White Six’ biggest pitching issue is masked by deceptively solid statistics

If you’ve spent any length of time on White Sox twitter or facebook, you may feel like the White Sox pitching staff is among the worst in baseball. Each day, social media is filled with fans clamoring for pitching reinforcements in both the starting rotation and the bullpen. Despite the noise, if you take the time to glance at the numbers, you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you find. After all, the White Sox enter Wednesday’s action with the 11th-ranked team ERA in baseball at 4.14, putting them above big league average. On the surface, you’d think the need for pitching is less dire for a team in the top half of the league in pitching this season, but a deeper look explains the reason for the urgency. 

Let’s start with the obvious: rookie starter Noah Schultz has struggled at the big league level. Once the top left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball, Schultz has been unable to establish consistent offerings and throw enough strikes at the big league level. His ERA sits at 6.15 through 13 starts and he’s surpassed six innings in just two of those starts. His spot is an obvious area for an upgrade. Aside from Schultz, however, the production from the White Sox starters has been solid. Davis Martin and Sean Burke have both been steady presences, though Martin has faltered a bit after a strong start. Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde have had ups and downs, but their overall numbers are solid. The problem, however, has been length. 

The White Sox main pitching problem is length, not performance

The last time a pitcher not named Sean Burke threw at least six innings in a game for the White Sox was in June, and it has led to the White Sox bullpen throwing the second-most innings in baseball entering Wednesday night. So far, the bullpen has held their own, but it’s not a recipe for success over a long season. As the season gets closer to its conclusion, many of the young pitchers on the White Sox are going to approach and even surpass their career high in innings, and it’ll be a toss-up whether they’ll even be able to rely on these arms down the stretch. 

Therein lies the biggest problem with the White Sox pitching staff and the reason for the need to acquire a pair of quality starting pitchers. In Sean Burke, the White Sox have a starter they can rely on to go six innings a start. Davis Martin should, in theory, be the same, though his recent struggles have prevented that from happening. Anthony Kay was a workhorse in Japan and has reached the 100-pitch mark this season, but tends to get himself in trouble with walks and hit-by-pitches. Erick Fedde has seemed to cap at four innings in his recent outings, and may be better suited for a long-relief role. With Burke, Martin, and Kay safe in their roles, adding starters to replace Fedde and Schultz that can handle innings will go a long way to not only helping the rotation, but the bullpen. 

More than 100 games into the season, the White Sox pitching staff has held its own, but with more than two months to go, the writing is on the wall unless reinforcements come. The trade deadline is just a few days away and the White Sox are in the market for help. The team really needs two starters, but they’ll come at a premium with many teams looking for extra arms. We’ll know very soon what Chris Getz and the White Sox are able to pull off.

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