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The Chicago White Sox quietly finished the 2012 season just three games behind the American League champion Detroit Tigers. First year coach Robin Ventura finished third in the manager of the year voting as Chicago was six games improved from their 2011 campaign. The White Sox will enter 2013 with the same core players and a few new faces filling complimentary roles. Chicago performs well as a unit on the offensive side but have few standout players that figure to make significant fantasy baseball impacts.
Home runs were the White Sox calling card in 2012, hitting the third most in the major leagues. U.S. Cellular Field is discretely regarded among the most hitter-friendly parks in the league. Chicago’s home ballpark saw 1,268 runs cross its plate in 2012, second most behind only Coors Field.
Chicago had five players slug more than 20 home runs last season while their lineup sported only two hitters over .285 and nobody with more than 100 runs batted in. Aside from their home run prowess, Chicago struggled in a few key offensive categories. Despite the seventh most runs scored, they ranked 15th in the league in on-base percentage and 23rd in walks.
With the departure of A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago is desperately counting on Adam Dunn and Alex Rios to replicate their success from 2012. Tyler Flowers and Jeff Keppinger will fill the voids vacated by free agency. They can adequately fill in as role players but may not offer the kind of production that Chicago will need.
The cornerstone to this White Sox offense is still Paul Konerko. Although his average and power dipped from his previous two seasons, Konerko continued to serve as a model of consistency for the Chicago offense.
From a pitching perspective, the Chicago pitching staff was dominated by a breakout season from Chris Sale and the resurgence of Jake Peavy. Sale was the most electrifying pitcher in baseball at times during the 2012 season, finishing his first season as a starting pitcher with 17 wins and a 3.05 ERA. If they can repeat their success at the top of the rotation and stay healthy, Chicago is likely to finish as a top-10 staff.
Chicago’s top five fantasy hitters: 1.Paul Konerko, 2. Adam Dunn, 3. Alex Rios, 4. Alejando De Aza, 5. Alexei Ramirez
Chicago’s top three fantasy pitchers: 1. Chris Sale, 2. John Danks, 3. Jake Peavy
Chicago projected record: 78-84
Stay tuned over the next month while I preview one team each day in preparation for the 2013 baseball season.
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