After a second straight disappointing season in which they finished well below .500 (73-89), the Chicago White Sox were one of the most active teams in all of baseball this off-season, landing some of the biggest names in the process. The trade for Jeff Samardzija and the signings of David Robertson and Adam LaRoche will add to what is already an impressive core of young players. With no clear favorite to take the Central this year, this team is poised to compete all year on the backs of uber-talented players like Chris Sale, Jose Abreu, Samardzija, and Jose Quintana. The big question for the Pale Hose this year is whether or not they have enough talent beyond their big name guys to remain competitive well into the dog days of August and September.
Starting Pitching
With the aforementioned addition of Jeff Samardzija, the White Sox may possess the best pitching trio in all of baseball. Chris Sale is arguably the best pitcher in the American League and had he remained healthy for the whole year in 2014 he probably would have won the Cy Young over King Felix and Corey Kluber. Even with his injuries he still made 26 starts, pitching 174 innings, striking out 10.76 batters per 9 innings, with a 2.17 ERA and 2.57 FIP. Injuries have again taken their toll on Sale as he is currently out with a fracture in his foot. Jose Quintana, the least talked about pitcher of the three, would probably be the ace of 75% of teams in baseball. The 26 year old posted his second straight tremendous season, pitching 200 innings, striking out 8 per 9 innings for an ERA of 3.32 and a FIP of 2.81.
However, beyond Samardzija, Sale, and Quintana, the White Sox are extremely weak in the back end of their rotation. John Danks, who hasn’t had an ERA lower than 4 since 2010, is set to make a team-high $15.75 million next year. Hector Noesi rounds out the rotation but his 5.16 career ERA can’t inspire much confidence in White Sox fans. The only real depth option the Sox have is Carlos Rondon, the 3rd pick of the 2014 draft. But with less than half a seasons worth of professional experience, he may not be ready to contribute until 2016 or beyond.
The depth in the Indians starting rotation is what has many considering them to be one of the best staffs in baseball. As good as Sale, Samardzija, and Quintana are, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar may be even better. Add Trevor Bauer and T.J. House to that mix and the Indians have the clear advantage when it comes to starting pitching. Both teams are shaping up to compete for the Central on the backs of their rotation for the foreseeable future
Advantage: Indians
Relief Pitching
The White Sox had one of the worst bullpens in baseball in 2014; their 4.38 combined ERA was the third worst last season. To shore up their back end, the Sox signed former Yankee closer, David Robertson to a 4-year $46 million deal in the off-season. Robertson’s first season as a closer was a relative success, saving 39 games in 44 chances and posting a 3.08 ERA. Aside from Robertson, the White Sox bullpen is devoid of anyone else with a proven track record. Zach Duke was signed in the offseason after reviving his career in 2014 with the Brewers, posting a 2.45 ERA in 74 appearances. Zach Putnam and Jake Petricka are young arms coming off of successful campaigns in 2014, but with no real body of work to point to before last season, it is no certainty they can replicate those results.
As has been mentioned before on this site, the Tribe’s bullpen was one of the best in baseball last season, and only figures to get better now that Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw will be fixtures in the 8th and 9th innings from the very beginning of the season. Marc Rzepczynski, Scott Atchison and Kyle Crockett provide a depth that the Sox lack on their roster.
Advantage: Indians
Defense
The AL Central featured some of the worst defensive teams in baseball last season, with Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, and Cleveland all landing near the bottom of nearly every defensive ranking. Last year the Indians were dead last in Defensive Runs Saved with -75, the White Sox were three spots ahead of the lowly Tribe at -57. Neither team has made huge improvements to their defense, but the Indians will get a full season of plus defense at short stop with Jose Ramirez, and potentially Francisco Lindor, as well as a full season of Nick Swisher not playing first base. But when you are comparing two teams that are this bad at one particular aspect of the game, neither can truly claim victory over the other. However, the nod will go to the White Sox here, even with the Indians’ improvements at two positions, there is still a long way to go to dig themselves out of the cellar.
Advantage: White Sox
Offense
Along with having one of the best pitchers in the league, the White Sox also have one of the best hitters in Jose Abreu. Abreu’s rookie season earned him the Rookie Of the Year award, and a fourth place finish in the MVP vote. Faced with the role of protecting Abreu in 2015 is Adam LaRoche, who is easily an upgrade over the man he is replacing, Adam Dunn. Melky Cabrera will be an improvement in left field as long as he can stay healthy. Adam Eaton, Alexei Ramirez, and Connor Gillaspie all had solid years at the plate in 2014 (115, 108, 97 wRC+respectively) and should continue similar production this year. The wild card in the White Sox lineup in 2015 could be Venezuelan prospect Avisail Garcia. In 46 games last season Garcia had a triple slash of .244/.305/.413, not particularly impressive, but did show decent pop with 7 home runs in that time. He’s just 23 years old and has the potential to be a potent power bat in the middle of the White Sox lineup, the big question will be how long it takes for him to become a productive hitter in the majors.
The Indians had one of the better offenses in baseball last year and with nearly everyone returning this year, along with the addition of big bopper Brandon Moss, the Tribe will look to build upon their success at the plate this season. This is perhaps the Indians most complete lineup since 2007, and quite possibly on par with the teams of the mid-90’s. Key to the Indians’ success will undoubtedly be Jason Kipnis; his struggles in 2014 after his All-Star campaign in 2013 created a hole in the lineup that greatly affected the team. With aging players like Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher not likely to revert back to their pre-Tribe form, a Kipnis bounce back would go a long way in making up for their shortcomings.
Advantage: Indians
Overall
The 2015 White Sox will be a much different team than the 2013-2014 Sox, they have the beginnings of an elite pitching staff and a very good lineup, but they still lack the overall depth that will be necessary to make a sustained run at the AL Central crown this year. Whereas the Indians are built to make a run at the pennant this season, it may be another year or two before the same can be said about the White Sox. However, expect the White Sox to be vastly improved and quite possibly a fringe Wild Card contender. With pitchers like Sale, Samadzija, and Quintana pitching 3 of every 5 games, the White Sox are going to have the opportunity to win a lot of ball games.
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