The 2017 Chicago White Sox finished 67–95 in their first full season of the rebuild. After trading away Chris Sale, Adam Eaton, Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera, Dan Jennings, and others for talented prospects such as Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Eloy Jimenez, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Ryan Cordell, and Dylan Cease. If all goes well, the White Sox have set themselves up to be contenders once again in 2019 and beyond. They open the season up today against Danny Duffy and the Kansas City Royals.
Projected Opening Day Lineup (ZiPS Projected WAR for each Player):
2B Yoan Moncada (2.0 WAR)
RF Avisail Garcia (1.0 WAR)
1B Jose Abreu (3.0 WAR)
LF Nicky Delmonico (1.0 WAR)
DH Matt Davidson (0.0 WAR)
C Wellington Castillo (2.0 WAR combined with Omar Narvaez)
3B Yolmer Sanchez (1.0 WAR)
SS Tim Anderson (1.0 WAR)
CF Adam Engel (0.0 WAR)
SP James Shields (1.0 WAR)
25-Man Roster
On Wednesday afternoon, the White Sox released their 25-man roster:
Expert Projections
CBS: 3rd in AL Central
FiveThirtyEight: 4th in AL Central, 70–92 (6% chance to make playoffs)
MLB.com’s Will Leitch: 3rd in AL Central, 76–86
Five Big Questions
- When will Michael Kopech and Eloy Jimenez get the call, if at all, this season?
- What type of player can Adam Engel be?
- Can Tim Anderson bounce back after a tough 2017 campaign?
- What type of player will Carlos Rodon be when he comes back from injury?
- Is this a team that could compete for an AL Wild Card spot?
Writer’s prediction: 78–84, 3rd in the AL Central
Featured Photo: mlb.com and whitesox.com
