Staring new Sox season straight in the face
Through the years, you see them come and you see them go.
Writers. Radio guys. TV guys.
Lately, the floodgates have really opened.
With Internet sports sites opening like “Cash for Gold” kiosks, the alleged media expertise has swelled to a point where the information overload numbs the brain.
Yournamehere.com says the White Sox are going to win the AL Central because Adam Dunn is projected to have a better BABIP than Justin Morneau and Miguel Cabrera.
However, Yournamethere.org says the Twins win the division because research shows teams have a +8.2 win percentage in the second year of playing in a new ballpark.
Of course, that's only since the expansion of 1969.
As you probably can tell, there is a bit of skepticism here as the White Sox prepare to open the season against the Indians at Progressive Field.
I get it — all of the outside opinions, basement blogs, testosterone-fueled tweets.
People want to be heard. They study the game with a mathematical intensity endorsed by MIT and have opinions. They are passionate fans.
That's all well and good because it shows interest in the game. But I've been doing the eye roll for years over a lot of the misinformation that's out there, much of it simply regurgitated from one website to another.
That's where we come in.
I've been on the White Sox beat since 1994, the same year Ozzie Guillen still was one of the slickest fielding shortstops I've ever seen, and his double-play mate was current Sox bench coach Joey Cora.
Kenny Williams was in charge of the minor-league system back then, but he always sat in chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's booth when he was in town, not Ron Schueler's.
“Go ask the golden boy,” Schueler told me in 2001, about a year after he stepped down and Williams replaced him as the Sox' general manager.
You probably can tell where this is going … when you read about the White Sox in the Daily Herald, you're going to get accuracy, history and inside information that's simply not available over the Internet, airwaves and growing number of social networks.
We don't take cheap shots or quote unsubstantiated “sources” here, but we are experienced enough to break stories and explain all of the intricacies of the game over the long grind of the season with the proper blend of old-school experience and new-era sabermetrics.
With that in mind, and thanks for listening, let's get to the White Sox, shall we?
This is a good club:
White Sox fans should be pumped for what lies ahead.
Out of respect for the way the Twins have just dug down deeper and found a way to win the AL Central six times in the last nine years, I'm picking Minnesota to win the division again.
That said, let's give the Sox the wild card. As it stands now, the only other legitimate competitors for the final playoff berth are the New York Yankees and a Detroit Tigers team that easily could crash if Miguel Cabrera keeps weaving on the highway.
The Peavy factor:
As we were the first to report on the biggest spring story, Jake Peavy is not going to pitch until May at the earliest.
Best case, Peavy makes 27-28 starts and still resembles the guy who went 19-6 with the San Diego Padres in 2007 while winning the NL Cy Young Award.
Worst case, Phil Humber flops as Peavy's replacement and Williams wonders why he traded Daniel Hudson, Clayton Richard, Gio Gonzalez and John Ely.
Slow growth on the farm:
Talk about no pitching depth in the system, that's what the White Sox are faced with when Jeff Marquez is the No. 1 guy waiting in the wings at Class AAA Charlotte.
The closer:
Another big story was the closer's role. Thought it would go to Chris Sale, but the rookie struggled early and veteran Matt Thornton deservedly won the job.
Thornton's one of the best left-handed setup relievers I've seen though the years, but unless he can keep hitters off the fastball (specifically the right-handers), the blown saves are going to mount.
Here's another view … Bobby Jenks did not leave huge shoes to fill, and Sale, Jesse Crain and even Sergio Santos can all pitch in the ninth inning.
Dunn deal:
Finally, get ready for the Adam Dunn show.
Yeah, he's going to generate enough wind power to ripple Lake Michigan on some of his strikeouts. But Dunn's going to hit 50 home runs, and Sox fans are going to love him.
Enjoy the season.
ŸJoin the conversation with Scot on our Chicago's Inside Pitch blog at dailyherald.com, and follow his Sox reports via Twitter @scotgregor.