Chicago White Sox 2008 Outlook

Chicago White Sox 2008 Outlook

The Chicago White Sox outlook for 2008 doesn't look all that promising. There seems to be too much excess baggage on this team. There appear to be too many older position players or players who aren't as durable or reliable as they once were.

With Javier Vasquez as their ace, and Mark Buehrle, they do have two solid starters. But it tails off drastically from there with aging and inconsistent Jose Contreras and young inexperienced John Danks and Gavin Floyd. Should Contreras bounce back from a shaky 10-17 season a year ago, and Gavin Floyd pitch to his promised potential, this rotation may be effective. That's may-be which means maybe. Can't bank on maybes. Their bullpen is loaded with some strong throwers like Scott Linebrink, Octavio Dotel and Matt Thornton. These three do tend to struggle with their controls though. Their Closer Bobby Jenks is coming off of a 46 save season and is a solid stopper. All in all it will boil down to the 3,4 and 5 of their rotation.

Their batting order will consist of alot of talent mixed with a few youngsters. Their lineup is projected to be speedy Jerry Owens, Orlando Cabrera, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Nick Swisher, Joe Crede, A.J. Pierzynski and Alexei Ramirez. They also have Juan Uribe, Carlos Quentin and Josh Fields which gives them depth on their bench. The questions here are whether Thome, Dye and Konerko can avoid injuries and whether their lead off batters can set the table for which for them to knock in runs. There's no doubt that this team will the potential to score runs. But will there be enough runs? The real key this season will be just how well Jerry Owens and Orlando Cabrera can set the table. If they get on base, they'll score and the White Sox should win games.

On paper, this team really doesn't look that bad. However, all they'll need to happen is one long DL stint for a Jim Thome or a Dye and they'll have trouble keeping up with their competition. The main weakness on this team is the reason the White Sox will have trouble outscoring their foes. The starting pitching just doesn't look deep enough and its almost a given that they'll suffer key injuries to Vets in their lineup. I'm picking them to play from behind all season and to finish with a record of 72-90.

Tags: - baseball - White Sox