White Sox to face Red Sox in Elite Eight of MLB Dream Bracket
This afternoon, prepare yourself for the Battle of the Foot-covers you’ve been waiting for since 2005. It’s the White Sox vs. Red Sox in a battle of footwear in the Quarterfinals of the MLB Dream Bracket, streaming on MLB.com and the MLB Twitch channel at 3 p.m. CT.
On Saturday, we gave you the recap of how the Pale Hose have fared so far, today let’s take a look at how they match up with this quarterfinal opponent from Beantown.
Position by position breakdown
Ace
Billy Pierce vs. Pedro Martinez
All right, as much as we all love Billy P., this one certainly looks like a mismatch on the surface. During his White Sox days, Pierce had only one season better than an ERA+ of 150, while Pedro only had one season in Boston in which he wasn’t better than 150. However, this is the beauty of baseball. So far in the simulation, Pierce is 3-1 with an ERA of 2.05, while Pedro is 0-2 with an ERA of 4.95. So, you never know.
Middle of the Rotation
Wilbur Wood and Chris Sale vs. Luis Tiant and Cy Young
When the man for whom the best pitcher in baseball award is handed out to is your No. 3, there’s some solid roster depth, but considering these simulations are based off a player’s peak, not their longevity, Wood and Sale actually match up quite well with Tiant and Cy. Tiant, in particular, really only had one outstanding Red Sox season, and he should probably be lower in the rotation (we’ll get to the man who should be higher in a second). As for Cy Young, let’s just hope he gets confused by all the new technology and misses his Uber to the game he’s due to start.
Backend/Swingmen
Mark Buehrle, Ted Lyons, Ed Walsh, and Red Faber vs. Roger Clemens, Jon Lester, Babe Ruth, and Lefty Grove
Personally, I would have Ed Walsh a lot higher in the Chisox rotation, but he’s actually been quite useful as an extended fireman out of the bullpen this Dream Bracket, so keep an eye out for him in big moments. How Roger Clemens — a true baseball villain but also one of the five or so best pitchers of all time — is the No. 4 guy in this rotation is bonkers, but if anyone is up for a quick-paced battle of wits in Game 4, it’s Buehrle. Having Ruth and Grove as bullpen arms is absurd and makes me angry.
Bullpen
Bobby Jenks, Bobby Thigpen, Hoyt Wilhelm, and Roberto Hernandez vs. Jonathan Papelbon, Koji Uehara, Craig Kimbrel, and Dick Radatz
This is a category that leans in Chicago’s favor. Wilhelm, despite his struggles in the tournament so far (11.25 ERA in four innings) is the best reliever on either side, and the Bobby boys (we’ll toss “Bobby” Hernandez in there, too) have all been excellent for the Chisox in the Dream Bracket so far.
Catchers
Carlton Fisk and A.J. Pierzynski vs. Carlton Fisk and Jason Varitek
Which Fisk is better?! That would actually make for a fun full article, but any good White Sox fan knows he was better after he bleached his socks and headed to the South Side. His 1985 season is a very good shout for the best of his career, even if his defense had slipped a bit by that point.
Corner Infield and DH
Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, and Paul Konerko vs. Jimmie Foxx, Wade Boggs, and David Ortiz
Talk about a battle of the titans. Thomas has a slight edge over Boston Foxx (and we already took care of Philadelphia Foxx, so we got a free preview there), but Boggs and Big Papi are a tough duo to handle. That’s why it’s good news that Ventura (.297 with four dingers) and Konerko (.310 with three long balls) have been two of the hottest hitters for Chicago this whole tournament. They’ll need to keep up that hot hitting to see the White Sox through.
Middle Infield
Nellie Fox and Luke Appling vs. Dustin Pedroia and Nomar Garciaparra
This is the weakest spot for both teams, and as such, it just may be the X-Factor for the series. If Chicago can get their head out of their ass and start Eddie Collins over Fox, I’d feel a lot better about that proposition, but Appling is hitting .359 out of the leadoff spot, and Dustin Pedroia is bound to get himself thrown out of a game or two, so I’d say slight edge to the White Sox here.
Outfield
Magglio Ordoñez, Minnie Miñoso, and Harold Baines vs. Ted Williams, Mookie Betts, and Dwight Evans
Another interesting decision (Magglio over Shoeless Joe) handicaps the White Sox a bit here, along with the whole “Ted Williams is arguably the best hitter of all time” thing. That said, Miñoso-Betts is closer than most would think, and Baines is a Hall-of-Famer, while Dewey Evans hasn’t been let into Cooperstown yet, so that tells you all you need to know, look no further …
Bench
José Abreu, Luis Aparicio, Eddie Collins, Jermaine Dye, and Shoeless Joe Jackson vs. Carl Yastzremski, Bobby Doerr, Jim Rice, Manny Ramirez, and Xander Bogaerts
This is where the, cough, questionable, decisions to start Fox and Ordoñez over Collins and Shoeless Joe actually pay off for the Pale Hose. Their bench has gone 11-for-26 so far this Dream Bracket, with their manager unafraid to make late-game adjustments. Of course, going up against a team that can pitch-hit with the second-most recent Triple Crown winner, the player teammates said was more valuable than Ted Williams, a Hall-of-Famer, a should-be Hall-of-Famer, and a 27-year-old with 20-plus career WAR, that’s a stiff challenge.
Bottom Line
The Red Sox roster is stacked, that much is obvious. But the White Sox have dropped only two games so far this entire Dream Bracket, and they’re clicking on just about every front. If they can keep these games close, their bench and bullpen/swingmen are two of the team’s biggest strengths. Plus, as we all know, anything can happen in baseball (simulations).