ESPN's Baseball Tonight is currently doing a feature about the 2011 baseball season "A-Z." It's got me interested and I decided to do an A-Z for the White Sox 2011 season.
A is for Adam Dunn. Adam Dunn, the Sox newest top tier acquisition comes into the season with a lot of expectations from fans and management. He has hit 46, 40, 40, 40, 40, 38 and 38 home runs 2004-2010. He has put up 100 RBI in each season except last season for a bad team. His career OBP is .381, but his last season OBP was his lowest since 2003. Everyone, as well as me, however, expects his numbers to be up playing at US Cellular Field. He will probably have the biggest load on his shoulders this year, although nobody is asking him to carry the team. With Konerko, Rios and Quentin around him, he'll have plenty of help.
B is for Buehrle. Mark Buehrle has struggled the last five seasons after pitching very well before 2006. Mark was 85-53 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.23 WHIP from 2000-2005, but 2006-2010 he's just 63-57 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. Mark has still managed to pitch 200 innings every year since 2001, but will he be able to find his former glory this year?
C is for Chris Sale. Chris Sale was told by Ozzie Guillen that he will be in the bullpen this season. He has shifted his focus to working toward the closer role. He will have stiff competition from Matt Thornton, who I think will win out. I believe Sale would be a great set up man, and hope that is where he ends up for now. He should be able to lock down several holds this year, helping us preserve wins the offense has put up the runs to secure. Apparently, Joe Mauer praised Chris Sale this offseason. If Thornton is not named the closer, Chris Sale would be the next highest logical choice. Fans have big expectations for Sale, but we should remember that he's still young.
D is for Dayan Viciedo. Remember Tank? Everyone seems to have lost him in the shuffle this offseason, but there are real questions concerning his current status. He literally has been shut out now from playing anywhere. He is blocked by Morel and Teahen from third, and by Konerko and Dunn from first. He could spend some time at DH, and I have heard he is working on learning an outfield position. Maybe he could learn right field, and give Quentin some time off. That's where I think he could still be a viable asset, but he does not necessarily have an outfielder's body. I will be interested to see how he will be used this season.
E is for Edwin Jackson. Edwin Jackson is in the last year of a contract. He will become a free agent after the season. Will the Sox trade him, re-sign him, or let him leave? I don't think the Sox would just let him walk, especially since he still has some value. The Sox would be smart to trade him at the deadline if we have a need, or if he is struggling. The Sox could always slide Chris Sale into the rotation if Jackson is not dealt for another starter. I think our best value out of Jackson would be to get half a season out of him and get a return in a deal.
F is for Frank Thomas. Last year, the White Sox celebrated Frank Thomas Day, when they retired his number and placed his picture on the outfield wall of honor. This year, they will complete the ceremony by unveiling the Frank Thomas statue in the outfield monument section this summer. The only thing that will be left for Frank is getting a speech prepared for the 2016 Hall Of Fame ceremony(because nobody makes it first ballot apparently).
G is for Gavin Floyd. Is 2011 finally the year Gavin Floyd will finally return to his 2008 form? That year he was 17-8 with a 3.84 ERA in 206.1 IP. The last two seasons he's 21-24 with a 4.07 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. I think if Gavin could ever pitch consistently and reach his potential he could be an 18-20 game winner with a mid 3's ERA and a 1.17ish WHIP. With all this offense behind him, hopefully he'll have a good and winning season for a change.
H is for Home Runs. Ozzie asked for a 2005 team that could hit and run. He has Juan Pierre this year at the top of the lineup, but this team is mostly built on hitting. More specifically it's built on hitting home runs. How many home runs will be hit this season? In 2006, the Sox hit 236 home runs which was tops in MLB. In 2010, the Sox hit 177 home runs, and will now have a legitimate batter at DH with Adam Dunn. I would put money on the fact that the Sox will hit over 200 home runs, probably over 220.
I is for Ifs. There is a lot going on with the White Sox this year and a lot of expecations. There are also a lot of "ifs" involved with that. The White Sox will succeed "if" certain factors happen. I think the three biggest Ifs are: "If Peavy is healthy" "If more people than PK and Dunn can contribute" and "If the bullpen can hold wins." I think the most important one is Peavy. If Peavy can come back healthy and pitch 150 innings, that will be enough, I believe, to put us over the top. I don't want Peavy to come back too early though, and risk getting re-injured. I hope he is not rushing his come back because that won't help us as much as he thinks it will. I'd rather have a healthy Jake for August and September.
J is for Jerry Reinsdorf. 2011 marks the thirtieth year Jerry Reinsdorf has owned the team. He purchased the team for a mere $19 million. Jerry has built the club up from shambles and turned them into a semi-winning club. The Sox have made the post season five times during his tenure and won a World Series, and the team has finished with winning records a lot of other years. The Sox have seen a slew of decent free agent signings, keeping home grown talent, and a new ballpark over his tenure. Thanks Jerry.
K is for Ks. More specifically batter strikeouts. The White Sox struck out 922 times last season, the second fewest in MLB. With the addition of Adam Dunn, this is sure to go up. Dunn struck out 199 times last season by himself. I am on the fence about whether or not I think Ks at the plate directly leads to scoring fewer runs, but it certainly puts a hamper on your OBP. However, last season the Sox OBP was not in the top 10 despite the 2nd lowest K total. If Dunn and others can be productive in their non-K at bats, Ks should not directly affect the Sox ability to score runs and win games.
L is for Left Handed Pitching. The White Sox have five left handed pitchers, who are all key to the success of the 2011 campaign. Three of these pitchers(Thornton, Sale and Ohman) are in the bullpen that will be as big a part of success or failure as any part of the team. It will be nice to have a few left handers to bring in to games in the later innings, and the idea that we could go L-R-L-R in our rotation is always a nice mix. Left handed pitching will definitely be key to the outcome of the season.
M is for Morel. Can Brent Morel win the third base starting job over Mark Teahen? Ozzie has told the media that the position is not decided. Last year, Mark Teahen was hurt, and when he played he was not very good at the plate. His line last year was .258/4/25 with a .709 OPS. He started 49 games at 3B last season and made 10 errors in 124 chances. His UZR last year was -9.8 at 3B and career is -38.4. I don't think we have a large enough sample size of what Brent Morel can do in a full Major League season but I would like him to get a chance. I have little faith in Mark Teahen to be an important cog in the machine. We can't forget about Omar Vizquel, who is also a viable third baseman as he proved last season, but will find himself in a replacement or day-off role this year.
N is for No Hitter. Will the Sox throw a no hitter this year? Mark Buehrle has thrown the last two, and he threw them in the last two odd seasons(2007, 2009). It is 2011, so does this mean we get to see more Buehrle magic? The last three White Sox no hitters were thrown in odd years and 10 of the Sox no hitters were thrown in odd years. I don't believe in superstition or that there is any cause/effect in baseball but statistically it just looks good on paper. I guess we can chalk up a Mark Buehrle no hitter this year.(Just wishful thinking)
O is for Oney/Ozzie. Oney Guillen has opened his mouth this offseason about Bobby Jenks, and said some really harsh comments that showed little to no class. After the story had finally died down, Bobby revamped statements and Ozzie opened his mouth on the situation recently. Can Ozzie and his family stay behind the scenes and keep the drama to a minimum after the season kicks into high gear? This will be a big question and Sox fans hope the answer is emphatically YES. We're all tired of the drama.
P is for Paulie. Paul Konerko is coming off a great season, and people think he played up because it was a contract year. It's true that in 2005, Konerko had a MVP type season(.283/40/100) in a contract year. However, he has also had other great years, including 2006, the year after signing a new contract with the Sox. That year he hit .313/35/113 with a .932 OPS. There's no reason to believe he won't put up similar numbers to his 2010 season this year. We'll have to see what kind of production he gives the Sox.
Q is for Quentin. Carlos Quentin's mystery 87 RBI last season didn't change a lot of people's opinions that he was still having a down but slightly better year than 2009. He has not returned to his pre-injury 2008 MVP form over the last two seasons, as his numbers are down across the board. Will Carlos have some of the pressure taken off now that Dunn is in town? If so, maybe he will calm down at the plate and not try to swing so much. "Solid" numbers I could see coming from Quentin this year are .270/27/90 with an .850 OPS. I don't think it's too much to ask for there, and he should have some RBI opportunities batting behind PK and Dunn, one of which should be on base a lot in front of him at least.
R is for Runs Scored. The White Sox finished 7th in runs scored last year in the American League. I would have liked to finish a little higher. 752 runs is a good number but this year we can push that to 800-850. The only team in the Top 5 who did not make the post season was Boston. It's not too simple of an idea to state that scoring runs wins games. If the Sox want to make the post season, they will have to find their way to the top of the runs scored category at least in the AL Central.
S is for Sergio Santos. Sergio Santos was one of the nice surprises of the 2010 season. He pitched 51.2 IP with a 2-2 record and 2.92 ERA. He had 56 Ks and 26 BBs. He had a WHIP over 1.50 that he'll need to get down, but he has electric stuff. He sports a fastball, slider and changeup, and has the opportunity to become a late inning specialist. He is in the mix for closer with a slight outside chance at landing the role. Pretty good career change, moving from shortstop to pitcher in the Major Leagues.
T is for Thornton. The most likely choice to close is Matt Thornton. He has the experience and has been on the White Sox for a while now. He sports a high 90's fastball and a complimentary slider that lead to him being very productive last season. After struggling in the All Star Game and then his first few appearances post-ASG, he really came back and pitched well. I think he is clearly our best choice to be a lights out closer with the departure of Bobby Jenks.
U is for US Cellular Field. There are new renovations set to be in place for the 2011 season at US Cellular Field. One is the new multi-tiered restaurant that will be located outside of Gate 5, which will be called Comiskey's. The Sox say it will serve a variety of food and multi-leveled. It will be open for the entire baseball season, and in the future will be open year round. There has also been a new line added to the transit system to bring people to the park, which is always a good thing.
V is for Vizquel. Omar had a really nice 2010, and was our best option at third. He put up the line of .276/2/30 and made just 3 errors in 144 chances. He made some great plays in the field. He will be pushed into a fill in, bench player role this year. When he plays this season, he will be the only player in MLB playing who is from the 1980s. He's a first ballot hall of famer in my mind, and is really going to be more of a coach than a player this year. The younger players better hang on his every word, because he is one of the best infielders I have ever seen.
W is for Will Ohman. One of the new relief pitchers on the Sox this year is Will Ohman. He's a strong left handed specialist, with lefties having a lot of trouble with Ohman over the years. Vs LHB he sports a low .208 BAA and .298 OBP allowed. His K/BB is 2.52. His numbers are much higher vs RHB. I like having him but we know his limitations. It's nice to have a guy who can come in and get out a tough LHB late though.
X is for XBH. Last season, the White Sox finished 4th at home runs but 10th at triples and 13th at doubles. That's 9th in the American League at XBH. Extra Base Hits drive in runs and put players in position to score runs. If we want to up our runs scored total, we're going to need to get more extra base hits. Having Adam Dunn will help out, and getting better production down the stretch from Alex Rios should also lead to more XBH and higher run totals.
Y is for Youth. If you haven't noticed, the White Sox have gotten a lot younger over the last three seasons. After signing players like Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo, trading for Danks and Floyd, and drafting solid young talented players like Beckham and Chris Sale, the average age of the team's 40-man roster is 27.47 this year. 27 is generally around the age that players start their prime years. Let's hope many players find their prime this year. These guys are really the key to the future that we have to bank on for at least the next 3-5 seasons. If these guys somehow didn't work out, we'd be left rebuilding completely. I don't want to see that happen, and it won't, because I have faith in these guys to produce winning results.
Z is for Zero. Zero, the number of times the White Sox got a hit on a 3-0 count last season. The White Sox had 120 plate appearances with a 3-0 count last season and took 118 walks. That kind of patience is good but this also means that we definitely do not have the green light from Ozzie to swing. That is an insane OBP in that count of .992. This of course, is when the at bat ended on the fourth pitch. When the at bat continued beyond 3-0 when the fourth pitch did not end the at bat, the Sox hit .317 with a 1.295 OPS. I don't know if I'd rather have a guy with power swinging on 3-0 or not but it definitely doesn't hurt to take walks in the situation. OBP will be important this year in the run scoring process. Patience at the plate will certainly help with that.
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