2019 World Series: Chicago White Sox can learn from both teams
The Chicago White Sox are hoping that they can get to the World Series with the core they are building and they can learn something from watching this one.
The Chicago White Sox had one of the unlikeliest World Series runs in 2005 as nobody really pegged them in Spring Training to be contenders. Since then, they haven’t had much of any success at all as far as making the playoffs. They won the A.L. Central in 2008 after winning an epic game 163 against the Minnesota Twins, but that is the only playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2005.
Now, the 2019 World Series is set to get underway tonight when the Washington Nationals play the Houston Astros. It is set to be a fantastic series. Both teams have superstars in their starting lineups, and both teams have a top-flight pitching staff. Each team is a little different from the other but the are build in very similar ways. They both are drafted and developed on top of adding high-level free agents and making great trades.
This is going to be a fantastic series for all baseball fans. People all around the world are going to be treated to some of the best hitters in the world dueling some of the best pitchers in the world. It is something that the other 28 teams in baseball should be watching and learning from. No one is more than the Chicago White Sox, who have a very young and inexperienced roster that people believe is going to take the next step in 2020.
It is still to be determined whether or not they turn the corner next year, but a good start would be learning from these two great teams on the world’s biggest baseball stage. Each team presents something different that a young White Sox team can learn from:
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals had a horrible offseason in terms of the fact that the face of their franchise, Bryce Harper, left them in free agency for the Philadelphia Phillies. He left them to become one of the highest-paid players in all of the sports and the Phillies went into the season looking like an all-around better team.
Then, they got off to a terrible start. They definitely looked like a team that just lost the face of the franchise to free agency. On May 23rd, they were 19-31. That means they were ten games out and now they are headed to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. It is also a team that had never won a playoff series in its history despite having some really good teams. They are a great story and for that reason they deserve respect.
The White Sox are in a similar situation. They didn’t lose a stud free agent but they are a team that has dealt with a lot of adversity over the last few seasons and many would consider it a feel-good story if they were to become an elite team in short order. The Nationals have shown that it is possible and anyone can do it if they have the right players, the right coaches, and the right mindset.
This is a team that is built around pitching and that is another thing the White Sox needs to learn from. The White Sox have stud hitters in their lineup just like the Nationals but it will never matter until they get a consistent mix of veteran and young starters to get them to their bullpen with a lead. They had some of the pieces there in 2019 which is why they had a ten-game improvement over 2018. Bettering the pitching staff would go a long way for the White Sox just like it did for the Nationals.
The Nationals were also losing late in the Wild Card game earlier in the playoffs. An eighth-inning comeback led to them getting all the way to the World Series instead of going home with yet another heartbreaking end. This shows how much character the team has. They were down in the dumps early in the season and in the Wild Card game and still turned it around. That is great to watch if you are a young up-and-coming team.
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are back in the World Series for the second time in three years. They did an even harder and longer rebuild than the White Sox did. They lost 100 games in three straight seasons. The White Sox only did that once in their rebuild and injuries had a bit to do with that. They weren’t able to turn players like Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and Adam Eaton into Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, and Reynaldo Lopez.
They also only hit on only one of their three consecutive number one overall picks and that was Carlos Correa. Mark Appel and Brady Aiken were both not able to ever be Major Leaguers despite having such high ceilings. The Astros passed up on Kris Bryant and Tim Anderson for Appel! Things have not been perfect for them and they were still able to develop themselves into a potential dynasty by making other smart draft picks in other drafts and making great trades.
All of those facts are something the White Sox need to learn from. Things aren’t going to be perfect and not every prospect is going to be a superstar. That is okay, as long as you find a few diamonds in the rough, use analytics to your advantage, and have a good mindset then things will go your way. The White Sox has gotten at least something from most of the prospects they’ve given a chance to and that is something you can hope to see continue.
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The Astros are the perfect example of how to properly execute a rebuild and the White Sox would love to follow suit. They play great baseball and are the current model franchise in Major League Baseball. They have provided lots of hope for teams like the White Sox and as an organization, they should be watching and learning from everything they do.