Chicago White Sox: 3 players the team should try to keep
The Chicago White Sox had a very successful season in 2021. There were a lot of great moments that led to a 93-69 record and one of the most successful seasons in the history of the franchise. They didn’t get it done against the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series but there are many more great years ahead.
The good year didn’t come without adversity, however. They lost many great players to long-term injuries throughout the year. They needed some players to step up that you wouldn’t normally expect to step up and they did. A lot of teams would have fallen off if 3 of their five best players went down for multiple months at a time at the same time.
Not the Chicago White Sox. Instead, the players that were in the lineup played as well as you could have asked them to. A lot of the team went above and beyond. Even the coach, Tony La Russa, made the best of the situation that he was put in this season. It wasn’t without mistakes but it was a really good year.
Now, there are some changes that are going to be made. The White Sox are surely going to try and make the upgrades needed at certain positions so that they can give themselves an even better chance next year.
The Chicago White Sox has some players that they need to make sure are back.
One thing that they can do is bring back some players that are not guaranteed to be back. Of course, there are some players that are worth letting go but there are also some worth bringing back to try and help them win. These are the three players that the White Sox need to make sure are back:
. SP . Chicago White Sox. Carlos Rodon. 55. player. 128
The Chicago White Sox should want Carlos Rodon back in the 2022 rotation.
Carlos Rodon has come a long way in a year. If you said after 2020 that we would be begging to have him back after 2021, you would sound kind of funny. The White Sox let him go early last offseason and then brought him back later on a much cheaper deal. He also had to win the spot as the 5th starter out of spring training.
Not only did he beat out Reynaldo Lopez for that fifth spot, but he also became one of the team’s best pitchers. He was healthy for most of the year (compared to the recent years of missing tons of games) and that allowed us to see the stuff that made him a former third overall pick. His velocity was in the upper 90s and he mixed in some very nasty breaking stuff.
Now, Rodon is a free agent that is free to sign wherever he wants. His agent is Scott Boras so you know that things might get iffy. The White Sox are going to do everything that they can to bring him back on a fair deal and all we can do is hope that Rodon accepts. If he comes back next year and has another good year, they will have a really good rotation once again.
player. 128. . OF. Chicago White Sox. Billy Hamilton. 00
The Chicago White Sox could use Billy Hamilton for the 2022 season if he is willing.
The Chicago White Sox isn’t a team loaded with speed on the bench. Guys like Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, and Adam Engel are fast but they have a lot more skills than just speed. Billy Hamilton is able to provide some good fielding and a big hit every now and then but his biggest asset is game-breaking speed. When he is on the base paths, he is dangerous.
Hamilton received a chance with the White Sox due to some injuries sustained to outfielders this year. Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, and Adam Engel all missed a lot of time this year and Hamilton was one of many players that stepped up in their absence. He had some big defensive plays that included a couple of game-saving diving catches and some big hits in clutch moments.
It was fun seeing someone like Tim Anderson talk Hamilton up and call him “Billy the Hitter” instead of just considering him someone that is only there to steal bases. That is his best role but it was awesome to see Billy have as much fun as he did. He would be a perfect player to have on the bench for the 2022 season.
128. . OF. Chicago White Sox. Brian Goodwin. 18. player
The Chicago White Sox could use some offensive depth going into the season.
The Chicago White Sox could use some depth on offense. They were shown in 2021 that injuries can and will happen. Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, and Yasmani Grandal all missed significant time due to different injuries. It was somewhat lucky that they were all able to come back at the same time and be ready for the postseason.
If they didn’t have some heroic performances from unlikely sources, 2021 might have been different. One of those heroic performers this year was Brian Goodwin. He had a couple of big hits for the White Sox this season including a big walk-off home run at one point in the season. He provided plenty of power and put it to use at the right times.
Goodwin also provided some depth at outfield which is where the White Sox sustained most of their injuries. There was a point where their three starting outfielders were all missing so Goodwin was there for them during that time. He also has a very fun personality that is easy to root for.
It might be hard for the Chicago White Sox to keep all three of these guys while improving the needs that they need the most. However, if they can find a way to improve their right field, second base, and a couple of more pitchers while still keeping these guys, it would be really cool to see because this year was great with them.
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