The 2010 Chicago White Sox were full of excitement and disappointment. Beginning the season with a 6-0 shutout of the Cleveland Indians, Mark Buehrle stole the show with his incredible barehanded between the legs web gem. But the Sox struggled throughout the rest of April and May. They looked like a different team in June and July though, posting separate 9 and 11 game winning streaks, finding themselves in first place going into the All-Star break. General Manager Kenny Williams traded for Edwin Jackson and Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline, but the Sox slipped in September, losing 8 in a row and fell out of contention.
The plan for the offseason was to rebuild the farm system and go young, but when opportunity arose at the Winter Meetings in December Williams and Owner Jerry Riensdorf decided to go all in. The Sox signed left-handed slugger Adam Dunn, resigned Paul Konkero and AJ Pierzinski and made changes to their bullpen.
Here is a preview of your 2011 Chicago White Sox
**Starting Pitching: **Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Edwin Jackson
The Sox starting rotation looks solid on paper. Unfortunately, baseball isn’t a videogame with injuries turned off. Peavy is coming off yet another injury and the Sox will not rush him back. He doesn’t look like he’ll be ready for Opening Day, so finding a fifth starter until Peavy returns is a must.
Buehrle is the longest tenured pitcher on the team and the rest of the rotation will look to him to be the workhorse. Danks should continue to be the model of consistency like he has since he arrived in 2007.
Floyd is looking to bounce back from an up-and-down year. He has the best stuff on the team with a nasty 12-6 curveball and 94 miles per hour fastball with movement. However, at times Floyd loses his control and thinks too much on the mound.
Jackson looks to maintain his dominance of the AL Central. Edwin struggled in the National League last year, but returned to form when the Sox traded for him in July, posting a 4-2 record with a 3.24 ERA and 77 K’s in 75 innings.
Bullpen: Matt Thornton (L), Jessie Crain (R), Sergio Santos (R), Will Ohman (L), Brian Bruney (R), Chris Sale (L), Tony Pena (R)
Out with the old and in with the new. Bobby Jenks, JJ Putz and Scott Linebrink are gone. Santos and Sale had terrific rookie seasons which was surprising from a converted second base prospect and 2010 draft pick. The Sox also reloaded with Crain and Ohman. Thornton got some experience at closer last year while Jenks was injured and will make the switch permanently this season. The Sox will have more balance in the bullpen in 2011 with three lefties and tons of power with Thornton, Santos and Sale all throwing in the upper 90s.
*note (average/home runs/runs batted in)
Designated Hitter: Adam Dunn
Dunn is supposed to be the missing piece to the puzzle for the Sox, a big left-handed power hitter in the middle of the lineup to give protection for Konkero. No one has been a more productive long ball hitter than Dunn since 2004 with 198 homers. And hitting in US Celluar should only help those numbers.
Moving to the AL should help as well. He will no longer have to worry about playing the field. However, Dunn comes with some concerns as well. A career batting average of only .250 and strikes out over 160 times a year. Dunn walks around 90 times a season and hopefully can continue to stay patient at the plate with protection behind him.
Catcher: AJ Pierzinski
AJ was the forgotten free agent signee behind Dunn and Konkero. He is a nice left-handed hitter, but wasn’t brought back because of his bat. Pierzinski may be the most important player on the team. The pitchers are comfortable with him; he calls a good game and is good defensively. AJ is also the heart and soul of the team. His fiery attitude motivates his teammates and gets under the skin of the opponent. He should keep his pitchers focused throughout the year and a sparkplug at the plate.
1st Base: Paul Konkero
Uncle Paulie was the MVP for the Sox last season and if they had stayed in the hunt may have been the same for the American League. He led the team in batting average (.312), home runs (39), RBI (111) and OPS (.997). That was a contract year though and he was paid generously for it.
Konkero will have to avoid slumping this year as players are prone to do after a good year and big payday for the Sox to succeed. He should have people on base in front of him and protection behind him. This should result in good pitches to hit and every opportunity to excel.
**2nd Base: **Gordon Beckham
Gordon was the talk of spring training last season. After cruising through the minor leagues, Beckham had a great rookie year hitting .270/14/63 with 28 doubles in just over 100 games. But in 2010, Beckham moved to second and struggled at the plate battling with the Mendoza line through the first half. He came out strong in the second half hitting .331 throughout July and August before slumping like the rest of the Sox in September.
Beckham is one of the biggest question marks going into 2011, but also one of the biggest keys for the Sox.
**Shortstop: **Alexei Ramirez
Alexei was a bright spot last season both in the field and at the plate. He produced wherever he hit in the lineup finishing the year at .282/18/70. He has excellent range at shortstop and led the team in web gems, although has had trouble making the routine play from time to time.
The Sox would like to see Ramirez avoid a slow start like he’s accustomed to doing and avoid losing focus in the field.
3rd Base: Brent Morel, Mark Teahan, Dayan Viciedo
Third base will be the only competition going into Spring Training. The Sox traded for Teahan last season, but his lack of production, injuries and defensive mishaps gave Morel and Viciedo extended time in the bigs. Morel looks to be the front-runner going in because of his glove, but Kenny Williams may try and push for Viciedo after signing the young Cuban to a big contract a couple years ago.
Left Field: Juan Pierre
Pierre will once again be the table setter for the Sox this season. His speed is undeniable. He led the league with 68 stolen bases last year and puts pressure on the pitcher every time he’s on base. He can be suspect in the field though as his weak arm can be a liability with runners in scoring position. However the Sox will be happy with similar production from Juan and anything above that will be a plus.
Center Field: Alex Rios
Kenny Williams made a huge gamble when he claimed Rios off waivers late in the 2009 season. The slumping former All-Star with a huge contract came to the South Side and hit .199/3/9 in 41 games. In 2010 Rios returned to form moving his way up the lineup finally landing in the 3-hole finishing the year at .284/21/88 with 34 steals and playing an excellent center field. Look for Rios to become an All-Star again this season.
Right Field: Carlos Quentin
Yet another question for the Sox. Can Quentin ever get back to the player that had an MVP type season in 2008 when he hit .288/36/100 before breaking his own wrist after a strikeout? Since his return, Quentin has battled with plantar fasciitis and the Stanford grad is thought to think too much at the plate. We saw flashes of his power again in 2010, but can he produce on a consistent basis for the whole season?
Players To Watch: Lastings Milledge, Jared Mitchell
Jared Mitchell was the Sox first round draft pick (23rd overall) in 2009 and had a great Spring Training last year before tearing a tendon in his left ankle. Like Beckham, Mitchell was the World Series MVP in college at LSU, but with a crowded outfield, they may keep him in the minors. Look for Mitchell in September.
Milledge was signed to a minor-league contract earlier this month. The 25 year old outfielder and former first round draft pick hit .277 with the lowly Pirates last year. He could make the major league roster as the fourth outfielder.
Projected Lineup:
1 - Juan Pierre (L)
2 - Alexei Ramirez (R)
3 - Alex Rios (R)
4 - Paul Konkero (R)
5 - Adam Dunn (L)
6 - Carlos Quentin (R)
7 - AJ Pierzinski (L)
8 - Gordon Beckham (R)
9 - Brent Morel (R)
Prediction:
The AL Central is very top heavy this season. And even though the Minnesota Twins stayed pat this winter, they got healthy returning All-Star closer Joe Nathan and former MVP Justin Morneau from injury. The Detroit Tigers signed catcher Victor Martinez and brought back Magglio Ordonez to go along with Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. But then there is the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians who are always rebuilding.
The Sox have put all their eggs in the basket this season. They made a big splash in free agency and raised their payroll once again. With the best rotation in the division, with or without Peavy, and power at almost every position, the Sox should finish with 90+ wins. The Twins should compete all season long with the division title, but both teams should make the playoffs.
2011 Chicago White Sox: 93-69