For the Chicago White Sox, 2023 was where the dream ended.
The leadup to competition in 2019 was this joyous, exciting moment, where all the pieces the team had been building for years were leading to a strong team. In 2020, they made it to the playoffs thanks to a strong end to the regular season, but despite a strong postseason start from Lucas Giolito, were cut off at one series. In 2021 they won the AL Central easily and built a strong, formidable team that, despite being dwarfed by Boston and Houston, still seemed to hold promise heading into a postseason scenario; ultimately, Houston mopped the floor with them. By 2022, bad managerial decisions, injuries, aging veterans and career downturns led to the team missing the postseason, and letting centerpiece Jose Abreu leave in free agency.
And then this year, with their stars depleted, their youth strong but scattered, and their best assets given away at the deadline, the White Sox gave up. By the end of the season, it had been made clear that the team was moving on from its administrative regime, and had hired a new GM, a new president, and new people to build the team into something worthwhile, while also keeping Pedro Grifol for a reason that is still not entirely known to me.
If you want to know why the White Sox have fallen off, look to their marquee star from their peak, Tim Anderson. Anderson was stellar in his prime, hitting .300 every year and leading the league in batting average during the 2020 season. He was a slick, fun player that was the best summation of this team. He's ultimately become the best summation of this team at their worst, as when they're struggling, he's more ornery and his attitude shows up. Aside from his abysmal .245 average and -28 rBatting figure, in addition to awful defensive numbers, Anderson's foul mood polluted an already dampened Chicago environment, as his brawl with Jose Ramirez, the kind of guy who it's hard to truly dislike, didn't win him any favors with the modern fan.
2024 Prediction: Signs a one-year deal somewhere, like either Miami or Tampa at this rate, and rebounds while also continuing not to remind fans of his 2020-era peak.
Speaking of once-strong pieces who've fallen off, Yasmani Grandal had his second subpar season in a row for the Sox, completing his late-career collapse after a decade of hard work behind the plate. Even after hitting up a storm in 2021, Grandal was saddled with a .234 ERA this year, with 33 RBIs and 8 homers, and his defense is not what it was a decade ago. This was thankfully the last year of Grandal's contract, as the team can placate themselves with Martin Maldonado before an actual multi-dimensional organizational piece comes up.
2024 Prediction: DHs somewhere. I think his relevant numbers are over.
Yoan Moncada arrived in Chicago in exchange for Chris Sale, and was one of the biggest prospects Boston could fork over. With all of the promise that he had, Moncada has a career WAR of 14, with two great seasons under his belt and a lot of injury-prone ones following them. This year was another one where Moncada got injured and tried his best to play catchup afterwards. In 92 games, he hit .262 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs.
2024 Prediction: Will finish the last year of his contract quietly, then end up as a spare part somewhere like Washington.
While Jake Burger broke big and found a ticket out of Chicago, his fellow young utility piece Gavin Sheets was left back here, trying to establish consistency in an OF role for the Sox. Sheets hit .203 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs, which wasn't much to give the fans a ton of confidence.
2024 Prediction: Will be on the cusp of starting when an unexpected homegrown outfielder takes the position from him.
Speaking of homegrown outfielders, when word got out that Oscar Colas was starting the year up with the club, a lot of people got the same 'oh, they know what they're doing' feeling as they did when the Sox started the year with Eloy Jimenez up, or Luis Robert up. Colas is another strong outfield prospect, and it says a lot about where the Sox are now that Colas didn't succeed as much as people thought. In 75 games, split between a demotion, he hit .216 with 19 RBIs and 5 home runs.
2024 Prediction: Comes into his own a little more, though it may take either an injury or a departure for that to happen.
And then, after surviving lymphoma and finishing his treatments, beloved White Sox closer returned to the majors and took the ninth again. He lasted 5 games, notched 1 save and 2 wins, and then was put back on the IL. He will miss the majority of 2024 in recovery from Tommy John surgery. I really wish this guy had better luck, as he's a run relief guy that you always want to do well.
2024 Prediction: Does get to pitch this year, and maybe even has some postseason appearances.
Coming Tomorrow- Some reasons why the Yankees cratered midyear.
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