Midseason Review: Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are struggling. They've hovered a couple of games below .500 all year.

I would not call the season disappointing. That implies that there was something to look forward to. During the offseason, general manager Kenny Williams declared that the White Sox were going through a youth movement. I sighed at that moment.

I am actually satisfied with what the White Sox have done. They're still within seven games of first place and they do play in the worst division in baseball. They have two rookies on their starting lineup and are without their best player.

Brian Anderson's facial expression in the picture describes the White Sox season. Close, but no cigar; allowing other teams to rally. With the Sox themselves failing to rally. But there have been good moments. I give the White Sox a C+ for their midseason grade.

Catcher(AJ Pierzysnki, Ramon Castro)

Primary catcher: AJ Pierzynski
Backup catcher: Ramon Castro
Cut: Corky Miller

Grade: B-

Pierzysnki has been consistent offensively. He's batting .289 with eight homers, 21 RBI, and a .770 OPS. Of his 63 hits, 17 are extra-base hits.

So why does he get a B-? His defense is just bad. In fact, there's probably not a worse defensive catcher in the game. He's given up 48 stolen bases and only caught five stealing. He's also committed two errors and allowed one passed ball.

Ramon Castro hasn't been a great backup. In six games as a member of the White Sox, he only has two hits. His defense is good, as nobody has even attempted a stolen base on him.

First Base(Paul Konerko)

Primary first baseman: Paul Konerko
Cut: Wilson Betemit

Grade: B+

Konerko has been consistent on offense, but injuries have taken a toll. Konerko is batting .292 with 12 homers, 46 RBI, and a .835 OPS. Out of his 75 hits, 27 are extra-base hits.

Konerko has also been stellar on defense. He has only committed one error, and it was costly, but he's been consistently good the rest of the season.

The White Sox need to find a backup infielder—somebody that can play the corner bases.

Second Base(Chris Getz, Jayson Nix)

Primary second baseman: Chris Getz
Backup second baseman: Jayson Nix
Cut: Brent Lilibridge

Grade: D

The grade may be harsh, but he's a rookie and playing like one. Getz is batting .236 with one homer, 15 RBI, and a .618 OPS. He's been good on the basepads, stealing nine out of ten bases.

Defense is a problem. He has committed six errors, and they have been costly. He also has had made a few nice plays.

I still think that Jayson Nix needs more playing time. He is only batting .219, but in such a small sample. He might be more talented than Getz on offense and defense.

Shortstop(Alexei Ramirez)

Primary shortstop: Alexei Ramirez

Grade: D+

Ramirez has been going through extreme sophomore struggles. He's either brilliant or awful, and usually it's more the latter than the former. Ramirez is batting .269 with nine homers, 35 RBI, and a .792 OPS.

Ramirez has displayed all kinds of character on the defensive end. He has made brilliants plays. On the other hand, he's committed dumb and lazy errors. He already has committed eight errors on the season.

If the White Sox are going to be better, they need the Ramirez that was there all season last year. Not this guy who can't hit in big situations or misplay easy balls.

Third Base(Gordon Beckham, Josh Fields)

Primary third baseman: Gordon Beckham
Backup third baseman: Josh Fields

Grade: F

What a miserable season at third base on the South Side. Beckham was prematurely called up and transitioned from shortstop to third base. He's batting .183 with one homer, eight RBI, and a .549 OPS.

He's not great defensively either. He'll have some leeway early, due to his transition. But he has already committed four embarrassing errors.

The backup, Josh Fields, has been awful. He's a strikeout-machine. Fields is only batting .233 with five homers, 24 RBI, and a .788 OPS. His defense, eight errors, has also cost the White Sox at least a couple of games.

Right Field(Jermaine Dye)

Primary right fielder: Jermaine Dye

Grade: B

Along with Konerko, Dye has been consistent, yet injuries have held him back. Dye is batting .282 with 17 homers, 43 RBI, and a .894 OPS. Dye and Konerko have hit homers in the same game seven times this season.

Dye continues to play Gold Glove caliber defense and has saved many games with his glove. I hope the White Sox do not trade him because he has been way too good to the team.

Center Field(Brian Anderson, DeWayne Wise)

Primary center fielder: Brian Anderson
Backup center fieler: DeWayne Wise

Grade: D

Wise started off the year good, and then got injured on a catch. That left a void for Brian Anderson to prove himself, he hasn't. Anderson is batting .237 with two homers, nine RBI, and a .649 OPS. He also has been caught stealing six times, as opposed to two stolen bases.

DeWayne Wise hasn't been much better. Wise is batting .190 with no homers, two RBI, and a .501 OPS.

Anderson has been a good fielder as has Wise, but their defense doesn't even come close to making up for their horrid offense.

Left Field(Scott Podsednik)

Primary left fielder: Scott Podsednik
Injured: Carlos Quentin

Grade: A

Podsednik has by far been the MVP of the White Sox. Pods has been batting .308 with two homers, 17 RBI, and a .749 OPS. He also has ten stolen bases. He has been the spark at the top of the White Sox lineup. He has also been extremely clutch.

His defense has been adequate, even maybe a step up from Quentin. He hasn't committed an error in left field and he also has two outfield assists.

Designated Hitter(Jim Thome)

Primary designated hitter: Jim Thome

Grade: C-

Thome does what is asked to do. He is batting .249 with 13 homers, 42 RBI, and a .874 OPS. Thome does strikeout a lot, but he also walks a lot.

Thome has been clutch in high leverage situations, batting extremely well with runners in scoring position and two outs(.318 avg) and bases loaded(.333 avg).

Starting Pitching Rotation(Mark Buehrle, Jon Danks, Gavin Floyd, Jose Contreras, Clayton Richard)

Ace: Mark Buehrle
Rotation: Jon Danks, Gavin Floyd, Jose Contreras, Clayton Richard
Injured: Bartolo Colon

Grade: C

Mark Buehrle has been the only consistent starter and likely playing himself onto the All-Star team. Buehrle is 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and nine quality starts.

Jon Danks started off slow, but has been better lately. Danks is 5-6 with a 4.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts.

Gavin Floyd, like Danks, started off slow but is now on-fire. Floyd is 5-5 with a 4.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 76 strikeouts, and ten quality starts.

Jose Contreras has been a roller coaster. He started off horribly and was demoted to the minors and has come back strong. Contreras is 2-7 with a 5.19 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and only 38 strikeouts.

Clayton Richard has been inconsistently bad. Richard is 2-1 with a 4.33 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 46 strikeouts.

Bullpen

Relievers: Matt Thorton, Octavio Dotel, Scott Linebrink, D.J. Carrasco, Aaron Poreda, Jimmy Gobble
Closer: Bobby Jenks

Grade: B

If this were a couple weeks earlier, the grade would've been higher. But anyways, the bullpen has played consistently well. Every bullpen pitcher except Gobble and Jenks has great strikeout numbers and an ERA below 3.05.

They have saved the starting pitching staff in multiple occasions. Poreda also looks like a promising youngster, having yet to yield a run in four appearances.

Bobby Jenks also has been consistent, albeit sometimes nail-biting. Jenks has 18 saves with a 3.33 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts.

Suggestions: Cut, Trade, and Small-ball

CUT: Josh Fields
CUT: Jimmy Gobble
CUT: Brian Anderson

Carlos Quentin will be returning, meaning the outfield will be crowded. Wise or Anderson will need to be demoted. Anderson had a chance to prove himself and has failed to do so. Gobble has been nothing short of garbage in the bullpen. Josh Fields is an all-round bad player and Beckham needs to play everyday in order to play better.

TRADE FOR: Zach Duke
TRADE FOR: Cla Meredith

The White Sox need a corner infielder.. Clayton Richard should be sent to the bullpen and the Pirates could trade Duke, who has been phenomenal. Also, Meredith is a great relief pitcher that could take Gobble's spot.

PLAY MORE SMALL BALL
If you're going to have a youth movement, utilize it. Use the speed and legs of Beckham and Getz to frazzle pitchers and move on the basepaths.