Chicago White Sox: Don’t worry too much about defense
The Chicago White Sox don’t have many positions filled with Gold Glove winners right now but they should be competent enough for it to not be a problem.
A lot of Chicago White Sox fans are worried about the fact that this team doesn’t have the best defense in the league. They have a lot of players that are either average or above-average hitters at every position on the diamond which is something that the team hasn’t been able to say for a long time. They are going to score a lot of runs and everyone knows it. The real question remains, is their current roster as constructed going to be a problem defensively?
The answer is that they are certainly not going to lead the league in defensive runs saved or have the least amount of errors but it shouldn’t be that big of a problem. They have a lot of offense that should allow them to outscore most defensive miscues. They also have some good pitching getting ready to go so as long as they remain in the middle of the pack defensively they will be okay.
Tim Anderson takes some heat for the way he plays defensively. He won the batting title in 2019 but people still want to get on him for his abilities at shortstop. Well, if a ball is hit to him for a routine double play then he makes it. The only time he gets into trouble is when a flashy play is required. If he can just cut it down to the fundamentals then his game in the field should improve. He has also shown the ability to adjust his game at the plate so why can’t he in the field? He will have Yoan Moncada next to him at third who is much better there than he was at second base.
Everyone knows why Eloy Jimenez is on the team. He is here to hit the baseball 400 feet and hitting for average when he needs to. He is never going to win a gold glove in left field and that is okay. He needs to be out there so he can get reps and get better. He doesn’t seem like a guy who can be a designated hitter because you need a special talent to do that. If he is not in the game defensively, it might be hard for him to stay focused on at-bats. Being a DH is hard for that reason and that is why the Edwin Encarnacion signing is so good.
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Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal were also both great defensively in the minors so hopefully, they can bring it to the big club. This is a minor issue that the team is aware of but they are definitely a much better team now than they were this time last year. As fans, we hope that they play to their strengths while working on their weaknesses.