Chicago White Sox Season Prediction, Odds, Props, and Futures

The Chicago White Sox had a disappointing season in the eyes of their fans. They got a taste of the postseason two years in a row, but things did not seem right all year last year.

Regardless of that, there was still an opportunity to improve the Chicago White Sox standings until the final stretch of the season. The roster has taken on a new look with stars exiting, and the largest free agent contract in the organization’s history handed out to an unsuspecting player.

The expectations in the eyes of the fans have been tempered. But the desire and White Sox season prediction is to still make the playoffs after a hiatus last season.

What Went Wrong

The White Sox were 19th in the league a season ago in scoring 4.23 runs per game, MLB team stats show. That number really is not that bad. They were fifth in hitting .257, but an OPS of .698 was in the lower half of the league.

The starting pitching was not bad. They had 67 quality starts, or 41%, which was in the upper half of the league. They had 16 wins lost by the bullpen, but 23 lost games saved by the bullpen. The bullpen, thought of as a strength around the league, was 29-22 with 48 saves in 71 appearances (23 blown saves).

The biggest issue was the team could not put it together at the same time. Either the pitching was dominant, and the offense disappeared, or the offense showed up with a poor showing on the mound.

That is why a few slight tweaks may be all the White Sox need to push through into the postseason again.

Key departures

The White Sox are replacing three starters from their starting nine this season. People already making a White Sox season prediction will think they are losing some big pieces, and that may result in fewer wins. But the team’s production a season ago should not face a significant drop-off.

The biggest loss was first baseman Jose Abreu, who originally signed with the White Sox and played nine seasons, including winning the MVP award in 2020. He had a dip in production though in his age 35 season, still hitting .304 but only 15 home runs – the lowest of his career, including the shortened 2020 season – and 75 RBIs.

Veteran second baseman Josh Harrison was not retained. Neither was outfielder AJ Pollock, who the White Sox received in exchange for Craig Kimbrel in a contentious trade among fans. Pollock played in 138 games and hit .245 with a .681 OPS. Harrison played in 119 games and hit .256 with a .687 OPS.

The pitching staff let Johnny Cueto walk after he went 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA at 36 years old. He was serviceable and became one of the more reliable starters.

Lastly, manager Tony La Russa will not be back. One of the infamous decisions of the once-great manager was to intentionally walk a hitter with two strikes on him, which led to a home run by the next hitter.

Key additions

Andrew Benintendi will anchor left field for the White Sox after signing the franchise’s largest guaranteed contract at five years, $75 million, with a $3 million signing bonus. He hit .304 with a .772 OPS, 23 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 51 RBIs, and eight stolen bases in 126 games between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees.

His signing allows the Chicago White Sox roster to maneuver some pieces around, including getting Eloy Jimenez to DH full-time and gets Andrew Vaughn to move to first base. Meanwhile, letting Harrison walk allows Leury Garcia to be the everyday starter at second base.

The staff filled the void left by Cueto by signing Michael Clevinger to a one-year deal valued at $12 million. He was 7-7 with a 4.33 ERA and 4.97 FIP in 23 appearances with the San Diego Padres last season. He also dealt with some injuries that held him out of 2021.

The bullpen is also getting southpaw Garrett Crochet back after he missed last season. He has 73 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched with a 2.53 ERA over his two-year career. Righty Keynan Middleton was also picked up.

Longtime bench coach Pedro Grifol was hired to replace La Russa in the dugout. He is the 42nd different manager in the organization’s history after winning a World Series and two American League pennants as a member of the Royals’ staff.

What’s In Store For 2023?

The White Sox are still missing that big bat in the middle of the lineup, which is why they are not popular among MLB picks. But if this is the year that Luis Robert can stay healthy, and Jimenez can be the slugger from the DH spot now that he is focusing just on offense, it could be enough production with a roster built to get on base and put together rallies.

That is beneficial with some of the rules changes in Major League Baseball, including the ban on shifts that should open up the field for more base hits.

White Sox Face High Expectations in Competitive Central Division

MLB odds show that the over/under for White Sox wins in the regular season is 83.5, with -115 odds on both the over and under. That is second in the Central Division only to the Cleveland Guardians (86.5), who won the division a season ago at 92-70, while the White Sox were second at 81-81.

The odds to win the division have the Guardians at +135, White Sox at +165, Minnesota Twins – who re-signed Carlos Correa despite medical records rejecting him from two other teams – at +275, and then the Tigers at +2000 and the Royals at +3000.

Heck, the White Sox are even sixth on the odds chart to win the American League pennant at +1600. However, they are tied for 15th at +5000 to win the World Series.

That is probably about the White Sox season prediction that the team’s and general MLB fans are expecting. If the team can put together strong pitching performances along with its offense on a more consistent basis, that should lead to a few more wins and perhaps a divisional win.

One last prop: Dylan Cease is +850 – the fourth-best odds – to win the American League Cy Young award, and Lucas Giolito is +3300. The problem is they have to contend with Jacob deGrom.

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