Around The AL Central: Analyzing The Chicago White Sox Before The 2022 Season
The Chicago White Sox did not make many moves over the offseason, but they did not need to. The winners of the AL Central in 2021 are heavy favorites to win it again in 2022 and have a loaded roster led by manager Tony La Russa.
The White Sox had a 93-69 record in 2021, steamrolling their way through the division. One of their biggest losses was Carlos Rodón, who pitched a no-hitter against Cleveland last season. But even without Rodón they still have a deep pitching staff. The White Sox are not only a contender to win the AL Central, but they are a true contender to win the World Series.
Offseason Acquisitions
Joe Kelly
Contending teams need pitching and the White Sox went out and got more of it in reliever Joe Kelly, who they signed to a two-year $17 million dollar deal. Kelly had a 2.86 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2021 season.
What he really brings to this club though is his playoff experience, which is something that the team lacks. Kelley has appeared in 40 playoff games stretching back to 2012 posting a career 3.55 ERA in those games. He joins an already packed bullpen that is arguably one of the best in the league.
A.J. Pollock
Less than a week before Opening Day, the White Sox traded Craig Krimbel for outfielder A.J. Pollock. Pollock is another former Dodger that brings over his playoff experience to a team looking for it.
In 2021, Pollock hit for an average of .297 with an OPS of .892 in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. He gives the White Sox outfield depth, which eliminates one of the only weaknesses that the White Sox had going into the season.
Strengths
Pitching
In 2021, the White Sox had a team ERA of 3.73, which ranked second-best in the American League. They did lose Carlos Rodon in free agency to the San Francisco Giants and traded Craig Kimbrel to the Dodgers, but this pitching staff will still rank at the top of the league again. A rotation of Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Dylan Cease is an elite top three. Topping it off with veteran Dallas Keuchel, who has playoff experience as well, is a nice touch too.
Bringing in the likes of Liam Hendriks and Joe Kelly to finish out games is going to give all teams in the division issues. Hendriks is easily one of the best closers in the league putting up an ERA of 2.54 last season. Having both a strong rotation and bullpen is not easy, but having both will help the White Sox with their goal of winning it all in October.
Lineup Depth
The White Sox lineup is incredibly deep. An example of this is Eloy Jiménez, who is projected to hit 34 home runs on a .272 average as their number five batter. Jiménez would easily hit third in almost any other lineup in the league.
Newly acquired AJ Pollock gives the outfield the depth that it was previously missing, and he is projected to hit .263 while being the seven-hitter. The bench is also strong with players such as Andrew Vaughn and veteran Adam Engel coming off it. The White Sox are one of the most well-rounded teams in all of baseball both on offense and defense. This lineup will be giving opposing pitching staffs problems all year long.
Weaknesses
Schedule
Usually having an easy schedule is something that would help a team. But in this case, it is one of the White Sox's biggest weaknesses. It is no secret that the AL Central is not one of the stronger divisions in baseball, and in 2021 the White Sox had a 44-32 record against it. This was good enough to easily roll into the playoffs without any worry.
However, when they faced off against the Houston Astros in the 2021 ALDS they lost the series in four games. The series was never really close and the White Sox's lack of competition in the regular season was put on display.
This roster has its eyes set on bigger accomplishments than the AL Central crown. For a team with the goal of winning the World Series, they are going to need some tests along the way to help them prepare for those playoff atmosphere moments. The reality is that their schedule does not provide them with many of these opportunities that other contenders will get being in a stronger division.
Farm System
For a team looking to win the World Series, they do not have many weaknesses. But one area where the organization does not rank high is in its farm system. MLB has their farm system ranked dead last in all of baseball. The White Sox are obviously a great team and do not need to rely on their prospects this season. But having a weak farm does not allow for them to get better as the season goes on because they do not have prospects to trade for major league level talent if they find a new weakness during the season.
Guardians Matchup Against The White Sox
Cleveland finished in second place behind the White Sox in 2021. Despite finishing 13 games behind them, Cleveland played fairly respectable against the AL Central champions. They won nine of the 19 matchups while scoring 74 total runs against a fantastic pitching staff.
The White Sox clearly have the better team on paper, and only got better this offseason by making minor moves to the bullpen and outfield. For the most part, each team will be bringing back almost the same roster as they had last year. Even though the White Sox's goals are much bigger than the Guardians in 2022, they will hope to be one of the White Sox's biggest tests in the division with their pitching.
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