Chicago White Sox: Who would make an all-Chicago team?

The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs have a lot of good players in their organizations but who would make it on an All-Star Chicago team?

The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs have had some good battles over the history of the rivalry. The truth about the rivalry, however, is that it is a fan-driven rivalry. The White Sox and the Cubs have absolutely nothing to do with each other when the Crosstown Classic isn’t going on so it is clear that it is for the fans because they both play in the same city. They aren’t in the same division nor are they even in the same league.

The only time they matter to each other besides the two series’ in the regular season would be if they played in the World Series. The city would go crazy if that ever happened and there might not be a more realistic chance for that to happen than over the next 2-3 years. The Cubs already have their proven talent on the roster while the White Sox are hoping to put it all together.

Now, what if you put the rosters together to for an All-Chicago team? That team would be so sweet and likely a World Series contender. There are some positions that would spark some spicy debates. There is one position in particular that would really spark up some heated arguments between White Sox fans and Cubs fans but more on that later. These two teams are good for the city of Chicago because summer baseball feels good in this city. If they came together for one all-star team, this is what it would look like:

Catcher

Yasmani Grandal vs Willson Contreras

The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs both have really good position players at multiple positions. It is definitely not easy to pick certain positions and the catcher position would have been one of those difficult decisions until November. If it was James McCann vs Willson Contreras, the nod would have to go to the Cubs backstop. McCann is a great player but he is the third-best catcher in Chicago now.

The  White Sox added Yasmani Grandal to the organization on a four-year deal in November which might or might not swing the arrow back in the White Sox favor. Grandal played with the Milwaukee Brewers over the past few seasons. Grandal is one of the better defensive catchers in baseball. He also produces more in terms of power numbers. In 2019, he had 28 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 79 runs scored. Contreras had slightly lesser numbers as he had 24 home runs, 64 RBIs, and 57 runs scored.

Where Contreras wins is batting average. He had a .272 batting average while Grandal had a .246 average. Contreras also had a higher WAR with a 3.1 while Grandal hit 2.4. This all came with Contreras having 153 fewer at-bats and 223 fewer plate appearances. Grandal, however, had a higher on-base percentage (.380) than Contreras (.355). That is mainly because Grandal had 109 walks to Contreras’ 38. With all of that said, Yasmani Grandal is known to be one of the better catchers in all of baseball.

The verdict: Yasmani Grandal

Second Base

Nico Hoerner vs Nick Madrigal

Second-base is the only position that neither team has a guy really slated to play for sure. The White Sox might use Leury Garcia at first but the plan is for Nick Madrigal to take over in the long term. The Cubs are in a similar position. Addison Russell is no longer there and Javier Baez is now the full-time shortstop so that leaves that spot a little bit unknown.

The Cubs are hoping that Nico Hoerner is going to be the guy who snags that position in the long term. He is a great young player that has worked his way up from the Minor Leagues to get to the Cubs. The thing that Hoerner has on Madrigal right now is a bit of experience. He played in 20 games for the Chicago Cubs last season and was pretty good. He managed to hit .282 with 3 home runs, 17 RBIs, and 13 runs scored in those 20 games.

Hoerner was taken 24th overall in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft. In the same draft, the White Sox took Madrigal with the fourth overall pick. Hoerner might know a little bit more about what to expect at the MLB level now but in a situation like this, you have to go with the player who has the higher ceiling.

The verdict: Nick Madrigal

Third Base

Kris Bryant vs Yoan Moncada

This one is probably the most controversial if you really dive into it. Kris Bryant is a superstar and a great baseball player. In just a few seasons, he has done everything there is to do in Major League Baseball. He was the rookie of the year, the MVP of the National League, and a World Series Champion. He is two seasons away from hitting free agency so that dominates any storyline surrounding him.

It is just easy to say that you would choose Bryant over Yoan Moncada but that might be wrong. It might be only one year but Yoan Moncada was better than Bryant in 2019. Moncada was a top-ten Major League hitter with his .315 batting average. He hit 25 home runs and had 79 RBIs as well. Bryant had a good average at .282 but it wasn’t even close to Moncada. Bryant had 31 home runs and 77 RBIs.

Moncada’s WAR was at 4.8 which outdid Bryant’s 3.7 in 2019 as well. Bryant has a more decorated career but it looks like Moncada is going to be the slightly better player going forward and he could potentially become one of the very best players in the world. It is hard to choose anyone in either organization over Moncada right now.

The verdict: Yoan Moncada

Shortstop

Tim Anderson vs Javier Baez

The White Sox have an elite hitter at the shortstop position. The Cubs also have an elite hitter at the shortstop position. Tim Anderson and Javier Baez each play the same position and are the most exciting player on each team. You can make the argument that they aren’t necessarily the best player on each team but they both make the case while being the most exciting player on their respective teams.

Tim Anderson needs work on his defensive game while Baez is an electric defensive shortstop. Tim Anderson won the Major League batting title with his .335 batting average in 2019. Baez hit .281 but he had 29 home runs and 85 RBIs. It was a solid year for both players. Winning the batting title was very impressive for Anderson and he should be proud. With that said, Baez had a better all-around year.

Baez had a remarkable 6.0 WAR in 2019. Anderson had a very good one with a 3.7 WAR but that isn’t even close to Javier Baez.  They are both very impressive players and the city is so lucky to have two stars like that who are just as entertaining as they are good. With that said, you have to go with the player who is more of an all-around star in this situation.

The verdict: Javier Baez

Right Field

Jason Heyward vs Nomar Mazara

The Chicago teams are not loaded at the right-field position. The Cubs paid a lot of money to sign Jason Heyward in free agency a few seasons ago but he has been a major disappointment. It isn’t a signing that gets a lot of hate because they won the World Series with Heyward in right. However, it is now a contract that has them handcuffed because of the amount of money he makes without much production.

The White Sox definitely don’t have a lot of great recent history at the position either. They tried to do something about it this last winter when they made a trade with the Texas Rangers for Nomar Mazara. He is the type of player that everyone thinks has lots of talent but has never reached his true potential. He can hit 20 home runs and be an average player but some believe he is capable of taking a big step.

If you had to pick one of these two players while ignoring their contracts, Heyward is the more experienced player that can bring more to the table. One thing that isn’t talked about enough is his ability to play defense. Heyward is a five-time gold glove award winner for his efforts in the field. With the fact that their offense can be similar, you have to go with the guy who brings a great glove to the position in the outfield.

The verdict: Jayson Heyward

Center Field

Luis Robert vs Albert Almora Jr./Ian Happ

Ian Happ and Albert Almora Jr. both could potentially be the Cubs starting centerfielder at any point this season. Happ is listed as the starting center fielder on their official depth chart but it is hard to see that being an everyday thing. The Cubs have two guys that can somewhat play the position at a competent level but they aren’t the two best options.

The White Sox, on the other hand, is very excited about their centerfielder. He hasn’t played a single game in Major League Baseball but everyone thinks he might go on to be one of the best players in the league. His name is Luis Robert. He is going to be the Sox’ Opening Day centerfielder and will have a chance to be an impact player.

Ian Happ only played in 58 games for the Cubs in 2019 but he still managed to have a WAR of 1.0. Oddly enough, Almora had a WAR of -1.0  so they had a combined WAR of 0.0. Together they were as good as Luis Robert who didn’t play a single game, according to WAR. It is pretty clear that the young kid with all of the potential in the world is the starting centerfielder of an all Chicago team.

The verdict: Luis Robert

Left Field

Eloy Jimenez vs Kyle Schwarber

Cubs fans already know what is coming for them here. This might be tough because they traded Eloy Jimenez to the Chicago White Sox so they can have Jose Quintana. Jimenez came to the MLB and was awesome pretty much right away. For the first few weeks of the 2019 season, he struggled with what MLB pitchers were doing with him but then he figured it out basically overnight.

Kyle Schwarber had a good year himself but it is hard to say it was as good as Eloy’s year. Schwarber did hit 38 home runs and had 92 RBIs which are impressive totals. Eloy hit 31 in his rookie year and had 79 RBIs to go with it. Jimenez’ totals are a bit less but he had 61 fewer at-bats and is still a rookie. Neither of these two players is all that good in the field. They both need some more work on their defensive game but they both can hit the ball really well.

Schwarber played in 33 more games than Jimenez so him having a 2.1 WAR to Jimenez’ 1.5 makes complete sense. Eloy had the better batting average in his first season as well so it is starting to become clear which team has the better left fielder going forward. Both of them are good players but it is rare for a hitter to be as polished in his first year as Jimenez was for the White Sox.

The verdict: Eloy Jimenez

Pitching

Rotation

Now imagine forming the best rotation and group of relievers out of these two rosters. An all Chicago all-star team would probably be a World Series contender as far as their starting lineup but how would their pitching be?  The chances are that the starting rotation and bullpen would also both be really good as well. These are two teams with playoff hopes now so combining them would really form a great team. The starting rotation would probably look like this:

Lucas Giolito

It is time. Lucas Giolito is currently the best starting pitcher in Chicago. He had a breakout year in 2019 which saw him be the sixth place finished for the Cy Young award. He had great stuff all season long and is only going to be better as the years go on. There are some studs in the White Sox organization looking to take the next step and you never know if any of them turn into superstars but Giolito will be at the top of the rotation for a long time. He would certainly be the ace of an all Chicago staff.

Yu Darvish

Yu Darvish was much better in 2019 than his first year with the Cubs. The Cubs made the odd decision to move on from Jake Arrieta so they can sign Darvish and right now it doesn’t look like the greatest move. Well, if Yu can have a good year in 2020, it would go a long way for the Cubs’ chances at the playoffs. There is no doubt that based on talent, he is one of the better pitchers in this city.

Dallas Keuchel

Dallas Keuchel still hasn’t played a single game for the White Sox. He signed with them as a free agent during the offseason. He will be looking to bring some of his experience to this young staff. It is unclear which Keuchel the White Sox will get but he is certainly an upgrade no matter what. He might not be the same cat that won the Cy Young in 2015 but he can still be very good now. He makes the all Chicago team as the number three starter.

Jon Lester

Jon Lester has been one of baseball’s best pitchers in the last decade or more. He is a three-time World Series champion so the experience is unparalleled. He is a world-class leader which would be good for any team looking to win. At 36 years old, he might not be the same exact dude that we once knew but he is still a good pitcher. He would come in as the number four guy for this all Chicago squad.

Kyle Hendricks

There might not be a more underrated pitcher in all of baseball than Kyle Hendricks. He is just always one of those guys who is always consistent. He doesn’t have the flare or electricity as some of these other guys but he is just a good solid pitcher. He makes the all Chicago team as the fifth starter despite the fact that he might be worthy of an even higher sport in the rotation.

Bullpen

The bullpen of this all Chicago team could go a bunch of different ways. There are still guys that are going to be battling for spots in each bullpen and nobody knows exactly how it is going to go. There is also the idea that starters that didn’t make the list above could be relief pitchers in this situation. Craig Kimbrel would likely make it from the Cubs if we were only taking relievers. Steve Cishek, Aaron Bummer, Evan Marshall, and Alex Colome would certainly make it from the White Sox side.

No matter how you look at this all-star Chicago team, it is clear that they would be very good. This city might have two good baseball teams for the first time in a long time. They both made the playoffs in 2008 and that was the last time. Obviously, it is more important for the White Sox to be good from our point of view so it is good to see this list mostly loaded with White Sox players.