We’ve had our differences before, but this year, you exceeded every expectation. While it may not seem like it right now, just getting to the playoffs proves that you have a lot of talent and a first class organization. I’m sure we’ll disagree in the future, but to Kenny Williams, Ozzie Guillen and the rest of the organization, congratulations on a great year.
Of course next year when they win 76 games with the same team you'll realize you were right all along :) A few massive overproducers and a division that was much worse than expected is probably the culprit here more than anything.
I know everyone here subscribes to the Beane philosophy of don't try unless you are sure you can win, but if you go into every year trying to win, sometimes you actually do. As much crap as they get, in this decade the White Sox and the Astros have done a good job of proving this. Fluke, maybe, but they were in a position to take advantage of flukes.
Overproducers? Sure, Gavin Floyd was ahead of his peripherals. However, Swisher had a poor season, Konerko had a down year, Crede was hurt most of the year, Griffey was zero help, and Javy Vazquez continued to disappoint when it mattered. Even Thome hit under .250. Uribe was a horrible replacement for Crede. Who exactly overperformed?
Takeaways from this season? John Danks is the real deal. Carlos Quentin was as good as advertised - three years ago when he was promoted in the D'Backs system. Alexei Ramirez can be Soriano-lite, and his bat could play fine at short next season. At the very least, Floyd slots in as a solid #4.
Not to say that they'll necessarily repeat or even win more than 76 games next year, however, give Kenny Williams credit and don't be surprised if he does it again next season.
The Sox' biggest problem isn't so much next year, where they will still be viable, even if they don't make the postseason. The problem is that below the young stars (Quentin, Danks) who emerged this year is very little of substance. Their farm system is terribly thin, which we must take into account when evaluating their 2008 season. What happens when Dye and Thome get old? Will a lineup of Quentin, Swisher, and a pocketful of miracles be viable?
The Indians will be better next year. The Tigers will be some better, and the Royals will have to get better eventually if only due to luck.
Who are the teams most likely to get worse in the Central next year? The two division leaders, Chicago and Minnesota. That's not to say that Detroit or Kansas City will pass them by, but it's not good news either.
And I have to say that the incredibly contentious and vitriolic atmosphere surrounding the organization can't be a good thing in the long run.
Danks and Quentin are awesome, and Swisher should be better next year if Ozzie plays him. However, I agree with what most of the others are saying - they'll probably lose 85 games or so next year. But I really wasn't surprised with their decent year this year, what with the unexpectedly weak AL Central - someone had to step up and take those games the Royals and Tigers were dropping.
I do not recall the specific author but one of writers from Baseball Prospectus suggested that 2007 was a rebuilding year for the White Sox but Kenny Williams didn't tell anybody. Indeed, the Sox have been quietly rebuilding for the past couple of years and find themselves in a stronger position that one might have imagined at the end of the 2006 season.
From 2007 to 2008, the White Sox improved by 17 wins. John Danks and Gavin Floyd made great strides forward. The Sox added two future stars in Carlos Quentin and Alexei Ramirez. The Sox acquired Quentin for Single A propspect Chris Carter and shrewdly signed Ramirez as a free agent.
Clayton Richard showed excellent potential, particularly in his last start against the Yankees and in the Tampa Bay series. By all accounts, the Sox also had a good amateur draft in 2008, adding position players such as Gordon Beckham, Jordan Danks and Brent Morel.
All in all, the Sox immediate future looks bright. I imagine that Williams will add some speed to the roster and make changes at 3B and possibly CF and 2B or SS (Orlando Cabrera leaving as a free agent and Ramirez staying at 2B or going to SS). As a Sox fan, I agree with Will: the Sox exceeded every expectation.
Whether or not they exceeded expectations, the Sox still played the best in their division, which is actually all you need to do to have a successful season. Even if they were not the best team in baseball, they finished with a winning record, a trip to the playoffs and were, for the most part, an interesting team to follow and enjoy. If anything Kenny Williams should be lauded for doing more with less than for having put together a team that did better than it was supposed to. Does it matter if it was a "fluke" season? Wiilliams and Guillen did their job in putting together a division winning team and playing enjoyable enough baseball to keep an average fan interested.
I'm glad to see that even though the Sox's philosophy is different than BP's, they still can come to agree what "having a great season is".
The White Sox are going to be as talented, if not more talented, of a team in 2009 than they were in 2008, but the reason they'll probably finish at or near .500 is because the rest of the division will be stronger next year. Minnesota has a young nucleus of players that looks like it will develop into something pretty special, Cleveland is going to make a strong comeback, Detroit pretty much has to improve after how badly they underachieved this year, and Kansas City...well...who knows.
Their starting pitching is fine, even if Floyd did overachieve. The two things they need to focus on are ways to increase their batting average, and picking up a couple of cheap relievers who can solidify their bullpen a bit. If they do that, they might win 85+ games next year and be a Wild Card contender.
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I was just hoping to see Griffey finally get a ring. At least Chicago treats him like the future HOFer he is, instead of the embarrassing target that the ignorant Reds fans made him. May they spend the next 25 years keeping the Pirates company in the cellar for doing so. On second thought, may they rot there alone.
...and we also head into another Kenny Williams off-season, which is almost always interesting and entertaining, if occasionally frustrating. But he has earned a huge amount of the benefit of the doubt here, and I'm looking forward to that cold day in a few weeks, or months when there is a trade, or a FA signing that gives us a lot to think and talk about. Floyd/Danks/Ramirez/Quentin give me more reason to look forward to 2009 than I thought I would have a year ago.
Gavin Floyd and John Danks are as talented a young twosome as anyone else has penciled into their rotation for next year (on par with Volquez and Cueto in Cincinnati). And are certainly building blocks for any future team. I'd be pleased to start with that, as well as Quentin and Ramirez. That said, most of the rest of the starting 8 are old and on the downslope. Dye will be Dye and AJ will be AJ, most of the rest is a question mark. I'm saying you have about a 75-80 win team there next year, before any potential reworking Kenny might get done.
Scott Baker and Liriano. Or any pair among Shields/Garza/Kazmir. But the point is well taken that it has been nice to see some young talent emerge in a formerly barren system. Dye will be Dye, but the walk rate is getting to a point where even a slight drop in bat speed will show up dramatically. His 2007 numbers have to be more predictive than those of 2008 for this .276 career hitter.
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Of course next year when they win 76 games with the same team you'll realize you were right all along :) A few massive overproducers and a division that was much worse than expected is probably the culprit here more than anything.
I know everyone here subscribes to the Beane philosophy of don't try unless you are sure you can win, but if you go into every year trying to win, sometimes you actually do. As much crap as they get, in this decade the White Sox and the Astros have done a good job of proving this. Fluke, maybe, but they were in a position to take advantage of flukes.