White Sox: 2 players who justified team’s faith, 1 who hasn’t
The Chicago White Sox is a phenomenal baseball team. They are truly one of the best teams in the American League right now. A lot of people outside of Chicago won’t give them the credit they deserve until they prove it a little bit more but there is an incredibly bright future ahead of them. They have a good offense and good defense which is what you need to be considered a World Series contender. In addition to that, the pitching has been phenomenal which might be the biggest key.
The Chicago White Sox is in a good spot as an organization right now.
They have also gotten to this point without two of their best players. Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez are both players that will be missing multiple months because of injury. When they return, they will be one of the most dangerous teams in the league because this pitching machine is adding two elite-run producers. The fact that they are in first place without these guys is a testament to their resolve and depth.
This rebuild has been hard. They moved some really good players in order to acquire young talent. There had to be many losing seasons in a row to get to this point but Rick Hahn deserves so much credit for putting this team together. There have been way more “hits” on prospects than “misses” which also comes with a little bit of luck.
There are two players, in particular, that have really lived up to the faith that the White Sox put in them so far. However, there is one that has failed to meet expectations and probably shouldn’t be with the team when they are fully healthy. These are the two players that deserve praise and the one that hasn’t lived up yet:
Justified: Carlos Rodon
Carlos Rodon has been one of the Chicago White Sox best pitchers in 2021.
Carlos Rodon just had a very good start against the Toronto Blue Jays. He only gave up one run in a high-pressure game that saw him face a very good Blue Jays lineup. He went out there and showed them his stuff. It was the kind of start that you can say he would have lost in previous years. This has been an incredible season for the White Sox former number three overall pick. He has rewarded the White Sox for putting faith in him when many wouldn’t.
The White Sox let him go after the 2020 season didn’t go well for him. They did, however, decide to bring him back later in the offseason. It was a move that annoyed some people because it felt like the cheap option but it is paying off. He has been incredible this season and should be in the All-Star Game for the American League.
Rodon, after his nice performance against the Jays, has a 5-2 record. He has 59.2 innings over 10 games played where he has 88 strikeouts, a 1.96 ERA, and a 0.89 WHIP. It has been a great season so far for him as he tries to keep it going. The White Sox and Rodon are forever going to be thankful that they stayed loyal to each other.
Justified: Liam Hendriks
Liam Hendriks has been an incredible closer for the Chicago White Sox this season.
The Chicago White Sox allowed Alex Colome to walk this past offseason in favor of Liam Hendriks. Some people didn’t like the idea but Hendriks is worlds better than Colome. In fact, he is worlds better than pretty much every closer on the planet. They gave him a lot of money to get the job done for them and he has been worth every penny. Things started out a little rough but it has gotten better quickly.
He was the best reliever in baseball in two years with the Oakland A’s and looks to be back to it with the White Sox. He closed out another victory for the White Sox yesterday. It wasn’t a save opportunity but he shut the door to get the White Sox the win in a nail-biter. They are hoping they use him successfully in many more high leverage situations as the season goes along.
Hendriks has now appeared in 27 games for the White Sox. He has a 1.78 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP over 25.1 innings pitched in those 27 games. His 40 strikeouts to only three walks is a remarkable number. The White Sox feels very good about baseball games when he comes in with the lead. It will be really nice once playoff time rolls around. They put a lot of faith in this guy coming from another organization and he has justified it.
Not justified: Leury Garcia
You know the Chicago White Sox are in a good spot if Leury Garcia is the weakest link.
Leury Garcia is the longest-tenured player on the Chicago White Sox. He has been there through thin and thick. Unfortunately, it is clear that he is currently the weakest link right now. Out of everyone on the current roster, injured or not, he is the one who is the most deserving of a DFA when the team gets fully healthy. The only reason that might not happen is that he has the ability to play every position on defense. Outside of that, he is the one who hasn’t really justified the team’s faith in him.
Let’s be clear about something, the White Sox are a deep organization. Most teams would be happy to say that a player like this is their worst player. Fortunately, they are going to get even better when Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert return from injury. That may be when rosters are extended anyway so you never know what happens.
If Garcia stays all season long, it won’t be too bad but if someone on the roster is “unjustified”, he is at the top of the list. He is a nice bench piece but the fact that he has had to play a lot this season might be the reason that he makes this list in this spot. It would be really nice to see him figure something out and become a bigger contributor down the stretch.
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The White Sox are a very good team. The hope is that by the time we get to October, everyone there plays their role to the best of their ability. That will make everything the team has done since they began the rebuild justified.