The Chicago White Sox are going to have a big advantage in 2020 because they have a good bullpen which should make a difference in a season like this.
Right now, we’re talking bullpens. The Chicago White Sox has the potential to have a great bullpen in 2020 which could increase their chances of being a playoff team even more. There are teams with way worse bullpens that expect to be in the playoffs like say, for example, the Chicago Cubs. In a short 60 game season, the ability to close out games is going to be extremely important.
Any game blown is going to feel like a major loss because with only 60 on the slate, each one is magnified that much more. Every win could make or break your season and a slump can sink your chances at the playoffs quickly. Bullpen pitching has become so much more important over the past ten years and this year it is going to be that times ten.
With that, the White Sox should be pretty good in that department. When they have a lead in the 7th, 8th, or 9th inning, we can be pretty confident that they will seal the deal. Their offense is awesome so they should provide the pen with plenty of leads and if they can live up to expectations, there should be plenty of wins coming our way.
Ahead of 2019, the White Sox made a great decision to bring in Alex Colome. He was awesome for the White Sox last season as he had 30 saves on a mediocre (at best) baseball team. Surround him with more talent and we could be talking about one of the most efficient closers in all of baseball. We are not worried once the White Sox get to the 9th with a lead because of Colome. He may blow a game or two but realistically, every closer will do that. The White Sox should be thrilled to have Colome here going forward.
There are also plenty of really good relievers earlier in the bullpen to set up Colome. If the starters can exit the game with a lead, we should be pretty confident in Steve Cishek, Aaron Bummer, and Evan Marshall amongst others to get the job done. This is a unit that can secure some wins with regularity.
The name that sticks out the most right now is Aaron Bummer. He was anything but a bummer in 2019 and he looked to be picking up right where he left off before Spring Training was canceled. Now, the White Sox need him to get right back at it over these 60 games. It is a shame the 2020 Spring Training was canceled for him because he looked so dominant. It is up to him to not let that shake him.
With the shortened schedule, you wonder how the managers are going to handle their pitchers going in the bullpen. You would figure that they are going to stay fresher longer so why not use them as much as you can? The White Sox want to be a playoff team this year so they might as well put their best foot forward as long as everyone stays healthy. This unit is going to be a huge advantage for the Sox this season.