The Chicago White Sox are completed with a rather disappointing first half. Going into the season, nobody expected them to be sitting exactly at .500 on the dot. It is a team that underperformed for a variety of reasons but they finished strong and are looking like a team that can go on a run.
What is it that went wrong? Well, there has been a variation of things to happen throughout the year so far. The manager has made some mistakes, there have been some flaws on the roster, and the players have underperformed on the field for a lot of it.
It is going to take a team effort for them to get back above the playoff line so that they can compete in October. There are a few players on the team that deserve respect for how they have played this year despite the struggles of the team.
We know about the All-Star type players that have carried their weight like Dylan Cease, Tim Anderson, Liam Hendriks, Jose Abreu, and Luis Robert. In order to be a good team, however, you need to get something from unsung heroes: These are the three biggest unsung heroes from the 2022 season so far:
Johnny Cueto has been amazing so far. The White Sox desperately needed a fifth starter when Dallas Keuchel was still on the roster but Cueto came in and made it where they can DFA him. He has come in and given them multiple good starts that have helped them win some games.
They don’t need him to go out there and fan ten a game like Dylan Cease or Lucas Gioltio are capable of. They just need him to go get outs without allowing a lot of runs so that they can keep the rotation moving.
If Lance Lynn figures out how to become Lance Lynn again following his injury comeback, the White Sox will have one of the best rotations in the game and it is because of the play of Johnny Cueto.