3 White Sox players who took an unfortunate step back in 2023
The Chicago White Sox have a lot of reasons for being bad this season. Everyone expected it to be a bounce-back season after 2022's disappointment (which doesn't seem so bad after all now).
Of course, one of the biggest reasons for this now is that the Sox didn't get the best performances from everyone on the team.
In fact, there were a lot of players on this team that took a huge step back from what we've come to expect from them.
Some of them now have questionable futures because of how they played this year. These are the three that come to mind first:
1. Dylan Cease
Dylan Cease wasn't good enough for the Chicago White Sox this season.
The Chicago White Sox ended 2022 with one major positive. That was Dylan Cease's performance. He was as good as any pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Cease was the American League Cy Young runner-up because he was so dominant. It would have been his if Justin Verlander didn't have this amazing ERA after not pitching in multiple years.
Cease came into this season with legit expectations of competing for the Cy Young again. He was the ace of the staff to begin the year and all signs pointed to a decade of success for him.
It isn't like Cease is having this year that should get him removed from a Major League roster. That is just not the case. He even has a 1.6 WAR which means he is a positive player. He will also surpass 200 strikeouts this weekend which is to be celebrated.
However, his 4.85 ERA is far from the 2.20 ERA he had in 2022. He took a big step back and the White Sox need him to be better again in 2024. His future is cloudy because of this but it is on him to get better.
2. Andrew Benintendi
The White Sox signed Andrew Benintendi and he has been disappointing.
The Chicago White Sox have had a lot of disappointments over the year. One of them is their left fielder, Andrew Benintendi.
Over the off-season, the White Sox signed Benintendi to the richest contract in team history. Of course, that doesn't mean that he needs to be the best player in team history but it would have been nice to see him play even okay.
For one, they expected Benintendi to be a very good defensive outfielder and he hasn't. What makes him worse is that his bat has been as bad as it ever has in his MLB career.
This season, Benintendi is slashing .263/.329/.360 with an OPS of .689. He has only hit five home runs and has 45 RBIs and 71 runs scored with 13 stolen bases.
He has earned a 0.1 WAR which is pathetic for being the highest paid player in White Sox history. He took a big step back this season and now they have to be so mad that he is signed to the money he is for the length that he is.
3. Tim Anderson
The Chicago White Sox need more from Tim Anderson going forward.
Of course, the White Sox can only get more from Tim Anderson if he is on the team beyond this off-season. With the way that 2023 went for him, that is not a sure thing.
In fact, there were tons of rumors that he'd be let go ahead of the trade deadline but they weren't able to find a trade partner. There is all off-season for that to happen.
Anderson went from being the face of the franchise to one of the most questionable players on the team. He has simply not played well for most of the year. There have been points where he looked like the old Tim but it never lasted.
He enters the weekend with a .600 OPS which is absolutely horrible. He isn't a power guy but he needs a better OPS than that and he needs more than one home run. He only has 25 RBIs and 51 runs scored. That is pathetic for a player of his caliber.
All of these guys are players that the White Sox will likely have back in 2024 but they don't necessarily deserve it. We will see what they are able to do going forward to make up for this horrific season.
Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark