5 Reasons to Be Optimistic for Chicago White Sox's 2015 Season
For the first time in some time, there are more reasons to be optimistic about what the Chicago White Sox will do in the upcoming season than there are causes for concern.
There is a sense of something the fanbase had forgotten existed after consecutive seasons of futility—hope. Talk about a departure from what had become an unfortunate norm.
To be sure, we could look at individual players, highlighting guys like Chris Sale, Jose Abreu and Jeff Samardzija. Fact is, they will be mentioned, but we are going to take a different approach.
Here are five areas that stand out as we look at the 2015 White Sox. They are collective strengths that are greater than any one individual.
Position-Player Depth
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The word “depth” is sometimes used with impunity. That is to say that it often refers to the talent that is in an organization’s system (we will get to that in a minute), not on the 25-man roster.
This season, unlike past campaigns, the White Sox will have an Opening Day roster full of players capable of making meaningful contributions over the course of a 162-game schedule.
Consider: In 2014, manager Robin Ventura had four outfielders open the season on the 25-man roster. This year, he has five in the form of Adam Eaton, Avisail Garcia, Melky Cabrera, Emilio Bonifacio and J.B. Shuck.
Of them, Shuck is the least experienced, and he slashed out at .293/.331/.366 over 478 plate appearances in 2013. And let’s not overlook his defensive acumen and guile on the bases. In other words, the 25th man is better suited to impact the lineup than the starting left fielder last year.
On the infield, Gordon Beckham will open the season as a reserve. Now that is not to say that whomever wins the starting job at second base (likely Micah Johnson) is certain to succeed, but Beckham’s ability to play three positions (second, shortstop and third base) at a high level makes the club deeper.
At first base, the club goes from having Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko backing up Jose Abreu to Adam LaRoche, who has won a Gold Glove for his work at the position. Not only is there a presumed upgrade offensively with LaRoche but also in the field.
There are more examples, including behind the plate, where Geovany Soto is an improvement over Adrian Nieto, assuming he stays healthy. And with Carlos Sanchez making the roster, per CSN Chicago's Dan Hayes, the lineup has added flexibility, while the defense on the infield improves considerably.
All told, the position players who are going to break camp this season are a vast improvement over the collection that did so last year.
There Is Actually Help in the Minor Leagues
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True, Courtney Hawkins has collected 303 strikeouts in 940 at-bats over the past two seasons, but his production during spring training was impressive. And we're not just talking about the four home runs he hit. He was confident at the plate and demonstrated an increased awareness in all facets, setting the stage for a rapid ascension.
Then there is Trayce Thompson, who is likely next in line in the outfield should someone get injured. He too has a propensity to strike out but has fine power, can drive the gaps and is a superb fielder. This spring, he slashed out at .412/.421/.588 over 19 plate appearances.
Behind the plate, Adrian Nieto has a full year of major league experience in his back pocket, and Kevan Smith played well last season at Double-A, posting a .290/.376/.437 slash with 10 home runs and 21 doubles. Nieto would be first in line, of course, but the fact that there are two guys seemingly able to step in is a departure from years past.
And there are quite a few options regarding the pitching staff.
At the top of the list, of course, is Carlos Rodon. The White Sox’s first-round selection in last season’s MLB draft, Rodon pitched well this spring, posting a 3.65 ERA with a 1.297 WHIP and 21 strikeouts over 12.1 innings. The lefty looked good and will be in the starting rotation at some point during the first half of the upcoming campaign.
Rodon is not alone, however.
Tyler Danish could be ready by the end of the year to come up and contribute in the bullpen. Francellis Montas could be a reliever right now given his overpowering fastball, but the White Sox will give him ample starts before bringing him up. And guys like Onelki Garcia, Daniel Webb, Chris Beck, Erik Johnson and Michael Ynoa could be called upon at some point to help in the relief corps or rotation.
There are more, of course, but you get the point: The White Sox have a farm system capable of delivering the type of players who can make a difference as the club drives toward an American League Central title and its first spot in the postseason since 2008.
On-Base Percentage at Top of the Lineup
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It goes without saying that in order to score runs, the White Sox need to get on base. The problem in the recent past has been just that—they haven't had a collection of guys capable of reaching base at an acceptable rate.
Over the past two years, general manager Rick Hahn has, seemingly, solved the problem. He added Adam Eaton, Jose Abreu in 2013 and signed Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche this past season to solidify the top of the batting order.
In all, the White Sox’s Nos. 1-4 hitters got on base at over a .350 clip last season and have demonstrated track records of being able to maintain that pace.
That is a far cry from 2014 when Eaton and Abreu were the only two guys with over 50 at-bats to finish with an on-base percentage above .340. In 2013, Alex Rios led the club with a .328 OBP—.328!
That type of production simply won’t suffice. The only way to score runs is to make it to first base by any means necessary. And finally, the White Sox have a group at the top of the lineup that is capable of delivering results.
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Top of the Rotation
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The White Sox rotation is so top heavy that No. 3 starter Jose Quintana ranked 10th in MLB last season is pitcher’s fWAR (FanGraphs version of wins above replacement).
Think about that.
Quintana (3.32 ERA, 2.81 FIP, 200.1 IP) had a better season than 78 other pitchers who qualified based on innings pitched. And with him throwing behind Cy Young candidates Chris Sale (2.17, 2.57, 174.0) and Jeff Samardzija (2.99, 3.20, 219.2), the chances that the White Sox suffer through a prolonged losing streak are slim.
True, there is always a fear that injury will strike Sale’s left arm. If he were to miss an extended amount of time, the rotation would be in trouble.
And then there is the concern that Samardzija’s uneven performance this spring will carry over when real games start. After all, he’s given up nine home runs but struck out 18 and only walked two. Like we said, uneven.
As ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla reports, Samardzija is cognizant of the need to be better and has history on his side:
"Keep it in the park. Obviously you’re out there working on things in spring. You don’t ever want to give up homers, but you’re out there establishing your fastball and they hit it and it goes out. That’s the way it goes. I know in my career I throw a lot of fastballs and I give up some home runs. For me it’s always just about having no one on base.
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That’s about right, Jeff.
For as real as the concerns are, they are the same with every club. And based on past performance, the top of the rotation is the strength of the club and will set the tone all season.
Back of the Bullpen (Opening Day and Down the Road)
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Arguably, the biggest moves of the offseason were the acquisitions of David Robertson and Zach Duke.
True, Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche are big names, and Dan Jennings could turn out to be a fine acquisition. But seeing as how the White Sox bullpen ranked 14th last season in the American League, per FanGraphs, a substantial improvement there means that the work Rick Hahn did with the offense and in the rotation has even more value.
After all, what good is it to get on base, score runs and shut the opponent down for seven innings if the back of the bullpen is going to muck it up?
In Robertson, the club has one of MLB’s best closers who features a strong curveball and a fine cutter. In Duke, Ventura has a guy who can change his arm angle, keeping hitters on their heels. On paper, they are the perfect complement to each other.
And let’s not forget about Zach Putnam. Sure, he’s pitching to a 9.29 ERA and 1.565 WHIP this spring, but he logged 54.2 innings last year, amassing a 1.98 ERA and a 3.08 FIP in the process. Better yet, he put up a .184/.293/.184 slash line against (58 plate appearances) with runners in scoring position in 2014, per Baseball-Reference.
For as solid as Robertson, Duke and Putnam are, they’re not the only reasons for optimism in the back of the bullpen.
See, Jesse Crain told ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla that he’s “been throwing for about a week now” and is “moving forward” on his path back from shoulder surgery. No timetable is set, but he is nearing game action, which is a positive sign.
And Nate Jones has already begun a throwing program less than nine months after Tommy John surgery. In fact, he threw 20 pitches on Wednesday and "felt great", per MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
If Crain and Jones can contribute—at a high level, of course—by June and August, respectively, the White Sox will be in even better shape. Both have extensive experience pitching in high-leverage situations late in games.
In fact, Jones was the closer going into last season, and Crain has a career .230/.307/.345 slash line against in the seventh inning or later with the game tied, the White Sox down by one or the tying run on deck, per Baseball-Reference. That is an impressive stat line.
Unless otherwise noted, all traditional, team and advanced statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs.com and Baseball-Reference.com and are accurate as of game time Thursday, April 2. Transaction, injury and game information are courtesy of MLB.com.
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