Chicago White Sox: 5 Potential All-Star Representatives for Last-Place Sox
In an effort to keep myself from going insane with every White Sox game that I watch, I have decided to look at the positive, which there are not many of, storylines from this season.
Although many of the players on this team have been struggling heavily, there have been a few players who have performed very well for this team throughout the early part of the year and look at least somewhat intrigued every time they step onto the field.
Here are five players from this years' Chicago White Sox who have a chance to participate in the All-Star game this year in Phoenix, Arizona.
John Danks/Gavin Floyd
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John Danks has got to be the unluckiest starter in all of baseball!
I mean, the pitcher has made seven starts, has had five quality outings , with the other two starts being fairly solid, and possesses a 0-5 record. His ERA is a very satisfactory 3.83, which is the lowest for any starting pitcher in American League without a victory with a minimum of 20 innings pitched.
In his five losses, he has allowed 15 runs in 33 innings, which is very decent. However, in those five starts, his offense has only scored eight runs for him. How is this man every supposed to pick up a victory?
In the two games that he started and he didn't factor in, he only allowed five runs in 14 innings. His offense actually provided him with some run support in those two games, but his bullpen and defense let him down.
Gavin Floyd has been much luckier than Danks this season. He leads the White Sox with four victories and possesses a very productive 3.67 ERA. Both players have made seven starts, but the White Sox offense has scored 36 total runs during the games Floyd has started, compared to just 19 runs during the games Danks has started.
The reason why these two players have the potential to be All-Stars this year in because they has been very consistent and dependable.
Danks has pitched at least six innings in every start he has made and not allowing more than five runs in every start as well. He has struckout a respectable 36 batters, while walking 14.
Floyd has also pitched at least six innings during every start he has made, and has not allowed more than six runs in any of the seven starts. His strikeout to walk ratio is better than Danks', as he has struckout 44 batters while only walking 12.
Unfortunately for them, many other starting pitchers are having better seasons than they are so far, so my prediction is that they will be left off the All-Star game roster. With that being said, Floyd does have a better chance of making it than Danks should he continue to pitch the way he has been pitching, as his numbers are more impressive than Danks' numbers.
Carlos Quentin
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Carlos Quentin is hitting a decent .264 this season and has a productive .352 on-base percentage, but the area that he has really excelled at this year has been hitting the ball deep for extra base hits. He has hit seven home runs, good for a seventh place tie in the American League, and 13 doubles, which is good for a first place tie in the American League. Combine the two numbers together, and the outcome is a second place ranking in the "extra base hits" category throughout the entire majors.
Oh yeah, and he also has been hit by two more pitches (eight) than the second place leader in the majors.
At the rate that Quentin is going, he should receive strong consideration for the All-Star game, perhaps as one of the five finalists for the final All-Star game roster spot. With as many extra base hits that he smacks, he should be voted into the game by America and the rest of the world.
Sergio Santos
3 of 5
This kid has been absolutely "lights out" for the Chicago White Sox out of the otherwise struggling bullpen in the early part of this season.
In 12 appearances and 15 innings pitched, the former shortstop has not allowed a single run while allowing only seven hits and six walks, in comparison to 19 strikeouts, and has recorded three saves out of three opportunities. He also has recorded a hold and a win out of the bullpen for the last place White Sox. Only one reliever has pitched more innings than him without allowing a single run.
Apparently, this kid really does not care about the "sophomore slump" rule.
If he continues to pitch like he has been, I don't see how he could be kept out of the All-Star game. He has been stellar for a White Sox team that needs all the help they can get out of anyone on their roster.
The fact that he has recently been named the closer of this team should help his case for an All-Star appearance as well!
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Paul Konerko
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Paul Konerko continues to prove why he is the leader and captain of the Chicago White Sox by carrying over his MVP-type season from last year into this year. In the early part of this season, he has hit eight home runs and driven in 27 runs, good for a first and fourth place tie in the American League respectively.
In addition, his .323 batting average and .384 on-base percentage are good for seventh and 11th place in the American League.
Unfortunately for him, his offense has been very unproductive up to this point of the season, and he has only scored 16 runs, half of them produced by his own long balls.
However, I don't think that will have an influence on the coaches who will choose the All-Star game roster, and Paul Konerko will be selected to his fifth career Midseason Classic if he continues to hit this way. He is the heart and soul of this team's offense and, along with Quentin, has carried them throughout the early part of the year.
The Bench: Brent Lillibridge/Omar Vizquel/Mark Teahen/Ramon Castro
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All four of the White Sox bench players have been very solid for this team throughout the early part of this season. They have combined for 37 hits in 146 at-bats, which is good for a solid .253 batting average. In addition, they have combined to hit five home runs, steal five bases, score 17 runs and drive in 13 runs. These are very reliable numbers for a bench that has needed to step up with a majority of the starters struggling.
Also, they have combined to commit only one error in the field this year.
If only a bench player actually would have a shot at making an All-Star game, much less an entire bench, then the White Sox bench players would definitely have to be at the top of the list. They have provided the struggling starters with some nice support.
With all this being said, I pretty much have no choice but to predict that they will not be making an appearance in this years All-Star game, since there's no history of any bench players ever competing in one.
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