Anticipating Chicago White Sox baseball in 2015

Sep 16, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher

Zach Putnam

(57) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The White Sox won 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

One word I have for the 2015 Chicago White Sox team as we are now 30 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training is “anticipation.”

Have you ever looked more forward to an upcoming White Sox season as you have this one? It has been a long, but the last time I can really remember being this excited for a White Sox season was the 2006 campaign when the White Sox were the reigning World Series champions.

(Don’t get me wrong, I look forward to every White Sox season, but some are just more exciting to see arrive than others, right?)

Since then there has just been one postseason visit (2008), and one of the worst seasons in White Sox history (2013). Last year was a start in moving in the right directions, but now the rebuild is in full-go mode, and I honestly believe the consistent winning for the White Sox begins again this season.

It will be a tough season with how the AL Central looks, but the White Sox have players who can compete at a high level, now it is up to them to become a team that can do the same thing.

Next: Who will earn the backup catcher role for the White Sox?

One part of this team I really want to see how the improvement has helped is the bullpen. Sometimes I still have nightmares about that group of players from last season when they would enter a game with a one-run lead in the eighth or ninth inning.

But that is all in the past, and the players they have now (there is an actual closer on the team in ’15 in David Robertson) should make for a more enjoyable late inning experience for the White Sox. There is no way the White Sox bullpen blows over 20 save opportunities (barring injury of course) like they did last season with a closer by committee.

Again, the word for the White Sox today is anticipation, and I know I’m not the only person who is on the edge of their seat waiting for baseball activities to began for this organization on Feb. 19.