Chicago White Sox: The 2010s All-Decade team

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.

All-Decade Chicago White Sox

A.J. Pierzynski, Catcher

• Years: 2010-2012
• HR: 44
• OPS+: 99
• Awards: 2012 Silver Slugger

The final three seasons of Pierzynski’s eight seasons behind the plate in Chicago came during this decade. In those three seasons, he averaged 131 games.

Pierzynski consistently averaged in the .270s and .280s, but his best season was his last in Chicago. In 2012 he delivered a career-high 27 home runs, drove in 77 runs and posted career-best 120 OPS+.

Paul Konerko, First Base

• Years: 2010-14
• HR: 113
• OPS+: 115.4
• Awards: All-Star 2010, 2011, 2012

Konerko was always predominantly a first baseman, but he was used enough as a DH to justify his selection in that spot. His inclusion at designated hitter has the dual advantage of shoring up what otherwise is a Chicago positional weakness – do you really want Adam Dunn as the all-decade DH? — while eliminating the need to ignore Konerko in favor of the more obvious choice at first base.

By the start of the decade, Konerko was 34, and at the tail end of his most productive period. Still, he could deliver 39 home runs and 111 RBIs that season, following up with 31-105 in 2011. Through 2013, he averaged about 140 starts per season, more than 100 of them at first base.

He retired at the conclusion of the 2014 season, having played all but six of his 2,349 career games in a  White Sox uniform.

All-Decade Chicago White Sox

Jose Abreu, First base

• Years: 2014-2019
• HR: 179
• OPS+: 134

Awards: Rookie of the Year 2014, All-Star 2014, 2018, 2019, Silver Slugger 2014, 2018.

Signed out of Cuba, Abreu arrived in just in time to unseat Konerko as the regular first baseman. It was as smooth a positional transition as the Sox could have hoped for.

Since becoming the centerpiece of the White Sox offense, Abreu has driven in 611 runs with a .293 batting average. In his 2014 Rookie of the Year season, he led the American League in both slugging (.581) and OPS+ (173).

Yoan Moncada, Second Base

• Years: 2017-2019
• HR: 50
• OPS+: 115

Moncada could be considered at third base, where he played in 2019. But an All-Decade team is better with him at second, where the alternative is Gordon Beckham.  Through his first three seasons, Moncada has superior numbers in every offensive category.

White Sox fans hope and believe that Moncada’s 2019 is an indicator of things to come. He hit 25 home runs with a .315 batting average and slugged .548.

He also reduced his strikeout rate from one every three plate appearances to one every 3.6. That’s not the strongest endorsement, but it’s progress.

All-Decade Chicago White Sox

Conor Gillaspie, Third base

• Years: 2013-2016
• HR: 23
• OPS+: 93

Since Moncada is a logical choice at second or third, the decision really comes down to the runners-up at those two infield positions, Gordon Beckham (at second) or Conor Gillaspie (at third).

It is a close call. With six seasons to Gillaspie’s three, Beckham holds the seniority advantage. Beckham also has an edge in the counting stats, home runs, and RBIs, but since Beckham was not a primary run-producer that edge is not significant.

Gillaspie’s edges lie in his superior batting average (.255 to .241) and also in his substantial edge in OPS+ (93.67 to 79.4). In the 2+ seasons, he was a regular, Gillaspie’s advantage in power makes him the narrow choice.

Tim Anderson, Shortstop

• Years: 2016-2019
• HR: 64
• OPS+: 98

Awards: 2019 batting title (.335)

Shortstop is the toughest positional call. The case can certainly be made for Alexei Ramirez, who held down short from 2010 through 2015. Ramirez was a 2014 All-Star selection and a two-time Silver Slugger winner.

But Ramirez was generally a .270s hitter who topped .285 only once, that in his rookie season. Anderson, still in his mid-20s, may yet turn out to be that, but his breakthrough 2019 capped by that batting title argues otherwise. Anderson also has the power edge, producing a .435 slugging average that is 40 points better than Ramirez.

The ideal would be to move one of the two to third base, but sadly for symmetry neither played a single game at that position during the decade.

So Anderson is the pick in part due to his batting title and in part due to the fact that while Ramirez’s record is written in stone, Anderson’s may yet be – and likely will be – improved upon.

All-Decade Chicago White Sox

Melky Cabrera, Left Field

• Years: 2015-2017
• HR: 43
• OPS+: 107.33

The decision comes down to Cabrera or Leury Garcia, who has gravitated in and out of the position since 2014. Cabrera only played three seasons, but they were good ones. He hit .288, averaging 13 home runs and 73 RBIs with a 107.33 average OPS+. That’s far superior to Garcia’s 76 OPS+.

Adam Eaton, Center Field

• Years: 2014-2016
• HR: 29
• OPS+: 119.67

This is a three-way battle pitting Eaton against Adam Engel and Alex Rios. With three seasons each in center, Eaton and Engel both have the positional edge on Rios, whose four years in Chicago included only two in center. (He’ll also be considered in right.) Engel is hurt by his part-time status, and also by his sub-par production.

That leaves it to Eaton, who before being traded to Washington averaged .290 for the Sox with solid defense, 50 RBIs and a 119.67 OPS+.

Alex Rios, Right field

• Years: 2010-2013
• HR: 71OPS+: 100.5

Again, this is a two-way contest, Rios vs. Avisail Garcia. Garcia played longer in right field, and their OPS+ numbers in Chicago – 104.17 for Garcia, 100.50 for Rios – demonstrate their productive similarity.

So the decision comes down to power. In his four years. Rios averaged 17.75 home runs and 69.5 RBIs, both better than Garcia’s 12.33 and 48.17. Rios also averaged about 260 more plate appearances per season than Garcia, who really only played 2.5 seasons as a regular.

All-Decade Chicago White Sox Rotation

Chris Sale

A 2010 callup, Sale made the staff for good in 2012 and won 17 of his 25 decisions. Before his trade to Boston, he went 74-50 with a 3.00 ERA for the Sox, making five All-StarG teams and finishing top five in Cy Young Award voting four times. In 2015, he struck out a league-leading 274 batters. His 152.29 average ERA+ in Chicago stands out.

Lucas Giolito

Acquired from Washington in the Adam Eaton deal, Giolito’s numbers are colored by a terrible 2018 and an exceptional 2019. The average is good enough to justify his selection: a 27-25 record, 4.48 ERA and a 96 ERA+ that’s dragged down by a 69 in 2018. His 128.0 ERA+ is exceeded only by Sale.

Jose Quintana

A 2012 rookie, Quintana was a South Side rotation stalwart for five and one-half seasons. With the Sox he ran up a 3.51 ERA in 169 starts, and his 50-54 record is more a reflection of his support than his performance. He averaged a 114 ERA+ on the South Side. In mid-season 2017, Quintana performed his final service to the Sox, being the bait that lured Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease away from the Cubs.

Jake Peavy

Peavy arrived at the end of 2009 as an established major leaguer and remained into the 2013 seasons. With the Sox he went 36-29 in 83 starts, compiling a 4.00 ERA and a 101.5 ERA+. Like Quintana, Peavy’s biggest service may have involved his departure: it came as part of a three-team trade that brought Avisail Garcia to Chicago.

Gavin Floyd

The Sox’ options for a fifth starter are limited, and Floyd is probably the best of them. With the Sox through 2013, he averaged 30 starts, 185 innings and 11 wins from 2010 to 2012.