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Chicago White Sox
Team Page | Roster | Spring Training Schedule | Regular Season Schedule
On this page: Arrivals | Departures | Spring Cleaning | Team Breakdown | Prospects | Predictions

Frank Thomas returned to MVP form last season, hitting .328 with 43 homers and 143 RBIs. Donald Miralle/Allsport

By Aimee Crawford, CNNSI.com

Was Chicago's sudden, surprising success in 2000 a fluke?

In the span of one season, the White Sox went from a young team with potential to a squad of Southside Hitmen who consistently outslugged the American League's best teams. They won 95 games -- most in the league -- and went 8-4 against the Yankees, 7-5 against the Mariners and 8-5 against the Indians.

The Sox broke Cleveland's five-year stranglehold on the AL Central Division and reached the postseason for the first time in seven years -- before collapsing in the first round of the playoffs when their main weakness, the lack of a true ace, was exposed.

Ken Williams stepped in to replace longtime Chicago general manager Ron Schueler in October. One of his first major moves was clearly intended to rectify that deficiency: Williams acquired 20-game winner David Wells in a six-player trade with the Blue Jays on Jan. 14.

By sacrificing 27-year-old lefty Mike Sirotka -- to acquire a 37-year-old pitcher who has a history of gout and back problems -- Williams is taking a risk similar to the one Schueler assumed in the spring of 1992 when he traded Sammy Sosa for George Bell.

Wells will provide the Sox with a legitimate No. 1 starter and a pitcher with stellar postseason credentials -- his career playoff record is 8-1 -- something they clearly needed in the playoff flameout to the Mariners. He'll give them a ton of innings, and ton of experience.

Top Guns White Sox 2000 team leaders Avg.  Frank Thomas  .328  HR  Frank Thomas  43  RBIs  Frank Thomas  143  SB  Ray Durham  25  Wins  Mike Sirotka  15  ERA  Mike Sirotka  3.79  Ks  Mike Sirotka  128  Saves  Keith Foulke  34    Go Figure 330' New dimension down the left-field line at Comiskey Park this season, reduced from 347 last season.

But in addition to his considerable girth, Wells comes with a considerable potential risk. While he went 15-2 with a 3.44 ERA before the All-Star break last season, he was only 5-6, 4.97 in the second half.

Yet over the past two seasons he has led the AL in innings pitched (460 1/3) and is second in wins (37), so the Sox are counting on him to be their workhorse.

Wells' durability is especially important because one of the team's most pressing questions heading into camp is the health of its pitching staff. Two Sox starters, James Baldwin (shoulder) and Cal Eldred (elbow) are coming off surgery. Relievers Bob Howry and Sean Lowe both had shoulders scoped during the winter, and Bill Simas is out for the year after reconstructive elbow surgery.

However, the addition of Wells eases a lot of the pressure on Baldwin and Eldred.

While the pitching prognosis is still hazy, the offense is stacked. Once again, scoring will not be a problem for this team.

The Sox hit .286 last year, finished fourth in the AL in home runs and easily led the league with 978 runs. And now they're moving the fences in at Comiskey Park, by five and 17 feet in the corners.

Frank Thomas put up MVP-caliber numbers last season, hitting .328 with 43 home runs and 143 RBIs. He is surrounded in the lineup by a solid, young nucleus: Magglio Ordonez is 26 and hit .315 with 126 RBIs; Carlos Lee is 24 and hit .301 with 92 RBIs; Paul Konerko is 24 and batted .298 with 97 RBIs. Add 25-year-old catching prospect Josh Paul and 22-year old third baseman Joe Crede, and this team is well-stocked with sluggers.

The only major offensive loss is catcher Charles Johnson, who went back to the Marlins as a free agent in the offseason. So the Sox signed veteran Sandy Alomar Jr. for the same whom they hope will replicate his standout 1997 season (.324 Avg., 21 HR), as well as stay off the disabled list. (Alomar played only 97 games last season, and has played more than 130 only once in his career.)

Slick-fielding Royce Clayton was acquired in a trade from the Rangers and immediately became the team's starting shortstop, displacing Jose Valentin. While Clayton is an obvious defensive upgrade at the position, he may have a harder time replacing the Valentin's offense.

Look for Valentin to move to center field, and anywhere else the Sox need him, since manager Jerry Manuel values both his bat and leadership. In center, Valentin will battle the incumbent Chris Singleton.

Arrivals
Pos.	Player	From	Via
C	Sandy Alomar Jr.	Indians	Free Agency
SS	Royce Clayton	Rangers	Free Agency
RHP	Matt DeWitt	Blue Jays	Trade
INF	Amaury Garcia	Marlins	Trade
RHP	Gary Glover	Blue Jays	Trade
C	Miguel Olivo	Athletics	Trade
OF	Julio Ramirez	Marlins	Trade
LHP	David Wells	Blue Jays	Trade

Departures
Pos.	Player	To	Via
OF	Jeff Abbott	Marlins	Trade
RHP	Kevin Beirne	Blue Jays	Trade
RHP	Chad Bradford	Athletics	Trade
LHP	Scott Eyre	Blue Jays	Trade
C	Charles Johnson	Marlins	Free Agency
RHP	Aaron Myette	Rangers	Trade
3B	Greg Norton	Rockies	Trade
RHP	Mark Roberts	Marlins	Trade
RHP	Brian Schmack	Rangers	Trade
OF	Brian Simmons	Blue Jays	Trade
RHP	Mike Sirotka	Blue Jays	Trade
RHP	Mike Williams	Blue Jays	Trade
INF	Craig Wilson	TBA	Released

Spring Cleaning

Jon Garland Who's the No. 5 starter? Jon Garland, Kip Wells and Jon Rauch will contend for the spot in the rotation. Garland and Wells must rebound from mediocre 2000 auditions if they hope to stick with this year's squad. Rauch is likely to start the year in Class AAA, but could be an early call-up. Is top prospect Joe Crede ready to take over at the hot corner? He could beat out incumbent Herbert Perry -- who was a pleasant surprise for the Sox last season -- with a strong spring. Can Valentin play center field? He gracefully ceded his starting job to Clayton and proclaimed himself willing to play any position in 2001; now he's the favorite to take over in center, a position he played once in 2000. He worked on learning the position in Puerto Rico this winter. Is the pitching staff healthy? Starters Eldred and Baldwin, and relievers Howry and Lowe will find out if they're fit to return.

Team Breakdown
Projected Lineup		Projected Rotation
2B	Ray Durham	LHP	David Wells
CF	Jose Valentin	RHP	Cal Eldred
DH	Frank Thomas	LHP	Jim Parque
RF	Magglio Ordonez	RHP	James Baldwin
LF	Carlos Lee	RHPs	Jon Garland/Kip Wells
1B	Paul Konerko	Bullpen
3B	Herb Perry/Joe Crede	RHP	Keith Foulke (closer)
C	Sandy Alomar Jr.	RHP	Bobby Howry
SS	Royce Clayton	RHP	Sean Lowe
Key Reserves		LHP	Kelly Wunsch
OF	Chris Singleton	RHP	Lorenzo Barcelo
DH	Harold Baines	LHP	Mark Buehrle
OF	Jeff Liefer	RHP	Rocky Biddle

Prospects to Watch
RHP Jon Rauch -- Chicago's top pitching prospect, the 6-11 Rauch will also be the tallest pitcher in major league history. He was named Minor League Player of the Year in 2000 after a compiling a combined 16-4 record (with a 2.66 ERA) at Class A Winston-Salem and Class AA Birmingham. He also struck out 21 batters in 11 innings for the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team. His arsenal includes a low-90s fastball that he complements with an overhand curveball and changeup. 3B Joe Crede -- Crede won the Class AA Southern League MVP award last season after hitting an organization-best .306 with 35 doubles, 21 homers and 94 RBIs. He showed an ability to hit for power to all fields, and is a solid fielder. Crede will battle Perry, who batted .302 in 116 games for the Sox last season, for the starting third base job. RHP Matt Ginter -- Ginter stumbled out of the gate when he was promoted to the majors late last season, posting a 13.50 ERA in seven relief appearances. But the 1999 first-round pick was overpowering at Class AA Birmingham, thanks to a mid-90s fastball and tight slider. Ginter is likely to start the season at Class AAA, but may break into the rotation by 2002. OF Joe Borchard -- Considered by some scouts to be the best college power prospect since Mark McGwire, Borchard was the 12th overall pick in last year's draft. The Sox committed a record $5.3 million bonus to keep him from returning to a two-sport career at Stanford, where he was expected to be the starting quarterback. Borchard progressed quickly to Class AA after stops at the Rookie-level Arizona League and Class A Carolina League. Though a sore back ended his Arizona Fall League season, he'll likely start the season in Class AAA and may well be ready to contend for an outfield position by the end of the season.
Best-Case Scenario
Wells puts together another 20-win season, newcomers Alomar and Clayton equal their predecessors' offensive output and the reduced dimensions at Comiskey Park result in even bigger numbers for the Southsiders. If the starting pitching is solid, Garland and Wells mature, and young hitters such as Paul Konerko and Carlos Lee keep improving, this team should have little trouble getting back to the playoffs. And with a true, playoff-tested No. 1 starter, they should advance deeper this season.
Worst-Case Scenario
Boomer's arm, Alomar's knees and the Big Hurt's bat all give out. The cadre of young pitchers suffers stage fright, and Baldwin, Eldred, Howry, Lowe and Simas are all damaged goods. Then, in replay of last October's postseason flop, Manuel is again outfoxed as his team forgets how to hit, pitch and run bases.
Bottom Line
The Sox won't sneak up on anyone this season. Last year they were a surprise, but this time around they might be the favorite. While this team won't be the same as the squad that won 95 games, it also won't resemble the one that hit .185 in the playoffs and scored only six runs. The Sox boast a young, talented roster, and some of the best pitching talent in the minor leagues. But a trip to the World Series is the only reasonable goal for a team coming off a 95-win season.

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