Worst Case Scenario For White Sox
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Oct 2, 2013 8:30PM
Fans on both sides of town suffered through a forgettable baseball season. While the Cubs dropped 96 games, they were expected to be awful. The White Sox lost 99 games on their way to a last place finish, with much the same roster that contended for the AL Central title a year ago. Back before the season began, we said anything was possible for the White Sox in 2013 and what we got was the worst case scenario, and their worst record since 1970. Key players couldn't match their 2012 production, injuries hampered others, and chemistry was disrupted by the departures of some big personalities. With the season already over by the All-Star break, Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn shipped out any tradeable asset they could move. The White Sox were just fortunate that, between the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup run and the Bears' new regime, fans had the option to simply ignore the team rather than vocally expressing their displeasure.
The Good
In 2013, the good pretty much began and ended with Chris Sale. Following up his 17-8 2012 campaign, Sale solidified his status as the team's ace. While just 11-14, he finished with a 3.07 ERA and 226 strikeouts in 214 innings. His 6.9 WAR ranked him fourth in all of baseball. The highlight of the season for Sale and the White Sox was his May 12 one-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels.
Other than that, perhaps the limited preview of Avisail Garcia, who came to the Sox in the Peavy trade. He hit five homers, drove in 21 runs and batted .304 in 42 games and suggests that the Sox got something other than payroll relief with all their trades.
The Bad
Where to begin? With the exception of perhaps Jose Quintana, not a single White Sox player had a better season in 2013 than the year before. in his 17th season, Paul Konerko saw his numbers fall from 26 homers and a .298 batting average to 12 home runs and a .244 batting average. Adam Dunn's home run production fell from 41 to 34, though he did keep his average above the Mendoza line most of the year, and finished with a whopping .219. Dayan Viciedo regressed, hitting just 14 homers and driving in 56 after 25/78 a year ago. Before his trade to the Texas Rangers, Alex Rios was off his pace from a season ago, as well. The Sox were not able to replace the production or intangibles of A.J Pierzynski behind the plate, or Kevin Youkilis at third base. Tyler Flowers, long hyped as the team's future behind the plate, hit just .195 in about a half season before giving way to Josh Phegley, who hit .206. Conner Gillespie assumed the primary third baseman job, and put up decent but not great numbers. In the middle of the infield, Gordan Beckham and Alexei Ramirez both seem to be regressing at the plate and defensively. Overall, the offense scored its fewest runs since the early 80s.
Pitching appeared to be the Sox's strength coming into the season, and to some extent it was. Sale and Quintana had solid seasons, with Quintana backing up his surpring 2012 campaign by going 9-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 33 starts and pitching 200 innings. Gavin Floyd's season ended in late April when he required Tommy John surgery. John Danks returned after a year on the DL, but went just 4-14 as he tries to regain his form. Jake Peavy was solid in his time with the team in 2013, but was the most valuable asset to be traded. He was sent to Boston in July. So the rotation being able to carry the Sox in 2013 never quite materialized. And even when the starters did pitch well, the bullpen often gave up the lead. Their 36 losses were second worst in all of baseball.
The Ugly
With lackluster play on the field, and the Red Line reconstruction making it harder to get to the ballpark, attendance at U.S. Cellular Field was down significantly from 2012. The South Siders averaged just 22,105 fans per game, a nine percent decrease from the prior year. That dropped total attendance below the 2 million mark for the first time since 2002, and this drop came in spite of ticket prices that were on average 10 percent lower.
What's Next?
While the Cubs dismissed second year skipper Dale Sveum on Monday, the White Sox appear to be sticking with second year manager Robin Ventura in 2014, although first year batting coach Jeff Manto got canned. When Ventura and the rest of the Sox head to Arizona in February, will team leader Paul Konerko be there? The aging star said he intends to take a month before deciding his future. A free agent, the 37 year old slugger might retire. We're not sure how much interest he would draw beyond the Sox, similar to Brian Urlacher's situation with the Bears. Rick Hahn did trim payroll by moving Peavy and Rios, while Konerko's and Floyd's current contracts come off the books, too. But the team's lackluster attendance and poor return on recent investments (*cough* Dunn *cough*) could have the team management hesitant to open the purse strings on higher priced free agents this off season. Given the play of those on the roster, and a lack of prospects in the minors ready to contribute, the Sox woes could continue for some time. So expect to see a continued youth movement for the time being unless Jerry Reinsdorf and Kenny Williams start getting impatient again.