3 Reasons the Future Is Still Bright for the Chicago White Sox

Mired in the midst of what could be the first 100-loss season in 43 years, the Chicago White Sox have tested the resolve of even the most ardent fans. It is, after all, an exhausting experience following the White Sox down this road of uncertainty to a destination that has a largely undefined path.

All is not lost, though. There are a few reasons to be genuinely excited about what the future holds on the South Side.

Just to be clear, however, this list will not touch on the defense…It is woeful.

Nor will it dare discuss baserunning…That would be an insult.

And there is no need to distract the reader with advanced offensive statistics like how Conor Gillaspie is hitting .333 with two home runs in extra innings…Those would be misleading.

The Pale Hose do have youth, money and a top-flight pitching staff, however. Here are the three reasons that the future is bright for the White Sox.

The Performances of Some First- and Second-Year Players

In 2012, Nate Jones, Hector Santiago, Jose Quintana and Addison Reed exploded on the scene and surprised even the casual observer. Each of them has improved upon last season’s showing, and there is no reason to believe that they cannot be counted on for the foreseeable future.

This year, Conor Gillaspie is quietly having a productive season at the plate. Sure, the White Sox may want to consider finding a platoon partner for him, and he can kick the ball around the infield, but as a young prospect, he provides a reason to hope that third base will not be an empty position in the coming seasons.

Avisail Garcia is another youngster who should be a keeper. Since arriving in the trade that sent Jake Peavy to the Boston Red Sox, Garcia has been nothing short of a revelation. 

A rare blend of gap power, excellent speed on the bases and above-average defensive capabilities, Garcia is a cornerstone to build an offense around. It has been quite a long time since the White Sox could say that about a position player.

It will also be exciting to watch a couple of rookie pitchers take the next step. Andre Rienzo (2-1, 4.50 ERA) has looked sharp in five out of his eight starts. Erik Johnson (0-2, 4.66 ERA) has been the victim of some very bad defense during his first two starts, but he has command of three pitches and the poise of a veteran.  

Sprinkle in a little Leury Garcia, a dash of Josh Phegley and a pinch of Marcus Semien, and the White Sox may have a recipe for sustained success.

Finally, consider that the earliest any of the above mentioned players are eligible for free agency is after the 2017 season.  

Rick Hahn Actually Has Some Cash to Spend

After five years of fielding teams with bloated payrolls that failed to reach the playoffs, the White Sox finally have some room to operate thanks to a few shrewd moves.

When the 2012 season ended, the White Sox had a $102 million payroll and a new general manager in Rick Hahn who had a lot of work to do. As it stands today, Hahn still has a tall task ahead of himself, but their payroll sits at a reasonable $84 million with only $46.8 million in guaranteed contracts for the 2014 season before arbitration, buyouts and exercised options.

That leaves the GM plenty of room to improve the team, and he knows it. MLB.com’s Scott Merkin quoted Hahn on Tuesday:

"

Unfortunately, we have a number of areas that we need to upgrade, and you have named three at the top of the list. Where we have performed offensively, obviously being at the bottom of the league in runs scored, how we've performed defensively and how we've performed on the bases has been well below our expectations and well below acceptable.

So we have a fair amount of work to do, and we realize that…We were able to do some of it at the [July 31] Trade Deadline and hopefully come October and November, we will continue down that path.

"

His first order of business should be addressing the offense. With names like Shin-Soo Choo, Nelson Cruz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Corey Hart, James Loney, Brian McCann and Kendrys Morales, among others, set to hit free agency after the season, Hahn has options.

The fact that the Sox are not burdened by an inflated payroll and the GM is committed to the process is yet another reason why the future looks bright on the South Side.

Did Someone Say Starting Pitching?

Yes, falling back on the White Sox’s starting rotation as a reason to be hopeful for the future is cliche. It is also a truth that goes deeper than Cy Young candidate Chris Sale.

Here are some of Jose Quintana’s splits from this season and last, for example.  

	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	BAA	K	K/9	BB/9	H/9	WAR
2012	6-6	3.76	136.1	1.350	.275	81	5.3	2.8	9.4	2.4
2013	7-6	3.70	172.2	1.234	.249	143	7.5	2.6	8.5	4.4

He has improved in every metric and shows no signs of being overworked. It is really quite impressive what the young left-hander has been able to accomplish in his second season as a starter. 

After Sale and Quintana, the White Sox have multiple options. From John Danks and Hector Santiago, to the previously mentioned Andre Rienzo and Erik Johnson, there are currently six starters who could vie for the five starting spots in 2014.

Santiago is a curious case. He is allergic to throwing strikes, walking 57 batters in 121.1 innings, but has a 3.37 ERA and 120 strikeouts. There was a time that it could have been argued that his best fit is in the bullpen, but after looking at his greater body of work, he is a fine No. 4 starter.

Santiago has so much upside that CSNChicago.com's Dan Hayes posited on Tuesday that he and possibly Addison Reed could be used as trade chips this offseason as general manager Rick Hahn looks to upgrade the offense.

Although the numbers belie it, Danks has been fairly effective in his comeback from shoulder surgery.

In August, for example, he went 2-3 but posted a 3.89 ERA. Overall, his control (24 walks in 127.1 innings) has been exceptional, and he has a very manageable 1.249 WHIP. To be sure, he is overpriced, and the 26 home runs he has surrendered is far too many, but he does have value at the back end of a rotation.

With pitching at a premium, the collection of starters the Sox currently have at their disposal is more than enough to believe that the rebuilding process they are in the middle of will not last as long as it has for other teams.

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