OK, ok, I know Sox fans are very sensitive; why aren’t I getting any attention? I’ve talked about the current state of my Chicago teams; it’s time to give the other major team in Chicago, the White Sox, a day to themselves. Let’s talk about Sox!
Speaking about the state of my Chicago sports teams; ain’t that great. Sure, the Bulls are on the verge of making the playoffs; that’s exciting as hell. However, after their descent from the top to the bottom of the Eastern playoff bracket, expectations have been brought back down closer to their original state. Making the playoffs was the original goal; winning it all became a possibility… now, winning a playoff series would be very nice. OK, I said this was all about the Sox… yeah, so the Sox… things ARE looking great for them; there is no doubt about it. Making the playoffs is an almost certainty; winning a playoff series has to be a requirement this year to qualify it as a successful season. The last two years have ended with no progression in the playoffs; understandable for the first year, disappointing for last year. This year though… sky is the limit right? Looking around the MLB landscape, other than the Dodgers in the NL, the Sox certainly have to be considered on that 2nd tier with all the other potential World Series winning teams, no? I think so.
Offensively… absolutely stack-ola-ed. You have potential All Stars at multiple positions. Abreu, Anderson, Robert, Jimenez, Moncada, Grandal… tell me when to stop. Shit, that’s 2/3 of the starting lineup; think that’s any good? Sheets came on last year; Vaughn is no slouch. I love the addition of Josh Harrison; I think he’s perfect for this team. The trade for Pollack… initially I thought it was a great move, then I realized how much this guy gets hurt; doesn’t he have a problem throwing the ball? Then who they gave up for him… Sure, Kimbrel was a bust in the 8th last year, and the Sox do have another potential All Star already holding down the 9th, but… can never have enough bullpen arms, right? Anyways, there won’t be many problems scoring runs on the South Side this year.
The pitching is where there is some concern I believe. Giolito… no worries there, right? There better not be. Lynn was absolutely rock solid last year, but… he will miss maybe the first 2 months of the year. The guy that historically turns in a solid 200 innings is dealing with a serious injury; definitely some concern there. What about the absence of their best starting pitcher from last year? Yeah, Rodon barely made the cut to make the roster last year, and was rumored to be out of the pen, but holy shit; dude was lights out last year. He gone though… heading West to Frisco, which in turn, looks like a trade for Cueto, who just signed with the Sox. Cueto will certainly not replace Rodon; I do like the addition of another starter though. Cease should take the next step; Keuchel… hopefully he doesn’t completely flame out… what a disappointment. Kopech? Kopech? Bueller? Any worries there? Then I see one of their best LH relievers is done: Crotch-boy or something like that? So no Crochet or Kimbrel out of the pen; can Liam pitch multiple innings? Oh yeah, they did add Kelly; bitter beer face should help a lot.
Still, looking at the division… the Indians/Guardians aren’t going anywhere; the Royals probably not either. The Twins are always tough, but it’s the Tigers that I think will make a big jump this year. They ended last year hot, and have made some pretty good additions this offseason. OK, worst case, the Tigers threaten the Sox for the division; the Sox will still get in. My one friend told me 130 wins this year… not sure about that, but I could see 100 wins from the Sox this year… about 30 more than the Cubs.
See, there; happy now? Giving the Sox plenty of love here. Certainly things to worry about; there always are. But on paper, this team looks plenty dangerous. Going to be a fun summer in Sox Park; there will be lots of fireworks both during and after the game. Question is: what will that mean come playoff time? I do think the Sox should and will make some trade deadline acquisitions to bolster their chances. Get in, and anything can happen. Good luck…
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