Chicago White Sox: Are they for real?
The Chicago White Sox have been one of the most surprising teams in the early part of the season, but will they be able to keep it up?
The White Sox finished a disappointing 2015 season in fourth place in the AL Central with a 76-86 record. The club was in playoff contention through the summer, but eventually fell off in the latter parts of the season.
The White Sox did have some positives coming off of a down year with Chris Sale and Jose Quintana having good years leading the rotation. The team was also able to get contributions from young building blocks like Carlos Rodon, Adam Eaton and Jose Abreu. But the team did have their fair share of disappointments with proven veterans Jeff Samardzija, Alexi Ramirez, Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera having down years.
This offseason the White Sox seemed to not take much of a direction in terms of rebuilding or really trying to build the roster for a playoff run. The team was able to add all-star third baseman Todd Frazier in a trade with the Reds and signed some low-risk-high-reward players in Brett Lawrie, Mat Latos and Austin Jackson to fill holes on the team. But none of these moves really signaled that the club was ready to make a big improvement over their record from last season.
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However, through the first 18 games of the 2016 season, the White sox have shocked many people in the league, currently holding a record of 12-6, which puts them in first place in the AL Central over the 2015 World Series Champion Kansas City Royals. What has been the key to their success? It all begins with their starting rotation.
Chris Sale, who’s been the team’s ace since he came into the league in 2010, has been his typical self, holding a 1.80 ERA through four starts this season. However, he hasn’t been the Sox top starter so far this year. That honor belongs to a free agent they signed this past winter in Mat Latos. Latos is coming off a 2015 season with the Marlins and Dodgers where he had close to 5.00 ERA. But he has looked like an entirely different pitcher so far in 2016, winning all three starts he’s made this year and pitching to a spectacular ERA of just a 0.49. Latos has been a top of the line starter in the past, and while he won’t be able to keep up this type production, he has the credentials to be a solid starting pitcher for Chicago for the rest of this year. He could prove to be one of the biggest free agent bargains this season after just signing a a one-year, $3 million this winter.
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Lefties Carlos Rodon and Jose Quintana have also looked dominant on the mound this season. Rodon has had three quality starts, but his ERA has suffered from one poor outing where he let up five runs in the first inning, and Quintana is picking up right where he left off last season having just a 1.82 ERA through four starts.
Chicago’s bullpen has also been spectacular, unlike last season, when the the team’s pen was just average, which was disappointing considering how much they paid for closer David Robertson last offseason. But this year their bullpen has been great at every level. Robertson has improved going six for seven in saves right now. Relatively unknown late-inning guys like Matt Albers, Nate Jones and Jake Petricka all have ERA’s under 1.50 as well.
The White Sox lineup has not been spectacular thus far as former all-stars Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu haven’t performed to expectations, but other hitters have picked up the slack for now. Outfielders Melky Cabrera and Adam Eaton both have hit over .300 so far this season and another underrated acquisition in Brett Lawrie has been solid for the club. If these players can keep it up, and Abreu and Frazier can get close to being the players they have been, the White Sox’s offense could be a solid force in the American League.
Make no mistake though, this team has been lead and needs to continue to be lead by their pitching staff. The team’s offense does not have enough talent to carry the team if their rotation starts to decline as the year wears on. The Sox should be confident that Chris Sale will be a frontrunner for his first Cy Young award. Quintana and Rodon look like they are solid options behind Sale in the rotation. If Latos can continue to surprise he could be the real x-factor for this team. Chicago’s rotation has been one of the best in the majors this year and needs to continue to dominant if the Sox hope to challenge the Royals for first in the Central.
The White Sox have a lot of good players on their roster and if some of their surprisingly productive players can continue to play well, the team should be in good position to compete for a playoff spot for the rest of the year. However, if their rotation and bullpen can’t continue to be one of the best in the AL, don’t expect the lineup to carry the team for a long period of time .
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