3 unsung White Sox heroes from the first half of the season

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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:

player. 128. . SP. Chicago White Sox. Johnny Cueto. 47

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.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

player. 128. . P. Chicago White Sox. Reynaldo Lopez. 40

Reynaldo Lopez has come in and done a great job for the Chicago White Sox.

The Chicago White Sox had a big hole created when they brought Michael Kopech from being a long relief superweapon to the starting rotation. It was supposed to be Garrett Crochet who takes over in that role but he is out for the season after having Tommy John surgery.

It was unclear if anyone was able to perform in that role but the resurgence of Reynaldo Lopez has allowed them to do so. He has been that superweapon that can go in long relief, make spot starts, and even close out a game if needed.

So far this season, Lopez has a record of 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA with a 1.024 WHIP. It is clearly a great season for him so far and one that he would like to see continue into the second half of the season as the White Sox will need his role filled.

This is amazing to see as Lopez had an up and down start to his career. He was brilliant in 2018 but then fell off for a few years before resurrecting his career in the second half of 2021. Now, he is a very important piece of the White Sox organization right now. So far this season, he has been an unsung hero that you can rely on in big spots.

Chicago White Sox. Andrew Vaughn. 25. player. 128. . 1B/OF

Andrew Vaugh has been incredible for the Chicago White Sox during this season.

The Chicago White Sox selected Andrew Vaughn with the third overall pick in thee 2019 MLB Draft. Since then, he has had a very untraditional arrival in Major League Baseball thanks to the events that took place in 2020.

He didn’t have a traditional Minor League season to work on his craft before making it to the big leagues. Instead, he made his MLB debut in 2021 and was one of the better rookies in the American League.

Here we are in 2022 and he is one of the best hitters on the Chicago White Sox in general. We know the “big six” on the team which includes Jose Abreu, Luis Robert, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, and Luis Robert but some of those guys are often injured or don’t perform well for long stretches.

Andrew Vaughn has come in and made it more of a “big seven” in terms of offense as he has been better than most of the hitters on this team. He deserves a lot of credit for coming in this year and being so good.

You might have expected some good hitting this year but a slash line of .301/.350/.470 for an OPS of .819 is probably even better than anyone would have thought. He has 10 home runs and 48 RBIs at the halfway mark as well which are pretty nice. Hopefully, Tony La Russa uses him a lot more in the second half because he is one of the best players on the team.

All of these guys have been amazing and deserve so much credit. Nobody would have thought that Andrew Vaughn, Reynaldo Lopez, and Johnny Cueto would be catalysts at keeping this team afloat in the first half but here we are.

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Reynaldo Lopez has come in and done a great job for the Chicago White Sox.

Andrew Vaugh has been incredible for the Chicago White Sox during this season.

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