Chicago White Sox: 3 reasons they will win the World Series
The Chicago White Sox was magnificent in 2021. They went in with lofty expectations after turning the corner in 2020. They didn’t make it far in the 2020 postseason but they were clearly a young team on the rise. They are still on the rise as they are very young but they took an even bigger step this year.
Unfortunately, the White Sox dealt with a lot of injuries this year. A lot of teams did for whatever reason but the White Sox had injuries to extremely consequential players. They battled through it all season long and managed to come out as the American League Central Division champions. It was a long hard season but they did it.
This is the first time that the White Sox won the division since 2008. It was also the first time in franchise history that they clinched a berth in the playoffs for the second year in a row. It has been a long time coming but this team is ready for postseason competition.
They have been so far ahead of the second-place Cleveland Indians for so long so it will be interesting to see them play in high-intensity games again. Their first-round matchup is going to be against the Houston Astros which is a very tough team to start with. However, they have what it takes to do it.
The Chicago White Sox have as good of a chance as anyone to win the World Series.
It seems to be the type of team that could win the World Series or loses in the first round and nobody would be surprised at either outcome. They are a very good team with a lot of talent all over the place. If all three of these things happen for this squad, they will win the World Series:
1. Tony La Russa
Tony La Russa was hired to help the Chicago White Sox win postseason games.
The Chicago White Sox is an incredibly talented baseball team right now. They have superstars everywhere you look. Any manager that was hired would take them to the playoffs with relative ease. Even Rick Renteria got this group to the postseason and they weren’t even as talented as they are now. However, they hired someone like Tony La Russa because of his playoff resume.
This is a man who has won the World Series three times in his career and made plenty of other deep runs. He is hoping to do that again with the White Sox. It is up to him to make sure that the team is ready to play every game and puts them in a position to succeed. The batting order needs to be perfect and they have to handle the pitching the right way.
There was a lot of controversy around his hiring. He had some DUI trouble earlier in 2020 and he has been away from the game for a long time. Then, once the season began, it was clear that there was some bad communication between him and the team which led to some bad storylines. However, once he started to get a better feel for his team, it was clear that he is doing a good job. Now, he is going to try and do what they really wanted him for and that is to win a World Series.
2. They have an elite offense
The Chicago White Sox need their best hitters to explode in the postseason.
The Chicago White Sox took a big hit this season when they lost Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez very early in the season. It got even worse when they lost Yasmani Grandal a little bit later. Now, everybody is back and ready to go for the playoffs.
Robert, Grandal, and Jimenez join Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu, and Tim Anderson as the big six. The team only has one loss all season long when those guys are all in the lineup at the same time. They can score runs and they can score runs in the right moments.
To supplement those guys are guys like Andrew Vaughn, Adam Engel, Cesar Hernandez, Gavin Sheets, Billy Hamilton, Leury Garcia, and Zack Collins. We don’t know who will miss the roster on a round by round basis but that is a good problem to have. They are going to need lots of runs from these guys to make some noise in these playoffs.
We know that the top six in the lineup will be so good and that the next three need to step up. This feels like a year where in order to win the World Series, the White Sox will need an unlikely hero at some point.
A great candidate for that is Gavin Sheets as he provides power from the left side. Billy Hamilton will also make a great speed threat on the offensive side of things. It will be a lot of fun to watch this group hit in high leverage situations.
3. Their pitching is World Series caliber
The Chicago White Sox have an elite pitching staff which will help them in the playoffs.
The Chicago White Sox is a team with an outstanding pitching staff. There are no holes in the group if they are used right. Of course, some players are better than others but when correcryl aligned, this is a group that can win the World Series.
It all begins with the starters. During most of the regular season, the starting five were Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease, and Carlos Rodon. As a group, they were fantastic. However, Keuchel started to get worse and worse as the year went on. It is all but official now that he is the odd man out when it becomes a four-man playoff rotation.
We don’t know if he will make the roster or not. If he does, it will be as a member of the bullpen. Speaking of the bullpen, the White Sox are also so set in that area too. With names like Liam Hendriks, Craig Kimbrel, Michael Kopech, Aaron Bumer, Ryan Tepera, and Garrett Crochet, it is hard to worry about them if they have a lead late in games.
Hendriks is one of the best closers in the game. With Kopech and Kimbrel, it is a very nice late inning trio. Kopech is also very capable of making a start if that is deemed necessary. Reynaldo Lopez is also a part of this group as someone who can start or make a relief appearance. Either way, they have many players who can fill multiple roles.
We will find out the order of the rotation soon. We will also find out soon if Carlos Rodon will be healthy enough to pitch in the playoffs. He was good in his last outing but nothing seems to be sure right now. It will be a game changer if he is good to go because he is so good.
Winning the World Series is the main goal for every team but the White Sox have a chance to do it right now. It has been a lot of fun to watch this team this season but now it is time for them to get serious. This team is so good and if all of these things happen, they will do it.
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