We have finally made it! The Chicago White Sox season is upon us! They get going tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Angels. It is one of the most anticipated White Sox seasons in the history of the team. There is a lot of talent around that is expecting to win a lot of baseball games. This organization has come a long way since beginning the rebuild and now they are looking to take advantage. Now that their official roster is out, the season is ready to begin.
The Chicago White Sox roster makes it clear that people should be excited.
Rotation:
- Lucas Giolito
- Dallas Keuchel
- Lance Lynn
- Dylan Cease
- Carlos Rodon
That is a rotation that can win the division. The big three are all Cy Young level guys and Dylan Cease has elite talent. Cease was one of the biggest question marks going into the season because we all knew he had the talent but he just needed to command it. He was brilliant all spring long and looks poised to have a breakout season. As for Rodon, he beat out Reynaldo Lopez for that job as the fifth starter. It should be interesting to see how he handles that job.
Bullpen
- Liam Hendricks
- Aaron Bummer
- Evan Marshall
- Codi Heuer
- Matt Foster
- Garrett Crochet
- Michael Kopech
- Jose Ruiz
The White Sox bullpen is unbelievable right now. Liam Hendricks is the brand new closer after the departure of Alex Colome and it is a big upgrade. The interesting part about this bullpen is Garrett Crochet and Michael Kopech being a part of it. The flame-throwing starters are going to begin their careers in the bullpen which makes it even more lethal.
The lesser-known names like Codi Heuer, Matt Foster, and Jose Ruiz are certainly going to make people learn their names as the season goes along. Evan Marshall and Aaron Bummer are starting to get recognized a little bit more for being insanely good. In the case of Bummer, he might be one of the best relievers in the MLB along with Hendriks. It is a good group that should help preserve most leads.
Catchers:
- Yasmani Grandal
- Zack Collins
- Yermin Mercedes
Yasmani Grandal is a top-three catcher every year. There have also been many years where he was straight up the best catcher in the league. The White Sox are lucky to have a guy like that as their primary backstop. Zack Collins had an incredible spring and looks like he could be the impact guy they thought he would be when they drafted him. As for Yermin Mercedes, it is so cool to see him make the team after many years of grinding.
Infield:
- Jose Abreu
- Nick Madrigal
- Tim Anderson
- Yoan Moncada
- Jake Lamb
The Chicago White Sox, when healthy, has one of the best infields in the game of baseball. Moncada and Madrigal are all capable of winning the Gold Glove Award in the field and are tremendous hitters. Both Anderson and Abreu are MVP caliber players as of right now and Moncada might join them soon. It is a really solid group.
It is really surprising that Danny Mendick didn’t make the final cut for Opening Day. They signed Jake Lamb really late and he made it over Mendick. This isn’t a slight on Lamb because he hasn’t been there very long but Mendick was a Gold Glove nominee last season as a backup. Hopefully, that move is one that works out well.
Outfield:
- Luis Robert
- Adam Eaton
- Leury Garcia
- Andrew Vaughn
- Billy Hamilton
It is really cool to see that Billy Hamilton’s hard work has paid off. Eloy Jimenez’s injury is a devastating one to the Chicago White Sox organziation but he will be back. It is cool to see Hamilton getting his chance as a result of that and the Adam Engel injury. Andrew Vaughn is probably going to start the year playing left field in his place which is something nobody saw coming.
Luis Robert has the potential to be one of the best players in baseball so they are set in centerfield. Adam Eaton was signed to play right field and Leury Garcia is one of the team’s top utility players. As long as this group holds up until Jimenez and Engel are back, they will be just fine.
This is one of the best rosters in the American League. They have the potential to do great things if they survive a few injuires and all come together. There are above average players at every position which is something that every team strives for. Hopefully, this group is as good on the field as they are on paper.