3 things to know about the Chicago White Sox going into the 2023 season
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The Chicago White Sox are approaching the 2023 MLB season as Opening Day kicks off in just over a week. The White Sox will travel to Houston where they will face off with Jose Abreu and the Astros in a four-game series.
The expectations seem to be high due to the culture that the new skipper Pedro Grifol brought to the table along with his unique and improved coaching staff.
Grifol wants to play fundamentally sound baseball with a competitive edge and the White Sox have shown an abundance of great potential during this year's spring training.
Pedro Grifol has us wanting to run through a brick wall. 😤#WhiteSox x @vizzyseltzer pic.twitter.com/lqS2zBGnMB
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 24, 2023
Through Pedro Grifol, the Chicago White Sox will be held to high expectations. If the talent they have on the field shows throughout the 2023 season, they could be a hassle to deal with for a variety of other teams in major league baseball.
The White Sox community is still ashamed about what happened in 2022 but it's time to take a deep breath and move on from what occurred last season. Some essential factors will play a role during the 2023 White Sox season, especially three that should come to mind if you follow the ball club daily:
1. If the White Sox can stay healthy, they can compete with anybody.
The White Sox have suffered numerous injuries over the past couple of seasons and it has ultimately affected their play on the field in a detrimental way.
To put it simplistically, if the everyday players on the White Sox stay healthy throughout the 2023 season, Chicago should be expecting a very successful season and potentially even a playoff bid in the American League.
Eloy Jimenez is a name that needs to be in the lineup for the White Sox for at least 130 games in the 162 season. Jimenez looked very good in the World Baseball Classic as he represented his country (Dominican Republic).
Eloy Jimenez drives in Juan Soto! DR leads 2-0 pic.twitter.com/wnflGKjZLO
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 13, 2023
The silver slugger shared his experience in the World Baseball Classic with the press and it should be a relief to White Sox fans that he remained healthy throughout his entire time participating in the event. Hopefully, he gets through this soreness that he is dealing with right now easily.
Eloy Jimenez talks about his experience playing in the WBC. pic.twitter.com/XFSN6L52k2
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) March 17, 2023
If Jimenez stays healthy for most of the year, the White Sox have an everyday slugger in a lineup that will heavily need one in 2023.
Tim Anderson, Luis Robert Jr., Yasmani Grandal, and Yoan Moncada are also names in the lineup that will need to find a way to stay healthy. If they all do, it can make this team a force to be reckoned with offensively.
When Tim Anderson went down last season, they suffered significantly and it ultimately ended their playoff chances. The White Sox play through Tim Anderson and expect the same in 2023.
Suppose the White Sox are healthy as a whole unit. In that case, it's a team that can compete with anyone in the major leagues.
Based on the recent previous years that may be challenging to accomplish and it will be interesting to see if the new coaching staff finds better ways or options to keep the guys in their clubhouse on the baseball field every single day.
White Sox nearing camp finish line in relatively good health https://t.co/vMJd8hLyxi
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) March 16, 2023
2. The White Sox will be held accountable during the 2023 season.
Tony La Russa didn't work out for the White Sox in his second appearance with the club. It resulted in opening the door for Pedro Grifol and his coaching staff.
Grifol has high praise for every single person part of this organization and has brought a new brand of baseball to a team that desperately needed it. Grifol is competitively leading this club and the players are all on board with his way of managing the game of baseball.
Pedro Grifol doesn’t like standing around. Neither for himself, nor his ballclub:
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) March 14, 2023
“If you look at our schedule, there’s no dead time. You come up with dumb stuff when you’ve got dead time.”https://t.co/oIb0cKBIxf
New at @CHGO_Sports: All that "World Series or bust" talk is out the window at Sox camp this spring. Players have bought into Pedro Grifol's way of setting expectations as the new manager tries to "get that Chicago White Sox pride back." https://t.co/NQfdSpySk3
— Vinnie Duber (@VinnieDuber) March 13, 2023
Grifol knows the talent he has on his roster and there are no excuses for this team not to play competitive baseball at the highest level.
It's very assuring knowing the White Sox will be held accountable for their upcoming season and it could result in the roster showing more effort and care. That is again something they lacked in 2022.
Another huge accountable factor was the re-signing of veteran Elvis Andrus. Andrus served a leadership role in the late stages of 2022 which should continue into the 2023 season.
Andrus isn't afraid to say what needs to be said. His leadership role could result in another profound way of playing successful baseball throughout the longevity of an MLB season.
3. The 2023 Chicago White Sox pitching staff could be amongst the best.
The White Sox projected starting rotation in 2023 will be Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech, and Mike Clevinger.
All five of these guys have been dominant on the mound at some point in their major league careers. If they are all producing at an efficient rate in 2023, it's a rotation that won't be giving up many runs to their opponents.
As a unit, the pitching staff, starters, and relievers need to remain healthy and adjust to the pitch clock. Once they accomplish that, there may not be a tall enough ceiling for the potential this group has.
White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz will be keeping an eye out for the faster pace of the pitch clock leading to fatigued starters, and possible risk of injury.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) March 15, 2023
“I think it’s unknown right now, but I think it’s real.”https://t.co/FCHVJTBr4A
If the starters eat innings while doing it efficiently and the relievers do their job from there, the White Sox have a playoff-type pitching staff on paper; it's up to all of them to determine what version of baseball we get during the 2023 season.
Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark