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Rongey: White Sox fans are complaining in the wrong spots

At the end of Saturday's “White Sox Weekly” radio show, a caller said too many people were focusing their grievances in the wrong direction, which got me thinking.

Every year, there is always a player or two who becomes complaint-magnets. In 2015, Tyler Flowers and John Danks have become those guys. On individual performance alone, I get it.

But if we're really examining why the Sox are in the position they are, zeroing in on them is missing the greater picture. Like the caller said, forget those guys. They're not the biggest problem.

Obviously, if you're building a team year-to-year, you wouldn't offer Danks nearly $16 million to pitch at the back end of your rotation. But this isn't fantasy baseball, and you don't start every year with a blank canvas.

That contract with Danks was signed before the 2012 season and before he needed shoulder surgery. He is now what he is, and the Sox did not expect him to be more. Frankly, they didn't need him to be.

Going in this year, we knew what to expect. It was with that in mind that we knew the Sox should be in good shape in the rotation, especially once Carlos Rodon found his way in.

While Danks isn't doing exactly what I said back in March (give more quality starts than not), they don't need him to carry this team.

Jeff Samardzija, on the other hand, is here to dominate. That's why they traded prospects for him. That's why the fans were as thrilled as they were when the deal was announced.

Right now, Samardzija is more than 1.5 runs worse in ERA than he was during his entire time in Oakland. He's given up more first-inning runs than any other pitcher in the majors. That means the supposed second-best starter in the rotation is allowing his team to fall behind early more often than he is not.

That's not what a No. 2 pitcher is supposed to do.

Meanwhile, with a floundering offense, Flowers has hovered barely over .200, which has drawn the ire of most fans. And I get it. It's not enjoyable to watch somebody lose at the plate.

However, let's be realistic. Did anyone really expect him to carry the offense? No. That job belongs to the top of the order, which is where the truly bad news resides this season.

The Sox have gotten the third-lowest production from the leadoff spot in the order and the absolute worst in MLB from the second hitter. You combine those two realities and it leads to a lot of empty bases for Jose Abreu, Adam LaRoche and Avi Garcia.

Last year, Adam Eaton hit .300 with an OBP of .362 (highest OBP of any player in the AL with at least 400 ABs leading off). This year? Worst of anyone with 150 at-bats there.

In '14, Melky Cabrera had the third-best OPS of any regular No. 2 hitter in the league. This year? Dead last.

This is a completely different offense when those guys get on base.

Regardless of what Flowers and the ninth hitter do in this lineup, the bulk of the action should originate from the top five or six batters in the order, like it does for almost every successful offense.

Imagine how much easier the job would be for Abreu, Garcia and LaRoche if the guys in front of the lineup's heart were reaching base.

That's a game-changer. Getting 40-50 additional batting average points out of the catcher is not.

Yet, the vast majority of complaints I've received from fans have focused on the back-ends of the rotation and lineup. On guys who were never intended to be difference makers.

As a Sox fan, you should be greatly disappointed in what you've seen this year, but focusing on the wrong things is wasted energy.

• Chris Rongey is the host of the White Sox pregame and postgame shows on WSCR 670-AM The Score. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRongey and at chrisrongey.com.

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