White Sox One Of Baseball's Best Surprises At All-Star Break
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jul 9, 2012 3:40PM
While the South Siders dropped their Sunday finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, they head into the All-Star break a surprising nine games above .500 and in first place in the AL Central. Some predicted 100 losses for the Sox, and we pegged them to win 75. To this point, the Sox are on pace to win 90 games and that looks like it just may be enough to make it to the postseason.
There were a lot of "if's" that had to work out for the Sox to succeed, and to this point every one has. Pitching, hitting, coaching and front office have all contributed to the surprising start.
We were concerned with Mark Buehrle's departure, but so far the rotation has been surprisingly solid and anchored by some unexpected arms. Gavin Floyd has been up and down, and John Danks has spent much of the season on the DL. So, too, has Phil Humber, who looked like he was about to lose his spot in the rotation before getting injured. While Humber's perfect game was perhaps the team's top highlight of the season so far, he'd been largely ineffective since.
On the other hand, Jake Peavy has returned to Cy Young form and some young pitchers have steps up big time. Peavy is headed to Kansas City for the All-Star Game with a 7-5 record and a 2.85 ERA. He could have double digit wins if the team hadn't provided just two runs over a four start stretch. Chris Sale, the highly touted youngster, has exceeded all expectations and earned himself a trip to KC as well. His 2.19 ERA and 10-2 record had him under consideration to start for the AL squad. And a more recent addition to the rotation, Jose Quintana, has also won rave reviews. Brought up from double A to fill in when Danks went on the DL, the 23-year-old rookie has allowed more than two earned runs in just one of his 10 appearances. Quintana has made eight starts for the Sox and sports a 2.04 ERA to go along with his 4-1 record. Even when the team is back to full strength, it seems Quintana will remain in the rotation.
The bullpen has been adequate, despite a plethora of rookies. Addison Reed quickly supplanted Hector Santiago as the team's closer and has saved 13 of 14 games. If there is anyplace for GM Kenny Williams to upgrade the team, it's in the bullpen.
Despite the lack of run support for Jake Peavy, the Sox bats have been impressive in general this season. Paul Konerko continues to swing the bat well, and led the AL in batting for much of the season. While his hot bat has cooled some, he's still hitting .329. Also hitting well is Alex Rios, who has surged of late to bring his average up to .318. Adam Dunn could still bring his batting average up a bit, but he has clubbed 25 home runs while driving in 61. A.J. Pierzynski has also been impressive with the bat, hitting 16 home runs and driving in 49 to go with a .285 batting average. That A.J. didn't make the All-Star game has more to do with how his fellow players throughout the league feel about him than his actual play. He deserved to get an All-Star nod this year. Youngsters Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza have surpassed expectations while replacing veterans Carlos Quentin and Juan Pierre in the outfield.
Perhaps the weakest position had been third base, where Brent Morel struggled before injuring his back. When it appeared that Morel wouldn't be able to return to the line-up anytime soon, Kenny Williams first signed Orlando Hudson, then went out and traded for Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis. Youk has been nothing short of amazing in the two weeks he's been in the Sox line-up, batting .347 with 3 homers and 14 RBIs in 13 games.The Sox have won 9 of 13 and scored 10 or more runs in four games since Youkilis joined the team.
With the team playing so well, of course rookie manager Robin Ventura is getting high marks. The Sun-Times gives Robin an A to this point, while team captain Konerko said, ‘‘Everyone knew he hadn’t managed or coached before. I guess if there’s a natural at doing it, he’s got to be right up there.’’ With a 3-1/2 lead in the division, the Sox by no means have it wrapped up. How well the team finishes the second half will prove just how naturally this all comes to Ventura. But we're much more optimistic that there will be postseason baseball on the South Side come October than we were before the season began.