Chicago White Sox: This is the perfect healthy playoff lineup

The Chicago White Sox is a very good baseball team. They have a double-digit lead in the American League Central Division. They win games in different ways but their mostly injured offense has supplemented their elite pitching just enough for most of the season.

Now, the offense is starting to catch up thanks to the health of some consequential players. There are some things still left to be worked out with injuries but they should be in good shape by the playoffs.

The question isn’t really whether or not the White Sox will win the division anymore. It is more about what their seed will be in the American League. With teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros all playing very well, it should be a tight race for that down the stretch.

The pitching is going to be the biggest key to the postseason. They are hoping that their starting rotation of Carlos Rodon, Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, and Dallas Keuchel can be good enough. They might use Keuchel as a bullpen piece and a four-man rotation but that is okay. He would join guys like Liam Hendriks, Craig Kimbrel, Michael Kopech, Aaron Bummer, Ryan Tepera, and Garrett Crochet amongst others.

The Chicago White Sox needs their offense to be at its best when they reach the playoffs.

If they all pitch the way that they have so far this season, the White Sox will be in good shape. They do, however, need their batting order to come through as well. If that happens, there is no doubt that they can win the World Series.

If they are going to get the most out of this group, they will need to make sure that they are put in a position to succeed. There are some parts of their lineup that are a lock but there are certainly some interchangeable parts. This is the perfect healthy playoff lineup:

Tim Anderson is the most perfect leadoff man for the 2021 Chicago White Sox.

Not many teams in baseball have their leadoff spot more solidified than the Chicago White Sox. Tim Anderson has emerged as one of the faces of baseball and rightfully so. His personality and ability have allowed that to be the case. Leading off for the White Sox is the perfect role for him offensively and he has not disappointed. In fact, he is now one of the most prolific contact hitters in the sport.

Anderson continues to get better in the field at shortstop each season which is nice as well. Being at or above .300 for his batting average is a constant these days as well. A batting title is already on his shelf and nobody should be surprised if he adds more over his career. His ability to reach base and become a threat on the base pads is also something that has really helped the White Sox out.

With some of the power that comes up behind him, it makes him in this leadoff role even better. He is perfect to set the tone for the rest of the game. Every now and again, he will show some power as well which is just a cherry on top. His walk-off home run in the Field of Dreams game was the perfect example of that. There have been a fair amount of times where the White Sox start games off 1-0 thanks to Tim as well. There is nobody more perfect for the leadoff man role going into the postseason.

By the postseason, Luis Robert should be batting second for the Chicago White Sox.

Luis Robert has had a very good start to his Major League career. However, there isn’t a clear spot to put him in the lineup. He is the definition of a five-tool player. He can hit for power, contact, and everything in between. Coming back from injury, the seventh spot in the lineup has been commonplace for him but it doesn’t feel right. On most days, there is a chance that he is the team’s best or second-best hitter.

You would certainly get the most out of him in the two-spot. Hitting second has become one of the more important spots in the lineup as of recent years. There is a lot that comes with batting right after Tim Anderson and Robert can do it. He is also perfect to have at the plate right before the pure power comes up to hit. He should see the best pitches in this spot and he should also see the best opportunity to drive in runs.

We have seen what he can do in the role of the seventh hitter. Imagine if he was bumped up to the two-spot where there was an extra at-bat in the game on most nights or more opportunity to be a difference-maker on the scoreboard. The best all-around hitter on a team can absolutely bat second and Luis Robert is that guy right now.

The Chicago White Sox needs to get the most out of Yoan Moncada in the playoffs.

Yoan Moncada is a Gold Glove-caliber defensive third baseman. We also know what he is capable of when he is on his game offensively. For a few weeks now, he has been slumping with his bat but it certainly hasn’t been as bad as some people make it out to seem. He is very good at reaching base and is a threat to score every time he is on the base pads. However, most of his slump has come while batting in different spots in the order.

His numbers while batting third, oddly enough, are elite. They resemble the MVP-type numbers that he had in 2019 which many consider his breakout season. It is certain that having some power bats protecting him in the lineup makes things very easy on him. When he is going well, there is really no stopping this offensive lineup. If Yoan Moncada is hitting at an elite pace, they should be World Series favorites in everyone’s mind.

Some people might want Yoan batting lower in the lineup but it would make the most sense to put him where he feels the most comfortable because you know how everyone else is going to play around him. His power is great at times but his ability to hit for contact is very good as well. With that speed, he would be a great number-three hitter.

The Chicago White Sox’s best run producer has been Jose Abreu for years.

There are many great run producers on the Chicago White Sox these days but Jose Abreu’s numbers speak for themselves. He is in the RBI title race again this year and if he wins it, it will be his third season in a row doing so. That is why batting cleanup would be perfect for the White Sox in the playoffs. He may bat third as well depending on what they do with Yoan Moncada but hitting fourth certainly seems logical.

With all of those on-base specialists ahead of him in the order, there are going to be plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. Nobody likes doing that in the league more than Jose Abreu. Not only does he enjoy it, but he also thrives in that role. Somehow, the pressure of hitting with runners in scoring position makes Abreu a better baseball player.

There is also the power side of things. Jose Abreu might be the second-best home run hitter on the team right now but he is still an elite home run hitter. Even during his little slump earlier in the year he still found ways to crack home runs every now and again. Now that he is hitting all over the place with the home runs sprinkled in, the White Sox offense is as dangerous as ever. Abreu is perfect for the heart of any order.

Eloy Jimenez is the most important hitter on the Chicago White Sox right now.

Eloy Jimenez is the most important hitter in this lineup. When he is at his best, he is a mix of Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, and Jose Abreu as a hitter. He can do it all with that bat. Missing him for the first 99 games of the season was absolutely devastating. The fact that they had a huge lead in the division without him is a minor miracle. His impact on the offense since his return has been more than noticeable.

So why bat him fifth instead of third or fourth? Well, Jimenez would mash if he was batting ninth which is a testament to how lethal he is. Having Moncada bat third because of his splits is worth dropping Eloy down a spot. He is better-served batting right behind Abreu because it allows Abreu to be more protected. The numbers show that having someone as lethal as Eloy Jimenez bat behind him has really helped Jose Abreu.

Don’t be surprised if Eloy Jimenez goes on to break all sorts of White Sox offensive records. He is one of the best young hitters that they have ever had. With a whole prime career ahead of him, White Sox fans should be really excited. Having him healthy and ready to go into the playoffs is extremely important and he sure looks good in the middle of this lineup.

Getting Yasmani Grandal is going to be so great for the Chicago White Sox.

Yasmani Grandal getting hurt earlier in the season felt like the beginning of the end for the 2021 Chicago White Sox. They were already down Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert and you know how elite those guys are. Grandal was doing his part in carrying this team offensively in their absence and was doing a great job behind the plate. Luckily, Seby Zavala was able to come in and do a really good job with all things considered.

Now, Zavala has earned a spot on the team going forward but Grandal is going to take over again as the number one guy. Zavala will be the backup and still should get some time as well to close out the regular season. The White Sox will give Grandal days off down the stretch and they will also use him as a DH or first base to give his knees a rest if they want his bat still. However, by the time the playoffs roll around, he will be the number one catcher.

Batting sixth is a good spot for him. He could hit higher but with Robert and Jimenez back, sixth is a good spot. He is an on-base machine which is nice for the guys hitting behind him and he is also a huge power bat that can take advantage of those hitting ahead of him.

It is an unconventional spot for him but the White Sox are so deep that they are going to have an unconventional lineup in general. He pretty much completes the healthy playoff lineup being ready if they can actually stay healthy going forward.

Andrew Vaugh has been a very great rookie for the Chicago White Sox in 2021.

We mentioned how great the lineup is when someone like Cesar Hernandez is batting seventh. Well, you know your lineup is World Series caliber when Andrew Vaughn is in the bottom half at all. On most teams, Andrew Vaughn can bat third or fourth. There is a chance that when he reaches his prime, he will be an Eloy Jimenez, Jose Abreu, or Luis Robert level hitter. He is getting close to that now in his rookie season.

The only reason that he would be batting eight here is the depth on the team and somebody has to bat eighth. It could be seen as a second cleanup guy with guys like Hernandez, Grandal, and Jimenez directly ahead of him. With little to no Minor League ball, this kid has impressed so much. Don’t be surprised if he finishes in the top three for American League Rookie of the Year.

We know Andrew Vaughn is going to hit in the playoffs. The only question is his status as a position player. In Eloy’s absence, he learned to play left field and he is so good at it. However, Jimenez might need to play left field in order to be as effective of a hitter. Andrew Vaughn can hit no matter what so being a DH might be the best option for him in the playoffs.

Adam Engel is the perfect player to be the nine-hitter for the Chicago White Sox.

The Chicago White Sox has turned Adam Engel into a very great five-tool player. His only issue is that he has trouble staying healthy. He has been on the injured list three times this season and the third one is active. He is going to come back before the playoffs which is nice and he should be batting ninth and playing right field when he comes back. He gives this lineup so much and he deserves credit for doing so.

He isn’t a superstar or anything like that but he has the ability to hit for power and contact at a fairly decent clip. With the top of the order of Tim Anderson and Luis Robert coming after him to bat, he could end up being very dangerous in this role.

Brian Goodwin and Billy Hamilton also deserve some love in the role of right field. Hamilton is also on the IL right now but he will be back soon enough and make a perfect speed/defensive replacement guy. As for Goodwin, he has shown that he could be a really good hitter as well. Out of them all, however, Engel deserves to be the guy once the postseason begins.

As you can see, this is an incredible White Sox lineup. They have very good players hitting in the bottom third of the group on most days. With the pitching that they have, this lineup should be able to help them win a lot of games this postseason. Hopefully, they are able to take it very deep into the Fall.