White Sox emerging in weak AL
The Chicago White Sox have not exactly been a powerhouse in the American League throughout most of their existence. Maybe 2016 will be the Year of Chicago.
On the south side, the White Sox have been impressive to begin the campaign, running out to a 19-9 record despite the loss on Wednesday night. Chicago is already four games ahead of the second-place Detroit Tigers and 4.5 better than the two-time American League champion Kansas City Royals. It has been a great start to say the least, led by superstar southpaw Chris Sale and his 6-0 record.
Yet this has not all been about Sale. The precocious lefty has been joined in the rotation by Jose Quintan, a youngster who does not get enough attention as one of the best pitchers in the game. Quintana leads the White Sox with a 1.40 ERA to go with his 4-1 ledger. Sale is close behind with a 1.66 ERA, and No. 3 starter Mat Latos is staying toward the top of the ERA race with a 1.84 mark.
All of these numbers are great, and why Chicago is racing out to a nice lead in the AL Central. All that said, the White Sox know these numbers are not sustainable. Sale is great and both Quintana and Latos are quality starters, but none of them will keep an ERA below 2.00 throughout a six-month jaunt.
So why not predict a huge swoon for the White Sox at some point in the season? Because the hitting is bound to come around.
Jose Abreu leads the club with 19 RBI but only has a .255 average and four home runs. The newly-acquired Todd Frazier has been a Godsend at third base and has seven home runs already, but still is batting a measly .206. When Frazier and Abreu get hot at the same time, the duo will carry Chicago for a solid couple of weeks.
The White Sox seem a very solid bet to make the postseason in an American League that does not feature one great team. The Toronto Blue Jays have a great lineup but no pitching outside of Marcus Stroman. The Royals are too be respected, but the rotation is a huge concern. The AL West is a collection of mediocrity, with the Texas Rangers looking like the best of some bad options.
If the White Sox can win 90 games, they likely would be the division winner and perhaps even the top seed in the AL playoffs. Once there, a rotation headed up by Sale, Quintana and Latos ahead of a bullpen with Dave Robertson at the back end would be deadly.
This is a good team that should only get better as the weather starts to warm up in the Windy City.
