Chicago White Sox 2009 Season Preview

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Apr 1, 2009 6:20PM

The Sox surpassed most people's expectations during their 2008 campaign, winning the AL Central with a 89-74 record in 2008 -- well above Nate Silver's prediction of 77 wins. We didn't have much higher expectations for them. But the South Siders closed out the regular season in exciting fashion, beating three different teams in three days -- including a rain out make-up and a tie-breaker -- to make the playoffs. The surprising upstart Tampa Bay Rays knocked the Sox out of the postseason in the ALDS 3-1. We Sox fans, however, could take solace in the fact our team won more playoff games in '08 than the Cubs did.

Starting Line-Up:
Paul Konerko - 1B
Chris Getz - 2B
Alexei Ramirez - SS
Josh Fields - 3B
Carlos Quentin - LF
Dewayne Wise / Brian Anderson - CF
Jermaine Dye - RF
A.J. Pierzynski - C

Starting Rotation:
Mark Buerhle
Gavin Floyd
John Danks
Jose Contreras
Bartolo Colon

Departures:
RHP Javier Vazquez, SS Orlando Cabrera, 1B/OF Nick Swisher, LHP Boone Logan, OF Ken Griffey Jr., 3B Joe Crede, C Toby Hall, IF Juan Uribe

Additions:
IF Brent Lillibridge, RHP Bartolo Colon, IF Wilson Betemit, IF Dayan Viciedo, C Corky Miller

Analysis
So what helped the Sox defy expectations in 2008? Four players emerged to make unexpectedly positive contributions. Alexei Ramirez finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting after batting .290 with 21 homers and 77 RBIs playing second base. Carlos Quentin -- picked up from Arizona after a couple disappointing season there -- burst on the scene in a big way, slugging 36 home runs and and 100 RBIs to go with his .288 batting average. He missed the final month of the season with a broken hand, but had he remained healthy he might have won himself an MVP award. Pitchers Gavin Floyd and John Danks also surprised many with their solid seasons. Floyd's 17 wins paced the staff while Danks' 3.32 ERA was the lowest of the team's starters. Their emergence allowed the White Sox to trade inconsistent and expensive Javier Vazquez during the off-season.

Vazquez's departure was only one of many from last year's squad. In the infield, shortstop Orlando Cabrera, third baseman Joe Crede and Juan Uribe -- who's started at 2B, SS and 3B -- have all moved on. For 2009, Alexei Ramirez shifts over to shortstop while rookie Chris Getz won the second base position. Josh Fields, who hit 23 homers for the Sox when filling in for Crede in 2007, gets the call on the "hot corner." Backing up the infielders are newcomers Wilson Benemit and Brent Lillibridge.

Nick Swisher, who played center and batted leadoff for much of '08, was traded to the Yankees in the off-season and the Sox chose not to re-up with trading deadline pick-up Ken Griffey Jr. Without a trade or free agent signing to fill the hole in center and at leadoff, manager Ozzie Guillen will resort to a platoon of Dewayne Wise and Brian Anderson. The organization gave up on Jerry Owens, who they waived this week. With the center fielders batting leadoff, rookie Getz will get the call in the two slot.

While there are some new faces at the top of the batting order, the middle remains virtually in tact and packed with slow, plodding power hitters. While Quentin, Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, A.J. Pierzynksi and Fields can hit the ball out of the park, they are painfully slow around the bases. Expect lots more station-to-station baserunning in '09.

The pitching rotation will once again be anchored ace Mark Buehrle, from whom we can expect yet another fifteen wins and 200 inning season. Floyd and Danks will be expected to build upon their success of '08 behind him. The final two spots in the rotation were awarded on Tuesday to Jose Contreras, who is well ahead of schedule in his return from a torn Achilles heel and newcomer Bartolo Colon, who tries to bounce back from elbow surgery. If their health fails, Clayton Richard and Jeff Marquez might get a shot to step into rotation. The bullpen remains similar to last year, which Bobby Jenks as the closer and Octavio Dotel, Scott Linebrink and Matt Thornton setting up, as well as Mike MacDougal and D.J. Carrasco.

The Sox haven't exactly entered a rebuilding period, but they have retooled the roster a bit to focus more on value in light of the new economics of baseball. A mix of younger players and veterans hoping to prove themselves again replace some higher paid players from last year. If they can step into those roles adequately, the Sox could compete for a division title again. Even if they don't win the AL Central, we don't foresee them in the division cellar, either -- as Baseball Prospectus predicted last month. Even as the core of sluggers ages, they remain an offensive force. There's no reason to think that Konerko, Thome and Dye aren't still good for 100 homers combined. Quentin is more of a question mark -- was '08 a fluke, or is he emerging as one of the top young sluggers in the AL? Alexei Ramirez seems to be the real deal in the infield and at the plate, and perhaps Chris Getz will give the Sox yet another Rookie of the Year candidate at second. Bartolo Colon looks to return to All Star form after various ailments have derailed him the past couple years.

But the reality is that 2009 is something of a transition year, with players like Dye and Thome likely playing their final seasons on the South Side as the team grooms prospects like highly touted Cuban third baseman Dayan Viciedo and catcher Tyler Flowers to help the club in 2010 and beyond.