2007 Chicago White Sox Preview
This 2007 MLB Preview Looks at the Chicago White Sox Baseball
Mar 26, 2007
This team was loaded with talent and should have gone deep into the 2006 playoffs. Instead they finished third in the American League Central. They will do the same thing this year. Here is the 2007 MLB Preview for the Chicago White Sox.
2007 Chicago White Sox Pitching
The starting rotation won the World Series for the 2005 Chicago White Sox. Last year, a couple of the 2005 heroes came back down to earth. Expect the downward trend of the staff to continue this season.
First, the team traded away 17 game winner Freddy Garcia. Losing this tough veteran, who has averaged 15 wins and 220 innings per season over his entire career, is going to hurt the Sox more than they know.
Secondly, Jose Contreras is simply not the pitcher he played on TV between the 2005 and 2006 All-Star games. At one point during that stretch, Contreras won 17 straight decisions. That is not going to happen again. Jose is a fine pitcher, though, and should keep in line with his careers numbers of win 12-14 games and a 4.25 ERA.
Mark Buerhle also came down to earth in 2006. After he went 16-8 with a 3.41 ERA in 2005, the lefty fell to 12-13 with a 4.99 ERA last season.
On the upside, the staff ace is among the best in the game. John Garland has won 36 games over the last two years. That is best in the Major Leagues. With his electric stuff and intelligent approach to hitters, look for Garland’s success to continue for the 2007 Chicago White Sox. So, the staff is good, but it is nowhere near the 2005 group that won it all.
2007 Chicago White Sox Offense
This team will score a lot of runs. No doubt about it. Their lineup is almost the same as last year's team that led the majors in home runs with 236, was tied for second in RBI, and tied for third in Batting Average with .280. But it will take step back. Jermaine Dye had a career season in 2006, hitting .315 with 44 HR and 120 RBI. Amazing. But he won’t do it again.
Also, Jim Thome turns 37 years old in August, and it is reasonable to expect Big Jim to slide a little bit. So, instead of the 86 Homers and 229 RBI this pair delivered in 2006, Sox fans should expect more along the lines of 60 homers and 190 RBI. Not a big slip, but enough to make a difference.
Finally, the team lost top-of-the-order speedster Scott Podsednik, and did not replace him. Combining all of these factors, it is not very likely that the Sox will be the offensive machine they were last year, when they led the American League in home runs and finished third in runs scored.
Summary
This team has no glaring weaknesses. But aside from its fine offense, nothing on the team screams out “first place.” The starting five will be worse on the field than they look on paper. The bullpen will be average unless Bobby Jenks returns to his 2005 form. The final thing about this team that will keep them out of the playoffs will be age and injuries. Look for Contreras, Thome, Dye, Pierzynski and a few other key players to hit the DL for the 2007 Chicago White Sox.
Keys to Success
Another big season from Jermaine Dye. At least 14 wins apiece from Contreras and Buehrle. That would be a very good start.
Prediction
The American League Central is baseball’s best division. Having to play the Indians, Twins, and Tigers a total of 57 times will put a pretty big hurtin’ on any team’s record. Even a good team like the White Sox. Their starting rotation will cause enough trouble to the 2007 Chicago White Sox to hold them to an 84-78 record and a third place finish in the Central.
That's your 2007 MLB Preview for the Chicago White Sox. Check out the competition by reviewing the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers season previews.
