With MLB Opening Day only 25 days away and spring training games steadily underway, baseball season is right around the corner. Over the next month, we will preview all 30 MLB teams for the 2020 season leading up to Opening Day on March 26th. Next up, the Chicago White Sox 2020 preview. Check out the preview for the Chicago Cubs here.
The Chicago White Sox finished 72-89 in 2019 which represented a 10 win increase from the previous season. Jose Abreu led the American League in RBI, Tim Anderson had a career year, Yoan Moncada broke out in his third year with the team, and Eloy Jimenez was as advertised as a top-five prospect in baseball. Lucas Giolito finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting as he had his best season with the White Sox and Alex Colome stabilized the back end of the bullpen in his first season with the team.
The White Sox have more young talent on the way with top-five prospect Luis Robert and flamethrower Michael Kopech. Robert projects to start in center field in 2020 and will be the front runner for Rookie of the Year. Kopech is returning from Tommy John Surgery and is expected to be challenging for the starting rotation by midseason. An under the radar prospect to watch is Nick Madrigal who could push Leury Garcia for the starting second base job. Madrigal was the fourth overall pick in 2018 and hit .311 across three levels in the minors last season.
To supplement their young core, the White Sox signed All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal, slugger Edwin Encarnacion, and 2015 AL Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel. Grandal will improve the lineup as well as the rotation as he is an experienced backstop that will be able to elevate a young starting rotation. Encarnacion adds a power bat to a lineup that finished bottom ten in home runs last season. Dallas Keuchel adds a veteran presence in the starting rotation that the young pitchers can learn from.
The White Sox have not made the playoffs since 2008. The 2020 team will challenge to break that playoff drought. The Minnesota Twins are favorites to win the AL Central and the AL Wild Card spots will be hard to wrestle from the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics. 2020 may not be the year for the White Sox, but this team is built for the future, and their future is a bright as any in the MLB.
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