Grading the Sox: Confidence running low
Fortunately for the White Sox, these are only midterm grades.
Were it the end of the semester — make that season — these are the kinds of marks that would keep the Sox out of a good college — make that the playoffs.
Confidence wasn’t running very high in the postgame clubhouse at U.S. Cellular following Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins, with good reason.
All in, built to win, whatever you want to call it, the White Sox made general manager Kenny Williams look like a dunce with their poor play before the all-star break.
There are 70 games left on the schedule, so we’ll see how the rest of the season develops.
But here are the Sox’ individual grades for the first half of the season, in alphabetical order:
Second baseman Gordon Beckham: He’s still a young player and could develop into something special. The glove is there at second base, but the bat continues to lag far behind. Maybe Beckham’s .371 batting average over his last 11 games is a sign of things to come. C-
Reliever Brian Bruney: Remember Tony Pena? Bruney has made him pretty easy to forget since coming up from Class AAA Charlotte on May 30. The former Yankees standout has made 16 relief appearances, and 14 have been scoreless. B+
Starter Mark Buehrle: Phil Humber was all the rage in the first half, deservedly so. But check out these numbers — Buehrle has made 18 starts and 13 have been quality. The left-hander has 12 quality outings in his last 13 and is 5-2 with a 2.62 ERA in his last five games. Buehrle also ranks 24th among American League starters with a 3.42 ERA. A-
Reliever Jesse Crain: Williams might have missed on Adam Dunn, so far for sure, but Crain is a free-agent acquisition who has been earning his keep. The workhorse relief pitcher has made 6 straight scoreless appearances and has allowed just 1 earned run in his last 14⅓ innings. A
DH Adam Dunn: Over the first half, he was arguably the biggest bust in Chicago sports history. Dunn’s .160 batting average is the lowest in the major leagues, and Seattle’s Chone Figgins is a distant second at .183. Dunn’s 117 strikeouts (in only 269 at-bats) lead the AL, and he has as many home runs (9) as Alexei Ramirez. F
Starter Gavin Floyd: If the White Sox decide to drop a starter and go with a five-man rotation, Floyd might be pitching out of the bullpen in the second half. In his last 6 starts, the right-hander is 0-4 with a 6.13 ERA, and he hasn’t won a game since May 19. D+
Starter Phil Humber: Great story, without a doubt. Claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics in the off-season, Humber stepped up and led the Sox’ rotation in the first half. But there is some concern with the last 3 starts: Humber has gone 0-2 and allowed 8 runs on 19 hits over 17⅓ innings. A-
Starter Edwin Jackson: You’re seeing why the starter pitcher has been on five teams in the last seven years. Jackson has a rocket arm and great slider when he’s commanding his pitches, but he has early lapses which lead to high pitch counts. C
First baseman Paul Konerko: For as bad as the White Sox were in the first half, imagine where they’d be without Konerko. The 35-year-old all-star is fourth in the AL with a .319 batting average, fourth with 22 home runs and third with 67 RBI. The captain’s going to need some help after the break. A+
Outfielder Brent Lillibridge: He has emerged as a key player, especially with his outfield defense. But Lillibridge’s shaky offensive game was exposed over the past month; a 7-for-36 slide has dropped his batting average to .256. B-
Third baseman Brent Morel: He plays solid defense most of the time, but where is the power (1 home run) and where is the patience? One of the most startling stats in baseball over the first half is Morel’s 3 walks in 217 at-bats. D+
Reliever Will Ohman: Remember that 8.31 ERA and all the boos in April? Ohman has come back strong, and the ERA is down to 4.03 after a stretch of 2 earned runs in 12 innings. C
Starter Jake Peavy: Really Jake? You had to push for all of that work after coming off the disabled list in June? And now you don’t feel so hot? Maybe better days are ahead in the second half, but the first half (4-3, 5.27 ERA) was not good on multiple levels. D+
Left fielder Juan Pierre: He can’t run like he used to, can’t throw, dropped some flyballs early, and has only walked 27 times in 353 at-bats out of the leadoff spot. On the plus side, Pierre does come through in the clutch at times, and 19 hits in 51 at-bats has raised his average from .248 to .266. Manager Ozzie Guillen loves Pierre, and maybe he will show why in the second half. C-
Catcher A.J. Pierzynski: Still has the heart of a champion, if not the throwing arm to match. Pierzynski is not to blame of the Sox’ lethargic offense — he’s batting .365 over his last 22 games and still comes to play every day. A-
Right fielder Carlos Quentin: He’s an all-star and ranks second behind Konerko with 17 home runs and 51 RBI. Still, doesn’t it seem like Quentin has underachieved in the first half? B
Shortstop Alexei Ramirez: He was supposed to take a step up to all-star caliber this season but has been running in place. Not great, not bad. B
Center fielder Alex Rios: All of those tools the center fielder displayed last year are buried deep in the shed. Either his toe is really hurting or Rios forgot how to play baseball. F
Reliever Chris Sale: He came into the season with great expectations and looked overmatched early. Like Ohman, Sale has settled down and has allowed only 2 earned runs in his last 19⅔ innings to lower the ERA from 6.48 to 3.47. C+
Reliever Hector Santiago: The lefty with the screwball has only made 2 relief appearances since arriving from Class AA Birmingham but, wow, what a debut. A
Closer Sergio Santos: He’s learning how to close, one of the toughest jobs in any sport. Santos made it look easy early, flopped in the middle, and now he’s back to being reliable. B+
Infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen: While he’s not coming close to earning the $5 million salary, Teahen doesn’t get much of a chance to play and does come up with a big hit from time to time. D+
Reliever Matt Thornton: After a miserable April, he’s back where he belongs: in the setup role. If the White Sox can figure out how to score more runs, Thornton will be there to lock down the lead. C+
Infielder Omar Vizquel: He played out of his mind for the Sox last season, but this time around Vizquel is beginning to show his age. And at 44, that’s not necessarily a good thing. C