Chicago White Sox 2002 Season Preview

by David Marasco

Didn't we see this in the 1990s?

In 1993 the Chicago White Sox rode solid young talent and a developing rotation to an AL West crown. They had up-and-coming stars like Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura. The team got solid support from young vets like Ellis Burks, Lance Johnson and Ron Karkovice. The South Siders also featured a rotation consisting of the likes of Jack McDowell, Alex Fernandez, Wilson Alvarez and Jason Bere. It looked like the White Sox were primed for a good run of seasons in the mid-'90s. Fast-forward to three years to 1996. The team was still strong, but no playoff appearances. More troubling was the move away from younger players to cast-off vets. The outfield and DH duties were handled by Darren Lewis, Tony Phillips, Danny Tartabull and Harold Baines. Ozzie Guillen and Ron Karkovice were three years older, and were not the players they once were. The loss of McDowell to free agency and Bere to serious injury were plugged by Kevin Tapani and a very inexperienced James Baldwin, but management also tried to patch holes with Joe Magrane and Kirk McCaskill. While these players had their relative strengths and weaknesses, most were getting on in age, and a team that was looking like a rising power became a win-it-now-or-else squad. Needless to say, they didn't earn a ring, or even a playoff appearance.

Sadly history appears to be repeating itself in Chicago. In 2000 the White Sox won the most games in the American League. They had youngsters like Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee and Paul Konerko. The kids added to the strong play of vets likes Ray Durham, Jose Valentin and superstar Frank Thomas. A young rotation? You bet! James Baldwin and Mike Sirotka seemed like old men compared to the likes of Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Jim Parque, Bobby Howry and Kip Wells. So what happens to this team? After GM Ron Schuler stepped down after the 2000 season, new GM Kenny Williams went into win-it-now mode.

Sandy Alomar, Royce Clayton and Kenny Lofton have since been added to the roster. Sound familiar? Good players in their prime? Damn straight. How old now? 35, 32 and 35. The big move after the 2000 season? They traded Mike Sirotka for David Wells. In 2001 they gave playing time to the likes of Jose Canseco and Harold Baines. We've seen this before, no?

What does 2002 have in store for the White Sox? Well, Frank Thomas will be back. Will he be the Hall of Famer seen in the mid-90's and 2000? Or will he be the disappointment seen three of the past four years? Granted, a "bad" year for the Big Hurt is usually pretty good, but the Sox will need his bat to come alive if they want to go to the play offs. Frank will probably DH most of the season, with Paul Konerko taking defensive duties at first base. Konerko is starting to show the promise that was implied by all of the player of the year awards he won in the minors.

Magglio Ordonez is the other big bat in the Chicago lineup. The Venezuelan native has been an All-Star for the past few years, and is quietly becoming one of the better young stars in the American League. The other corner outfielder, Carlos Lee, seems to be regressing. While he is still young, he had a poor second half last year, and seems to be stalling. After the Sox gave up on his glove, they moved him from third to left, but his glove can really only be hidden at DH, a slot already occupied by Thomas.

The outfield is completed by Kenny Lofton. He's a graybeard, but came cheap. He's basically a low-risk option with a lot of upside. If he regains the form he had in the 1990s, Frank and Mags will knock in a lot of runs. Is this the proper direction for the White Sox? If the Sox know when to cut their losses, then maybe, but if Lofton doesn't produce and they still play him... Meanwhile youngster Aaron Rowand will probably be the fourth outfielder.

At this point, Ray Durham is one of the vets on the squad. He brings a solid bat and a decent glove to second. He's very good at going back on the ball, but sometimes it seems as if he has problems on grounders that he should be able to handle. At short the Sox can play either Royce Clayton, who bounced back from a terrible start last season, or Jose Valentin, whose great bat is balanced by a bad glove. Valentin might also play third, although the rookie Joe Crede should own the position by the end of the year. He has the good minor league credentials, but like Konerko showed, sometimes it takes a while to live up to your potential. Completing the infield, Sandy Alomar Jr. holds down the catching chores, with youngster Josh Paul being groomed for the position. If Paul isn't ready, Mark Johnson is another possibility.

It seems as if every pitcher on the staff is recovering from arm surgery. Sound familiar? The great rotation that was supposed to anchor the mid-90s Sox, McDowell, Fernandez, Alvarez and Bere, they all had serious bouts with arm injuries. Maybe there is something wrong with the minor league instruction in the White Sox organization. They seem to lose an awful lot of young arms, more so than your typical organization.

What about those arms? Well, the rotation will be held down by youngster Mark Buehrle and ex-Pirate Todd Ritchie. Ritchie's road ERA last year wasn't too impressive (5.58, and this year he needs to face lineups with a DH), if he's simply a product of pitching in PNC Park, the Sox are going to regret giving up Kip Wells for him. Jim Parque, hopefully bouncing back from his arm injury, should find his way back into the mix, and the rest will be made up of kids like Jon Garland, Danny Wright and Jon Rauch. Gary Glover is another candidate, but might end up in the bullpen.

Speaking of the bullpen, it features two strong relievers in Keith Foulke and Bob Howry. But if the starters' arms flame out early, Lorenzo Barcelo, Matt Ginter, Alex Osuna and Kelly Wunsch aren't enough to keep the Sox in the game.

Where are the Sox going? Who knows? Kenny Williams? I hope so.

Ten Years Ago...

Our White Sox Preview from April 1992, by James Floto:

Strenths and weaknesses: Frank Thomas, barring major injury, will be one of top 3 or 4 '90s. Ventura also appears on the brink of super-stardom. Fisk is still valuable at the gate, in front of and behind the plate. Sax is ok defensively, maybe best hitting AL 2B. Guillen (usually Gold Glove) is a decent hitter. Tim Raines learned AL pitchers last year, still scored 102, stole 51. Lance Johnson can fly, punch 'n judy hitter, good field, suspect arm. Good offensive club, with fine-tuning could have one of top rotations. Jack McDowell will win 20 this year. #5 starter Hough is almost as old as Fisk, still go for 10-12 wins. Ifs-# 2,3,4 starters. Candidates: Kirk McCaskill, had a horrid '91 but past. Greg Hibbard, the lefty, going for #3. Alex Fernandez went under rookie phenom pressure Sox hope he can settle down. Cover boy Wilson Alvarez can start or relieve: was untouchable in trade talks. Bullpen is the weak thread in a strong Sock: Ace closer Bobby Thigpen doubled his ERA and halved his saves. Several good lefties--Patterson, Radinsky and Alvarez, but only righty Don Pall to set up Thiggy.

Outlook: Sox will be in the thick of rugged ALW, most pick them as favorites and so do Lots of .275 hitters, but not much power after Thomas and Ventura.

Perspective: They are sort of a '90s version of the go-go Sox of '59. Have improved each last two years. New park is broken in, new manager in Gene Lamont. They stuck with young hurlers even though they could have picked up a vet or two to help them down the stretch. Almost losing Fisk was not a popular move, nor was allowing popular manager Torborg to escape to the Mets. Outside of McDowell, starters were 37-45, 4.51 so must live up to the faith entursted in them.