Predictions for the 2023 White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are coming off a disappointing 2022 season that saw World Series dreams end an 81-81 nightmare, failing to make the playoffs after winning the division in 2021.

Now, after a somewhat modest offseason, the White Sox will head into 2023 with their core still intact and a few new faces. Right now it appears as though the team will turn to internal options at second base and right field, while Andrew Vaughn takes the reins at first base as José Abreu signed with the Houston Astros.

So, let’s make some way too early predictions for the 2023 White Sox.

• Luis Robert makes the American League All-Star Team. One of the biggest issues with Robert and several other White Sox players has been not being to stay on the field. Robert only played in 98 games in 2022 and 68 games in 2021. But he’s the guy who has the most star potential on this team. I’ve always been a believer in his talent and well I’m banking on Robert finally staying healthy long enough to at least earn All-Star honors in 2023.
• Mike Clevinger throws fewer than 130 innings. I really liked this signing by the White Sox, but after thinking about how teams handle their pitching staffs nowadays and Clevinger only throwing more than 126 innings once in his career, my expectations have lowered for him. It doesn’t mean he’ll be bad because 125 IP with a 3.50 ERA is still valuable for any team.

UPDATE

So, yeah, under 130 innings. Yikes.

• Yasmani Grandal has a below average season. Yeah, I kept it vague. So, you know, make up your own definition for what below average means for Grandal in 2023. But he’s not getting any younger and the injuries continue pile up for him. I know he’s been working hard in the offseason to get back to 100% but we all know as we get older it’s not so easy to recover as fast as we’d like. I don’t think he’ll be 2022 horrible, but I wouldn’t bet on him to come close to the hitter fans thought they were getting a few years ago.
• Tim Anderson and Andrew Benintendi combine to hit 25+ home runs. MLB has to change the balls or the humidors or something because whatever the hell was going on in 2022 was bad. And it’s fine, we don’t need the super balls from 2019, but there is no way we get another down year in home runs. Benintendi has hit 13+ home runs in a season four times, last in 2021, while Tim Anderson has hit at least 17 long balls in a season four times. Both of them combined to hit only 8 in 2022.
• Call me a sucker and this is purely based on me thinking that they will finally stay healthy, but the White Sox will win 90 games and the AL Central in 2023. The division is weak and I know the Cleveland Guardians were insanely annoying in 2022, and they have added a few upgrades to their lineup, but dammit the White Sox have a lot of talent, too! A lot of things went wrong in 2022, and the White Sox were still within reach of first place with about three weeks left in the season. And you know, no more Tony La Russa. Addition by subtraction!