Post by #1 Jays Fan on Mar 21, 2008 13:29:43 GMT -5
Last season: 72-90, 4th in A.L. Central
Manager: Ozzie Guillen, 5th season, 344-304 (.531) career record
New faces: SS Orlando Cabrera (LAA), RHP Octavio Dotel (ATL), 1B Brad Eldred (PIT), RHP Scott Linebrink (MIL), C Paul Phillips (KC), OF Carlos Quentin (ARI), OF Alexei Ramirez (CUBA), OF/1B Nick Swisher (OAK)
Left town: RHP David Aardsma (BOS), IF Alex Cintron (CHC), OF Darin Erstad (HOU), RHP Jon Garland (LAA), IF Andy Gonzalez (CLE), LHP Mike Myers (LAD), RHP Heath Phillips (NYY), OF Scott Podsednik (COL), OF Ryan Sweeney (OAK), OF Luis Terrero (BAL), OF Craig Wilson (CIN))
Overview: Two years removed from a World Series title, the pale hose had a string of seven-straight seasons of finishing .500 or better snapped by winning just 72 games last season. And the blame fell at the feet of the offense, which was dead last in the Majors. They can still slam the long ball - their 190 HR was second in the A.L. - but that's all they could do. The arrival of Orlando Cabrera and Nick Swisher will hopefully prop up their pathetic offense. Thank God for the front of their rotation or they would have finished in the basement for the first time since 1989. The clock has to be ticking on uneven manager Ozzie Guillen's tenure. His enthusiasm has worn away and now he can be seen chewing out his young charges on the bench and in the press. And with Cleveland and Detroit so much better than Chicago, it looks like another long summer on the South Side.
Stat to ponder: In a division that boasts two of the top teams in the American League, the pale hose will have to improve on their league-worst .243 batting average with runners in scoring position. Top prospect: RHP Lance Broadway: Don't be shocked if this 24-year-old breaks camp as the fifth start in the rotation, but with the White Sox not close to contending he might be better served with a full year at triple-A. Punched out 14 hitters in 10.1 innings as a September call-up.
Hitting
'07 AVG (RANK): .246 (30th), RUNS/GAME: 4.28 (28th), HR: 190 (6th)
Where to start? Only one regular - Jim Thome - hit above .270 last season and no one scored or drove in 100 runs. To remedy this, pitching had to be sacrificed and rotation mainstay Jon Garland was sent to the Angels for Cabrera. The veteran shortstop will bat lead-off and settle down a rocky infield defence. Swisher comes over from Oakland to bat second, play centre field and add some much needed enthusiasm to what has become a very flat team. Thome and Jermaine Dye are still very god players but the holes in the other parts of the line-up allowed the opposition to pitch around their big bats. Five different starters struck out over 100 times in 2007.
Pitching
'07 ERA (RANK): 4.77 (25th), OPP AVG: .276 (24th)
Workhorse left-hander Mark Buehrle pitched over 200 innings for the seventh-straight season and started his season out in style by spinning a no-hitter in his third start. But after that, the anaemic offense, which scored three runs or less in 13 of his 30 starts, held him to just 10 wins. Javier Vazquez was the big winner with 15 but after those two, the drop off is quite dramatic. Closer Bobby Jenks somehow saved 40 games last season and was one of the best shutdown men in the second with a microscopic 1.05 ERA after the All-Star break. Scott Linebrink comes over from the Brewers to pitch the eighth inning, but his ERA has jumped almost two runs over the last two seasons and there are questions that his heavy workload has finally caught up to him.
Statsman's non-binding prediction: Third with little chance to move up or down in the Central. If things don't break right, this will likely be Ozzie Guillen's last season as manager.
Manager: Ozzie Guillen, 5th season, 344-304 (.531) career record
New faces: SS Orlando Cabrera (LAA), RHP Octavio Dotel (ATL), 1B Brad Eldred (PIT), RHP Scott Linebrink (MIL), C Paul Phillips (KC), OF Carlos Quentin (ARI), OF Alexei Ramirez (CUBA), OF/1B Nick Swisher (OAK)
Left town: RHP David Aardsma (BOS), IF Alex Cintron (CHC), OF Darin Erstad (HOU), RHP Jon Garland (LAA), IF Andy Gonzalez (CLE), LHP Mike Myers (LAD), RHP Heath Phillips (NYY), OF Scott Podsednik (COL), OF Ryan Sweeney (OAK), OF Luis Terrero (BAL), OF Craig Wilson (CIN))
Overview: Two years removed from a World Series title, the pale hose had a string of seven-straight seasons of finishing .500 or better snapped by winning just 72 games last season. And the blame fell at the feet of the offense, which was dead last in the Majors. They can still slam the long ball - their 190 HR was second in the A.L. - but that's all they could do. The arrival of Orlando Cabrera and Nick Swisher will hopefully prop up their pathetic offense. Thank God for the front of their rotation or they would have finished in the basement for the first time since 1989. The clock has to be ticking on uneven manager Ozzie Guillen's tenure. His enthusiasm has worn away and now he can be seen chewing out his young charges on the bench and in the press. And with Cleveland and Detroit so much better than Chicago, it looks like another long summer on the South Side.
Stat to ponder: In a division that boasts two of the top teams in the American League, the pale hose will have to improve on their league-worst .243 batting average with runners in scoring position. Top prospect: RHP Lance Broadway: Don't be shocked if this 24-year-old breaks camp as the fifth start in the rotation, but with the White Sox not close to contending he might be better served with a full year at triple-A. Punched out 14 hitters in 10.1 innings as a September call-up.
Hitting
'07 AVG (RANK): .246 (30th), RUNS/GAME: 4.28 (28th), HR: 190 (6th)
Where to start? Only one regular - Jim Thome - hit above .270 last season and no one scored or drove in 100 runs. To remedy this, pitching had to be sacrificed and rotation mainstay Jon Garland was sent to the Angels for Cabrera. The veteran shortstop will bat lead-off and settle down a rocky infield defence. Swisher comes over from Oakland to bat second, play centre field and add some much needed enthusiasm to what has become a very flat team. Thome and Jermaine Dye are still very god players but the holes in the other parts of the line-up allowed the opposition to pitch around their big bats. Five different starters struck out over 100 times in 2007.
Pitching
'07 ERA (RANK): 4.77 (25th), OPP AVG: .276 (24th)
Workhorse left-hander Mark Buehrle pitched over 200 innings for the seventh-straight season and started his season out in style by spinning a no-hitter in his third start. But after that, the anaemic offense, which scored three runs or less in 13 of his 30 starts, held him to just 10 wins. Javier Vazquez was the big winner with 15 but after those two, the drop off is quite dramatic. Closer Bobby Jenks somehow saved 40 games last season and was one of the best shutdown men in the second with a microscopic 1.05 ERA after the All-Star break. Scott Linebrink comes over from the Brewers to pitch the eighth inning, but his ERA has jumped almost two runs over the last two seasons and there are questions that his heavy workload has finally caught up to him.
Statsman's non-binding prediction: Third with little chance to move up or down in the Central. If things don't break right, this will likely be Ozzie Guillen's last season as manager.
