The 2022 Chicago White Sox - Disappointment Reigns
At the beginning of the baseball season the Chicago White Sox were heavy favorites to win the AL Central division and make a deep playoff run. This optimism was based on 1) the pitching staff, 2) The offense, and 3) the experience they gained making the playoffs in 2020 and 2021
As a diehard and lifelong White Sox fan, I can tell you that the 2022 version has been unwatchable. That is the worst description I can give a sports team. Unwatchable means so much. Poor play in nearly all facets of the game, poor managerial decisions, bad lineups, lack of hustle, I could go on and on.
Where did it go “south”? In hindsight it started with the front office. (Though anyone paying attention could have predicted it.) The White Sox were at least one outfielder and a second baseman short of fielding a solid defensive team. They have attempted to get by with Josh Harrison and Leury Garcia at second base, however, that has been below average on its best days and atrocious most other days. They did pick up AJ Pollock early and without him they would be really shorthanded on defense. Most days they are attempting to use an outfield of Eloy Jimenez (LF), Luis Robert (CF) and either Andrew Vaughn or Gavin Sheets (RF). First – Eloy is a poor defensive outfielder and cannot seem to stay healthy and in the lineup. Luis Robert is the best of the bunch, however, he cannot cover LF and RF defensively from CF. Using two of their best young hitters in RF, both of whom are natural first basemen is mind boggling. They are routinely giving up extra bases and outs to opposing teams in both corner outfield positions. AJ Pollock and Adam Engel are strong defensive outfielders, though Engel struggles at the plate and Pollock gets his playing time basically waiting for Eloy or Luis Robert to get hurt…
Speaking of injuries – for some reason key players continue to be plagued with injuries. Eloy can’t seem to stay on the field for two weeks in a row, Luis Robert has been in and out and now has an injured wrist. Yasmani Grandal has had a terrible season and is back on the IL. Tim Anderson is in the midst of 6 weeks on the shelf, Yoan Moncada has been in and out. The oldest regular is Jose Abreu and he soldiers on while the young guys watch from the trainer’s room. I don’t know if it is coincidence, if they are not conditioned properly, of they are just fragile… but it seems like we need to hold our breath every time a player has to hustle out an infield grounder or run from first to third.
Tony LaRussa and his staff – Tony came back as a special hire by the owner Jerry Reinsdorf. The most descriptive sentence I can use is this; Tony has tarnished his HOF legacy with this managerial performance in 2022. He has been awful most days and average on the others. He routinely sequences the poorest hitters together at the bottom of the lineup to ensure a rally doesn’t go too far. He has been widely criticized and rightly so, for ordering intentional walks on 1-2 counts. He famously fell asleep in the dugout during a game. Recently he let Luis Robert take an at-bat with a clearly injured wrist, Robert could not keep his injured hand on the bat through a complete swing…. And TLR allowed Michael Kopech to start a game even though he was clearly not right in warmups, favoring his left leg. Kopech proceeded to allow 4 runs before exiting in the first inning and then going straight on the IL. The Sox lead the league on poor decisions from the third base coach box too. Yasmani Grandal was sent from second on a single to the outfield last week and ended up being called out and in a pile of discomfort (knee) in front of home plate – fear was his season was over due to another injury.
The Good – There are some bright spots in this dismal season. Dylan Cease has had a monster year on the mound and really let the league know who he is. He is now the guy the Sox hoped for when they had him added to the Jose Quintana/Eloy Jimenez deal with the Cubs. Michael Kopech looks like he is right on schedule to be the guy they were hoping for when they traded for him on the Chris Sale deal. Jose Abreu is having a typically very good year – slow start and hot finish with very few games lost to injury. Lance Lynn is a beast. Jonny Cueto has seen a resurgence and proves that good pitchers can beat good hitters most nights. Kendall Graveman and Liam Hendriks have also been very good out of the bullpen. The Jake Diekman trade with the Red Sox looks like a steal right now. Ethan Katz (pitching coach) is also proving to be the best coaching hire in a long time. He is a keeper.
Where does this leave us? Not in a great place. We have had a few of our key players take steps backward this year. Without Eloy, Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson healthy and producing, this team will struggle like it has. We still need an everyday second baseman, and not just a utility guy covering that spot. We need to get Andrew Vaughn into a good platoon with Jose Abreu and then get a real Right Fielder to man that spot. This team has a lot of guys that play out of position to get their bats in the lineup. That strategy has backfired for the front office. Pitching and Defense win. Period. We also need a new Manager, third base coach and hitting coach…
So much for 2022. Here’s hoping for a good off-season to get this roster right. Maybe the Bears will give us something that is ‘watchable’ and entertaining because this 2022 White Sox season has been anything but.
Article contributed by Dave Schaefer
Photo: Jamie Sabau - USA Today Sports