2011 Mid-Season Team Report

The White Sox started the season with great expectations and are limboing under the bar of mediocrity at the All-Star break. Where did it all go wrong? More importantly, what can be done to fix it?

Deals will most certainly be done, but what type of deals depends on how the White Sox respond on the road trip that greets them after the All-Star game. If they do well there, look for the Sox to be buyers. If not, look for the Sox to be sellers. I could argue that the Sox might stay put, but the history of Kenny Williams suggests otherwise. If the Sox have a winning record on their nine game road trip through Detroit, Kansas City and Cleveland (all division games), they will be in a great position to contend. That's a big if. The Sox have done poorly in games against the AL Central so far. The upside is that the AL Central is a weak division right now and is still up for grabs. Stranger things have happened.

The starting pitching is going nowhere unless there's a huge white flag fire sale. Even if one starter does go, there are five capable starters left and a new spot opens up in the bullpen. Kenny Williams loves to hoard pitching, which is why the Sox are scouting Atlanta organization heavily. All I can say is, please Kenny, no Scott Linebrink.

Speaking of the bullpen... it was the team's greatest liability in April and now is one of the team's strengths. It was only a matter of time. If the bullpen had been even average in April, the Sox would be in first place right now. There are always moving parts in the bullpen, but it is pretty solid overall.

The catching position is locked, unless A.J. Pierzynski gets decapitated between now and the end of the season. Somehow, I don't see decapitation stopping Pierzynski from insisting that he be in the starting lineup. With Ramon Castro out for possibly the rest of the season, due to a broken hand, Tyler Flowers needs to step it up and make every bit of this opportunity count. If Donny Lucy or Josh Phegley need to be called up in place of Flowers, he will find himself in another organization next season.

There's no moving Konerko, Beckham or Alexei Ramirez. Why should they? The fielding isn't broke, so why try to fix it. Beckham has been showing signs of breaking out of his batting slump, so that can only lead to good things. Brent Morel is a great fielder who needs to work more at being consistent at the plate. That's why Omar Vizquel is on the team. He can play third, short and second and knows how to work the plate properly. His age is the only thing keeping him from being an everyday player on Ozzie's team. Omar's role as mentor and backup suits him and the Sox at this stage of his career.

The status of supersub Mark Teahen is baffling. There really isn't a need for him on the team. He's a nice guy who can play third, first and the outfield, but he makes me cringe every time I see him in the field. He's great off the bench, but only at the plate. Teahen has a great Twitter account, but that doesn't translate to good defense in the field. As a late inning defensive replacement he's cost the Sox a few games.

The outfield is pretty much set. Dayan Viciedo won't be coming up unless Juan Pierre is dealt. Pierre has done just enough lately to be in Ozzie's good graces, but is doing no one any favors being a starter. His work ethic is outstanding though.

Carlos Quentin comes as advertised. He is closer to his 2008 self than the question mark we've seen the last couple of years. This is always a good thing.

Brent Lillibridge is the true supersub. He usually makes highlight reels with his defense and he can win a game with his bat, but he is effective only in small doses. As an everyday player, he doesn't have the consistency.

Where do I start with Alex Rios? He is overpaid for what he does and the effort he puts into it. He has already been benched by Ozzie Guillen for lack of hustle, which would have meant instant death had the benching happened on 70s night. In April, he was complaining of turf toe, a condition which he claimed to have been suffering from for five years! I'm sorry, did he say five years?! Is this something that was disclosed before the Sox picked him up off of waivers for an astronomical price? It hasn't stopped Rios from starting in well over one hundred games each season. It can't be hampering his play that badly. Attitude is everything. I think that Rios has a poor attitude and a poor work ethic on the field. I have routinely seen him slack off in the field and give up on running to first, even on what would have been close plays. Trade him or cut him. Eating his salary, if necessary, would be the best option to move ahead.

Where does this leave the state of center field? Barring a trade or the sudden emergence of a rookie, center field would be in the hands of a platoon. Brent Lillibridge and Alejandro De Aza would split time in center. Each can be productive. Each player works best in small doses. Each can play any outfield position. It would give the Sox a 50/50 split in center, while still having a sub for the outfield. And in case of emergency, Mark Teahen can sub in right, but only in case of emergency.

With my suggestion of dumping Rios, many people would assume I would want to dump Dunn too. They would be wrong. Adjusting to a full time designated hitter is a tricky thing. Just ask Frank Thomas. He became a full time DH in 1998 and saw his batting average dip 82 points. He did rebound the next year. It is an adjustment, especially for someone who has never played in the American League before. Dunn says and does the right things, and that is why he will be embraced by the Sox fans. This is also why he has the best chance of bouncing back in a big way.

As far as management is concerned, I don't expect any changes. Ozzie Guillen will stay. So will Kenny Williams. So will all the coaches. Looking for a scapegoat is not this club's style. The problems lie with the talent on the field, not with the coaches or general manager.

The White Sox are surprisingly still in a good position to win the division. That's just a testament to how weak the division actually is. The Sox will swim or sink in divisional play. They must get better there in order to win. If not, they will be kicking themselves for losing an easily winnable division. Nobody needs to have a career year to win the division, they just need to play close to their average capabilities.

Midseason Reviews

The White Sox are blessed to play in one of the weakest divisions in 2009. In almost any other division in baseball, the Sox would be in seller's mode. Since they are 3 1/2 out at the break, the next two weeks are crucial.

If they play poorly, look for the expensive parts to be shipped off to contenders for AAA talent and utility players. If the Sox play well, look for one player to be added to the roster that will make everybody go, "Why?", just before he helps win the division.

We've been through this scenario many times before. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Irregardless, the next two weeks should tell the tale. I don't envision another "White Flag" trade if the Sox are still 3 1/2 games out by the trading deadline.

Let's go through the roster, position by position, and see how everyone stacks up.

Starting Pitcher
The starting pitching has had its ups and downs. Mostly, the starting pitching has been outstanding. When the starting pitching is bad, it really stinks up the joint. No one has been immune, not even Buehrle, who got his horrid outing out of the way, two days before he appears on the All-Star roster. Way to make an impression.

Danks and Floyd have pitched up to expectations, with little bumps along the way. They are finally learning that one bad inning should not effect the rest of their outings. This is a major step in each player's development and it tells me that last year was not a fluke for either pitcher.

Buehrle is Buehrle.

Jose Contreras was smart enough to demote himself and has made a miraculous comeback. Will it last? Let's hope so.

The fifth starter has been problematic at best. A nightmare at worst. Bartolo Colon may be the short term answer. Clayton Richard is clearly not the answer this year. He needs to work on fielding and throwing to first base, not the stands. His outings become worse the more he thinks out there. A trip to AAA will hopefully straighten his head out. Freddy Garcia is a long shot, at best. His arm is nowhere near ready. Aaron Poreda could be a starter, but the Sox need to define his role better or send him down to get steady work.

Grade: C+

Catcher
A.J. Pierzynski continues to improve his game. His batting is much more consistent and it seems that it's staying around the entire year... so far. Corky was a nice experiment, but I'm not surprised by his current status. Ramon Castro has a little pop in his bat, but needs more consistency at the plate. His involvement in the resurrection of Jose Contreras is good enough for me. The defense is suspect, but that has more to do with the erratic pitching staff.

Grade: A-

First Base
Paul Konerko is the most underrated player in Chicago. The Sox would have more errors (if you can believe that) without the great picks by Paulie. He has rebounded from a mostly miserable 2008 to possibly be in contention for Comeback Player of the Year. Yes, I'm serious. Anyone else that has played first base from Betemit to Fields has been pretty lousy. Fields at least is believable at first, unlike Betemit.

Grade: A

Second Base
Lillibridge looked like a twelve year old out there and played like one too. Chris Getz is the perfect choice here, but he has much left to learn. I can see a drastic improvement in Getz at the plate and defensively. There is still work to be done. Jayson Nix has been a nice bench player surprise. Getz has a huge upside though. Remember, he stole home this year. I can see him blossoming into a Joey Cora type player with a better bat.

Grade: C

Shortstop
Alexei Ramirez reminds me of Jose Valentin 2.0 at short. He has great range and most of his errors would have been hits with almost every other shortstop. He is trying to master his third position at the Major League level in less than two years. I think he's doing a nice job, in that respect. He learns fairly easy and quickly, but he learns best, unfortunately, with on the job training. Brain cramps will be part of his game for a while.

Grade: B-

Third Base
Josh Fields could have become Joe Crede. His defense was really starting to come around. It's a shame that his bat really hasn't followed suit. He is in the unenviable position of being usurped by someone who was drafted 364 days earlier.

Not that Bacon, er I mean Beckham, should feel bad about taking Fields place. Beckham has definitely earned the opportunity. He is a quick learner, who has already started to live up to some of the hype. The errors will start to lessen, once he learns his new position. I think I see a theme emerging.

Grade: B

Left Field
Carlos Quentin has missed more time. A rotating roster of players have filled the position in his absence. Unlikely candidate, Scott Podsednik, has filled in beautifully, after an American Idol type audition for the open spot. You know the kind. The train wrecks! The White Sox had a left field and center field of William Hungs after Quentin and before Podsednik.

Look for Quentin to reclaim left field sometime after the break. Let's hope that he has had enough at-bats in AAA to reclaim his timing and that the foot injury doesn't re-aggravate itself near the end of the season.

Grade: B+

Center Field
Oh the horrors. If you can field there, you can't bat. If you can bat, you can't field there. Let's try offense in the early innings and defense in the late innings. The thing is, you usually need both. DeWayne Wise started off the season as the answer, until he separated his shoulder diving for a ball and tumbling. It looked painful and it was painful.

Brian Anderson is great defensively, but his average is a little limp. B.A., that doesn't impress the "honeys" too much. No matter what Brain tells you, B.A. stands for Bad Average. Look for Scott Podsednik, who has gained speed somehow, to slip into center when Quentin comes back.

Grade: D+

Right Field
Jermaine Dye is a wonder. He still makes (mostly) exceptional plays in right and he carries a huge stick to the plate and knows how to use it. 'Nuff said!

Grade: A

Designated Hitter
You know what you're getting with Jim Thome. He delivers exactly what you would expect in the role. He is usually a pitcher's worst nightmare and has beaten "The Shift" on numerous occasions. He does tend to strike out a little more and usually needs to be pulled for a pinch runner in late innings.

Grade: B+

Relief Pitcher
This is the most maddening group of players ever assembled. Every one of them has shown flashes of brilliance. Some have had long streaks of pure dominance this year. It's the meltdowns that really hurt this group though. When it goes for the bullpen, it goes all the way south. We're talking about a tumble from the Magnificent Mile down to the woods in Deliverance. There is no in between, like a Leonardo, New Jersey, where the players can hide out at the dirt mall and change their luck following advice from topless psychics.

If the lows weren't so low, they would have gotten a higher grade. The talent that exists in the White Sox bullpen is far too good to be that low for such long stretches. Usually, one player steps their game up when the others fail, but the bullpen can't live like that. You never know who that one guy is on a daily basis.

Grade: C

Hopefully, the White Sox can step up and improve on these grades. There is still time to pass the next test. Will the Sox players study for it? Only time will tell. The final grades should be in by the end of October. If they are the last team standing, everyone gets an A.