Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB in the Midwest: A Christmas wish list for the AL Central

By Kristen Bentley

The Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez celebrates his walk off grand slam for an 8-4 win against the Minnesota Twins on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images)
The Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez celebrates his walk off grand slam for an 8-4 win against the Minnesota Twins on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images) /
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Chicago White Sox
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 05: Starting pitcher Michael Kopech #34 of the Chicago White Sox delivers the ball against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 5, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

The White Sox were one of the two teams in the AL Central with 100 losses – exactly 100 losses. The team is in a rebuild, but it is at the point where spending can happen and veterans can be signed.

With a few holes to fill and money to spend, there are a few wishes on the list. One is Bryce Harper and the other is Manny Machado. Although, it seems that most fans want one or the other, not both.

With Avisail Garcia and Matt Davidson non-tendered, there is clearly a position for an outfielder and an DH. The team did sign Yonder Alonso, who can hit, so the DH position could already be filled. Machado visited Guaranteed Rate Field on his tour of potential landing spots, but he is rumored not to make a decision until after the New Year.

White Sox fans should also have hope for a quick recovery by fireballer Michael Kopech. The Tommy John announcement seemed to bring down not only the fans, but the team, too. Kopech has been staying in touch with fans via social media, but it’s not the same as seeing him throwing in the off-season.

When it comes to the young guys, Eloy Jimenez reaching the big leagues is another wish for fans. He’s been put on hold for the remainder of the winter baseball season, but should be ready to go in the spring.

Another big wish for the 2019 season should be a decrease in strikeouts. The White Sox led the MLB in K’s in 2018 with 61 more than the Padres (second-place team) and 405 more than the Indians (last place). Yoan Moncada led the league with 217. For comparison, Jose Ramirez – who had the same number of at-bats (578) – had only 80 K’s in 2018. Moncada has some work to do. It’s also easy to see why Ramirez finished third in the MVP race and earned a Silver Slugger.

Lastly, White Sox fans should also hope for quality pitching in 2019. The team had a combined ERA of 4.83, which put them 26th in the MLB. They had a rotating door of closers, but with Alex Colome, the team should have some consistency in the ninth. Adding Ivan Nova to the rotation should help the team, too.

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