White Sox want to live up to high expectations
The White Sox head into the regular season Thursday night with big expectations.
General manager Rick Hahn doesn't think they're completely warranted.
"I don't view us as the favorites," he said. "I view us as hunters. We still have to prove it, we absolutely have to prove it. The expectations being high are great but all that stuff right now is on paper. Let's stay healthy and let's take care of April first and then move on and hopefully take care of our division over the course of the summer."
Even though left fielder Eloy Jimenez is out an expected 5-6 months after having surgery to repair a ruptured left pectoral tendon, the Sox have reigning MVP Jose Abreu, 2019 batting champion Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert and Yasmani Grandal in a deep lineup still capable of scoring plenty of runs.
The pitching staff might be even better.
"I think we're going into the season in a good spot," first-year pitching coach Ethan Katz said. "The starters have had a very nice spring training, the relievers have all got their work, they've all bounced back great, so I feel like we're in a really good spot from top to bottom. Now it's go time."
Lucas Giolito gets the ball in Thursday night's opener against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif. The right-hander was on the roster from 2017-19, when the White Sox combined to lose 284 games under former manager Rick Renteria.
Giolito took the growing pains in stride and has blossomed into one of the top starting pitchers in baseball.
The White Sox have blossomed into one of baseball's top teams.
"I think for us it's knowing how good we are, which I believe we do," Giolito said. "It's knowing the amount of work it takes on a daily basis, the amount of high-intensity focus on a daily basis to be able to deliver our best product day in and day out and prove to ourselves and everyone else that we are as good as we say we are."
The Sox broke through in the shortened 2020 season, posting a winning record (35-25) for the first time in eight years and making the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
When they were bounced out in the first round, the White Sox fired Renteria and hired 76-year-old Tony La Russa.
Not seen in a major-league dugout since 2011, La Russa guided the Cardinals to a World Series championship that season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame two years later.
Like Hahn, La Russa is quietly confident heading into the upcoming year. He's been around long enough to know they don't just hand out postseason invitations.
"It's really important not to walk in thinking we're special and the other side is conceding anything," La Russa said. "The opposite is going to be true. We've got a lot of headlines, well deserved because we do have talent and had success last year. And the other side can use that to their advantage, 'Well hey, they think they're so good, we're going to show you.'
"The other side takes care of what they think but we have to take care of what we think."
Around the horn:
La Russa said Leury Garcia is getting the start in left field Thursday night. Zack Collins is the designated hitter in the opener.
Andrew Vaughn is scheduled to DH Friday night in his major-league debut.