There were many
exciting moments for the 2021 White Sox. There seemed to be a
different hero
every night. The Field of Dreams game was spectacular. For a team with
World Series aspirations, the season ended up a disappointment.
The Houston Astros thoroughly dominated the
Sox, winning in the first round of the playoffs
3-1. The Sox window is still wide open. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them
playing the Astros in future post seasons.
The White Sox starting
pitchers had the best ERA in the American League. However, no Sox
pitcher made it past the fifth inning. The Astros have the best offense in the
majors. They scored 31 runs in four games. They also have top notch defense as
well. Yet, I still didn’t expect the Sox to be crushed in their three losses.
The only thing that
may have changed the outcome is home field advantage. The Sox ended up 0-6 in
the Astros home park. The Sox would have needed three more wins to
have gotten this advantage. I don’t think it would have even
been close if not for major injuries. Outfielders Eloy Jimenez and
Luis Robert were out for most of the season. Tim Anderson, the heart
and soul of the team missed 39 games. Pitchers Lucas Giolito and
Lance Lynn missed a couple of starts, while Carlos Rodon missed
several. Yasmani Grandal injured himself at the end of
spring training. He started out batting .138 the first two months and
was only getting on base on a walk. When he got healthy, he was the best hitter
on the team. He also suffered an injury causing him to miss four
weeks.
White Sox owner,
Jerry Reinsdorf, said the worst that ever happened was letting GM Ken
Harrelson fire Tony LaRussa. What was worse was his choice
of LaRussa coming back to manage. No matter how you
spin it he was solely responsible for allowing GM Rick Hahn to
make the decision. Time has passed LaRussa by. Admitting to
not knowing the rules, he used his closer Liam Hendricks as the
runner on second base in extra innings. I don’t think he ever
realized you
can get any play you want reviewed in the eighth and ninth inning,
holding on to his challenges like they were gold. He publicly
criticized a player on an issue that should have been handled internally.
He used to be a master at handling bullpens, but couldn’t adjust to
the new three batter minimum for relief pitchers. I could point out bad moves
all year, but you only have to go back to game two of the past series to
see an example.
The Sox led 4-2
when LaRussa decided to replace Giolito with one
out and two men on base in the fourth inning. In the last few weeks
of the season he was stretching out Michael Kopech to three
innings. Instead he brings in Garrett Crochet. Crochet had thrown 24
pitches in relief in game one.
Previously this season
Crochet has struggled in back to back games. He walks the next batter
and allows both inherited runners to score. When asked why he didn’t
use Kopech, LaRussa said he liked the lefty-lefty match up.
Even if Crochet retired the batter, the next three hitters were all right handed.
Later in the game with the Sox trailing by one, he pinch hits for Adam
Engel. With Gavin Sheets on the bench he sends up weak hitting Cesar
Hernandez who strikes out. The move proved even more costly
when Leury Garcia misplayed a line drive RBI double
off Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel then put the game out of reach,
allowing a two run homer. When asked why he keeps bringing
in an ineffective Kimbrel, Tony’s response was, “Look at his
resume.” Add this all up and you can see why LaRussa is the
worst manager in baseball.
The Sox went for it
all this year. I was all in on the trade for Kimbrel but it turned out to
be a disaster. I heard the Sox plan to pick up his option and then trade him.
The question is will there be any suitors? Hahn was not as aggressive in
pursuit of a second baseman. Acquiring a .231 hitter in Cesar
Hernandez. He came with a reputation for power with
18 home runs. In two months, he hit three for the Sox. Once again they’ll
be looking for a second baseman next year. Trading Madrigal for Kimbrel
looks worse every day.
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