Chicago White Sox: This is the perfect playoff pitching rotation
The Chicago White Sox has outstanding pitching. They believe that they have what they need in order to win the World Series this year. Their window is freshly open right now but they want to do their best every year to get it done starting now.
They have some outstanding offensive players that can score a lot of runs. There is a “big six” in the batting order which includes Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, Eloy Jimenez, and Yoan Moncada.
Those guys are supplemented by some great depth players (and maybe more than that) like Gavin Sheets, Adam Engel, Leury Garcia, Cesar Hernandez, and Andrew Vaughn amongst others. It is going to be important for those guys to be there and come up just as big in the postseason.
However, the key to the 2021 White Sox has been their pitching. The bullpen is outstanding with studs like Michael Kopech, Liam Hendriks, Craig Kimbrel, Reynaldo Lopez, Aaron Bummer, and Garrett Crochet amongst others. When the starters get it to the bullpen with a lead, they have done a great job holding it for the win.
The Chicago White Sox needs their starters to be elite in the 2021 playoffs.
Speaking of the starters, the White Sox have some really good ones. Lopez and Kopech have made some starts this season but they weren’t part of the five-man rotation that was used for most of the year. Going into the playoffs, it is likely to drop down to a four-man rotation. With that in mind, what should it look like? This is the perfect playoff rotation:
The Chicago White Sox has an outstanding rotation going into the 2021 playoffs.
1. Lucas Giolito
Going into the second half of the season, there was an argument to be made that Lucas Giolito should be the number three or four in the playoffs. However, he has pitched so well in this second half that he should be the game one starter. He has already proven (2020) that he can be in a game one playoff starter role and dominate while doing it.
2. Lance Lynn
Lance Lynn has had the best season of any White Sox pitcher. He has been a bit more consistent than some of the others around him. He has a great case to be the game one starter as well but it would be better to have him ready for game two. He has dealt with an injury in the second half but he seems like he is ready to attack the playoffs now.
3. Dylan Cease
Dylan Cease leads the White Sox in strikeouts. He has been magnificent all season long. We knew he would reach this ceiling eventually and now he is there. Just like every other White Sox pitcher mentioned so far, he has a case to be the game one starter as well. He has been great at home which makes him an awesome candidate to be the third starter of the series.
4. Carlos Rodon
Carlos Rodon, you guessed it, also has a compelling case to be a game one starter. That is if he was not dealing with the arm soreness that he has been for a couple of months now. He had a start this week to make sure he is okay to pitch in the playoffs. He was great and should be there ready to go. However, making sure he has enough rest makes him the perfect game-four guy.
Some tough decisions are coming from the Chicago White Sox on their roster.
With Giolito, Cease, Lynn, and Rodon as the four pitchers slated to be the starters, that leaves Dallas Keuchel as the odd man out. Dallas Keuchel has had a tough season but this man deserves some respect. He is a former World Series champion and Cy Young Award winner. He has the ability to help a baseball team win games in more ways than one.
Keuchel deserves to make the postseason roster. He will be useful as someone who can make a start if someone can’t pitch or come in from the bullpen. Either way, he is a good pitcher to have available if needed. With the rotation set like this, it also probably means that Lopez and Kopech are bullpen guys as well.
Pitching is incredibly important in today’s game. If you don’t have it in high doses, you are not going to make it very far. The White Sox has great pitching and a manager in Tony La Russa that is capable of managing it properly.
Obviously, Cease, Giolito, and Lynn can go in any order but the one listed above makes the most sense based on how things have been going recently. All four of these guys can be the guy to start things off but they all have an equal say in the White Sox making a deep run. If the bullpen holds up, they should have a pitching matchup against anyone. We need all of them to remain as healthy as possible, regardless of what order they go in.
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