The Chicago White Sox are coming off a very dissapointing 2022 season and we have had to hear about it all off-season long. They made some upgrades by adding players like Andrew Benintendi and Mike Clevinger but we have to wait and see how much these two move the needle.
Andrew Benintendi is going to join an outfield that includes Luis Robert and Oscar Colas. Andrew Vaughn, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada will each be starters on the infield with a question mark at second base. Eloy Jimenez and Gavin Sheets are designated hitter options.
The starting pitcher rotation will include Michael Clevinger, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Dylan Cease. If healthy and all on thier game, that could be a great rotation. With what they hope is a solid bullpen, this could be a pretty good team.
With all of that in mind, it is hard to get what happened last year out of your mind. They failed to meet every possible expectation all season long. If they are going to avoid that type of disappointment this year, they need to stay healthy and play to their potential almost every single day.
The Chicago White Sox want to be better in 2023 after this off-season.
It would also help if Pedro Grifol was a significantly better manager than Tony La Russa was which might not be that hard. Again, there are a lot of ifs but nothing is off the table for a team that was actually very good in both 2020 and 2021.
There is one person that believes in them to the point where he went on TV and made a bold prediction about them. Jon Morosi of MLB Network went on the program and said that he believes that they are going to win the AL Central Division. Based on last year, that is a hot take.
Who is your pick to win the AL Central in 2023? @jonmorosi runs through a team-by-team breakdown and gives his prediction for division champion ⬇️#MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/xRokm5cxAv
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 20, 2023
Benintendi and Clevinger will help them but the loss of Jose Abreu and Johnny Cueto might outweigh the gains. They need everyone to be healthy for most of the season in order to get the most out of the year. Their depth may be tested.
It is interesting, however, to hear a high-profile insider make a bold statement like that about our team. We will see if it actually ends up coming true.