4 reasons to believe in the White Sox despite the poor start in 2023
There's little to argue the fact that the Chicago White Sox have been off to a rough start in the 2023 regular season. As a matter of fact, the club has only seven wins through 23 games, above only the Athletics and Royals, and tied with the Rockies and Nationals.
On paper, the talent is there for the Sox. So far, the issue has been the follow-through on all of the potential.
There are some rookies and plenty of established stars but the collective group has struggled. Entering Tuesday the 25th, the Sox have a -34 run differential which is not going to cut it for a team that is still holding onto playoff hopes.
Let's check out 4 reasons to believe in the White Sox despite the slow start.
1. Dylan Cease and Lucas Giolito top the starting rotation.
Need I say more? Cease, 27, has been an annual Cy Young threat dating back to 2021 and seems to gradually be getting even better.
He is a calm and cool presence atop this rotation and has easily been the best pitcher so far on the staff. Through five starts, Cease has a 2.73 ERA and 165 ERA+ alongside 34 strikeouts in 26 innings of work.
Then there's Giolito, who has had some ups and downs over the years but seems to be off to a hot start in 2023. The 28-year-old is a steady and durable arm that the White Sox have leaned heavily on over the years.
He has finished in the top 11 in Cy Young voting three times, thrown a no-hitter, made an All-Star Game, and rarely missed any starts. To begin 2023, he has a 4.50 ERA in 28 innings but has done a great job at keeping the Sox in the ballgame during his starts.
When these two arms are on their A-Game, they are both some of the top pitching talents in the league, especially Cease.
2. The lineup depth is especially strong this year.
The White Sox have a very strong lineup that doesn't reach its potential.
It's a shame that the offensive unit has not fully come together yet for the White Sox because this team is pretty stacked top to bottom.
Of course, there are going to be players like Elvis Andrus and Lenyn Sosa who are light-hitting options near the bottom of the lineup, but there are also quite a few big boppers.
I mean, just look at the first seven batters in a typical White Sox lineup. Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi, Andrew Vaughn, Eloy Jiménez, Yasmani Grandal, Jake Burger, Oscar Colás. That group should be making the opposing pitchers shake in their boots.
Of course, some of these guys have scuffled to start the year. Jiménez (.208 average) and Colás (.233) in particular have had their fair share of issues. Fortunately, it's still early in the year and there is a ton of time to turn things around.
The addition of Benintendi specifically should be a big asset for this club. He has established himself as a top-shelf contact hitter who excels at getting on base and can run into some home runs here and there.
Hitting him in the No. 2-hole in the lineup is the perfect spot so he can get on base for the power bats behind him.
Through and through, this White Sox lineup is lethal. It's just a matter of getting everyone together to contribute and produce all at the same time. Since it's still only April, this is absolutely possible.
3. The AL Central is generally open for the taking.
The American League Central is one of the worst divisions in baseball.
While the White Sox are not off to the best start, it certainly helps that they play in one of the weaker divisions in the game. In each division in both leagues, there are teams that are near "locks" to finish in first place, but not necessarily in the AL Central.
Alongside the White Sox are the Guardians, Twins, Tigers, and Royals. So far this season, only the Twins are above .500 (by just three games) and they are also the only team with a positive run differential. Again, it's still early, but there hasn't been one single club that seems to be head and shoulders above the rest.
Each non-White Sox team in the division has its fair share of superstars that are always going to put the team on their back, but none of them have necessarily done enough yet to establish themselves as true contenders. Even if the Sox don't win 95 games, there's still a division title to be had.
With the amount of talent on this White Sox roster, there's no reason why they won't be around until the very end of this year. Sure, there are some players underperforming (see: pretty much the entire bullpen), but the division is wide open for any one club to step up.
4. Once players start to return from injuries, this club will be dangerous.
The Chicago White Sox need to get healthy sooner than later.
As of right now, there are three position players (Moncada, Anderson, Alberto) on the 15-day injured list and three pitchers (Crochet, Hendriks, Foster) who are on the injured list as well. Foster is out for the year, but none of the rest of this group is.
Both Yoán Moncada and Tim Anderson went down in early April with lower back soreness and a sprained knee, respectively. Neither of these injuries is going to be long-term and both players should be back in short order.
Once they do, their bats are going to be a welcomed presence in this lineup. Moncada's return should push Jake Burger to a backup/DH role while Anderson will push the light-hitting Lenyn Sosa out of the everyday lineup, which is certainly for the best.
Garrett Crochet and Liam Hendriks are two wild cards, but they are top-tier pitchers when healthy. Crochet, 23, is working his way back from Tommy John surgery that he underwent around this time last year.
We are not likely to see him until July or August, but when he returns he could be a lethal weapon out of the back end of the bullpen.
Then there's Hendriks, who is working his way back from a cancer diagnosis. He just recently announced that he had beaten it, so the next step is for him to rest and recover until he is ready to return to the field.
There's no rush for something like this, and his health is obviously much bigger than baseball, but he is also going to be a huge cog in this bullpen once he is back in action.
Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark