Chicago White Sox: Hitting home runs has really helped the offense

It wasn’t long ago that the Chicago White Sox were one of the worst teams in the Majors at producing the long ball.  The team’s offensive success was coming from their ability to get guys on base and produce timely hits with runners in scoring position.

While the Southsiders can still play small-ball with success, a recent power surge has added another dimension to the offense which can provide huge dividends. Considering they are in the conversation for winning the World Series, adding another way to score really improves their chances to do just that.

Prior to the All-Star break, the White Sox were 24th in the league with 92 home runs while the San Francisco Giants were atop the mountain with 132.  Their high water mark for homers in a month was May when they hit 30, tying them for 18th during that period with the Baltimore Orioles.

However, things started to turn around.  The White Sox belted 36 during the month of July, tying them with the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays for 8th in the majors. Their production has carried into August where they lead everyone with 23.

The Chicago White Sox need to keep hitting lots of home runs to help their offense.

Over the last 30 days, the White Sox are tied with the Cincinnati Reds atop the majors with 45 homers. Jose Abreu leads the team with 23 homers, yet eight of those have come during the second half of the season.

More impressive has been shortstop Tim Anderson who has drilled seven of his 13 homers here in the second half. Yoan Moncada has already matched his first-half output by hitting five and Seby Zavala has all four of his homers post-break.

What may have added the biggest boost to the lineup has been the return of Eloy Jimenez. Since returning to the lineup after missing 99 games due to a left pectoral injury suffered in spring training, the power-hitting left fielder has six homers to go along with 17 RBI and a .306 batting average.

The team seems to have found its home run groove.  Leading up to their recent one-to-nothing loss to the Minnesota Twins, the White Sox homered in 11 straight games. In their next game, the Field of Dreams victory over the New York Yankees, the Sox blasted four homers. 110 of their 137 homers have come in wins this year.

The White Sox’s ability to now use the long ball, while also be able to manufacture runs when needed, gives them an added dimension to their offense that other teams don’t have. The White Sox are 19th in baseball with a 1.18 home run per game average, yet they are 20 games over .500 and lead their division by 11 games. Adding home run power to the lineup is a luxury the White Sox gladly will welcome.