Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox: Who Makes It Back to the World Series First?

This summer has been a dreadful time for baseball in Chicago  With very little wins and very little excitement shown by either the Cubs or the White Sox.  Although the White Sox have been playing better as of late, neither team is a contender by any means.

Even though both teams are nowhere near a run at the World Series, the question at hand is simple: Which team will make it back to the World Series first?

Before we start proclaiming that either team will get back to the World Series soon, let's first look at the last time that each team was there.  The Cubs have not appeared in the World Series since 1945, where as the White Sox won the World Series in 2005, but had not appeared in the World Series since 1959 before that.

Since neither team really has a history of success in October, in order to predict the next one to win the pennant there are a variety of factors to look at.  First thing to look at is the players that will be on the team in the near future.

The 2011 versions of each ball club are basically polar opposites of each other when looking at strengths and weaknesses.

The pitching of the Chicago Cubs has been atrocious this season.  With a rotation of, now suspended Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Randy Wells, Rodrigo Lopez, and other non-factors create a starting five that truly is terrible and has no positive signs for the future.  Many say that pitching wins championships, and if that is true, then the Cubs have a lot of work ahead of them to get in contention.

On the South side, the White Sox show a bit more promise.  The starting rotation of the White Sox has been very solid this season and something that can be a building block in the future.

Veteran Mark Buehrle is having one of his best years of his career, which give the Sox a solid starter to have in the rotation over the next few years.

Next to Buehrle, the Sox have two very good young pitchers in Gavin Floyd and John Danks. When Floyd gets in his groove, he can be one of the best pitchers in baseball for extended periods of time.  If Floyd can work on being consistent for an entire season, he has potential to be incredible.

Danks is another great pitcher that the White Sox have for the long haul.  After starting the season 0-8 (mainly due to minimal run support), Danks has gone 5-1 and lowered his season ERA to 3.95.  Danks has a very high quality skill set, once he learns how to mentally beat batters he will be great.

Now in the bullpen, the White Sox also have a young arm to build on in Chris Sale, who was a first round draft pick for them a few season ago.  The advantage has to go to the White Sox there, due to the fact that they simply have pitchers to build on, where as the Cubs do not.

When looking at the offense of both ball clubs, this year the advantage has to go to the Cubs.

The Cubs have one of the best young talents in baseball, in shortstop Starlin Castro.  The 21-year old is hitting .308 this year and leading the National League with 160 hits. Castro will be a star and this gives the Cubs a major rebuilding piece.

However, outside of Castro the Cubs do not have much.  Darwin Barney has been a pleasant surprise this year, although nothing to get fans excited about a trip to a World Series.  Besides Barney, the Cubs are filled with bloated contracts that need to either be bought out or expire before they can make significant progress.

One of the biggest disappointments this entire season in the major leagues, has been the White Sox offense.  The Sox have been a middle of the road offense for the majority of the year.

One of the reasons why the White Sox have been such a disappointment is the dismal play of both Adam Dunn and Alex Rios.  Both players were supposed to rejuvenate the White Sox, but both have struggled and is hitting even .220.

The White Sox offense however does feature Carlos Quentin and Alexei Ramirez who are very good hitters under 30 years old that can lead a team far in the season.  Recent call-up Alejandro de Aza looks like he will be a solid player for quite some time as well.

What many fans do not know however, is that the White Sox have a hidden gem in Dayan Viciedo who is on their AAA Charlotte squad.  Viciedo is a pure slugger who should be a vital part of the Chicago White Sox over the next decade.

Both teams have mediocre offenses this year with few parts to build on, just not many to get excited about.  The Cubs have the best player in Starlin Castro, but the White Sox have more pieces to build on for the future.

Since neither team has World Series talent, lets take a look at the divisions that both teams are in. Both teams do have the luxury of playing in average to below average divisions.

The N.L. Central is a division that features three bright teams in the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Cincinnati Reds.  The Brewers have a tough decision as to whether they re-sign slugger Prince Fielder, regardless they are a solid team that will be in the mix every year in the near future.

The St. Louis Cardinals are always going to be there.  The Cardinals don't rebuild, they simply reload and expect them to be competing with the Brewers year in and year out.  The Cincinnati Reds are also a team to look out for after a disappointing year.  They are a team loaded with young talent and ready to make a run.

With three teams looking good ahead of them and a young, up and coming team in the Pittsburgh Pirates, things don't look to hot for the Chicago Cubs. The White Sox however, get the opportunity to play in the dreadful A.L. Central.

While the division-leading Detroit Tigers have arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Justin Verlander, they don't have much outside of him.  In games where Verlander hasn't started, the Tigers are only a below average, 46-50.

The Cleveland Indians were a hot team to begin the year, but have trailed off dramatically throughout the season.  The Minnesota Twins will be an up and down team for years to come, and the Kansas City Royals are just pitiful.

With that being said, the division is open for the White Sox to take in the future.

Unless the White Sox make a miraculous end of the season run and have great postseason success, neither team is any where close to World Series ready this year.

It would probably be crazy to say either team in the same sentence as World Series too.  If you had to factor in Pitching, Hitting, and Divisional strength in the near future, the easy answer has to be the Chicago White Sox to return to the World Series first.

Hopefully this article gives some insight into the two baseball teams, but if not there is one clear factor that will help you make a decision on the two clubs for the future: The Cubs are cursed!