White Sox: Previewing the Offense for 2017
By Matt Manetti
The White Sox will look to get more production from their offense in 2017. Jose Abreu remains the key to their success.
The Chicago White Sox really struggled on offense last year. Unless you subtract Adam Eaton there isn’t much different. Charlie Tilson seemed to be the likely replacement for him in the outfield, but an injury in spring training has put him on the shelf. Now, the team will look at Jacob May to fill the void.
Tyler Saladino, who saw a lot of action last season, is holding down the everyday spot and Omar Narvaez should log most of the time behind the plate. What I mean by nothing really changed, is the offense really didn’t get better. This team really needed a left-handed power hitter. But they weren’t able or weren’t willing to sign one. Now, Melky Cabrera is the most dangerous lefty in their lineup.
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The offense seems to be an area that will be a work in progress. Obviously it will be much better when Yoan Moncada is called up. And they have a few other guys who should contribute to the offense (Zach Collins and Luis Alexander Basabe). And if the rumors are correct, they could sign Luis Robert.
Until all those things come into play, this offense will probably struggle like it did last season. The one guy who could turn that all around is Jose Abreu. It took the first baseman probably a good half of the season to finally be the guy we all knew he was. He struggled at the plate and his numbers were down to start last season.
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To his credit, he finished the season strong. White Sox fans now hope he doesn’t get off to another slow start. That alone could help this offense be successful this season. The White Sox have a lot of promising guys in their system. And until those guys are ready, this offense may struggle.