Three players who could be the GOAT in Chicago White Sox history
It is officially that time of year. The Chicago White Sox and the rest of Major League Baseball are only a few weeks away (as of now) from Spring Training. First, we are going to enjoy Super Bowl LV later tonight. Once the Super Bowl is over, we can all start to really feel like baseball is close but the big game is always fun too.
This year’s matchup is truly something special. It is the greatest of all time in Tom Brady against Patrick Mahomes, who could go on to have as good of a career if not better and become the GOAT himself. This game has a lot of things on the line as far as each player’s legacy.
Who is the GOAT in the history of the Chicago White Sox organization?
With all of this thought about GOATs, it makes you think about the Chicago White Sox and who has played for them. As of right now, of course, Frank Thomas is the White Sox GOAT. There are other studs in the conversation like Paul Konerko, Mark Buehrle, and Carlton Fisk amongst others but Thomas is the guy.
Are there any players on their current roster that could end up passing Thomas in terms of the team’s GOAT? It is certainly possible. This team has aspirations of winning the World Series and if any one of them is elite en route to multiple championships, they will be considered. The good thing for the White Sox is the fact that all of their core is really young and could have long careers as White Sox greats. These are the three players that have the best chance to become the greatest White Sox player ever:
Yoan Moncada. 10. player. 128. . 3B. Chicago White Sox
Everything the White Sox have done so far in their rebuild along with everything they are going to do starts and ends with the Chris Sale trade that went down on December 6th, 2016. That was the day where it was clear that the White Sox were stripping their roster down to the core in an attempt to build it back up the right way. Well, Yoan Moncada was the prized possession that was returned in that trade.
He came over as a second baseman and he was the number one prospect in all of baseball. He had a rough full rookie season but he was elite in 2019. Then in 2020, amidst a COVID-19 diagnosis and the pandemic going on around him, he struggled. The rest of the team was powerful around him so you can only imagine what they can do if he gets back to that 2019 level.
There are a lot of studs in this White Sox organization but in order to be considered the GOAT of a franchise, you need to be significantly better at one thing than everyone else like Frank Thomas was at hitting or you need to be so elite at many things. Moncada is one of those guys who can win a Gold Glove and be a top-ten hitter in the same year. If he does that for 10 years and the White Sox do a lot of winning, he could be considered the GOAT one day.
88. player. 128. . CF. Chicago White Sox. Luis Robert
People who are honest with themselves about Luis Robert might find themselves in a very happy spot if they cheer for the Chicago White Sox. It isn’t fair to compare anyone to the legend that is Mike Trout but Robert is a five-tool player just like him playing the same premier position of centerfield. He might never be the best baseball player ever lived like Trout but he can be one of the best players in the game. His talent is second to none in the White Sox organization.
Robert hit a rookie wall during the short 60 game sprint but he climbed out of it right in time for the playoffs. He came in second place for the rookie of the year and won the Gold Glove for center-field as a rookie (over Trout). It was a phenomenal rookie year for him and his 1.8 WAR proved it over the short season.
Robert was so good in 2020 and he didn’t even scratch the surface of his potential. We saw how Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez came out and played in their second year and that is scary when you think about Robert. If he does go on to be the best player (or one of the best) in the league over the span of around five years, he could end up elevating himself as the greatest player in White Sox history. Championships with him on the roster wouldn’t hurt his case either.
Lucas Giolito. 27. player. 128. . SP. Chicago White Sox
Of course, it is hard for a pitcher to become one of the greatest players in team history but if anyone can do it, Lucas Giolito is the guy on the active roster. Of course, guys like Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease have the stuff to get it done but Giolito is the young guy who has accomplished something on the field for a longer period of time.
In 2018, Lucas Giolito was statistically the worst starting pitcher in the league. That offseason, he put in the work to come out of the funk that he was in both mentally and physically. In 2019, he went from one of the worst to one of the best. He was so good that he was an American League All-Star and a sixth-place finisher for the Cy Young. It was one of the best turnarounds that any White Sox player has ever had.
Going into 2020, people wondered if Giolito would be able to keep it going. Well, instead of coming in sixth place for the American League Cy Young, he came in seventh. He also threw his first career no-hitter in a completely dominating fashion. Thinking about what he can do going forward is very exciting. If he continues to be the ace of this staff and they win a World Series or two, there is a chance he becomes known as the White Sox GOAT. At a minimum, he should be in the conversation for White Sox pitching GOAT.
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Hopefully, everyone reading this enjoys the Super Bowl and has a fun safe time doing it. This is a matchup so great that it can make other teams in other sports think about the best they have to offer because of the greatness that is going to be on display.