3 reasons for Chicago White Sox bad offense to begin season
The Chicago White Sox are 7-12 and sitting in fourth place in the American League Central standings. It’s still early but this is not the start anyone expected from a team that entered the season with World Series aspirations. The White Sox have lost 10 of the last 11 games, including an eight-game losing streak.
There are a few reasons for this rough stretch. Poor managerial decisions, lack of hustle, and an abundance of errors are among them. But the biggest reason for the White Sox’s lackluster start is their water pistol offense. The White Sox offense is not just bad, it’s historically bad.
The Southsiders lead the league in games with three runs or fewer with 13 and counting. The 2022 squad is also just the 10th team in American League history to have an.OBP under .260 entering the 20th game of the season.
The last three teams to do this include the 2003 Detroit Tigers who went 43-119, the 1988 Baltimore Orioles who lost 107 games, and the 1972 Milwaukee Brewers who finished with a 65-91 record.
The Chicago White Sox simply needs to start producing more offense in 2022.
Last April they also got off to a rough start, opening the season with a 9-9 record. However, this current iteration of the White Sox offense has much worse numbers than last year’s squad through 18 games.
Their batting average dropped from .248 to .212. The number of runs scored has also decreased from 89 to 59.
Friday night’s game provided yet another example of a subpar offensive showing. They managed just three hits, despite facing a starter who has an ERA north of five (5.56) in Jimmy Herget.
On paper, this lineup is better than it is showing. Injuries also play a factor. But the White Sox have a tough upcoming schedule so it would be in their best interest to turn things around sooner rather than later. He is the three biggest reasons for their poor offensive showing in April:
1. No Impact From Offseason Acquisitions
The Chicago White Sox are getting nothing from their offseason additions.
Rick Hahn took some heat this offseason for his additions to the roster, or lack thereof. One of the splashiest moves came in the form of AJ Pollock, who was traded from the Dodgers in exchange for Craig Kimbrel.
Pollock was seen as a stable offensive force who would finally plug the White Sox hole in right field. Things got off to a great start in the opening series against the Detroit Tigers. Pollock logged three hits on Opening Day, then another the following game.
Since then, Pollock is batting .000 with eight strikeouts and a single RBI. That RBI came on a weakly hit pop-up to shallow left field. Andrew Benintendi botched the throw home allowing Josh Harrison to score.
Josh Harrison is another name who has not done anything worthwhile at the plate since arriving in Chicago. He is batting just .086 with a .306 OPS. In his last seven games, Harrison is carrying a .048 OBP which is enough to make Cesar Hernandez look like a stud.
Pollock and Harrison are a combined 0-for-37 since each of their last hits three weeks ago in the opening series. The two need to pick it up and fast since they both figure to receive regular playing time as the season wears along.
If they don’t, it might be time to consider moving Burger over to second base when Moncada gets back or giving Danny Mendick more playing time.
2. Tony La Russa’s Love For Leury Garcia
Tony La Russa uses Leury Garcia way too much in the Chicago White Sox lineup.
Leury Garcia got a $16.5 million contract this offseason. He earned that after spending his last nine seasons in the White Sox organization. He has provided the White Sox with a veteran presence and came up large in the ALDS last season.
There is a lot to like about Leury Garcia. He can play almost every position and is a switch hitter. But Tony La Russa’s insistence on putting him in the lineup regularly is not a recipe for success on a contending team.
La Russa fails to acknowledge what Garcia is which is a utility player that should be getting spot starts once or twice a week and coming off the bench as a pinch-runner or late-game substitute.
This season, Garica has a -0.5 WAR and an OPS+ of 7. Not only is he inserting him in the lineup too much but he is also setting him up for failure. On April 20th and 21st, La Russa placed Garcia in the number three spot of the batting order.
However, at the time Garcia had the worst OPS of anyone in the Chicago White Sox lineup which is saying something considering how poorly they have been playing. He also happened to have a .077 batting average. It was a baffling decision.
I like Garcia more than most but his playing time needs to decrease when he looks like he is swinging a piece of wet sporting news at the plate.
3. Cold Weather
The Chicago White Sox needs to start seeing the temperatures rise out there.
Some of the White Sox offensive woes can be chalked up to bad luck. There have been times that they hit the ball hard and they have nothing to show for it.
The 2022 White Sox have had four games this season where they have had 6+ balls hit with an exit velocity over 100 mph resulting in an out. They are leading the league in this category.
On Friday, we saw a perfect example of this when Luis Robert tattooed a ball to center field that was tracked down by Mike Trout. Robert’s flyout had an exit velocity of 115 mph making it the first flyout since 2019 to be hit that hard.
Jose Abreu also had a ball that was sent off the bat at 104 miles per hour that was also gobbled up by Mike Trout.
Let’s face it, the weather hasn’t done them any favors either. Hitting a baseball in cold weather is tough, especially in Chicago. It’s windy, and when a hitter gets jammed, they are left with a numb tingling sensation in their hands. The White Sox have been particularly unlucky in regards to the weather.
They have only played one game where the temperature was 65 degrees or warmer at the time of the first pitch.
The weather may be an excuse but given the track record of Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, and Tim Anderson along with the talent of Luis Robert and Andrew Vaughn, they have earned the benefit of the doubt.
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