8 Chicago White Sox are featured on MLB.com’s top 100 players
MLB.com’s Top 100 players in the Major Leagues is out and by now, fans know where their favorite Major League Baseball players rank. You can see that it was a great Top 100 for the Chicago White Sox.
They placed a total of eight players in the Top 100 which is a very respectable number considering some of the other teams in the league. The White Sox are loaded with talent and MLB.com’s Top 100 proves it.
The list includes some that you would expect to be on a list like this. There are veterans that are on there but there are a couple of surprises on the list as well.
Having some of the young guys on the list may have been a surprise but they are great players that should have outstanding seasons. So perhaps there is no surprise there.
The Chicago White Sox have World Series level expectations on them. In order to reach those heights, their top players need to be their top players. The White Sox certainly has a lot of top players that have the ability to change the game.
The Chicago White Sox have a lot of very good players on their current roster.
If the White Sox use those players to their advantage, they will be able to make a run at the AL Central Division again which will give them an opportunity to make a run at the World Series after that. Hopefully, these guys live up to the hype.
The following is a look at the eight Chicago White Sox players that were selected to be part of the MLB.com Top 100 in 2022. We are going in order from lowest to highest. See where your favorite player ranks:
The Chicago White Sox has eight top-100 players on MLB’s ranking right now.
85. Lucas Giolito – SP
Compared to the previous season, Giolito slid down the rankings a bit dropping from number 60 to number 85. Giolito had a decent season in 2021 with 11 wins and 9 losses in 31 games. He had an ERA of 3.53. With the departure of Carlos Rodon, Giolito is the ace and is expected to have a strong season.
Giolito has been named the opening day starter so we will get a look at his stuff early on. I would suspect that he will have a stellar season and approach 14-17 wins on the year.
82. Yoan Moncada – 3B
Moncada moves up a little bit compared to last year from 90 to 82. Despite a slow spring training, hopes are high that Moncada will be one of the best batters in the lineup for the White Sox in 2022. Last season, Moncada boasted a slash line of .263/.375/.412. That’s not too bad for a guy that is still getting his feet wet in the Major Leagues.
He remained relatively healthy last season, playing in 144 games with 616 plate appearances. He is likely to be batting in the sixth spot in the lineup and brings a lot of power and ability with him. Moncada, as long as he can stay healthy, should have a great 2022 campaign and be one of the best third basemen in the Major Leagues.
59. Liam Hendriks – RP
Hendriks slides back one spot from 58 to 59. He was arguably the best closer in baseball last year. He was reliable and on point in almost every start in 2021. Out of the 71 innings that he pitched last year, Hendriks had 38 saves with just six blown saves. That was his first year with the White Sox.
Chicago is doing well by having Hendriks as part of their bullpen. This team will win a lot of games thanks to his pitching and ability to save games so he has become a valuable member of this team. Hendriks played so well in 2021, that he ended up in the All-Star game.
You can bet that he will be back there again this year. One of the more popular players on the team, Hendriks has a fiery attitude and is someone that has the mentality to handle the closer role which can be very tough sometimes.
55. Yasmani Grandal – C
Thanks to an injury that kept him out of a few games in 2021, Grandal has fallen back just a bit in the rankings going from 49th to 55th. Grandal is an elite offensive catcher. He’s patient while waiting for just the right pitch before he blasts the ball over the fence for a home run. He also reaches the base often thanks to a good eye to notice pitches.
Grandal has taken a lot of criticism in the past for the way he has played. He wasn’t the greatest a hitting and struggled behind the plate at times. He has seemed to come into his own now and is one of the better catchers in the league.
Grandal is worthy of this ranking given to him by MLB.com. With a healthy season, it’s possible he could end up even higher in the rankings in 2023 and wind up as the top catcher in baseball.
51. Lance Lynn – SP
Lynn rose to the middle of the Top 100 after being 75th the previous season. This came on the heels of a strong season in which he pitched in 157 innings where he won 11 games with 6 losses. Lynn came in 3rd in AL Cy Young voting and was rather impressive overall. He has emerged as one of the aces in the pitching rotation.
The only issue with Lynn is that he’s going to be out until mid-May with a torn meniscus. The White Sox are really going to miss him but hopes are he will come back healthy and ready to pitch. Let’s hope for no additional setbacks and another strong season from Lynn.
There are three Chicago White Sox players listed in the MLB’s top 100.
50. Luis Robert – CF
Robert took the biggest leap of any White Sox player in the Top 100 from the previous season. In 2021, he was ranked 94th. On this year’s list, he is ranked 50th. Why? Robert has huge potential and the people that came up with the list likely felt that he is going to have a huge season.
Robert can have a huge season as long as he stays healthy. He’s already shown in spring training that he’s ready and should be one of the top players in the league. Some even feel he could end up being the AL MVP in 2022 when it’s all said and done.
Be looking for a big year out of Robert in 2022 with his bat being one of the big reasons the team makes the playoffs this year.
45. Jose Abreu – 1B
This list would be incomplete if Abreu was not on it. Truly one of the better players in the league, this former AL MVP is one of the best first basemen in baseball. He also hits well and is well-liked by so many, especially his White Sox teammates.
Abreu is sort of an “Ironman” and rarely missed a game in 2021. He’s poised to have another strong season with good health and will be a big reason why this team finds so much success.
He did slide down the rankings from 2021 to 2022 going from 31st to 45th. However, he shows no signs of slowing down and should be a fixture on the team for several years to come.
31. Tim Anderson – SS
Anderson is the highest-ranked player on the MLB.com Top 100 list for the White Sox. The previous season, he was ranked 27th but has slid just a bit to number 31. He is one of the top shortstops in the League and his play on the field proves it.
Anderson is not error-prone when it comes to fielding and in the batter’s box, he is outstanding. Let’s not forget that Anderson won the batting title just a few seasons ago. A great all-around guy, look for Anderson to help lead the White Sox to bigger and better things.