Young blood
One of the signatures of teams on the rise is the presence of maturing young talent. The Cubs certainly had that in 2016 when they won the World Series with a lineup centered around 24-year-old MVP Kris Bryant, 22-year old Addison Russell, and 23-year-old Javier Baez.
There’s plenty to do to shape the look of both Chicago teams before the 2020 season begins, but as of now all the young blood favors the White Sox. Both teams project to have five players age 25 or younger occupying regular roles next season. The table below shows the 2019 production of each as measured by WAR.
Cubs WAR White Sox WAR
Addison Russell +0.1 Yoan Moncada +4.6
Albert Almora -1.0 Eloy Jimenez +1.4
Vic Caratini +0.9 Lucas Giolito +5.6
Ian Happ +1.2 Dylan Cease -0.2
Nico Hoerner 0.0 Reynaldo Lopez +0.5
Total +1.2 Total +11.9
Based their 2019 performances, the White Sox have far and away the more talent-laden young core. At an average age of 23.6, they are also younger and less experienced than the Cubs youngsters, meaning there is more time for growth.
Raise your hands everybody on the North Side who – following their self-destructive 2019 seasons — expects Ian Happ, Addison Russell and/or Albert Almora Jr. to emerge as stars in 2020. Seeing no hands, we’ll move on.