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Chicago White Sox: Major Takeaways From the 2016 Season

By Greg Goldstein

Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (R) shakes hands with manager Robin Ventura (L) prior to their game against the Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (R) shakes hands with manager Robin Ventura (L) prior to their game against the Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (R) shakes hands with manager Robin Ventura (L) prior to their game against the Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (R) shakes hands with manager Robin Ventura (L) prior to their game against the Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

After one of the hotter starts in baseball, the Chicago White Sox’s incomplete roster could just not hold up for a 162 game season as the team failed to improve on their mediocre play from the year before.

2016 Record: 78-84, 16.5 GB in the AL Central, 11.0 GB of the Wild Card

Entering the 2016 MLB regular season, it was clear that the Chicago White Sox thought of themselves as contenders. Over the offseason, the team added all-star third baseman Todd Frazier and many other veterans on short-term deals. The front office also went through another player movement cycle without trading away their ace Chris Sale.

It’s understandable why the White Sox would think that they had the roster to at least challenge for a postseason spot. After finishing last year with 76 wins, it seemed like the ballclub was slightly improved.

In addition to adding the reigning home run derby champion, skipper Robin Ventura could also toss out a lineup that included a solid first baseman in Jose Abreu and a couple of talented outfielders in Adam Eaton and Melky Cabrera. Chicago also added veterans Austin Jackson and Jimmy Rollins to help supplement their roster.

However, the real strength of the team was in their starting pitching. Sale was entering the season as a favorite for the AL Cy Young. In addition to having one of the best starters in baseball, the White Sox also expected solid contributions from two more left handers in Jose Quintana and 2014 first round pick Carlos Rodon.

Everything seemed to be coming together right out of the gate as the rotation, including journeyman Mat Latos, were just not giving up any runs. The White Sox started the year with a record of 17-8 in the month of April. Unfortunately, this would be the high point of their season.

Latos came back to earth in a hurry, while pitching reinforcements weren’t getting the job done. They had their moments offensively, but it wasn’t good enough to shield the other glaring weaknesses on their squad.

After being on the periphery of the playoff race for most of the year, the Sox just couldn’t muster any run to put any pressure on teams that were clearly ahead of them in the wild card race. This resulted in their fourth consecutive season being under .500.

So what can the White Sox takeaway from their 2016 season? We’ll run through the biggest revelations now.

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