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Chicago Baseball Report Card: Sox In The Thick Of It

By Tim Bearden in News on May 13, 2012 6:00PM

2012_5_2_sox_logo.jpg Despite their 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Royals on Saturday, the White Sox have performed better than expected this season under new guidance in the dugout.

That's not at all what was expected of this team, now coached by former Sox player Robin Ventura. Any questions about his managing ability have been answered—with gusto. The Sox (16-17) are third in the American League Central Division and only 2 1/2 games back. They lead the division in home runs and the ERA column. They've won big games against the division-leading Cleveland Indians and are nipping at the heels of the Detroit Tigers.

The Sox have had some breakout performances this season from Adam Dunn, who has matched last year's home run total in with 11, and has 26 RBIs. Philip Humber posted the 20th regular season perfect game in baseball history and the third for the White Sox.

Pitching Strong, But Could Be Stronger

With Humber's perfect game being the bench mark, the Sox' rotation have had a decent performance on the mound. The Sox lead the Central Division and rank third in the American League in pitching with a 3.50 ERA.

Jake Peavy (4-1) has thrown two complete games and posted a 1.89 ERA. It's an outstanding performance this season from one of your veteran starters. He's pitched 52 innings and leads the team with 44 strikeouts. Peavy is the Sox' best pitcher so far this season and is proving that outing after outing.

Gavin Floyd's also having a good season with 42 strikeouts in seven games with a 2.53 ERA in 46 innings of work. He's making his pitches count and has only given up 14 runs in that time. He and Peavy are a big reason the Sox have been so successful early this season.

Humber (1-2) has struggled since his perfecto. He's given up 21 runs for a 6.83 ERA in the other four games he's started during 18 innings of work. He has a lot of potential and is a good fit for the White Sox, but he needs to settle back down to help his team pull out of their losing record.

John Danks has not had as good of a season so far. Danks (2-4) has given up the most runs of all the Sox pitchers—30 in 44 innings—with 26 Ks giving him a 5.83 ERA on the season. That's tough for any starting pitcher and makes it harder for the team to excel. The Sox right now have post-season hopes, although it is only May, and if they want to continue that, Danks needs to follow Peavy and Floyd's leads.

Holy Bats, Long Balls Aren't Enough

The Sox lead the division in home runs with 33 and are seventh in the American League. That's a big thanks to Adam Dunn.

Dunn had a tough season last year with the Sox. He only posted 11 home runs and 42 RBIs, while managing a .248 batting average. That's a huge jump offensively for the Sox, but he can't carry the team.

As far as batting average goes, the Sox rank fourth in the Central Division and 10th in the American League with a .237 average. They've posted 134 runs total, which is third in the division and ninth in the league. They have players who are getting on base, but not as often as they would like.

A.J. Pierzynski has put up 21 RBIs of his own, and 28 hits in 30 games. He and Paul Konerko are close behind Dunn doing what they can to help the team in scoring, but all the players can stand to improve.

The Sox have a total of 272 hits this season for the team. They can hit. They can get on base, but if Dunn, Pierzynski or Konerko aren't at the plate, it's tough for the Sox to drive in runs.

Dayan Viciedo has played a majority of the season in left field, being rotated out for Kosuke Fukudome and Brent Lillibridge. The position is in flux as they try to find a good fit, but those three players have 10 RBIs combined. Viciedo leads the position with a .202 batting average. (Yes, I said leads the position.) Fukodome is hitting .171 and Lillibridge is right behind with .161 at the plate. That's not something you really want to see from veteran players on a team that is right in the thick of things. Ventura needs to figure out who he wants to rely on, both in that position and at the plate, but the trouble is he can't count on any of them just yet.

Brent Morel is also struggling early this season. He's posted .179 average with only four RBIs in 28 games with 34 strikeouts. Last season he only struck out 57 times all year. He's chasing a lot of bad pitches, as are others in the lineup. The White Sox, as a club, need to get better about choosing which throws to swing at and which ones to let go by.

All things considered, the Sox are still the better of the two Chicago teams. They have what it takes to keep going and having a World Series title within the last decade, they know what they're missing out on.

The breakout performances by individual players is encouraging, but they need to work better as a team if they hope to stay within range of the Indians and Tigers for a wild card berth, at the very least.

Overall the Sox get a "B+" for leading the division in two big stats and staying within striking range in their division only 2 1/2 games back from the Indians. But continuing to improve as an all around club should be priority one.