Chicago White Sox: Three players who could be first time all-stars in 2021
Opening day for the Chicago White Sox and the rest of baseball is right around the corner. The winter is officially over and the weather is starting to get consistently nice. As a fan of this White Sox team, you can feel the excitement in the air.
It’s been a long offseason which had a little more drama than some would like to admit but baseball is about to be back in a big way on the southside. The Sox, for the first time in quite a while, is going to have some expectations to meet this year.
The days of playing for the future are over and it is now time for the present. This White Sox team is currently loaded with star power from top to bottom. They have a very good mix of veterans and young guys so fans are looking for some of these younger players to break out.
The Sox have quite a few guys who have made all-star games on the roster. To be fair, most of these guys made the all-star game while playing for another team but that’s not what we’re looking at today. This is looking at three first-time all-stars so let’s start out with number one.
Player #1: Eloy Jimenez
Eloy Jimenez is looking to make the first all-star game of his young White Sox career
Eloy Jimenez is without a doubt a fantastic piece of this Sox team. He has some truly elite skills at the plate and will only get better as time goes on. That being said, he is the least likely to make an all-star game this year because of his defense.
It’s no secret that the defense that Jimenez provides in the outfield is brutal. He doesn’t run very well and his field awareness is atrocious. For him to make the all-star team this season, he would need to really light up at the plate and he would need to at least be competent in the outfield.
The former is absolutely a possibility as Jimenez can easily be a 40 home run hitter with a ceiling of hitting around 50. It may be tough to make the team this upcoming season but he certainly has a chance.
Luis Robert should an all-star multiple times throughout his Chicago White Sox career
Player #2: Luis Robert
Luis Robert is being pegged as a superstar on this White Sox team. He’s a legitimate five-tool player and his career is just getting started. 2021 should be a big year for Robert as long as he can stay healthy.
Robert made his debut in the black and white last year and showed major promise. He got off to a great start in July and August but struggled mightily down the stretch and seemed to have the rookie wall. After hitting close to .300 through August, Robert hit .136 in September and October which brought his average down quite a bit.
However, this shouldn’t be an indictment on Robert’s overall play because he looked good in 2020. His defense is also great which could help his all-star dreams. The Sox use Robert as their centerfielder but he also is there to make up for the poor defense of Eloy.
Robert can truly do it all though. He can run, hit, field, and he even has the look of a superstar. For him to be an all-star this year he needs to be more consistent at the plate. With more time to grow in the big leagues, Robert should be the superstar he is being groomed to be.
The Chicago White Sox shortstop has a great chance of being an all-star this season.
Player #3: Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson is the player who is a most likely first-time all-star from this team. Anderson, in a way, has been all-star before. He was named an “unofficial all-star” in 2020. Unfortunately, this does not count towards an official award so he is included on this list.
Anderson is more than deserving to receive the award, as he has been one of the best players in Chicago over the last two years. While his teammate Jose Abreu won the MVP last year, Tim Anderson had his fair share of MVP recognition as well.
Anderson has been player of the month, batting champion, and won himself the Silver Slugger award in 2020. Making an all-star team in 2021 can happen if he can stay healthy for most of the season. Something else that can help his case is that Fransisco Lindor is now out of the American League.
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The AL has its fair share of stud shortstops but Anderson moves closer to the top with Lindor being traded to the Mets. If he can keep up his level of play that he has shown these last few years, an all-star appearance will be given to him. Similar to Eloy Jimenez, Anderson isn’t the best fielder in the world but his bat very much outweighs his fielding issues.