2009 Sox Predictions Merged Threads

[BaseballNick]

The question is though, if Getz does that and Beckham tears it up in Birmingham, what do the Sox do then? I love finally having IF depth. It's been a long time.

 

 

I would let Beckham play SS and move Alexei to CF.

[ILMOU]

Count will start the fourth game of the season. Colon is fifth starter.

 

Maybe not so bold: http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune....-no-5-spot.html

 

[bmags]

Man I have the upmost amount of respect for Jose, what a champ!

[Felix]

Oh really? darn, I didn't see that mentioned anywhere on this site.

Darn? That's a relief. I never want to see him in a White Sox uniform again, personally.

[TylerAtIU]

Man I have the upmost amount of respect for Jose, what a champ!

 

Even at 83 years old, he still has the heart of a 21 year old! Lets hope he surprises everyone and gives us 20+ starts this year. Really would solidify the line up and could be the difference in the division.

 

O yeah Sox WIN the division with the Twinkies finishing 3rd!

[SoxAce]

Lance Broadway will shock the world and win the 5th spot. There I said it. I'm not gonna predict his season though.

[witesoxfan]

Lance Broadway will shock the world and win the 5th spot. There I said it. I'm not gonna predict his season though.

 

ewww

[BigSqwert]

MSNBC has us finishing in 5th place. Yikes.

[caulfield12]

No different than some of the predictions coming into 2005....with the team's chemistry totally changed and the offensive firepower of Magglio, Carlos Lee and Valentin all gone.

[Kyyle23]

No different than some of the predictions coming into 2005....with the team's chemistry totally changed and the offensive firepower of Magglio, Carlos Lee and Valentin all gone.

 

I dont see that dropoff. Cabrera, Crede and Swisher are not the same loss(slugging wise) as Maggs, Lee and Stache. If Dye was traded, I would agree, but as it stands Thome, Konerko, Dye and Quentin are more than satisfactory

[NorthSideSox72]

I am not sure which are bold and which aren’t, it depends on your perspective. So here goes everything, what the hell (subject to revisions in late March)…

 

--Buehrle struggles with the mediocre defense behind him, but does OK

 

--Danks has a big year

 

--Floyd opens with struggles, but improves and finishes strong

 

--Contreras is in the rotation by end of April, and has a good year

 

--Marquez gets the 5th spot, and takes over for Colon when JC shows up and Colon struggles badly (and is relegated to the bullpen or DL). Marquez has a decent 5th starter year.

 

--Bullpen does surprisingly well, pretty much across the board, and is a strength for the team

 

--Richard is in the pen, Poreda in AAA, Broadway traded before Opening Day

 

--Konerko has a big comeback year – not huge for average, but big power and big OBP numbers

 

--Thome struggles, bat speed is an issue, has some nagging injuries. No trade occurs though, and he limps on, deciding to retire after the season.

 

--Fields gets 3B job, is above average offensively and only a little below average defensively, by end of year.

 

--Alexei is similar at SS as he was at 2B – brilliant at times, but makes stupid mistakes too. Offensively, he struggles a bit, but finishes with similar numbers to last year.

 

--Getz gets most of the playing time at 2B, and is pretty damn good by the end of the year – high OBP and average, a little power, speed, and good defense.

 

--Owens starts in CF, actually does well, but then gets injured. Lillibridge takes over in CF, does well, and Owens fades into obscurity.

 

--Anderson is the 4th OF, again.

 

--TCQ puts up similar numbers to last year, maybe a little lower, but is more erratic with ups and downs.

 

--Dye has a good year, but not great.

 

--AJP has the best offensive season of his career, his defense is still mediocre. Armstrong wins the backup job despite being LH, and struggles. Replaced mid-season by Stewart or Lucy.

 

--Bench starts as Lillibridge, Betemit, Anderson and Armstrong. First three do well, Armstrong not so much.

 

--Beckham starts at AA and adjusts easily, is in AAA by August. Jordan Danks doesn’t adjust quite as quickly, finishes in AA looking good. Allen is a beast, finishes in AAA with big numbers, looks like new 1B/DH to replace Thome. AAA rotation is superb, with Poreda, Egbert and Cassel all looking nearly major league ready. Flowers finishes in AA, looks good, defense improves, but his average and OBP start to drop off a bit. Viciedo starts at AA, adjusts quickly, puts up big numbers and is in AAA for second half. Overall, the system looks very good for the Sox in 2010 and 2011.

 

--Overall, team does far better than projected by most “experts”. They start in the middle of the pack, but it’s a very tight pack. They make a run late season, but fall just short of the division title, winning 88 games. Final standings look like this:

 

CLE

SOX -3

KC -6

MIN -7

DET -10

[striker]

I created a site that allows you to post preseason predictions for standings, stats and awards. Check it out. www.fan-exchange.com

 

here is more info:

http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69984

[SoxFan562004]

the Count has a solid year

[witesoxfan]

I am not sure which are bold and which aren’t, it depends on your perspective. So here goes everything, what the hell (subject to revisions in late March)…

 

--Buehrle struggles with the mediocre defense behind him, but does OK

 

--Danks has a big year

 

--Floyd opens with struggles, but improves and finishes strong

 

--Contreras is in the rotation by end of April, and has a good year

 

--Marquez gets the 5th spot, and takes over for Colon when JC shows up and Colon struggles badly (and is relegated to the bullpen or DL). Marquez has a decent 5th starter year.

 

--Bullpen does surprisingly well, pretty much across the board, and is a strength for the team

 

--Richard is in the pen, Poreda in AAA, Broadway traded before Opening Day

 

--Konerko has a big comeback year – not huge for average, but big power and big OBP numbers

 

--Thome struggles, bat speed is an issue, has some nagging injuries. No trade occurs though, and he limps on, deciding to retire after the season.

 

--Fields gets 3B job, is above average offensively and only a little below average defensively, by end of year.

 

--Alexei is similar at SS as he was at 2B – brilliant at times, but makes stupid mistakes too. Offensively, he struggles a bit, but finishes with similar numbers to last year.

 

--Getz gets most of the playing time at 2B, and is pretty damn good by the end of the year – high OBP and average, a little power, speed, and good defense.

 

--Owens starts in CF, actually does well, but then gets injured. Lillibridge takes over in CF, does well, and Owens fades into obscurity.

 

--Anderson is the 4th OF, again.

 

--TCQ puts up similar numbers to last year, maybe a little lower, but is more erratic with ups and downs.

 

--Dye has a good year, but not great.

 

--AJP has the best offensive season of his career, his defense is still mediocre. Armstrong wins the backup job despite being LH, and struggles. Replaced mid-season by Stewart or Lucy.

 

--Bench starts as Lillibridge, Betemit, Anderson and Armstrong. First three do well, Armstrong not so much.

 

--Beckham starts at AA and adjusts easily, is in AAA by August. Jordan Danks doesn’t adjust quite as quickly, finishes in AA looking good. Allen is a beast, finishes in AAA with big numbers, looks like new 1B/DH to replace Thome. AAA rotation is superb, with Poreda, Egbert and Cassel all looking nearly major league ready. Flowers finishes in AA, looks good, defense improves, but his average and OBP start to drop off a bit. Viciedo starts at AA, adjusts quickly, puts up big numbers and is in AAA for second half. Overall, the system looks very good for the Sox in 2010 and 2011.

 

--Overall, team does far better than projected by most “experts”. They start in the middle of the pack, but it’s a very tight pack. They make a run late season, but fall just short of the division title, winning 88 games. Final standings look like this:

 

CLE

SOX -3

KC -6

MIN -7

DET -10

 

everyone in the AL Central finishes at .500 or better? That would be crazy.

[NorthSideSox72]

everyone in the AL Central finishes at .500 or better? That would be crazy.

Heh. I totally guessed on the wins, I didn't even do the math. Just drop everyone by about 3 or 4 games, same idea. I was more interested in the relative standings.

 

[nickofypres]

all the holes are filled nicely and Sox win the Pennant

[southsider2k5]

So let's hear it from all of the Sox-perts here on Soxtalk, how do you see the Sox, the AL Central, the AL, and/or MLB shaping up this year? I'd like to see at very least what you are all predicting for a record and placement for your Chicago White Sox.

 

 

[Y2HH]

So let's hear it from all of the Sox-perts here on Soxtalk, how do you see the Sox, the AL Central, the AL, and/or MLB shaping up this year? I'd like to see at very least what you are all predicting for a record and placement for your Chicago White Sox.

 

I think the AL Central will be a tighter race across the board than it has been in previous years. Most of the teams that were good last year will be good this year, but I expect a fall off from the Rays.

 

I see the Sox finishing 1st, with 89 surprising wins, of course, this is dependent on our pitching staying healthy.

 

My final prediction is the person who created this thread will continue to suck throughout 2009.

[sircaffey]

AL Central:

 

1. Cleveland 90-72

2. Minnesota 88-74

3. Chicago 84-78

4. Detroit 80-82

5. Kansas City 77-85

 

AL Division winners: Cleveland, Red Sox, Angels

AL Wild Card: Tampa Bay

WS Winner: Red Sox

[Kyyle23]

I have the Sox at 91-71 winning the division.

[southsider2k5]

I think the AL Central will be a tighter race across the board than it has been in previous years. Most of the teams that were good last year will be good this year, but I expect a fall off from the Rays.

 

I see the Sox finishing 1st, with 89 surprising wins, of course, this is dependent on our pitching staying healthy

 

My final prediction is the person who created this thread will continue to suck throughout 2009.

 

Way to go out on a limb there...

[Greg Hibbard]

I just can't understand how anyone could pick the Sox to finish in first this year given this team's overperformance last season and the current roster.

 

4th place, 79 wins.

 

Disappointments: Colon and Contreras don't even equal one starter, Floyd has a major regression, Danks not quite as good, Ramirez not quite as good, Quentin has an off-year recovering, fifth starter hell.

Surprises: Brian Anderson finally proves he can do this by hitting .250ish for an entire season, Getz has a good year, Broadway and other minor league arms make major strides after we fall out of contention.

 

Hopefully the Sox finally address having 3 DHs in the lineup this season at some point.

Edited March 27, 2009 by Greg Hibbard

[Kyyle23]

I just can't understand how anyone could pick the Sox to finish in first this year given this team's overperformance last season and the current roster.

 

4th place, 79 wins.

 

Disappointments: Colon and Contreras don't even equal one starter, Floyd has a major regression, Danks not quite as good, Ramirez not quite as good, Quentin has an off-year recovering, fifth starter hell.

Surprises: Brian Anderson finally proves he can do this by hitting .250ish for an entire season, Getz has a good year, Broadway and other minor league arms make major strides after we fall out of contention.

 

Hopefully the Sox finally address having 3 DHs in the lineup this season at some point.

 

Its easy to make your own predictions without ripping on anothers. If you dont think the Sox will do well, thats fine by me.

[bjm676]

I think Kansas City and the Reds will surprise a lot of people this year. I think they have improved a lot. As to where the Sox will finish, it's anyone's guess. With there current roster and with so still so many question marks (5th starter, leadoff, CF, etc.) I see them hanging around 3rd place.

 

DIVISION WINNERS:

AL CENTRAL: CLEVELAND

WEST: OAKLAND

EAST: TAMPA

WC: BOSTON

[ThunderBolt]

I just can't understand how anyone could pick the Sox to finish in first this year given this team's overperformance last season and the current roster.

You do realize that the Twins were incredibly lucky last year, the Indians have no 3, 4,5 starters, the Tigers have pitching question marks, and Brandon Inge playing third, and the Royals are well, the Royals, right?

I can see putting more faith in Liriano, Baker, Slowey, Blackburn, and Perkins, but Lee, Carmona, Pavano, Lewis, and Reyes? Or Verlander, Jackson, Bonderman, Robertson/Miner, Willis? Even Meche, Greinke, Hovecher, Davies, and Ponson are in no ways leaps and bounds over what the Sox have. We have legitimate change of winning this year with this roster. Even if we didn’t have Q, or Konerko, or Dye I’d still have hope. Why? Because we have Kenny Williams.