Mid-Season Report: White Sox
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jul 16, 2009 3:20PM
When we previewed the season back in April, we didn't foresee the White Sox running away with the division crown. We also didn't see them bringing up the rear either -- even if Nate Silver did. In fact, through the first half of the season, the Sox have pretty much defined average by MLB's standards. With a 45-43 record, the Sox hover just above the .500 mark on account of a hot streak that saw them win 10 of their last 15 heading into the All-Star Break. Two games above .500 puts them in second place in the weak AL Central, 3 1/2 games behind the Detroit Tigers --so they're still alive for the postseason. But with a couple weeks before the non-waivers trading deadline, it's still too early to know whether the Sox will be buyers or sellers come July 31.
Sox GM Kenny Williams tried to pull off his major trade early on in the season, agreeing to a deal that would have landed Cy Young winner Jake Peavy on the South Side after the Cubs had been chasing the Padres' ace for months. But Peavy vetoed the trade and remains in Southern California -- for now. Williams couldn't land his man in May, but will he make similarly bold moves to try and reach the playoffs in July?
To this point, the White Sox have been defined by both new beginnings and second chances. While not technically a "rebuilding year," the Sox were expected to give some of their prospects a chance to make an impact. Chris Getz won the second base job in spring training and has held it since opening day. Highly touted prospect Gordon Beckham was called up in early June, and after a slow start, has begun hitting well. Josh Fields has had a tough time cracking the line-up of late. Another rookie, Jayson Nix, has cemented his place on the roster with his versatility.
Meanwhile, some vets are making surprising contributions. The second coming of Scott Podsednik has helped the Sox fill their need for a lead-off hitter and patch holes that injuries created in the outfield. Jose Contreras, trying to bounce back from a ruptured achilles, looked to be finished in May, but a trip to the minors to work through control issues has resulted in a dominant pitcher since his return to the big league club. Meanwhile, Bartolo Colon tries to bounce back from yet another injury to contribute to the team and showed positive signs during a recent rehab start.
The Sox also await Carlos Quentin's return from a rehab assignment following an extended stay on the DL planter fasciitis. Earlier this year, both Dewayne Wise and Brian Anderson--who battled over the center field job--went down with injuries which lead to the signing of Scotty Pods. While they've since returned to the team, Pods has shifted to left in Quentin's place. While Quentin has been missed from the middle of the lineup, the rest of the sluggers are having typical seasons. Jermaine Dye (.302/20/55), Paul Konerko (.302/16/60) and Jim Thome (.255/14/50) continue to crush the ball, yet the team continues to struggle at scoring runs at times.
Fortunately, the pitching staff has been quite good so far. All-Star Mark Buehrle is having one of his best years at 9-3 with a 3.66 ERA, while Gavin Floyd and John Danks have been decent, combining for a 14-12 record. If Contreras continues to pitch as he has for the past month, the rotation should be in great shape for the second half -- whether or not Colon rejoins it. The bullpen, often the Sox's weak link in recent years, has been much better this season, including Bobby Jenks who has 20 saves in 22 opportunities.
Nobody really knew what to expect from the 2009 White Sox, so there weren't really expectations to play up to... certainly, not like a certain team on the North Side. And yet, despite working young guys into the lineup and dealing with a rash of injuries, the team is still right in the thick of things. Kenny Williams has only a couple weeks to decide if it's worth trying to improve this year, and see if anther division title is in their future. We hear Roy Halladay is available. Or decide if the team's chances for advancement in the playoffs suggests that it's time to start positioning the team for the future, in which case we may bid vets like Jermaine Dye adieu.