A Postmortem for the Chicago White Sox

Nobody disappointed this year like the Chicago White Sox.

The Southsiders saw their division hopes crushed over a six-game home stand. After dropping all six to the team ahead of them, the Cleveland Guardians, and the lowly Detroit Tigers, Tony La Russa‘s (and Miguel Cairo‘s) squad was laid at death’s door. Another two losses brought the losing streak to eight and now, they are officially dead. It’s the culmination of a year of futility and underperforming that, frankly, no one saw coming.

The White Sox entered this year as a powerhouse. With one of the best-constructed rosters in all of baseball, they seemed prime to waltz right into the postseason. They proved their mettle in the 2020 season and established themselves with a 93-win season atop the AL Central last year. The Sox’s Pythagorean W-L record of 97-65 means they technically were even better than that. They had a pitching staff ranked second in the AL in ERA with a 3.73 team mark and an offense in the top five as well with a collective .758 OPS. This year, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. They currently hold a 76-79 record with a far more pedestrian offense and pitching staff.

Just how did such an elite squad that was destined for greatness fall to maddening mediocrity?

Southside Bats Couldn’t Get It Done

At the heart of this underperforming White Sox team was an offense plagued by injuries. They only had one regular contributor on the field for 150 games or more – Jose Abreu. Abreu is still the heart and soul of the team and he had another great season with a 133 OPS+, but everyone around him was not there. Tim Anderson performed well again this year, but injury after injury limited him to 79 games. Yasmani Grandal, coming off a stellar year as arguably the league’s best offensive backstop, appeared in only 98 games. In that stretch, he put up a career-worst .202/.301/.272 line with no power to speak of, resulting in a disastrous -1.3 bWAR. Their best hitter is probably Eloy Jimenez with a 143 OPS+, but again, he only managed 79 games.

Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert have also failed to reach 100 games to this point. This is all without mentioning other underperformers like AJ Pollock and Josh Harrison. The big problem, however, is that the White Sox’s depth was hammered by injuries. Adam Engel and Leury Garcia both received extended playing time and both regressed heavily from last year. Engel’s 123 OPS+ in a limited capacity plummeted to 63 in 113 games this year. Garcia especially floundered, going from a passable 95 OPS+ as a backup to an unplayable 41 in 97 games. Jake Burger and Gavin Sheets, while fine, weren’t as excellent as fill-ins as last year either.

There were no competent veteran backups like Brian Goodwin or surprise breakouts like Yermin Mercedes to help them this time. Still, that’s far from the only problem this team had.

Mediocre Pitching, Baffling Decisions Clouded the Team All Year

Pitching has been in a weird spot for the White Sox all year. On the one hand, there have been some success stories. Dylan Cease is a Cy Young Award contender. Michael Kopech has been stellar when healthy. Johnny Cueto has enjoyed a surprising resurgence. It’s just that this used to be a premier rotation. After appearing as a candidate for top pitching honors with the Sox, Lance Lynn has regressed to a merely fine pitcher with 4.16 ERA and 3.81 FIP. Lucas Giolito has seen his ERA skyrocket just under 1.50 points to 5.05. Bad luck is a factor there considering his 4.18 FIP, but it’s still not what’s expected of him. It also certainly threw things off when Dallas Keuchel flamed out so hard with a 7.88 ERA in eight starts that it necessitated Cueto to help.

The bullpen hasn’t been stellar either, ranking as the fourth worst in the AL with a 4.09 ERA. Again, injuries hampered them with Liam Hendriks, Aaron Bummer, and Joe Kelly all losing time this year. Kelly, in particular, never got into a groove either, posting a 6.31 ERA in 35.2 innings. To top it all off, the White Sox defense wasn’t exactly doing their pitching any favors with their -16 Outs Above Average.

Of course, most have their crosshairs on La Russa and his questionable decision-making. On multiple occasions, he walked batters intentionally while ahead in the count and then proceeded to defend the choice. He appeared to take orders from a fan. He was even close to taking a nap during one game. Beyond the glaring flaws, he was simply an odd fit for this young White Sox team. It felt more like a favor from Jerry Reinsdorf to an old friend than a legit hire.

The Road Ahead for the White Sox is a Long One

Thankfully, it seems La Russa won’t be around next season as reports have circulated that, due to his health, he’ll step away from the organization. That’s a good start, but it doesn’t change the fact that the White Sox are at a crossroads. La Russa was a detriment, but this season sewed doubt in a once elite roster. Health wasn’t the only thing holding them back.

They need a manager that can better resonate with this young ballclub and lead with an acumen based on modern baseball. Alongside a new manager, there needs to be more depth added to this roster. The core is there, but more legitimate big leaguers who can be more than defensive replacements. An upgrade at second base would help, but there’s also the issue of bringing their leader Abreu back for next year. Given his rapport with the players and continued production, it’s critical to bring him back not just for the team, but for fans.

This White Sox can’t afford another year of underperforming. They’ve already lost enough through their failure. Every year without making it with this core closes the door to contention ever so slightly more. Hopefully, this season serves as a wake-up call to ownership, the front office, and the players themselves.

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