Ostrowski: Grading the White Sox
The halfway point of the season is here and the White Sox are one game above .500 with a 41-40 record. After three months, it's time to hand out midterm grades to the position players. Keep in mind that a portion of this grading system is based on expectations and there is plenty of time for players to do extra credit to improve their grades.
1B - Jose Abreu
The first half included two bad months and a good one. After struggling in April and May, June was a different story. His .306 avg / .355 obp / .531 slg slash line was right in line with his career norms. The first baseman will need a second half power surge to reach the 30+ home run mark he hit in his first two seasons.
Grade: D+
2B - Brett Lawrie
Lawrie is a middle-of-the-pack second baseman and that's quite an upgrade over what the Sox had in 2015. His 22 doubles have been a pleasant surprise, only trailing MVP candidate Jose Altuve at the position. His walk rate has increased by 4 percent, but his strikeout rate is up 5 percent. Pure energy is an understatement.
Grade: B
3B - Todd Frazier
Another big-time upgrade, but this was the toughest grade to hand out. On one hand, Frazier's 23 home runs put him at the top of the HR race. However, his .204 batting average is nearly 50 points below his career mark. His .188 batting average of balls in play is the lowest in baseball by nearly 40 points. Most would say that's bad luck, but his line drive rate is down 5 percent and soft contact rate up 7 percent.
Grade: C+
SS - Tim Anderson, Tyler Saladino, Jimmy Rollins
Anderson has made quite the impact in only 21 games and 96 plate appearances. His 0.9 WAR already puts him in the top 20 shortstops. The struggles will come, but this is a very encouraging start. Saladino's OPS is up by over 100 points. The Rollins experiment was a failure and shouldn't have lasted 41 games.
Grade: B-
C - Dioner Navarro, Alex Avila
A change for more offense hasn't worked. According to statcorner.com, Navarro is the worst pitch framer of the 85 catchers who have played this year. Avila isn't much better, ranking 79th. Meanwhile, Tyler Flowers is the fifth best framer.
Grade: D+
LF - Melky Cabrera
This is quietly a much improved year for Cabrera. While the offense has improved, his 11 percent strikeout rate is among the lowest of all left fielders.
Grade: B
CF - Austin Jackson, J.B. Shuck
Jackson has been missed over the last month. The metrics say he's a replacement level player, but he brought stability to the position. In the last week, Shuck is hitting .435 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI.
Grade: C+
RF - Adam Eaton
The move to right field has made all the difference. Every defensive metric has Eaton as the best at his position. His 2.5 Fangraphs WAR grades him out as the fourth best right fielder in the game.
Grade: A+
DH - Avisail Garcia
Robin Ventura has used 14 different players to fill the DH role, but it's been Garcia most of the time. The 25-year-old is having his fourth disappointing season with the Sox.
Grade: F
• Joe Ostrowski is a co-host of the "Hit & Run" baseball show from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on WSCR 670-AM The Score with Barry Rozner. Follow him on Twitter@JoeO670.