Chicago White Sox: All eyes on Dylan Cease in 2020

Dylan Cease is preparing to shock his doubters this upcoming season and focusing on redeeming his rookie year on the mound for the Chicago White Sox.

Unfortunately, Dylan Cease‘s first year on the mound in the majors was a letdown. He arrived at the Chicago White Sox ballclub with great expectations and fell short of being dominant in the starting rotation. Even though the White Sox have had an impressive offseason, there are still some questions that need to be answered regarding some players. That puts all eyes on Dylan Cease in 2020.

Once Cease ended the season with a hamstring injury, his major league debut was nothing impressive.  His numbers for the season show his struggle on the mound, but as the year went on there was an element of improvement. Overall, his ERA was 5.79 with four wins and seven losses. With that being said, when September hit Cease caught a break and had a 3.00 ERA. That month was not only important for his game, but it gave fans the indication that he is capable of evolving as a starting pitcher.

It’s also important to note that he was a fifth in right-handed pitching prospects rankings this time last year. Cease has the tools to be successful, but he just has to execute them and this year will be about whether or not he does that. An amazing story in the world of sports is the comeback year and there is a good chance Cease can have his comeback moment.

For example, his fellow teammate and starting ace Lucas Giolito was not always the star he is today. In 2018, Giolito was not able to get control of his pitches at all which led hitters to take advantage of him regularly. That year, he had a 6.13 ERA and was the league’s worst pitcher. Now, Giolito has redefined what he brings to the Chicago White Sox, finished sixth in Cy Young voting and has shown his best season in the South Side so far.

It would be a stretch to put Cease on Giolito’s level, but when there is a guy in the clubhouse that can relate, it can provide him with a coach and mentor who knows what it’s like to bounce back. In a recent interview with WGN radio, Cease talks about bettering his game by throwing every day and building up strength through exercise. In that interview, he also spoke on his excitement about playing with his new teammates and trying not to succumb to being in “fan mode” too much.

Also, the positivity in his voice about getting better is evident and how eager he is to play with the new additions. Per FanGraphs, he is projected to have an ERA of 4.60 with seven wins and nine losses. Even though that would be an improvement for him, he has the potential to exceed that and it will be interesting to see if he can be better than that.