Coming off a successful season last year as the reigning AL Central champs the Chicago White Sox look to continue their success They have made many strides during the off season which include trading Nick Swisher to the Yankees, and Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan to the Braves for young talent. They signed former Cy Young Bartolo Colon to a one year deal to help bolster the end of the rotation. After all these moves there are still questions to be answered.
Pitching- Who’s the 4/5 starters? Can the bullpen stay healthy?
Mark Buehrle is the ace of the rotation followed by Gavin Floyd and John Danks. Jose Contraras and Bartolo Colon complete the rotation. It’s currently a toss up between those two for the 4/5 spots. The Bullpen has bright spots in Bobby Jenks, Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink, but these guys are getting older and not any healthier.
Outfield- Who’s going to play CF?
Jermaine Dye returns to RF after numerous trade talks. Carlos Quentin comes back from a broken wrist to play LF. Dewayne Wise will leadoff and start CF. Wise is not the answer at CF, but won the position during spring training.
Infield- Young, but solid
Konerko and Pierzynski are the anchors. Alexei Ramirez moves over to play SS. Chris Getz will get the start at 2B and Josh Fields takes over for departed Joe Crede.
Others- DH Jim Thome is getting older and needs to stay healthy. Wilson Betemit, acquired from the Nick Swisher trade, will be used as the main utility player.
Best Player- Jermaine Dye- the most consistent hitter on the team. He must duplicate his numbers for the Sox to have a chance.
Best Pitcher- John Danks- lead the team in strikeouts last season. Expect his numbers to improve this season.
Who to watch For- Manager Ozzie Guillen- Yes, I’m picking Ozzie as the person to watch for this season. He will make another splash somewhere this season, because Ozzie is going to be Ozzie.
Prediction- The
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