baseball.
Rookie phenom Luis Robert, was one of the Sox best hitters early in the
season. But like Jimenez and Moncada, went into a typical rookie slump,
striking out numerous times. He regained his stroke late in the season and played
a gold glove centerfield. He showed enough, that with experience he will become
one of the future stars in the game.
Lucas Giolito remained one of the league’s best pitchers.
His season included a no-hitter and a dominant outing in the first game of the
playoffs. If not for Cleveland’s Shane Bieber, newly acquired Dallas Keuchel
would have been a Cy Young candidate. I thought Dylan Cease was going to have a
breakout season. He was a major disappointment. The rest of the starters for
the most part were awful. This should be one area that General Manager Rick
Hahn should address. The Sox did have one of the best bullpens. Two newcomers,
Codi Heuer and Matt Foster, were excellent set-up men. Alex Colome saved 12 of
13 opportunities with .084 ERA. Looking ahead, Aaron Bummer missed time on the
IL. Next year he will provide a major boost as he is one of the league’s best
left-handed relievers.
In the past season Rick Hahn traded and signed free agents
to better the team in areas of need. With the exception of Keuchel, they were
terrible. Edwin Encarnacion, was the worst DH in history with a .150 batting
average. After returning from injury, Nomar Mazara hit.228 with only one homer.
Yasmani Grandal hit .230. Grandal did lead the league with catcher interference
calls.
When Robin Ventura resigned, rather than do a search Hahn
signed assistant coach Ricky Renteria. Renteria has turned into baseball’s
worst manager. There was no justification for keeping Encarnacion in the fourth
or fifth spot in the line-up. Adam
Engel, who has learned to hit, was a much better option in right field than
Mazara. Let me dispel any notion that Don Cooper was responsible for the
choices made bringing in relievers. His job as a pitching coach is to work with
pitchers. All the bad moves were made by Renteria. In the last week against
Cleveland, he cost the Sox the division. In game 2 the Sox were leading 3-1 in
the tenth inning. With two outs, the Indians cut the lead to one run. Renteria
brings in seldom used Jose Ruiz, to face the hottest hitter in the league, Jose
Ramirez. He hits a home run and the Sox
lose. The following night with the game tied, he brings in Gio Gonzalez. He has
been awful most of the year. He gives a game winning home run to Ramirez and
the Sox lose. The worst was yet to come. Going into the bottom of the seventh the
Sox were leading 4-1. For some unknown
reason Renteria brings in Jimmy Cordero, who has been struggling. At the time, his ERA was 5.00 (he ended up at
6.08) and this does not include inherited runners. He promptly loads the bases
and then gets two outs. Renteria inexplicably replaces him with Carlos Rodon,
who had just come off IL. Even when healthy,
he has been atrocious. Rodon gives a two run single. With men on first and
third, Ramirez comes up. You could have given him nothing to hit. Even if he
walks and you put the lead run into scoring position, you face a not as good
Carlos Santana. Rodon coughs it up, throwing a get me over pitch, down in the
count. Ramirez doubles off the wall, Sox lose. If the Sox really want to win
Renteria must go.
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