2009 Chicago White Sox Predictions

Written by Jason Lowry

White Sox Baseball While the Cubs seem to get all of the attention in Chicago, the White Sox are pretty darn good. Thanks to a one game playoff win over the Minnesota Twins last season, the White Sox once again won the AL Central. It was the first time they had done so since 2005 when they went on to win the World Series. The playoff birth was as good as the season got for the South Siders, as the Sox were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Rays in just 4 games. The Sox are hoping that their mix of veteran talent and young up-and-coming prospects can not only get this team back to the postseason, but possibly make another run at a World Series. The Sox have made some big moves this offseason, trading away Nick Swisher to the Yankees for Wilson Betemit and a couple of young arms. The team also traded away starting pitcher Javier Vazquez and let a number of free agents go, including SS Orlando Cabrera, 3B Joe Crede, and OF Ken Griffey Jr. With the season just around the corner, here is my take on the 2009 Chicago White Sox and how I see them finishing in the NL Central this season.

Offense:

Manager Ozzie Guillen has said that he would really like to see the 2009 team to be a little less of a power offense and a little more of a small-ball offense that can run the bases. The White Sox were 2nd to last in the league in stolen bases in 2008 and did not do the little things they did so well in 2005. The team is hoping that they can get some of that speed back with CF Jerry Owens, who had 32 stolen bases in his rookie season in 2007, but played just 12 games last year thanks to a number of groin injuries. The team is pretty set in the two corner spots of the outfield with Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye. Quentin was 5th in AL MVP voting thanks to 36 home runs and 100 RBI he had while hitting .288, and the scary thing is, this guy only played in 96 games last season. Dye has been a consistent bat in the Sox lineup for 4 years now, as he has averaged 34 home runs and 95 RBI while a part of this team, including 34 home runs and 96 RBI a season ago. With Crede gone the White Sox can finally give Josh Fields a full season as the starting third baseman, and they are expecting big things from this kid, who had 23 home runs and 67 RBI in limited action back in 2007. First base will be held down once again by Paul Konerko, but the Sox would like to see much better numbers from this guy, as he hit just .240 with 22 home runs last season. The team still has the big bat of Jim Thome in the DH spot, and while Thome struggled to make contact at times, hitting just .245, he did manage to hit 34 home runs with 90 RBI. The team also has solid bats in SS Alexei Ramirez, who hit .290 with 21 home runs as a rookie, and catcher A.J. Perzynski. The only real question mark is who will start at second base, and it looks like it will come down to a trio of young talent in Chris Getz, Brent Lillbridge, and Jayson Nix for the starting job.

Pitching:

The White Sox are loaded up top with the veteran Mark Buehrle and two young studs in Gavin Floyd and John Danks. Buehrle will likely be labeled the ace of this team after going 15-12 with a solid 3.79 ERA in 2008, but this team is counting on the arms of Floyd and Danks. Danks will be just 24 this season, and he is coming off a 12-9 year with a solid 3.32 ERA. Floyd led all Sox pitchers with 17 wins, and he is just 26. The team is hoping that Bartolo Colon can bounce back and be a solid No. 4 starter for this team because Jose Contreras will miss at least half of the season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. That leaves the young arms of Jeff Marquez and Clayton Richard battling it out this spring for the 5th and final spot. The bullpen remains solid as the team signed closer Bobby Jenks to a one-year deal. Jenks has been lights-out, saving an average of 39 games per season in his 3 years as a full time closer. Behind Jenks the team has some solid veteran arms in Octavio Dotel, Matt Thorton, and Scott Linebrink. The Sox pitching staff looks strong, but any struggles from the veterans or the youngsters could make it tough for this team to defend their AL Central title.

Prediction: 2nd in AL Central

Many don’t think the White Sox will have what it takes in 2009 to repeat as division champs, and I agree, but this is still a very good team in a very good division. I think that they will have just the right combination of hitting and pitching to finishing 2nd in the very competitive AL Central.

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