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Can the 20s be the best decade in Sox history?


Jack Parkman

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ESPN just did a "What Baseball will look like during the 2020s" article.

The Sox got a lot of ink:

Best record by team: season: Chicago White Sox, 2023 (112-50, .691); decade: New York Yankees (920-668, .577)*

Having their best decade ever: Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres

Changing direction: Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians

Some of the model clubs from the 2010s began to fray and dissolve by the middle of the decade as other franchises caught up with what had once been their cutting-edge strategies. Meanwhile, the Padres usurped southern California dominance from the Dodgers, and the White Sox became the darlings of the Windy City.

Highest batting average: season: Nick Madrigal, 2023 (.364); decade: Luis Arraez (.327)

Madrigal's performance during that historic season for the ChiSox would have been MVP-worthy in a lot of campaigns, but he finished second in the voting to teammate Luis Robert.

Best major league pitchers (by year):

2025: Michael Kopech
2026: Michael Kopech

Hardest-throwing pitcher: Michael Kopech

Top power/speed combination: Luis Robert

Best offense: 2023 Chicago White Sox

Best infield: 2023 Chicago White Sox (Andrew Vaughn, Nick Madrigal, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada)

Most wins by pitcher: season: Gerrit Cole, 2022 (26); decade: Lucas Giolito (152)

I know it's silly, but it's fun.

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2 hours ago, PeoriaLunchBoxBlues said:

ESPN just did a "What Baseball will look like during the 2020s" article.

The Sox got a lot of ink:

Best record by team: season: Chicago White Sox, 2023 (112-50, .691); decade: New York Yankees (920-668, .577)*

Having their best decade ever: Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres

Changing direction: Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians

Some of the model clubs from the 2010s began to fray and dissolve by the middle of the decade as other franchises caught up with what had once been their cutting-edge strategies. Meanwhile, the Padres usurped southern California dominance from the Dodgers, and the White Sox became the darlings of the Windy City.

Highest batting average: season: Nick Madrigal, 2023 (.364); decade: Luis Arraez (.327)

Madrigal's performance during that historic season for the ChiSox would have been MVP-worthy in a lot of campaigns, but he finished second in the voting to teammate Luis Robert.

Best major league pitchers (by year):

2025: Michael Kopech
2026: Michael Kopech

Hardest-throwing pitcher: Michael Kopech

Top power/speed combination: Luis Robert

Best offense: 2023 Chicago White Sox

Best infield: 2023 Chicago White Sox (Andrew Vaughn, Nick Madrigal, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada)

Most wins by pitcher: season: Gerrit Cole, 2022 (26); decade: Lucas Giolito (152)

I know it's silly, but it's fun.

This wouldn't be so bad

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9 minutes ago, pcq said:

I have my doubts about the Pods ever breaking through.

They do have an absolutely absurd amount of bad money on that team. 42 million dollars a year for two guys who just put up negative WAR is going to be a problem. 

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2 hours ago, mqr said:

They do have an absolutely absurd amount of bad money on that team. 42 million dollars a year for two guys who just put up negative WAR is going to be a problem. 

You’re right, but Shields doesn't have nearly as long to go on his deal as Hosmer and they do have the prospect depth remaining to go after guys like Lindor, Betts, Thor or deGrom.  The ownership group has proven they're willing to spend the money and also encourage the GM to be aggressive with changing the talent mix as well as the manager.

Of course, they also have deep-pocked teams like LAD and SFG to contend with...no such barriers in the AL Central.  The Dodgers’ t.v. contract pays almost as much per year as the Royals, Twins and Indians receive collectively.

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20 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

You’re right, but Shields doesn't have nearly as long to go on his deal as Hosmer and they do have the prospect depth remaining to go after guys like Lindor, Betts, Thor or deGrom.  The ownership group has proven they're willing to spend the money and also encourage the GM to be aggressive with changing the talent mix as well as the manager.

Of course, they also have deep-pocked teams like LAD and SFG to contend with...no such barriers in the AL Central.  The Dodgers’ t.v. contract pays almost as much per year as the Royals, Twins and Indians receive collectively.

I was talking about Wil Myers..

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On January 3, 2020 at 9:29 AM, SpringfieldFan said:

I dream of them to have a team that because of its success, will be identified by the faces of its players by a generation of fans everywhere. Think of Garvey, Lopes, Baker, and Cey; or Nettles, Jackson, Guidry and PInellla; or Stargell, Madlock, Parker and Tekulve. Those legends defined the teams they played and made them timeless. Could this young core the Sox will have locked up become like one of those?

 

SFF

I also dream of Moncada, Robert, Eloy, Timmy, Lucas, Kopeck & Yasmani being like the Big Red Machine & those Dodgers you mentioned. With luck & health, the pitching staff could, I said could, be something a couple rungs below the 90s Braves.  

Remember, I started this that I said it was my dream. 

Dream of greatness!!!!

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On 1/4/2020 at 4:59 AM, mqr said:

I was talking about Wil Myers..

Right...thinking of Myers and substituted the wrong name.  I suggested Myers as a guy the White Sox could acquire if they did a deal similar to Shields, but both teams chose to move on, SD clearly hoping for an offensive rebound in 2020.  SD moved Reyes and Renfroe instead, and got much more athletic in the process.

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On 1/3/2020 at 3:20 PM, YoYoIsMyHero said:

I am now irrationally excited for the 2023 White Sox - the greatest baseball team of all time. 

Goodbye `27 Yankees, hello `23 White Sox.  ?

The 2010s was arguably the worst decade in White Sox history, hopefully the 2020s will be one of the best.

I was just looking at my 2020 White Sox wall calendar that features one player each month.  Two of the players featured (Robert and Madrigal) haven't played an inning of MLB yet.

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