Chicago White Sox: 2021 could be a big year for Reynaldo Lopez
The Chicago White Sox need to see a lot from Reynaldo Lopez in 2021.
The Chicago White Sox have an interesting scenario with Reynaldo Lopez. He had a very good season in 2018 but 2019 was awful for the most part. 2020 was tough as well but he did have some good moments. His stats, however, were pretty bad so the few good games he did have near the end don’t really help that much. The White Sox are probably going to decide what to do with him based on the way he plays in 2021.
Lopez always started games off well. The issue, a good amount of the time, seemed to be when hitters started to face him twice. That is an issue that can be masked by changing him from a starter to a bullpen piece. If he moved to the White Sox bullpen in 2021 and was effective, their bullpen would be even better than it is projected to be.
With studs like Aaron Bummer and Evan Marshall at the back of the bullpen, having someone like Reynaldo Lopez join Matt Foster and Codi Heuer at the front of it would be nice. They are still looking for a full-time closer to round it all out but adding a good Lopez to that group would be nice to see.
There might also be a crowd at the bottom of the rotation. We know that Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, and Lance Lynn are going to be the top three. That leaves the final two spots for Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez, and maybe Garrett Crochet. If Lopez wants to succeed with the White Sox, he might be best suited for a bullpen role now but you never know what happens.
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One thing that you can be fairly certain about is that 2021 is a huge year for Lopez’s career. If he is bad in whatever role he is given, 2022 might see him in the minors or with another organization. He needs to come out and be noticeably good to stick with this team. It isn’t like it was when he first arrived because they have been stockpiling talent ever since. People have come in and passed him by on the organizational depth chart. Hopefully, he is able to be a part of a White Sox World Series run.