The 2012 season was a step in the right direction for the Chicago White Sox organization. In 2011 they had 79 wins and in 2012 they had 6 more posting an 85-77 record which was good for second in the AL Central. In 2012 the White Sox’s spent 104 days in first place and collapsed down the stretch. In 2013 they look to redeem themselves after the collapse and hopefully make the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The team lost a bunch of very talented players and replaced them with young up and coming all stars.
White Sox Hitting
The White Sox 2013 projected lineup is very similar to the lineup of 2012. They replaced slugger Kevin Youkilis with Jeff Keppinger who in 2012 hit .325 for the Tampa Bay Rays. Jeff is a very solid replacement and get on base for the sluggers in the lineup to drive him in. To start they have lead off batter Alejandro De Aza who had 26 stolen bases and batted .281 in 2012. Aza should have around the same numbers this upcoming season. In the middle of the lineup they have two veterans Adam Dunn, and Paul Konerko. Adam Dunn is a slugger who either hits a home run, or makes an out. He has a low batting average usually around .200- .240 and hits over 40 home runs. He is getting older so his swing can slow down decreasing the number of home runs in 2013. Paul Konerko has been an elite hitter over the past decade. Last season he hit .298 while having 26 home runs. These numbers should go down because his bat speed is decreasing, but Paul is a Major League hitter so do not count him out of hitting .300 with 30 plus homeruns. Right fielder Alex Rios has been around for a long time, and continues to produce. He hits around .300 while hitting over 20 homeruns. Dayan Viciedo is a Left fielder who is very young. He has tons of potential and can help this team make a strong playoff push. Last season he hit 25 home runs, and batted .255. In 2013 he needs to improve his batting average. The bottom three of the lineup has guys who hit around .250 with 10-15 home runs. The bottom of the line up needs to produce runs for this team to win.
White Sox Projected Lineup
1. Alejandro De Aza CF
2. Jeff Keppinger 3B
3. Adam Dunn DH
4. Paul Konerko 1B
5. Alex Rios RF
6. Dayan Viciedo LF
7. Alexei Ramirez SS
8. Tyler Flowers Catcher
9. Gordon Beckham 2B
White Sox Pitching
The White Sox pitching has question marks at the bottom end of the rotation, but their 1-2 pitchers are consistent and can be very dominant. To start their ace is left handed pitcher Chris Sale. Chris Sale is 23-24 years old and continues to impress. Last season he was 17-8 with a 3.05 ERA. These numbers will improve in 2013 as be becomes one of the more dominant aces in baseball. He averages around 1 strike out and inning. Hitters have a hard time picking his pitches up due to his long lanky body. As he gains more experience he continues to get better. Their number two pitcher is ex cy young winner Jake Peavy. Peavy had a bounce back year last season as he looks to gain his CY Young form back. Last year he has a 3.37 ERA and in 2013 he hopes to maintain this low ERA. Number three pitcher is Gavin Flyod who was once a top prospect. He never fully developed into what he was supposed to be, but he is a very solid number three pitcher. He had a low 4 ERA last season, but he has very good stuff, and can pitch a gem every time he takes the mound. John Danks their number four pitcher only started in 9 games last season and pitched horrible. The team is looking for him to rebound and have around a 4 ERA in 2013. Finally the number five spot is a battle between Jose Quintana and Hector Santiago. Both are good options for the number five spot but Quintana should win the job. Quintana had a 3.76 ERA but in September he was 1-3 with a 6.75ERA. Expect Quintana to get stronger so he can pitch a full season.
White Sox Starting Rotation
1. LHP Chris Sale
2. RHP Jake Peavy
3. RHP Gavin Floyd
4. LHP John Danks
5. LHP Jose Quintana
Last season the White Sox used rookie closer, Addison Reed. He was inconsistent but showed he could be an all star for many years. Reed in 2012 had 29 saves. He will improve in 2013 and will definitely help this team win multiple games. Last season their set up man was rookie Nate Jones. He was very impressive having a 8-0 record with a 2.39 ERA in 65 games. Nate Jones can step in and close games if necessary. If the Sox’s have a 8th inning lead it will be difficult to beat them in 2013. They need Matt Thornton to bounce back from his 4-10 season with a 3.46 ERA. They also need Jesse Crain to remain healthy. Last season Crain had a 2.44 ERA in 51 games. Crain is a perfect 7th and 8th inning pitcher and can help make games shorter for the Soxs. Finally they have what could be lefty specialist Donnie Veal. Last season Veal had a 1.38 ERA in 24 games, but only pitched 13 innings. Their bull-pen is extremely good, and when given the lead it could be difficult to beat the White Sox’s.
White Sox Season Schedule Break Down
The Chicago White Sox have a lot of games within the AL Central their division. This includes multiple games against the AL Champions of 2012 the Detroit Tigers, the improving Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, and Minnesota Twins. Most of the teams in the AL Central have improved from 2012 and this division can produce two to three playoff teams. Every game within the AL central is very competitive and will continue to be in 2013. The White Sox in interleague play 2013 play the NL East. This includes games against the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, and Miami Marlins. They also play a home and away series late in May vs. their intercity rivals Chicago Cubs, in an always intense and thrilling matchup.
White Sox Key Additions
3B Jeff Keppinger
IF Angel Sanchez
OF Blake Tekotte
Key Departures
C AJ Pierzynski
3B Kevin Youkilis
RHP Brett Myers
Prediction
The Chicago White Sox’s finished 2nd in the AL Central in 2012 and missed the playoffs. In 2013 the will battle for the 3rd and 4th spot in the division. This team will take a step back and have around a .500 record. The Royals and Indians both improved and could both jump the White Sox’s in the division. The White Sox’s have a good team but they have one player who hit above .300 last season which could lead to a problem getting on base, and their number 3 through 5 pitchers are all hit or miss.
Chicago White Sox Season Schedule 2013
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