Chicago White Sox: The 2010s All-Decade team
By Bill Felber
From A.J. Pierzynski and Paul Konerko to Tim Anderson, these are the Chicago White Sox best players at each position between 2010 and 2019.
The second decade of the 21st Century was not a productive one for the Chicago White Sox.
The South Siders won zero divisional titles and zero wild card berths, only twice finishing as high as second in the AL Central. Their two plus-.500 seasons came in 2010 and 2012.
The reality is that the White Sox spent most of the decade in development mode. Chicago produced only one All-Star Game starter the entire decade, that being pitcher Chris Sale, who was chosen to be on the mound for the 2016 contest.
The team’s decade-long winning percentage was just .455. Its winningest manager, Robin Ventura, lost 70 more games than he won.
So the process of selecting an All-Decade team will only occasionally involve choosing from among multiple highly qualified players. Having said that, the White Sox did put some talent on the field.
Paul Konerko concluded a hallowed career during the decade, and he was immediately replaced by Jose Abreu, also a star. At his best, Sale may have been the game’s top pitcher. Shortstop Tim Anderson, the 2019 American League batting champion, appears to be at the outset of a great career at a position that has been a Sox staple dating back to the days of Appling, Carrasquel, and Aparicio.
The criteria for inclusion on this team are more judgmental than specific. But longevity – a minimum of three seasons during the decade in a Chicago White Sox uniform – played a part. Beyond that, plate appearances, batting average, home runs, RBIs and OPS+ were all considered. For pitchers, wins, ERA, starts, and ERA+ were major factors.