Sox GM Kenny Williams won’t admit it, but this was really a rebuilding year for the White Sox. After losing Orlando Cabrera and Joe Crede to free agency in the offseason and trading Nick Swisher to the Yankees and Javier Vasquez to Atlanta, the Sox committed themselves to building a younger, faster team. But in the process, they went through some growing pains with their young infielders, and went through what seemed like a season long hitting slump. In the end, the Sox finished third in the AL Central with a 79-83 record. Not what the Sox expected at the start of the 2009 campaign, but not bad considering what they were dealing with this year and better than the last-place finish Baseball Prospectus predicted.
While the Sox did not perform as well as many fans hoped, there are enough good things in this team to make a decent run for a division title in 2010. It starts with pitching. If the past few starts by Jake Peavy and Freddie Garcia are any indication, then the Sox will have one of the best starting rotations in the American League. And I include Garcia in the mix because he has consistently given the Sox quality starts and could win as many as 12 to 15 games if he gets enough run support. Peavy was outstanding in his last outing against the Tigers Friday night, going eight innings and giving up only two hits. That’s the stuff World Series dreams are made of. Add a stronger bullpen, timely hitting and strong defense, and the White Sox should rebound from their lackluster 2009 effort.
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