2019 World Series: Chicago White Sox can learn from both teams
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.