3 Chicago White Sox players that could be All-Stars in 2022
By Chip Egan
Dylan Cease
Dylan Cease has the potential to be an All-Star Chicago White Sox pitcher.
Dylan Cease has always been thought of as having electric stuff on the mound and he showed what he is capable of last year as he put together his finest season to date.
There’s a saying that says, “a player’s best ability is his availability” and Cease lived up to that by leading the league in starts with 32. He tossed 165.2 innings which marked the largest workload of his career.
Not only was he durable but he was productive. Cease was fifth in wins with 13, third in strikeouts at 226, but was first in strikeouts per nine innings at just over 12. His 3.91 ERA was certainly good for his first normal season.
With Rodon being a free agent and Dallas Keuchel looking to rebound from a poor 2001, Cease could be the number three starter unless the team makes a move to bring in another front-line starter. At 26 years of age, Cease is coming into the prime of his career and looks to take another step under the tutelage of pitching coach Ethan Katz.
Last spring, catcher Yasmani Grandal heaped praise on Cease and his potential.
"“This guy could be a Cy Young finalist. He could possibly be a Cy Young winner, ” he said. “He’s got the tools to do it, there’s no doubt about that. Now it just comes down to the process. The future is only going to dictate whether we can get him to be what we want him to be or not. “"
It is obvious Grandal saw something in Cease, and the Sox hope this is the year he makes that prediction come true.