According to the White Sox they are "all in" this year, but what does that really mean? They increased their payroll by $20 million and signed Adam Dunn in the offseason. Does it mean if they don't win they are going to blow the team up? I'm not sure, and I don't know if anyone is sure, but one thing I do know, is that they have built a team that is ready to contend for a AL Central title.
They have two new additions to their everyday lineup, with the big one being Adam Dunn. It cannot really be overstated how big of an upgrade Adam Dunn is at the DH spot. Just for a quick comparison, last year White Sox DHs hit 18 HR with an OPS of .728 and Adam Dunn hit 38 HR with an OPS of .922 (while playing in a pitcher's park, which the Cell is not). So yeah, that is a giant upgrade. The other new addition to their everyday lineup is Brent Morel. Morel is replacing the combination of crappy Mark Teahen and old Omar Vizquel. Morel might not do much on offense (neither did Teahen or Vizquel), but the scouts and the numbers say he should be great at defense, which will be an upgrade over Teahen (a defensive abomination) and Vizquel (who can still pick it, but has no range anymore).
The starting rotation is also improved from opening day 2010. Sox fans know what they are going to get out of Buehrle, Danks and Floyd and are optimistic about Jake Peavy. Personally, I expect about the same thing out of Peavy that they got last year. Start the season on the DL, come back and give about 100 innings of up and down pitching, and eventually get hurt again. I hope I'm wrong, but when projecting the season, it is hard to expect anything but that. The upgrade to the staff comes in a full season of Edwin Jackson over Freddy Garcia. Edwin came to the White Sox late last season and had a great end of the year, posting a 3.24 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 75 innings. His improvement with the White Sox has been attributed to pitching coach, Don Cooper, fixing his delivery when he joined the team.
The bullpen may be the part of the team that takes a hit this year. The Sox let, two of the keys to their bullpen last year, Bobby Jenks and JJ Putz go in the offseason. They are hoping that offseason signings Jesse Crain and Will Ohman, along with a full season of Chris Sale can make up for their losses. Crain has been a solid reliever for the Twins, but Will Ohman's track record doesn't really inspire confidence.
The White Sox should have better offense, better starting pitching, better defense, and a worse bullpen year. Which overall makes them a better team. Vegas has set the over/under for White Sox wins this year at 85.5, less wins then they had last year. Needless to say I am going over.
2011 White Sox Prediction 91-71 (1st place in AL Central)
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