White Sox Season Recap
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Oct 7, 2010 6:00PM
While fans of teams in playoff contention watched their favorites take the field yesterday to begin the postseason, the White Sox have already cleaned out their lockers and headed home for the winter. Not that we're surprised they failed to make the playoffs. Before the season began, we stated, "We'll go on the record predicting an 84-78 record, a second place finish in the AL Central and no playoffs in 2010." With a final record of 88-72, the Sox were lived up to our prediction. But for a time, it looked like perhaps this Sox squad was better than we'd thought.
The White Sox stumbled out of the gate and, heading into the first crosstown series, found themselves six games under .500. Taking two of three, the Sox won that series as well as the rematch two weeks later to win the inaugural BP Crosstown Cup, with an 11-game winning streak in between. The Sox finished June with an 18-9 record for the month, following that up with an 18-8 July (they won 25 of 30 games at one point!) to propel the team into the lead in the AL Central on July 11. But they stumbled down the stretch and saw the Twins retake the division lead. Even the addition of Manny Ramirez via the waiver wire in late August couldn't help the Sox catch Minnesota.
Biggest Surprises:
Given that he was in a free agency year, perhaps it wasn't such a surprise that Paul Konerko put together a stellar season, hitting .312 with 39 home runs and 111 RBIs. Paulie should finish in the top three for MVP voting in the American League. Given his bat and leadership, can Kenny Williams afford not to bring him back? Prior to the season, most would've thought 2010 was his last year on the South Side.
Freddy Garcia bounced back from a number of injury-plagued seasons to have a solid year. Starting the season as the team's fifth starter, he took the mound 28 times, pitched 157 innings and racked up a 12-6 record.
White Sox stealing bases? A team not historically known for speed on the base paths, the 2010 edition were second in MLB with 160 stolen bases. Juan Pierre led everybody with 68 swipes while Alex Rios stole 34.
Biggest Disappointments:
The Sox made a big splash in 2009 by acquiring former Padres ace Jake Peavy, despite his being on the disabled list at the time. We got a tiny taste of his skills late in '09, but the move was clearly made for 2010 and beyond. Peavy only made it halfway through the 2010 campaign before suffering a season-ending tear to his latissimus dorsi muscle. Peavy went 7-6 with a 4.63 ERA in 17 starts before landing on the DL.
The Sox bullpen, and closer Bobby Jenks, were ineffective at times and cost the White Sox many of those games down the stretch. Injuries only amplified the bullpen's problems, with Matt Thornton, J.J. Putz and Erik Threets all spending time on the DL last in the season. The bullpen problems were apparent at a time when Kenny Williams could still have made a move to shore it up.
Biggest Head Scratcher:
Williams has been known to make some bold moves during his tenure, but the addition of Manny Ramirez in late August was most bizarre. With the team's relief pitching the greatest need, he instead committed $4 million to an aging power hitter who had spent much of the season injured. In his one month with the Sox, Manny batted .261 with two extra base hits and two RBIs. While moves in '09 to acquire Peavy and Rios were investments in the future, Manny is a 38-year-old free agent, so any benefits would had to have paid off this season.
Looking Ahead:
We know that Ozzie Guillen will return to the Sox's dugout in 2011, but much of the roster is up in the air. As he states every year, Kenny Williams expects to retool the team and continue to compete for the AL Central title -- there are no rebuilding years on the South Side. The biggest question is whether the team re-signs Paul Konerko, the captain and heart and soul of the team. A.J. Pierzynski is also a free agent and has been invaluable to the team during his tenure. But is it time to get Tyler Flowers a shot behind the plate? Other youngsters like Chris Sale, Brent Morel and Dayan Viciedo look to factor into next year's team. But what about the various veterans Williams brought in like Andruw Jones, Mark Kotsay and Omar Vizquel? We don't expect to see any of them return. The starting rotation remains stocked with Mark Buerhle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks, late season acquisition Edwin Jackson and a healthy Peavy. Garcia could return, or Sale might earn a spot in the rotation.
The bullpen is the biggest question and biggest cause for concern. Hopefully Williams is more diligent about addressing this need than his counterpart with the Bears has been with addressing holes on the offensive line.