The last team from the American League Central that I will be breaking down are the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are coming off a great regular season with a 2nd place finish with a 35-25 record tied with Cleveland. Although they have a great regular season, the way their year ended was disappointing as they blew a 1-0 lead in a best of 3 series in the Wild Card series against the Oakland A’s. But, they made strides in the offseason to better themselves, and now they are, in my opinion the best team in the AL Central. Their lineup is one of the best in the game, they have players who are great offensively and defensively, their rotation is stacked with young arms who are capable of being some of the best pitchers in the game, and their backend of the bullpen is stacked. They only made strides to be better but the only major question is whether they made the right choice hiring Tony LaRussa as their manager again. We will find out whether or not he’s able to work with the young core they were able to make.
Project Starting Rotation
| 1 | Lucas Giolito |
| 2 | Lance Lynn |
| 3 | Dallas Keuchel |
| 4 | Reynaldo Lopez |
| 5 | Carlos Rodon |
Although the first 3 names are consistent starters and the White Sox shouldn’t worry about them, the back end of the rotation is where they have some questions. With that being said, I am going to touch on Reynaldo Lopez, Carlos Rodon and Lucas Giolito. Lopez was a top prospect but has struggled in the big leagues. He has been given opportunities to show that he is capable of being an integral part of the team. But, unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to be consistent. Same goes for Rodon. Carlos Rodon was also a top prospect but hasn’t been able to find his footing in the majors. In fact, he was so bad that the team non-tendered him in the offseason and brought him back on lesser and more team-friendly deal. This is definitely a put up or shut up year for Rodon. He has to prove that he is a reliable starter. Lastly, Giolito, who is coming off a career year last season, and the White Sox hope that Giolito continues his success. He is the ace of the rotation, and now he has to prove he is consistent enough to be that ace. If the top of the rotation, Giolito, Keuchel, and Lynn do their part they will put the team in a great position. If the bottom of the rotation exceeds expectations then the team will be in a great position come September.
Projected Line-Up
| 1 | SS Time Anderson | R |
| 2 | 3B Yoan Moncada | S |
| 3 | 1B Jose Abreu | R |
| 4 | LF Eloy Jimenez | R |
| 5 | C Yasmani Grandal | S |
| 6 | CF Luis Robert | R |
| 7 | DH Andrew Vaughn | R |
| 8 | RF Adam Eaton | L |
| 9 | 2B Nick Madrigal | R |
This lineup is STACKED! This is a lineup no pitcher is going to want to face whatsoever. They have all sorts of hitter; they have guys that can hit it to all fields and don’t care if they get hits as long as they are productive like Madrigal and Eaton, they have speedsters like Madrigal, Robert, Anderson and Eaton, and they have power hitters like Abreu, Jimenez, and Grandal. Guys I want to look at are Tim Anderson, Luis Robert and Jose Abreu. Anderson was close on becoming the AL Batting Champion, ultimately losing out to D.J. LeMahieu. Anderson is a polarizing player due to his style and the way he plays the game. But the fact of the matter is, Tim is a great player and backs up his antics. He makes the game fun and I hope his success continues. Luis Robert is someone the White Sox saw a lot of potential, so much that they gave him a 6 year extension before he even made his debut. Last year was his first year, and he showed that he is more than capable of being a centerpiece of this core. Lastly, the reigning American League MVP, Jose Abreu is someone who is now a leader in the clubhouse for Chicago, and is an RBI machine. There’s one thing guaranteed when it comes to Abreu, and that he will have triple digit RBIs at the end of the season. For Chicago, if these 3 perform as expected, the White Sox will be well on their way to becoming the AL Central Division champs.
2021 PECOTA AL Central Projections
According to PECOTA, the White Sox will fall short of fans’ expectations and finish 3rd. I completely disagree with this and believe the team will finish in 1st place. On paper they have the best team in the division and they unlike other teams in the division got better in the offseason. I expect this team to be one of the best in the American League this year, and finish on top of the division.
