Uncustomed Heroes of 2023: White Sox

 

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.

Vaughn in 60 Seconds

 

There are only three teams worse than the Chicago White Sox this year. At least one of them is a 100-loss team in the making. Does than mean the White Sox are as well? And if they are, wouldn't that be tragic considering that we were just talking about them as a titan of the AL Central?

Stories have come out recently about the murky team culture in Chicago, about how Pedro Grifol is terrible at unifying the team and that it's basically every man for themselves. There's no real team groupthink, everybody's on different pages, which is why we have so many tanking position players. Then you have the whole Tim Anderson stuff, which...as heartbreaking as it is to see the Sox' star fall, it's even more heartbreaking to see Anderson's, cause he was a league talent for a while. Last year I figured was a down year, but he's gone from a contact hitting phenom to hitting .238 with only 21 RBIs in 95 games. It is the first time that Anderson has hit below .300 since before his 2019 breakout, and 2018 Anderson, at the very least, didn't try and start a fight with one of the best contact hitters in baseball. 

Say what you will about the whole Ramirez-Anderson thing, Ramirez has remembered to hit over .275. No wonder his punch connected. 

On top of all that, now that the smoke has cleared from the deadline, there's just not a ton going on with this team anymore. Luis Robert will probably be the one White Sox player to actually leave this season with something he can be proud of. Cease, Moncada, Grandal, Kopech and even Andrew Vaughn are all having comparative down seasons. Vaughn is second in RBIs on the Sox with 62, but he's only a .250 hitter, and is only okay on defense. In fact, lots of great hitters on this team, like Eloy Jimenez, Yasmani Grandal and Tim Anderson, are terrible on defense, and are dragging the team down. And there's a lot of veterans on this team, namely Grandal and Elvis Andrus, who are decent for a lark but are honestly cooked. I hate that somebody like Andrus seems so inconsequential, as he was a great pick-me-up for them last year.

You can at least see the germs of ideas the Sox could use going forward. They at least have Jesse Scholtens picking up the slack in the rotation, eating 6 innings per game and lowering his ERA to 3.20. Zach Remillard does look like a promising 2nd base replacement going forward [though, again, if they hadn't been so greedy a year or so ago they could still have Nick Madrigal at said position]. At the same time, Lenyn Sosa is back up, and he could be an infield choice going forward. And Gregory Santos might be the answer in the ninth going forward. This is all assuming there isn't an even bigger shakeup that finds some of these people leaving somehow, but...with the White Sox, you never know.

It will be interesting to see how the White Sox display the results of the long farm system roll out as they begin to figure out the new heirs apparent, or if they will, in fact, keep Luis Robert around after 2023 or just push for a full rebuild.

Coming Tomorrow- You think a guy is done being an MLB option for teams, then all of the sudden he's leading off for the Cubs.

Seven Stands for Something

 I wish we lived in a world where Tim Anderson could have one full year without butting heads with some moron about something asinine, but...this is the only world we've got.

Last year, Anderson, quite predictably, clashed with Tony LaRussa, whose old-school managerial style clashed with Anderson's status as a trailblazer for black athletes in a time of racial injustice. What has amazed me thus far this year is how cordial the two of them have been. I haven't heard LaRussa's name at all since the season began. Typically if you don't hear the manager's name at all, that means they're either not doing anything too huge, nobody's on twitter calling for their firing, or they're really not at fault for either the win or the loss. And that's where we're at. Everyone's talking about Tim Anderson because he's hitting .365 and the chief lineup performer on the White Sox, and no one's talking about Tim Anderson because he hasn't benched a rookie due to unwritten rules yet.

So, okay, the LaRussa thing seems to be on the back burner, so Anderson doesn't have any shit to worry about, right? Wrong. Here comes Josh Donaldson trying to be a smartass, trying to get a rise out of Anderson and getting himself suspended over racist crap. 

On one hand, I was initially surprised because usually the players who say something racist are relievers. John Rocker, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Hader. You know, continue the tradition. There's a literal Australian that's one of the best closers in baseball, he hasn't done any racist stuff. Mostly because he's Anderson's teammate now. But Donaldson just...said something stupid, and exacerbated a rivalry that was already burgeoning with the White Sox because of a controversial slide the week before. So now he's going and calling him a name just to get him mad, just because Tim Anderson is...doing really well right now and considers himself a trailblazer for black athletes? 

I usually take the side of the Yankees, but Donaldson really should have picked a different battle. I already thought Yankees-White Sox was gonna become a big rivalry intrinsically with must-see matchups on network TV, but if it starts to become a rivalry over some racist stuff that we KNOW Donaldson's in the wrong for, then what's the point? And now every subsequent Yanks-White Sox matchup is gonna have that ugly subtext to it. Every time Anderson and Donaldson meet on the base paths, it's just gonna be ugly. 

I already respect how Anderson plays the game, because he's a natural hitter who's had several awesome seasons, and has been one of the reasons why the Sox are as powerful as they are [even in a down year]. I also respect him taking the high road through this and being the mature, composed antithesis to Donaldson's pissy complaining about missing a game or whatnot. I'm trying to like Donaldson cause he's doing well for my team, but if he's gonna pull this shit on people who deserve to be there, it's gonna be way harder to like him.

I think the White Sox are a tough competitor, they have a lot going for them, especially now with Michael Kopech, Johnny Cueto and Luis Robert all rolling. I just...feel really bad that any matchup the White Sox have with the Yankees from here on out because my team's the bullies, the antagonists. And I hate that. 

I've predicted the White Sox to make the World Series the last 2 seasons. Maybe if I don't this year they'll actually surprise me.

Coming Tomorrow- One of five people with major Hall of Fame cases on one team. I would rank this one third of five in terms of probability to make the Hall.

Pay No Attention to the Turmoil Behind the Sox

 

Tony LaRussa would like me to tell you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the White Sox right now.

Really, nothing. Yermin Mercedes was always happy, even in AAA. The people who used to have a place in Comiskey named after them before Tony replaced them are gracious. Tim Anderson hasn't started on the fact that LaRussa has a lot of privilege still having a job after getting caught with a DUI. It's all sunshine and roses.

I mean, look at the standings. The Sox are still in first! Any competitors are 10 games out. The team's still hot after the ASG break! The whole rotation is healthy and surging! How could anything be wrong?

Well...it's still the issue that having an old-guard manager like LaRussa with a very new-school, revisionist team full of people like Tim Anderson, Michael Kopech and Yoan Moncada isn't always going to fit. We're still not past the fact that LaRussa essentially ran a guy out of the league because he hit a home run on a 3-0 count off of a position player during a blowout. In the swing-on-everything, strikeout-or-homer game we're playing right now, decorum has little to no place. And it's become clear that LaRussa's cruelty towards Mercedes after this directly led to his numbers dropping, as he's been hitting well in AAA.

And while I'm thankful that Mercedes is gonna be back in no time and isn't retiring...this should have been the straw that broke the camel's back regarding LaRussa. There's probably a lot of people on this team that want to say something, especially people like Tim Anderson who are progressive voices in the game, but probably can't because of fear of what LaRussa and his influence could do to them. LaRussa already is a Hall of Famer, he already has a ring or so, and he has nothing left to prove. There is nothing that this White Sox team can do for him that he hasn't gotten already. The players probably don't want him there, and while Manfred is gonna probably protect him as much as possible, because he subscribes to the same old-baseball BS that LaRussa does, keeping him around isn't going to work for anyone. It didn't work for Bobby Valentine in 2012, and it's not working now.

But because the White Sox are doing well, and they're probably a lock for the playoffs, it's not likely that much will be done. This is the gig, it seems. 

The continued surge in the stands is surprising because the Sox are still struggling with injuries. Grandal is now on the IL, and Zack Collins is being pressed to start, which isn't going too well for him at the plate. The Sox are still playing Brian Goodwin and Billy Hamilton as starters in the absence of Jimenez and Robert, and that only works so much. Leury Garcia is thankfully a great replacement for Madrigal in the infield, but they kinda got lucky there. Adam Engel, Gavin Sheets and Jake Burger are all doing well in bit parts, but I am thinking that one of them could be subject to a trade next week as people are gonna begin to come back soon. I'm already blinking and seeing Burger in Diamondbacks colors. 

I sincerely hope the Sox keep up the good work, and figure out how to work with LaRussa. Because what happened with Yermin Mercedes shouldn't happen. The old ways aren't the only ways. And if they are the only ways for you, you're too old for the game.

Coming Tomorrow- Hopefully a lighter-hearted post. A 'magic hat' player for the Brewers, and the reigning trade deadline champ. 

2020 Topps Final Edition: Cards #118-126

 Baseball season is finally upon us, at least for teams that are not the Mets and Nationals, and we're already beginning to see the picture of how the 2021 season might go. But we still have plenty of 2020 Final Edition posts to go before we've entirely put the 2020 season to bed. Here are 9 more cards from it:

Card #118- Oliver Perez, Cleveland Indians

One of the most unexpected career second acts of the modern era, Oliver Perez went from a trusty starter with the Padres and Mets in the 2000s to a relief weapon for the Cleveland Indians. Since 2018, Oliver has sported a 2.67 ERA in 139 appearances, notching 105 strikeouts in that time. It's clear that Perez is still capable of keeping down a lineup, even at 39. Last season was another strong one for Perez, with a 2.00 ERA in 21 games. As he's signed for another year in Cleveland, I hope his excellent work keeps up.

Card #119- Guillermo Heredia, New York Mets

After beginning the season with the last place Pittsburgh Pirates, former Mariners outfielder Guillermo Heredia found himself with a bit of an upgrade, as the Mets waived him in August. His numbers improved slightly, as he bat .235 in 7 games with 2 homers. Due to the crowded Mets camp, Heredia was tossed to Atlanta before the start of the 2021 season.

Card #120- Nate Pearson, Toronto Blue Jays

In a season where anybody in what would be the minor leagues could be fair game for a call-up, Nate Pearson spent a year where he could have been playing for the Bisons in Buffalo...playing for the Blue Jays in Buffalo. Same location, different stakes. Pearson would be in charge of helping the Jays to the playoffs in the early part of the season, but in 5 starts he proved he may not have been 100% ready, with a 7.50 ERA in that time. The Jays are looking to ease Pearson in a bit more carefully this season, so hopefully the numbers will reflect that

Card #121- Tim Anderson ASG, Chicago White Sox

In a supposed 2020 All-Star Game, Tim Anderson would have been the starting shortstop for the AL. It would have been the culmination of several breakout years for TA7, and it would have commemorated his second consecutive .300+ year, and his year of getting a silver slugger and MVP votes. But, unfortunately, Anderson is still searching for his first All Star Game appearance, and hopefully he'll get there this year, wherever it may be.

Card #122- Christian Arroyo, Boston Red Sox

A former infield prospect who had bobbed around the Giants, Rays and Indians organizations unsuccessfully, Christian Arroyo may have finally found a substantial home in Boston. In 14 games at 2nd, Arroyo hit .240 with 8 RBIs including 3 homers. It was in the midst of a year where the Sox used people like Yairo Munoz and Jonathan Arauz in big positions, and all three of them did well amidst the chaos. Unfortunately, the starting second baseman position in Boston seems to belong to Enrique Hernandez now, so Arroyo may have to fight for bench relevancy. 

Card #123- Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay Rays

One of the many rookie relievers utilized during the Rays' blockbuster 2020 year, Pete Fairbanks was a former Rangers farmhand who came over in exchange for Nick Solak at the previous trade deadline [in hindsight that may have been slightly lopsided in favor of Texas]. Fairbanks still went off to quick work in Tampa, with a 2.70 ERA in 27 games, 39 Ks and a 6-3 record, plus SEVENTEEN POSTSEASON STRIKEOUTS. Granted, he did give up some important runs to the Dodgers, but he was definitely one of the biggest pieces of the Rays' pen last year. Hopefully his power streak continues this year.

Card #124- Cody Ponce, Pittsburgh Pirates

In a year where there were so few rotation options, a lot of otherwise unneeded pitchers got a chance to start games. Enter Cody Ponce, a rookie that had come over in exchange for Jordan Lyles the previous year, who could start games...so in he went. In 3 starts, he had a 3.63 record with 9 Ks- not perfect, but decent. Not sure where he stands in line to start this year, but he could show up.

Card #125- Todd Frazier, New York Mets

Speaking of people who could theoretically show up in Pittsburgh this year, Todd Frazier is coming off a very frazzled 2020, split between Texas in New York. Frazier was dealt to the Mets to help with a potential playoff bid, and he got back to what he does best...hit for power, not for contact. So a .224 average with 2 homers and a boatload of strikeouts followed, and the Mets didn't make the playoffs. Womp womp. Frazier's still technically signed to a deal with the Pirates, but I'm not sure if they'll need him at all this year, unless things get REALLY dire.

Card #126- Vimael Machin, Oakland Athletics

Before Jake Lamb was handed the starting 3rd baseman gig in Oakland, there was still a void between Lamb was signed and Chapman got injured, and that void, plus earlier backup gigs, were filled by Vimael Machin, a rookie journeyman who was just jazzed to be in the bigs. Machin's .206 average and minimal plate work put him a bit below replacement level [hence Lamb], but he does look to be a factor into the A's 2021 endeavors. He could be a handy backup infielder for all we know.

Monday we get 9 more cards of this. Some of the most intriguing rookies of last year are in here.

Spring Training Custom: Ta7 Edition

I honestly think the White Sox are the AL equivalent of the Phillies. Took them a while to get a squad together to break .500, we thought they had something last season, they didn't, and now they stocked up. Getting Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel, Edwin Encarnacion, Nomar Mazara, Gio Gonzalez and Steve Cishek, AS WELL AS the arrival of mega-prospect Luis Robert to finally fit into the lineup with other former mega-prospects Yoan Moncada, Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito and Eloy Jimenez...that has ultimately reignited the already-strong South Side fanbase.

On paper, this is a team that could go far, outdo the Cubs, bring the Sox their first playoff appearance since 2008, and bring credibility to a club that has been searching for it for an entire decade.

However...this is a lot of potential we're talking about.

Let's just emphasize that in order for 2019 to have worked as well as it did, which is still not pristine, the Sox needed the best from four assets- Lucas Giolito, Jose Abreu, Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson. Thankfully, all four totaled 16.6 WAR last year, with Anderson leading the league in batting average, and Abreu leading the league in RBIs.

For 2020 to work, those same four people need to continue to have on seasons- two of them, Anderson and Giolito, had their first GREAT seasons after years of being alright, so they'll both need to prove that their peak material is the norm for them, rather than a fluke. Abreu will need to prove that 2019 was not his final taste of maximum production, and that the Sox were not fools in re-signing him.

So, those four need to be great...and we also need Grandal and Keuchel, who also had big 2019s, to continue their consistent records as well. AND we also need the other, smaller guys, like Leury Garcia, Eloy Jimenez, Nomar Mazara, Reynaldo Lopez and Gio Gonzalez to produce strong numbers, AND the oncoming Robert and Kopech to not disappoint once they're brought up.

A lot needs to come together in order for this season to work in Chicago, a lot more than they had to account for in 2019, or even in 2005. So while I want to say that this team could be a contender for the AL Central this year...I can't be certain. A lot of luck factors into it.

But...if everyone's on, they won't need luck.

Coming Tonight: Speaking of Grandal, the guy the Brewers got to replace him at catcher.

Anderson Blooper

So...yesterday Tim Anderson did something completely rational, and a bunch of Royals got mad at him for it.

I'm not usually one for taking sides, but...a bat-flip after a home run? Not unsportsmanlike conduct. Not worth a HBP. Not worth getting one of the few good pitchers on your team ejected.

I mean, my theory is that the Royals knew that Tim Anderson was one of the best players on the White Sox, and wanted to alienate him or get him out of the picture. Which...is a devious kind of plan, but if you're the Royals...and are likely going to lose...you do whatever you can.

Anderson, along with Yoan Moncada, are one of the few bright spots of a relatively quiet White Sox team. Not a whole lot going on with these guys. Lot of pitchers with inflated ERAs, lot of hitters with averages under the Mendoza line. Even Eloy Jimenez has been kind of disappointing thus far. It's really just Anderson, Moncada and Carlos Rodon who are doing anything noteworthy.

The ChiSox might not be good for much more than stealing wins away from better teams. Unless they can get everyone up to a level playing field, that might be the rest of the season for them.

Coming Tonight: The last team that hasn't been customized so far this year. It's, uh...the other one from Chicago. Yeah. Their catcher.

There are Some Who Call Me....Tim

So. The White Sox are one of the four teams in the AL Central that are not the Cleveland Indians. So naturally, there's really not much to write about here.

The team is, if you can believe it, even more dilapidated than it was last year. Less pitching, less solid offensive work, less promise. The youth movement that was supposed to be kicking in this year, with guys like Nicky Delmonico and Yoan Moncada, has...sort of worked? I'm not sure. And I don't think the team's sure if it wants to be led by young guys like Moncada, or vets like Jose Abreu. There's some major identity dissonance going on, especially when neither one is performing perfectly.

Tim Anderson appears to be the standout this year, and it's about time; Anderson is still a nice defensive piece, and he's become a pretty nice power-hitter, learning to hit a bit more for average. I'm not sure if he can carry the team yet, and he's certainly not one of the elite shortstops in the game, but...for a team that doesn't have much at all, he's a nice enough constant. Abreu is fine, and he's a crowd-pleaser, but Anderson is doing a lot of the work, and he's doing a nice enough job of it.

...Look, what d'you want me to say? This team feels burned out, and it's not even August.

Coming Tomorrow- Someone I definitely can write about; another shortstop for a Chicago team.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: White Sox

This could have been worse.

Yes, the White Sox were forced to shed Todd Frazier, Jose Quintana, Tommy Kahnle, Melky Cabrera and David Robertson over the course of the year, and yes, the Sox had to end the season in fourth place, but...they could be doing a lot worse. Besides, some of the people they've set up this year could lead them to a +.500 record in 2018.

Tim Anderson took a step back from his 2016 rookie year, batting under .250 and relying more on power than on consistency. With Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada looking ready, who knows where he'll fit into 2018.

James Shields, as the sole veteran presence on the rotation after a while, sort of went back to his traditional numbers, notching 103 strikeouts with a bloated ERA and W-L ratio.

Kevan Smith took over as the primary catcher halfway through, and did an admirable job, finishing with a .283 average and slowly edging Omar Navarez out of the position.

Reynaldo Lopez, one of the big rookies that the Sox got in the Adam Eaton trade, didn't get to the majors until late, but had some nice enough stuff in his 8 games, with 30 strikeouts despite, again, an uneasy record.

However, Lucas Giolito, the other piece of the Eaton trade, outdid Lopez, with a 2.38 ERA, and some of the gusto and power that he lacked in his 2016 come-up. With 2018 lacking in sure options, it'd be a safe bet to say that the Sox are going to base their rotation around Giolito and Lopez, in addition to Carlos Rodon, James Shields and possibly Carson Fulmer.

Coming Tomorrow- The Yankees team I'd been waiting quite a while for.

"There are some who call me.......TIM!"

Yeah, it's safe to say that the White Sox are kind of out of the race at this point...but at least the team's fun to watch.

They still have to players who are really good at what they do- Chris Sale, one of the best pitchers in baseball, and Todd Frazier, one of the best home run hitters in baseball. Yeah, a lot of other people are good at their jobs, but evidently not enough of them to get them back into the AL Central race.

Tim Anderson had a pretty nice start at shortstop, and started hitting quite a few home runs back there, but has slowed down substantially and is now...kind of okay. The guy's a better alternative than Jimmy Rollins and could be a pretty cool addition to the overall makeup of the team.

There are a lot of cool players on this team- Adam Eaton, Avisail Garcia, David Robertson, and the return of Justin Morneau...all pretty cool. They may not win a ton more big games, but at least they're not as depressing to watch as they were last year, and that's all I could ask for.

Coming Tomorrow- Another reminder of how absolutely terrifying the Cubs' farm system can be.