3 biggest Chicago White Sox strengths going into 2022
Opening Day is finally upon us. The Chicago White Sox enter the 2022 campaign with lofty expectations. Last season, Tony La Russa’s squad cruised into the postseason after winning the American League Central Division by a wide 13 game margin. They are once again projected to take the AL Central crown.
This comes as no surprise. Few teams can match their potential star power. In fact, eight White Sox players were featured on MLB Networks’ Top 100 players. MLB.com released their top 10 players at each position and once again the White Sox were well represented.
Jose Abreu was ranked as the eighth-best first baseman and the 45th best player in the MLB. Tim Anderson was the White Sox’s highest-ranked player at 31 overall. He came in as the eighth-best shortstop in baseball.
Yoan Moncada was ranked as the ninth-best third baseman and the 82nd best player overall. Yasmani Grandal was listed as the second-best catcher in baseball. He came in at 55 in the MLB’s top 100 rankings of all players.
The Chicago White Sox have legit talent all over the field going into 2022.
Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito each cracked the top 10 starting pitchers list. Giolito was ranked 10th and 85th while Lynn got pegged as the seventh-best starting pitcher and the 51st best player in the MLB.
Liam Hendriks was named the second-best reliever in baseball and also got the 59th spot on the Top 100. Luis Robert was named the 50th best player in the MLB, which was also good enough for the fifth-best centerfielder in baseball.
After flaming out in the ALDS, the White Sox are hungry for more. There is a lot to like about this White Sox team. Here are their three biggest strengths heading into the 2022 season:
The Bullpen
The Chicago White Sox bullpen looks to be a big strength going into 2022.
The Chicago White Sox bullpen was supposed to be a strength of the team last season. Things did not go as planned which is why Rick Hahn acquired Ryan Tepera and traded Nick Madrigal for Craig Kimbrel. These moves seemed to correct the issue on paper. Unfortunately, they did not.
Hahn spent the offseason trying to revamp the bullpen. He went out and signed Kendall Graveman and Joe Kelly in free agency. With the additions of Kelly and Graveman, the White Sox bullpen once again looks like a strength of the team.
The group is headlined by Liam Hendriks. MLB Network has him pegged as the second-best reliever in baseball. Hendriks locked down 38 saves, posted a 2.54 ERA, and was selected to the All-Star team for his efforts last year.
Kendall Graveman had 10 saves last season and owned a microscopic 1.77 ERA. He figures to be the setup man for Hendriks in the eighth inning.
Kelly is a proven veteran who helped the Dodgers win the World Series in 2020. Last year, he had a 2.86 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He will start the season on the IL but once he returns, look for him to be a dominant force in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
Aaron Bummer might be the most underrated piece of the bullpen. He is coming off a down year but that shouldn’t distract people from how nasty his stuff is. Bummer’s sinker may be one of the best pitches in the entire White Sox bullpen.
Pitching coach Ethan Katz even went as far as to say it was the most impressive thing he has ever seen. His 3.51 ERA, which isn’t terrible by any means, was the highest he has ever had since the 2018 season. Look for him to bounce back in 2022.
Other notable arms include Reynaldo Lopez and Jose Ruiz. Lopez revitalized his career in 2021, posting a 3.43 ERA and holding opponents to a .205 batting average.
Ruiz is not well-liked amongst the White Sox fan base but he still owned respectable numbers the past two seasons. In 2020 he had a career-best 2.25 ERA and in 2021 he had a 3.05 mark. If Tony La Russa doesn’t use Ruiz in high leverage situations, he can be very effective.
Power Hitters
The Chicago White Sox are going to win a lot of games using their power bats.
Navigating the White Sox lineup will be a nightmare for opposing pitchers. There are eight hitters in the White Sox lineup that have the potential to hit 20 plus home runs. Throw in the fact that they play half of their games in a hitter-friendly ballpark and we could see a better rendition of the Bomba Squad on the South Side.
Tim Anderson is not known for his power but still managed to hit 17 home runs last season. In 2018, he had a career-high 20. Anderson has managed to hit 15 or more in four of the last five seasons. The only season he did not was 2020 when he hit 10 in 49 games.
Luis Robert is a potential MVP candidate heading into the 2022 season. The 23-year-old had 13 home runs last season in just 68 games. He began to find his power stroke near the end of the season. He hit 11 during the final two months of the season.
The White Sox’s newest member, AJ Pollock, has always had solid power. While he isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think of a power hitter, the 34-year-old veteran has hit 20 plus three times in his career including last season when he blasted 21.
Yoan Moncada showed everyone just how good he can be in 2019. Moncada hit 25 home runs and while he hasn’t been able to replicate those numbers since, his talent suggests he can easily return to form if he can stay healthy.
Jose Abreu is Mr. Consistency and is almost a lock to hit at least 20 home runs. He led the White Sox with 30 home runs last year and has hit 20 or more in seven of his eight seasons in the big leagues. The only year he did not was the COVID-19 2020 season when he hit 19 in just 60 games.
Yasmani Grandal was the White Sox’s most prolific power hitter last season. Grandal was second on the team with 23 home runs. He would have had more if he wasn’t bothered by knee issues at the beginning of the season and didn’t have to miss time recovering from a torn left tendon. He has hit 20 plus home runs in five of the last six seasons.
Eloy Jimenez is the White Sox’s most gifted home run hitter. Nobody has more raw power on the White Sox than him. Jimenez led all rookies with 31 home runs in 2019 before having14 in just 55 2020 games.
Gavin Sheets burst onto the scene midway through the season and cranked out 11 dingers. It will be interesting to see how pitchers adjust to him this season but 11 home runs in just 54 games are no fluke. The kid has some power. He will platoon with Andrew Vaughn depending on the pitching matchups
Andrew Vaughn was known as a power hitter in college before being drafted. In his first full professional season with the White Sox, he hit 15 home runs.
With fewer side distractions of learning how to play a new position, Vaughn should make an even greater power jump in year two. His hard-hit percentage was in the top six percent of all MLB hitters.
The White Sox have power scattered throughout the lineup from top to bottom.
Tony La Russa
Tony La Russa could be the guy that can get the Chicago White Sox over the hump.
There are plenty of things to complain about with Tony La Russa. Showing incredibly poor judgment with multiple DUIs, not knowing the rules, and his handling of the Yermin Mercedes situation are a few examples. All are valid criticism. But like it or not, La Russa is a strength of the team.
No other active manager in baseball has as impressive of a resume as La Russa. He has amassed over 2800 wins, six pennants, and three World Series rings.
He is a Hall of Fame manager for a reason. Not many people would have been able to navigate the number of injuries the White Sox did in 2021 and still manage to win 93 games. Before La Russa’s arrival, the White Sox had not won a division since 2008. If his plaque in Cooperstown isn’t enough to convince you he is an asset, take it from his players.
The White Sox love playing for him. You could see an immediate buy-in. Many were worried about his ability to connect with the younger players, specifically Tim Anderson. Anderson has since turned into one of his biggest supporters.
“He’s always there. I call him, text him, talk to him. After a game, before a game, whatever. He’s like a best friend,” Anderson said about La Russa on NBC Sports Chicago’s White Sox Talk Podcast. “You always have access to him. He’s going to always keep it real with you, and that’s what you need when you’re playing a struggling game like this. You don’t want someone just telling you stuff just to tell you. He’ll hold you accountable as well.”
Anderson even went as far as to call La Russa “a best friend with the title of a manager.”
His wealth of experience and the talent at his disposal will make it tough for opponents to beat the White Sox in a strategic chess match. All of these strengths will help the White Sox win a lot in 2022.
Related Story. 1 thing to be scared about with each White Sox division rival. light