EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted March 19, 2005 Following an 83-79 season, the White Sox shuffled their roster, shifting the emphasis to team speed. They acquired Jermaine Dye to replace Magglio Ordonez in right field. While Ordonez was a great hitter, there are real concerns regarding his knee. Dye is not a perfect solution, but he should provide some punch. Tadahito Iguchi is a terrific upgrade at second base, moving Willie Harris to a utility slot where he should be more useful. On the rotation side, the White Sox' biggest issue last season was their inability to see any production from the back of their rotation. Jason Grilli, Felix Diaz, Danny Wright, Jon Rauch, and Josh Stewart combined for 23 starts, and a 5-14 record. The White Sox acquired Jose Contreras mid-season, and Orlando Hernandez. If those guys can stick in the rotation, it should represent a remarkable improvement for the Sox. The problem is, Hernandez and Contreras have a high chance of implosion. The bullpen suffered after Shingo Takatsu and Damaso Marte, so Dustin Hermanson should help shore up the pen. The Sox did make a dumb move, flipping Carlos Lee to the Brewers for Scott Podsednik. Podsednik may steal bases, but at 29, he is not going to improve. Ultimately, I think the success of this team depends on Frank Thomas. When healthy, Thomas is one of the most dominant hitters in baseball. If Thomas can recover and log significant playing time, the White Sox could steal the division. However, I think a third place finish is more likely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Styles 0 Report post Posted March 19, 2005 The White Sox are like the perpetual treadmill team of baseball. In the ultimate weak division, the AL central, they always seem to expect to have a winning season and usually do but never actually go all the way in their division. And their shuffling out of old stars at the same time as they add new ones just adds to the team's running in place. The lineup does depend on Frank Thomas's health and on Korerko's production I think, it's a decent lineup with some balance and a lot fo speed. The pitching staff is really hit or miss. If everyone pitches to their capabilities it could be really good, if not, it will be bad. Kind of like Estaban Loaiza who they replaced...see it's just a perpetual shuffling in and out of similar pieces! 2nd place finish. PROJECTED LINEUP 1. Scott Podsednik LF 2. Aaron Rowand CF 3. Paul Konerko 1B 4. Jermaine Dye RF 5. Carl Everett DH 6. Juan Uribe SS 7. A.J. Pierznynski C 8. Joe Crede 3B 9. Tadahito Iguchi 2B Rotation 1. M. Buehrle 2. F. An. Garcia 3. J. Contreras 4. O. Hernandez 5. J. Garland Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
