MLB Rundown: It’s Time to Place your (Mookie) Betts
By Mike Honcho
It’s been a tremendous spring for the White Sox and their die-hard fans on the south side as every move they make seems to be the right one. They’re perched atop the A.L. Central, mostly due to some outstanding glove play and a fair amount of decent luck. They’ve allowed just 3.5 runs per game, which is good enough for tops in the American League.
Make no mistake, the White Sox have a solid club, but they’ll need some major help from the rest of their starting rotation outside of Chris Sale and Jose Quintana. The White Sox have used four other starters besides Sale and Quintana and they’ve all pitched to at least a 4.00 ERA and none of them have produced a FIP lower than 4.50……
But…….. right on their heels sit the Cleveland Indians, who are currently second in the A.L. Central, just 2.5 games behind the front running White Sox and it won’t be long until they’ve staked their claim as the top dog in the division. The Indians are led by their young shortstop phenom Francisco Lindor who’s off to the races so to speak, at least as far as the bases are concerned.
Last season, Lindor totaled 12 steals in 99 games. This season, he’s already swiped 8 bags in just 41 games. That’s a huge advantage for Cleveland going forward in that the rest of the league has seen a huge drop off in terms of running on the base paths. The speed factor could be play a major role in pushing the Tribe into the month of October. One other item to point out for Lindor is the scorching hot month he’s currently having. He’s slashing an incredible .382/.434/.513 along with two homer runs, four doubles and 10 RBI.
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