White Sox 10-4 loss to Indians on Friday officially eliminates team from playoff contention. The loss also prevents the White Sox from finishing above .500 this season.
The Chicago White Sox entered this season with hopes of not only finishing above .500, but reaching the playoffs. After a 23-10 start, things appeared to be going in the right direction for the Sox. Unfortunately, the Sox had a horrendous May and never recovered.
On Friday, the Sox were finally put out of their misery as they were officially eliminated from playoff contention. With a 10-4 loss to the Indians at Progressive Field, the Sox fell to 72-81 on the season, and won’t finish above .500. The defeat was also the Sox sixth consecutive loss.
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The Sox have only finished one season above .500 during manger Robin Ventura‘s tenure. This was 2012 when the Sox missed the postseason by three games. With the official elimination from playoff contention, the Sox will also miss the postseason for the eighth consecutive season.
With the Sox missing the postseason again, there’s no way this franchise can be foolish enough to keep Ventura as manager. The team’s recent futility isn’t primarily his fault, but this has been the worst stretch of Sox baseball since 1986-1989. The Sox finished four consecutive seasons under .500 during that span. However, during those seasons, the Sox were able to make good decisions in the draft which setup a nice run of success in the early 1990’s.
The Sox loss to the Indians moves the team closer to getting a protected draft pick for the 2017 MLB draft. Currently, the Sox sit behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the 10th pick in next year’s draft. The Brewers 5-4 win over Cincinnati on Friday improved their record to 70-84. At 72-81, the Sox could possibly move closer to surpassing the Brewers for the 10th pick.
The Ventura regime as manager as been a complete failure, and mercifully he will ride off into the sunset at the end of the season. The Sox could benefit from obtaining another top 10 draft pick however.Although the Sox had a solid draft this year, they could continue stockpiling talent to its farm system in the next draft.
By obtaining a protected draft pick, the Sox wouldn’t lose its first round pick by signing a free agent with draft pick compensation in the offseason. The Sox avoided signing free agents with draft pick compensation last offseason. They’re not in much position to bypass immediate help this offseason.
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The Sox missing the postseason for the eighth consecutive has to lead to changes within the organization. Kenny Williams essentially ruined Ventura in the eyes of many Sox fans. If there are changes within the front office, it has to start with Williams. He created this mess, and he shouldn’t be absolved of any blame of mediocrity within the organization.