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During the All-Star break a few weeks ago, white socks A fan (perhaps one who was so bored during MLB’s only stint of the summer without a regular season game) posted a detailed study on Reddit, saying that his favorite team had three days in the past year. once claimed to have endured a player injury. During that time, they survived injuries to 15 of the 16 anatomical regions of the human body, as if they were playing the real game of botched surgery. The area of was the left hand/wrist.
Unsurprisingly, the only injury left for them in the most disappointing White Sox (56–54) season in recent memory came this week to the player they can afford to lose the most.the team announced on Tuesday Tim Anderson A torn finger ligament will keep him out for four to six weeks and will put the most prominent leader out of action for much of the regular season home stretch.
Anderson, the 2019 MLB batting champion, 2020 AL run leader and silver slugger winner, and an All-Star in each of the past two seasons, is a big loss. It hasn’t been a good season for the 29-year-old, but he still ranks among the top 10 Americans in his league in batting average (. Fourth most valuable player. WAR (2.2), behind only Dylan Seeds, Jose Abreu and Lewis Robert. The White Sox lost 10 of 18 games when Anderson was sidelined three weeks into the season due to a groin strain.
Anderson’s injury would have been much easier for the White Sox to overcome had the front office improved roster depth by the trade deadline.
AP Photo/David Dahmer
If the White Sox stay in-house to replace Anderson, they may rely on Reuli GarciaDespite this, he started at shortstop in both games of Tuesday’s doubleheader. royalsMore time slots will open up if the White Sox continue down that path. Josh Harrison Keystone leaves one of the worst middle infields in the sport. Even if they were nearing the twilight of their careers, it would probably happen if it was up to manager Tony La Russa, who famously prefers to rely on veterans.
External options available after the trading deadline are also less attractive. Didi Gregorius,Recently, Phillies, might be worth a flyer. But he deserved his WAR in the negative this season, enduring his worst season at bat at age 32. Given the many reasons the Phillies never made it to the playoffs during Gregorius’ tenure with the team, Diddy’s underdefended serve cannot be overlooked. as Philadelphia’s most important fielder. It would be far from a guarantee that he would be able to help the Chicago cause.
If the White Sox do anything other than essentially hoping baseball’s signature position holes don’t sink them, it may depend on Lenin Sosa. This 22-year-old prospect started with a double against the Royals on Tuesday, but although he had far more professional experience as a shortstop than Garcia, he hit his first career home run to help the Sox win a doubleheader split at Kansas City. I helped save the But Sosa, who is ranked as Chicago’s 21st prospect by MLB Pipeline, won his 12-1 win over a cup of coffee earlier this year, just his 23rd career in Triple-A. I was showing moderate attack in the game. He’s probably closer to an alternative-level player at this point, despite Tuesday’s 428-foot bomb.
According to MLB.com’s Robert Falcof, La Russa says he thought of last year when he heard news of Anderson’s injury after Tuesday’s win Atlanta gathered in the wake of Ronald Acuna Jr.A season-ending injury to win the World Series. However, this scenario is very different.
Acuna’s injury occurred in early July and was dealt with by the acquisition of GM Alex Antopoulos. four an outfielder to make up for his star absence, and some. Clearly, Anderson’s injury came after the trade deadline. But the White Sox were able to use a middle-field infielder before Anderson collapsed. They needed a better second baseman since Nick Madrigal. cubs, suffered a season-ending hamstring injury last June.It shouldn’t have cost so much to bring in pending free agency Donovan Solano from Reds Also Whit Merrifield From Kansas City ( blue jays He sent Merrifield’s No. 14 and No. 23 prospects to the Royals, according to the Baseball America rankings).
Alas, Chicago did nothing to improve their offense or rotation before the deadline. Both have not lived up to expectations, injury aside.The only acquisition was in left-handed form Jake Diekman for backup catcher Reese McGuireDiekmann is a great reliever to improve an injury-ravaged bullpen, but his addition isn’t enough for the team to turn things around.
The White Sox didn’t have to trade Juan Soto, Luis Castillo Or any of the other All Stars available at Deadline. Adding depth to a roster without many major contributors in their chunk of the season was to give them enough shots to hook or hunt down wildcard verses. twins Located in AL Central. Instead, the front office chose to do little and hoped things would turn around for this team that entered the year with such high expectations despite all the evidence to the contrary. It’s true that the White Sox lost the second highest predictive value among American League teams, according to Baseball Prospectus’ Injury List Ledger tool. However, even though the team became healthier than last month, they still failed to move up the rankings.
Going into the season, the South Siders were the favorites to defend their division title. His playoff odds are estimated at 72.2% for him, according to FanGraphs, and he’s projected to beat Minnesota by 10 games, the biggest difference. any department. His PECOTA of the Baseball Prospectus largely agreed, giving him a 59% chance of the Sox winning the Central at his 81.8% playoff odds.
Their odds have dropped significantly, with FanGraphs division odds at 29.5% and postseason odds at 44.5%, while PECOTA has a 25.3% chance of winning Central and a 38.6% chance of making the playoffs. . Both sites predict that Chicago will place him third behind the Twins. Guardian, currently tied for first place in Central, 1.5 games ahead of the White Sox. And their -13 rand differential shows that the team is lucky to be this close. In his year that began with his Series aspirations, the Sox are behind Cleveland his team not prioritizing his 2022 victory. Sandy Leon To Minnesota, who are ostensibly competing for playoff berths. Still, Chicago has trailed Cleveland in the standings since his June 7th, less than two weeks into the season and he has held the top share of the AL Central since April 20th. Is not …
The Twins and Guardians certainly proved to be worthy opponents, but they didn’t quite get away with it in the division. They would have won six games on the winning row against both of Cleveland.
Instead, the team fell apart at the seams. Chicago’s top two predicted starters (Lance Lynn When Lucas Jolit) has skyrocketed in home runs and boasts a combined ERA of 5.26. The attack power is medium, but this is a lineup that should be a force. Injuries are partly to blame for the loss of offensive production, but a handful of expected contributors were downright awful. Yoan Moncada It was a complete disaster at the plate. Of his 31 third basemen with 250 or more at-bats, the former baseball world’s number one contender ranks his 30th with his 64 wRC+. AJ Pollock,Acquired Craig Kimbrel The week before opening day was the worst season of his 11-year career.catcher Yasmani Grandal Last season, he had an OPS+ of 155, indicating he was 55% better than the league average hitter. He is 48% below the league average this year. Perhaps the most emblematic of White’s Sox this season was what happened last week when La Lussa nodded in the dugout in the first inning of his last game before the trade deadline.
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Squint and you’ll find reason to believe the White Sox can turn the season around. Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Liam Hendricks All have returned from last month’s injured list stint.stop Johnny Cueto While picking up some of the slack in the rotation, former AL MVP Abreu and second-year standout Andrew Vaughan packed a mighty punch into the center of the lineup. Chicago’s schedule leaves him sixth-most likely in terms of winning percentage against opponents, according to Tankathon. With his nine games left against the Twins and his six against the Guardians, White has plenty of chances for his Sox to overtake his rivals in the standings.
But there are just as many, if not more, arguments in favor of opposing views. Both Minnesota and Cleveland have soft schedules up front (Cleveland is his eighth easiest, Minnesota his tenth). Regardless, the Sox have not proven that he can beat two teams consistently (5–8 vs. Cleveland, 4–6 vs. Minnesota). Mediocre screams about this Chicago team, from his league-worst 23-22 record against AL Central to his 23-32 record against winning teams. And those records were compiled with a mostly healthy Anderson.
Had the White Sox shown more urgency before the trade deadline, they would have been better prepared to endure Anderson’s injury. Perhaps the front office feels that every player returning from injury provides an organic boost from within, and perhaps that belief will pay off in the next eight weeks. But there’s a fine line between faith and ignorance. There is a line and the White Sox seem to have crossed that line for a long time.
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