The Chicago White Sox are poised to make a run at the AL Central Division lead with the Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers standing in their way as usual.
But thanks to the new scheduling format that is coming this season, the White Sox will see less of their division opponents and more of other teams in all of Major League Baseball.
Sticking with the division, the White Sox are slated to play a total of 13 games against each division rival. That is down from previous seasons.
This can be of some benefit because the White Sox have a chance to play fewer games against the near-powerhouse Guardians as well as the Twins. On the flip side, fewer games against the Royals and Tigers which probably means fewer wins for the White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox have a different kind of schedule this year.
But it’s a new season and no one really knows how teams are going to fare in 2023.
The White Sox will play a total of 52 games against their division rivals.
The White Sox will also play 64 games against teams in the American League. The importance of this is that playoff positioning can be gained by wining these games.
The White Sox will face some tough competition in and if they can make it through by winning a majority of these games, then their playoff position could be much better if they can make the playoffs.
Finally, there are the 46 inter-league games that the White Sox are going to play. These games will really show what the White Sox are made of because they haven’t played against a majority of these teams for so long. This might just make for some exciting baseball.
When it comes to strength of schedule, the White Sox strength of schedule this year is .492 compared to last years strength of schedule which was .485.
The White Sox play a little bit tougher of a schedule this year but it’s by no means the toughest winning percentage (the Baltimore Orioles have the toughest schedule of them all facing teams with a combined winning percentage of .509) by any means.
The White Sox appear to be bound for second place in the AL Central at this time because of this strength of schedule and other factors.
However, with strong play, good health and a little bit of luck, the White Sox could walk away with quite a few wins this season although it is difficult to predict how many exactly.
The White Sox have a lot of talent, they just need to be able to put it all together against the teams that they are about to face in 2023.
Can they do it? Yes, they can. But will they?
If anything, the new schedule format brings a dose of excitement for the fans of the White Sox, and every other Major League team’s season. Getting to play a different set of teams is going to potentially give us some good matchups, enhance rivalries or start new ones.
I, for one, am truly looking forward to the new format and think, that after everyone gets adjusted to it, more and more people will like it.