2006 Chicago White Sox Predicitons & Season Preview
What are the chances of repeating, find out with our 2006 Chicago White Sox predictions. Chicago is coming off a 99-63 regular season in 2005 and a World Series Championship. I expect the 2006 Whitesox to be even better than last year’s team which captured the pinnacle of baseball greatness in winning the World Series. This year’s team will have post season experience on their side and the confidence to win big games and the addition of Jim Thome will more than likely add 40 homeruns and 100 RBIs to an already potent lineup. But just because a team is slated to be better or looks to be better on paper, even if they won the World Series the previous year, doesn’t mean they are a lock to repeat. Repeating is very difficult and so much depends on who gets hot at the right time. The Sox were lucky enough to get woken up by the Cleveland Indians late in the season when they were experiencing a drought. They forced the Sox to get back on track and got them started on their hot streak which resulted ultimately in a World Series title.
Jim Thome will also help the Whitesox get even better at what they do best, and that is crushing right handed pitching. The Whitesox have gained their backers 43 units the past 2 seasons when going against right handed starting pitchers. They’ll continue to dominate righties this season, but you’ll want to watch to see how they do against left handed starting pitching as they struggled against south paws last season. They were able to post a winning record against lefties, but barely. The Sox will be favored even more heavily this season and if we pick our spots we should be able to find some value in going against the Sox when they are facing lefties, especially when they are favored on the road against an experienced lefty and not some rookie call up. The South Siders benefited their backers with an impressive 22 units last season, and we’ll be able to cash in even more on this team if we pick the right spots to go against them.
A discussion of the Chicago Whitesox is not complete without talking about their dominant pitching staff which appears to have no holes. Buehrle, Contreras, Garcia, Garland, and Vasquez make up the best starting rotation in Major League baseball. Boston may have an argument with Schilling and Beckett, but there is a big drop off after that. These Whitesox starters are consistent and they are durable, and a lack of durability has been a huge problem for the talented, but under achieving staff across town. McCarthy, Hermanson, and Jenks will all have great seasons out of the bull pen, and McCarthy is a quality pitcher who is capable of starting for most teams in the league. He will be able to pick up the slack if any of the starters were to go down over the course of the season.
The Whitesox are off to a quality start in 2006. They have dropped a couple games early to the lowly Royals, but I see no real cause for concern. I expect them to be in the hunt for another title, but the Yankees be the team who keeps them from repeating. Make sure you back the Chicago Whitesox this season, especially when they are up against righties.
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