What Does 2009 Hold for the White Sox Rotation?

The 2009 White Sox are going to be a team undergoing a massive transition.

Much like the Phoenix Suns, they will have to make transitions at several key positions, including second base, third base, and center field.

The biggest changes this offseason, however, have been in the Sox rotation. Gone is Javier Vazquez (to Atlanta), and Jose Contreras won’t be a factor for the time being (still recovering from his hideous Achilles injury). Staying in the fold are the three shoo-ins for the rotation: Gavin Floyd, John Danks, and Mark Buehrle.

This article will focus on the new faces that will compete for spots in the rotation this season as the Sox try to defend their AL Central title.

Probable Fourth Starter: Bartolo Colon

The offseason acquisition of Colon ensured his spot in the Sox rotation as the fourth starter. At 35 years old, his best days are probably behind him, but if players like Livan Hernandez are any indication, it is still possible to see flashes of his old glory.

The main problems with Colon include his health and his attitude. He had a significant shoulder injury before last season, and he also was on the DL for a month and a half with back stiffness.

When he came back in September, the Red Sox weren’t willing to give him a starting spot, so he went back to the Dominican Republic and was suspended without pay for the rest of the season. The White Sox don’t think that this will be a problem, and pitching coach Don Cooper is adamant about this point.

“My dealings with Bartolo and our dealings with Bartolo are up front and honest," he said. "He’s ready to go, and I really don’t care what happened before.”

Possible Fifth Starter: Clayton Richard

Clayton Richard is one of the triumvirate of young hurlers who is looking to round out the White Sox rotation when they break camp in Glendale this April.

Last season, Richard made his Major League debut, and he had a bit of a rough road. In his first two appearances, he gave up a combined nine earned runs in 8 2/3 innings, but he also struck out 10 batters and walked only three.

August and September brought more of the up-and-down performance, with Richard picking up his first two wins as a pro in back-to-back starts against Seattle and Baltimore and giving up no runs to the Mariners and three earned runs to the Orioles in the victories.

After a 5.66 ERA in September, there is certainly no convincing evidence that he is a shoo-in for the starting rotation, but his performance in August is an indicator that he could possibly round out the rotation in a big way.

Possible Fifth Starter: Lance Broadway

Lance Broadway only made seven sporadic appearances for the White Sox last year, and his performance was equally sporadic.

He only faced one batter in his debut against the Red Sox (a ground out). Then, he made his only start three days later against the Royals, and gave up two earned runs in a win.

His next appearance came 13 days later against the Orioles, and he was hideous, giving up seven runs and three home runs in four innings. He was then limited to relief duty for the rest of the season, giving up two runs in 4 1/3 innings.

It is far too small a sample size to really evaluate Broadway, but if his stuff from last season is any indication, he could be a good fit in that fifth spot for the Sox.

Long Shots: Aaron Poreda and Jeffery Marquez

Poreda and Marquez appear to have a good shot at making the Sox roster out of spring training, but it’s not clear whether either has a legitimate shot at making the starting rotation.

Poreda is considered to have a great shot at making the team. His strong performance in the Arizona Fall League, as well as his 2.69 ERA in 39 games, makes him a real contender and even a dark horse for the fifth rotation spot.

Marquez went 6-7 at AAA Scranton in the Yankees farm system last season, starting 14 games and pitching 80.2 innings. He also gave up 12 home runs and 93 hits in those innings. His WHIP of 1.45 certainly could use some work.

While whitesox.com has him listed as a prime contender for the spot, I don’t think that he will beat out Richard or Broadway for the spot.

I predict the Opening Day rotation for the White Sox (barring injury, of course) will be Buehrle, Danks, Floyd, Colon, and Richard. Richard will be kept on a short leash coming out of camp, and Ozzie Guillen won't hesitate to replace him if necessary.

Poreda and Broadway will be kept around for insurance purposes for the back end of the rotation, and Contreras will hopefully continue to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from his injury.

I think that Colon will probably end up in the ballpark of 8-10 wins, and if the leading three can get between 12-18 apiece, the team should be in good shape to bring down another Central Division title in 2009.