Good Guys Wear Black, 2009

WHITE SOX PREVIEW


The 3 Burning Questions

1. Who's on First? What's on Second? I don't know, Third Base!

Anyone who is familiar with the famous Abbott and Costello skit can laugh along with the comedians, but for the White Sox, it is sort of a reality. The starters have been announced, but realistically there are a lot of question marks in the lineup. It is starts with 2nd base, where Chris Getz won the job over hot prospect Gordon Beckham. Move to 3rd base and Josh Fields is the incumbant starter, but Ozzie has never had a taste for Fields and the two biggest acquisitions the Sox made this off-season are third basemen (Dayan Viciedo and Wilson Betemit). Whoever hits will keep the 3rd base job because none of them will fill the defensive presence of Joe Crede. Then there is the Centerfield spot. Three guys had a chance to get the job, and not one of them took it. Dewayne Wise did less than either Brian Anderson and Jerry Owens to lose the job and will start. Overall, there are a lot of question marks in the field. The talent is there, but will the results?

2. Who are pitchers 4 and 5?

The answer right now appears to Bartolo Colon and Jose Contreras. But who will be in 4-5 weeks if those guys can't hold up? Colon is almost 36 years old and threw only 39 innings last season. Contreras is 37 and is coming off a season with a ruptered achilles. If either guy goes down, it is Clayton Richard or Lance Broadway. The White Sox season will be defined by how the back end of the rotation shapes up.

3. Can the corner outfielders be what they were in 2008?

The White Sox had 2 MVP candidates last year in the outfield, period. Before Carlos Quentin was injured, he was as good as anyone in the league. Quentin won a silver slugger award and he missed the last month of season. But he had wrist surgery, which all hitters know that your wrists are imperative to hitting, and he also had never had a season with as much success as last year. On the other side of the outfield, Jermaine Dye finished second in league in extra base hits with 77 and was on the fringe of being an All-star (beat out by Longoria). But Dye is 35 and has shown inconsistancies in the past. These guys are hitters (Quentin had the lowest fielding percentage, .971, of any left fielder last year), and if they bring their bats this year, the Sox will be in games. If not, they are in real trouble.


X FACTOR: Carlos Quentin
Can he produce like last year? The team was not the same without the intimidating force in the 3rd spot of the lineup. Sox fans are crossing there fingers for some more TCQ this year.

BREAK OUT YEAR: Clayton Richard
My guess is Colon or Contreras get hurt or shelled early on and the former Michigan Wolverine quarterback will step in for good. With Danks and Floyd, this would make for a great young nucleus of pitching.

PREDICTION: 78-84, 3rd AL Central
I can't pick the Royals anywhere but last. And one AL central team always underacheives. My guess is 3rd place. The team is in a transition phase with really young and really old players. Young teams always compete (see Tampa Bay Rays circa 2008), and I think the Sox will grind it out for the majority of the season. But in the end, the Sox do not have enough talent to win the AL cental this year.

CUBS PREVIEW COMING TOMORROW