Chicago White Sox: Three players who will break out
The Chicago White Sox were destined to field a very competitive team in 2020 before the season was delayed. Once the season starts, though, these three players breakout seasons will catapult them into contention.
The Chicago White Sox came into the 2020 season with a lot of high hopes after a phenomenal offseason that saw them bring in Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel, Edwin Encarnacion, and others.
They also did a great job locking up many of their core players, making sure this team is set to compete over the long haul and has a wide window of opportunity.
However, this season was still supposed to be a big deal for the Chicago White Sox, aside from the fact this team was going to actually give fans in the South Side a talented team to root for.
This season was also supposed to be one in which many of their young players broke out and established themselves as MLB regulars.
When the 2020 season does actually start, that will still happen as there really is no reason to think they are at any more of a disadvantage of doing so than anyone else.
In 2020, expect these three players to make a name for themselves and break out.
128. . LF. Chicago White Sox. Eloy Jimenez. 1. player
Eloy Jimenez is by no means a shocker to end up on this list given I had previously expected him to have a strong 2020 season after a nice finish to his 2019 season.
Jimenez, 23, looked like he very well could be on his way to becoming a star in the final months of last season and there’s no reason to believe he’s going to be slowed down this year just because it starts a few months later than expected.
The left fielder also worked to improve his defense in the offseason, making him potentially a much better all-around player, not just a vital cog in the lineup. His -11 DRS and -5.1 UZR in 2019 were certainly alarming (FanGraphs).
If the Chicago White Sox want any chance of being competitive in 2020, Jimenez is going to be playing a major role for the team.
Part of what is required for this organization to be successful both now and in the long run is their younger players developing into stars.
Jimenez has all the talent to do that and the organization’s decision to extend him before the start of last season exemplifies their belief in him as well.
There’s every reason to believe Jimenez is on his way to becoming one of the most feared players in the sport.
player. 128. . SP. Chicago White Sox. Dylan Cease . 2
Dylan Cease was very unimpressive in his first showing at the major league level in 2019 as he registered a 5.79 ERA, 5.19 FIP, 1.548 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, and 4.3 BB/9.
Nonetheless, Cease did have a strong month of September for the team and managed to secure a starting rotation spot for the 2020 season.
When it begins, he will likely be the most vulnerable for a demotion if the team were to acquire another starter and/or Michael Kopech impresses in the minors.
However, there’s absolutely no reason to believe that Cease in any jeopardy of losing his spot anytime soon and this could actually prove to be a breakout year for the 24-year-old.
His stuff is great, barely missing 100 MPH on his fastball at its peak, giving him the type of velocity that can miss bats.
That was clearly evidenced by his strikeout rate and someone of his age should not see a decline in that this early on.
Cease’s walk rate was a little higher than desired, but it wasn’t at a level where it would be concerning over the long haul.
In fact, his walk rate would suggest he’s about an adjustment or two away from turning into the pitcher the organization hoped they were getting when they acquired him along with Jimenez in exchange for Jose Quintana.
128. . CF. Chicago White Sox. Luis Robert. 3. player
Last on this list, and arguably the most important of the three players to break out, is Luis Robert.
This isn’t necessarily surprising over the long haul that he’s on this list, as he’s arguably going to be the face fo the franchise if he lives up to his potential, but it could be a little surprising right now.
Given the fact that he will be entering his rookie season, many would hope for him to just get his feet wet in 2020.
That is a reasonable expectation, but for the Chicago White Sox to have a legitimate shot at contention, they really need him to be more than that.
As I highlighted in a piece about crucial role players, the Chicago White Sox depth chart is somewhat contingent on everything going perfectly to plan early on.
If Robert were to struggle or even need a demotion, the dominos start falling in a bad direction.
That is only talking about the reflection of that type of an issue on the depth chart, also.
In practice, their lineup looks a lot weaker if he’s just a middle-of-the-road player in his first season at the big league level.
Does he have to become a star right away? Absolutely not, and putting that sort of pressure on him would be unfair.
However, I personally believe that it is very reasonable to think he could flash all five of his tools throughout the year and at least exemplify why he’s the third-best prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline.
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The Chicago White Sox will need to hope all three of these players break out in 2020 as they are all vital components of this team’s future success.