The Sox Will Win the AL Central in 2023

[Chicago White Sox]

Before I go into the why, I want make something clear.  The past 18 months have been incredibly difficult to be a White Sox.  It started with one of the most underwhelming off-seasons in my life where Rick Hahn ignored major needs, loaded up on pricey relievers, and gave a three year deal to Leury fucking Garcia.  That followed with a season filled injury, underperformance, poor fundamentals, and terrible managing / coaching.  What was once one of the most promising young cores in baseball looked like it was quickly approaching the end of its competitive window.  And somehow, things were made worse this past winter with another mediocre off-season where we lost the face of the franchise and found out our star closer is battling cancer.

And it’s that consistent disappointment over the past 18 months that has brought my excitement and optimism for the Sox to an all time low.  But sometimes when you step away a bit, you come back a bit more objective.  There is still plenty of talent here, even if the roster remains flawed thanks to a GM that I don’t believe to be very good as his job and an owner that refuses to overspend to make up for that GM’s mistakes.  While I’m not going to predict a World Series victory, I do think a division title will happen next year.

10 Reasons Why the Sox will win the AL Central in 2023:

1. Pedro Grifol - There are no words to describe how bad Tony La Russa was at his job last year.  Any credible replacement would represent a multi-win improvement.  That being said, I think Grifol is the right man to bring out the best of this roster.
2. Jose Castro - Similar to above, Frank “f*** the HR” Menechino was a disaster as our hitting coach.  So far, Castro has said all the right things and it seems like he will prioritize utilizing the team’s raw power vs. focusing hitting lots of weak grounders.
3. Better Health - I hate even typing this, but this team can only be healthier next year just through normalized luck.  Goldy Simmons having a full off-season to work with our guys and the hiring of Geoff Head as Director of Sports Medicine will also help.
4. Eloy at DH - The kid put up a 144 wRC+ over 84 games last year and showed why he once was a pillar of the rebuild.  With the move to DH and some legit weight loss, Eloy could finally have a breakthrough season and one where he plays +140 games.
5. Vaughn at 1B - Andrew had a 125 wRC+ through August last year, before wearing down in September and seeing his FY line drop to 113.  Playing a less demanding position should allow him to endure a full season and allow him to take a big leap.
6. OF Defense - Vaughn & Sheets were two of the worst defensive OFs in the game last year (Andrew being far & away the worst).  Replacing them with Benintendi & Colas is a massive improvement.  And Robert can only be better in 2023 as well.
7. Angry Tim - Let’s be honest, this dude is mad as f*** and is already starting to think about his next payday.  He is going to to motivated as hell this year and is going to bring his his A game.  I fully expect him to rebound to his previous +4 win player form.
8. A New Junior - With a new name comes new beginnings.  I believe Robert is going to flash that Mike Trout lite potential next year.  The 155 wRC+ he put up in 2021 is my expectation along with above average CF defense.  A +6 win season is possible.
9. The Rotation - I’m very optimistic about the group this year.  We got less than five wins from Lynn, Giolito, & Kopech last year and I expect that figure to double.  And while Clevinger is pure scum, I do think he’ll give us quality production at the #5 spot.
10. The Division - Last but not least, but the AL Central is simply not good.  I get the Guardians won 92 games last year, but I don’t see them repeating that despite what projection models may say.  I think they’re a high 80’s win team and we can beat that.

[wegner]

In my years of fandom, the White Sox have usually played better when they are underestimated.  I do not mind one bit if they are picked to take 3rd in the Central this season.  Let's get this started and see what they can do.

[Chicago White Sox]

28 minutes ago, wegner said:

In my years of fandom, the White Sox have usually played better when they are underestimated.  I do not mind one bit if they are picked to take 3rd in the Central this season.  Let's get this started and see what they can do.

Very true.  I’m glad people are sleeping on us.  This team needs a chip on its shoulder after the s%*#-show that was last year.

[Lip Man 1]

health is the #1 issue with the team this year because they have very little depth.

[caulfield12]

Have to get off to a fast start to rebuild the fan interest.

.500ish first couple of months and tepid attendance means the focus is on trading guys like Anderson, Giolito, Moncada, Grandal and Lynn.

Still no idea what we're going to get out of Graveman and Lopez at the back end of the pen.

Hoping for a hyper competitive 2008ish season minus the Quentin injury late.

[JoshPR]

I gotta say looking at short vids and pics they look really happy and tight knit. Let's all hope

[Chicago White Sox]

11 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

health is the #1 issue with the team this year because they have very little depth.

They have little depth in certain areas, with OF, C, & SP being the main areas of concern.  I actually like some of the lesser bullpen additions we made and I think we have quite a few interesting depth pieces in the IF and at 1B / DH.

I’d say Robert is the single most important player next year from a health standpoint.  If he goes down, we could be looking at up to a 5 win swing.  At least with catcher we got Carlos Perez and with SP we got Davis Martin.  Not good depth by any means, but far better than the CF situation.

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

f*** it.. I'm taking the +200.   A+ post

Edited February 25, 2023 by Squirmin' for Yermin

[bmags]

41 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

They have little depth in certain areas, with OF, C, & SP being the main areas of concern.  I actually like some of the lesser bullpen additions we made and I think we have quite a few interesting depth pieces in the IF and at 1B / DH.

I’d say Robert is the single most important player next year from a health standpoint.  If he goes down, we could be looking at up to a 5 win swing.  At least with catcher we got Carlos Perez and with SP we got Davis Martin.  Not good depth by any means, but far better than the CF situation.

It would be really nice if we found yoelki made a jump in approach. Really love his center field. I think last spring showed his mature instincts. Just need a guy that can give you 85 wRC+.
 

Colas/ Cespedes and vera had such extreme breaks in middle of their development. I’m not ruling out a later bloom for any of em

[WBWSF]

2 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Before I go into the why, I want make something clear.  The past 18 months have been incredibly difficult to be a White Sox.  It started with one of the most underwhelming off-seasons in my life where Rick Hahn ignored major needs, loaded up on pricey relievers, and gave a three year deal to Leury fucking Garcia.  That followed with a season filled injury, underperformance, poor fundamentals, and terrible managing / coaching.  What was once one of the most promising young cores in baseball looked like it was quickly approaching the end of its competitive window.  And somehow, things were made worse this past winter with another mediocre off-season where we lost the face of the franchise and found out our star closer is battling cancer.

And it’s that consistent disappointment over the past 18 months that has brought my excitement and optimism for the Sox to an all time low.  But sometimes when you step away a bit, you come back a bit more objective.  There is still plenty of talent here, even if the roster remains flawed thanks to a GM that I don’t believe to be very good as his job and an owner that refuses to overspend to make up for that GM’s mistakes.  While I’m not going to predict a World Series victory, I do think a division title will happen next year.

10 Reasons Why the Sox will win the AL Central in 2023:

1. Pedro Grifol - There are no words to describe how bad Tony La Russa was at his job last year.  Any credible replacement would represent a multi-win improvement.  That being said, I think Grifol is the right man to bring out the best of this roster.
2. Jose Castro - Similar to above, Frank “f*** the HR” Menechino was a disaster as our hitting coach.  So far, Castro has said all the right things and it seems like he will prioritize utilizing the team’s raw power vs. focusing hitting lots of weak grounders.
3. Better Health - I hate even typing this, but this team can only be healthier next year just through normalized luck.  Goldy Simmons having a full off-season to work with our guys and the hiring of Geoff Head as Director of Sports Medicine will also help.
4. Eloy at DH - The kid put up a 144 wRC+ over 84 games last year and showed why he once was a pillar of the rebuild.  With the move to DH and some legit weight loss, Eloy could finally have a breakthrough season and one where he plays +140 games.
5. Vaughn at 1B - Andrew had a 125 wRC+ through August last year, before wearing down in September and seeing his FY line drop to 113.  Playing a less demanding position should allow him to endure a full season and allow him to take a big leap.
6. OF Defense - Vaughn & Sheets were two of the worst defensive OFs in the game last year (Andrew being far & away the worst).  Replacing them with Benintendi & Colas is a massive improvement.  And Robert can only be better in 2023 as well.
7. Angry Tim - Let’s be honest, this dude is mad as f*** and is already starting to think about his next payday.  He is going to to motivated as hell this year and is going to bring his his A game.  I fully expect him to rebound to his previous +4 win player form.
8. A New Junior - With a new name comes new beginnings.  I believe Robert is going to flash that Mike Trout lite potential next year.  The 155 wRC+ he put up in 2021 is my expectation along with above average CF defense.  A +6 win season is possible.
9. The Rotation - I’m very optimistic about the group this year.  We got less than five wins from Lynn, Giolito, & Kopech last year and I expect that figure to double.  And while Clevinger is pure scum, I do think he’ll give us quality production at the #5 spot.
10. The Division - Last but not least, but the AL Central is simply not good.  I get the Guardians won 92 games last year, but I don’t see them repeating that despite what projection models may say.  I think they’re a high 80’s win team and we can beat that.

I like you optimism!!! I agree with you. Its going to be a great year and the team is playoff bound.

[Chicago White Sox]

18 minutes ago, bmags said:

It would be really nice if we found yoelki made a jump in approach. Really love his center field. I think last spring showed his mature instincts. Just need a guy that can give you 85 wRC+.
 

Colas/ Cespedes and vera had such extreme breaks in middle of their development. I’m not ruling out a later bloom for any of em

Wouldn’t take much in pitch recognition improvement to make Yoelqui a useful 4th OF.  Monster arm, can play a legit CF, and hits the ball hard when he makes contact.  He could be a more power-oriented, less contact version of Engel, which is a nice piece on the cheap.  But he’s got to a find a way to stop chasing balls out of the zone, as that figure Law cited was insane.  To your point, there is still some hope with him because of lost development time, but this does feel like a make or break year for him.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

1 hour ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Very true.  I’m glad people are sleeping on us.  This team needs a chip on its shoulder after the s%*#-show that was last year.

As many know I am extremely high on Colas. He is a prototypical RF . Power LH and 7 assists in only 32 games in RF for Birmingham last. The other games for Birmingham were in CF and DH. I don't think the whole OF had 7 assists combined all last year.

[Chicago White Sox]

1 minute ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

As many know I am extremely high on Colas. He is a prototypical RF . Power LH and 7 assists in only 32 games in RF for Birmingham last. The other games for Birmingham were in CF and DH. I don't think the whole OF had 7 assists combined all last year.

I’m super high on Colas long-term as well, but I think he could struggle quite a bit with the bat to start the season.  That being said, his defense should be a massive upgrade over the garbage we played out in RF last year.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

1 minute ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I’m super high on Colas long-term as well, but I think he could struggle quite a bit with the bat to start the season.  That being said, his defense should be a massive upgrade over the garbage we played out in RF last year.

Could be but he has a quick bat and a really good idea on how to hit when he isn't swinging at bad pitches as evidenced by his higher BA, Slugging and OPS against LHP than RHP. Looking forward to seeing him in ST games.

[MEANS]

I'm making no judgements on this team until at least Memorial day. They can start off as hot as possible (which rarely ever happens) and still I will not believe, at least until they show some consistency for at least a couple of months.

Prove it.

[thedoctor]

the division is still pretty dogshit so they have a chance. 

[Bossanoveralls]

These mopes chapped my ass so bad last year that I could not possibly care less where they finish this year.

I'll watch. I'll boo and his and woo hoo just like always.

They are not gonna make me care. Not even a little bit.

 

Go Bears

????

[chitownsportsfan]

I'm taking the opposite approach. I don't see any reason to expect them to win more than 82 games (the roster is worse than last year, managerial change or not) -- so if they somehow win 92 and take the division I'll be pleasantly surprised. If they don't, well, I never expected anything anyways. Can't get fooled again.

[Jack Parkman]

Sorry, there's no room for positivity here. You're only allowed to s%*# on the Sox. 

#jadedsoxfan

[tray]

7 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

As many know I am extremely high on Colas. He is a prototypical RF . Power LH and 7 assists in only 32 games in RF for Birmingham last. The other games for Birmingham were in CF and DH. I don't think the whole OF had 7 assists combined all last year.

Let's wait to evaluate him after seeing him out there in Spring Training. He sure does not appear to be a prototypical outfielder. When I first saw him I thought it was Courtney Hawkins.

He is a big kid.

[SoxBlanco]

I hope you are right. I’m optimistic as well. 

[joejoesox]

I will lay down real cash that they don't if you're down

[GreenSox]

14 hours ago, SoxBlanco said:

I hope you are right. I’m optimistic as well. 

The Sox would have to win the division  31.25% of the time  to break even.  I think you'd win that bet over time.

[Bossanoveralls]

15 hours ago, Jack Parkman said:

Sorry, there's no room for positivity here. You're only allowed to s%*# on the Sox. 

#jadedsoxfan

There is no positivity up my ass, either, Jack.

It would have to come from there because what the team generated last year sure wasn't positivity.

It was more like what is generated at the morning constitutional.

Really stunk up the joint.

Talkin' 45 horsepower fart fan.

Go you White Sox!

[Bossanoveralls]

Fer chrissakes Leury Garcia started again yesterday.

GAAAHHHH!!@@!