Tag: Luis Robert

The White Sox are so locked in that they can even overcome rough starts from Dallas Keuchel

Watch out, baseball: The Southsiders have found their groove.

It wasn’t long ago — about a few weeks, to be precise — that the White Sox looked dead in the water. After losing 10 of 12 games in late April (including three straight series to three separate teams): One of the preseason favorites Sox looked more like preseason pretenders.

Ah, but it’s a long year, Dear Reader. That means there’s always time to correct the course.

Since taking a finale against the Angels at home, the White Sox have been on a tear. They went into Wrigley and dispatched the rebuilding Cubs with relative ease. Then, in an early-season test of mettle — despite the Red Sox’s (-140 favorites on Sunday) fellow struggles — the White Sox marched through Fenway for a resounding sweep.

Now, it’s six straight victories for a squad many picked to be playing deep in October. And, perhaps more importantly, they’ve now finished up only the seventh five-game (or more) unbeaten road trip in franchise history. Whoa.

I’m not going to say it’s unbelievable because teams go through so many ups and downs over a six-month, 162-game campaign. Still, it is striking how quickly the White Sox clicked themselves back into rhythm.

They didn’t tear apart the Cubs or Red Sox. But they didn’t have to. They needed more wins on the board and a mix of clutch playmaking. The sort of clutch playmaking that had many folks thinking of them as a squad more than worthy of being a late October/early November team.

In all honesty, the White Sox have been so good over the past week that they could even win a Dallas Keuchel start! Yes, seriously. No disrespect to Keuchel — who’s had a heck of a career — but he’s definitely seen better days. If Chicago can steal wins from games he starts, that might be the preeminent indicator of smooth sailing.

The White Sox have been so good it’s easy to forget they still won’t have some core pieces for a little while. Lance Lynn and Eloy Jimenez — two integral players for any deep run at a World Series — continue to nurse respective injuries.

But with Luis Robert and Dylan Cease at the forefront, suddenly Chicago resembles the heavyweight everyone thought they’d be.

Oh, and they’re about to get back their third baseman — the solid Yoan Moncada:

I don’t know whether the White Sox will live up to their lofty World Series expectations for sure. But the degree to which their season flipped on a whim is another excellent reminder that an MLB season is a marathon, not a sprint.

Pace yourself, and don’t panic.

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Why I’m riding with the White Sox all the way to the World Series

2005 will be an even more distant memory come October.

I can’t remember the last time there were this many talented, deep teams in baseball.

For example, there are the Blue Jays and reigning MVP runner-up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In Tampa Bay, Randy Arozarena and friends haven’t lost any steam. The Dodgers — who are clearly in possession of baseball’s lone infinite Bag of Holding — will always be a factor as long as they have Mookie Betts and Trea Turner, and Freddie Freeman. (Oh my goodness.)

Lest I forget, there are also the Astros, Yankees, Padres, and Brewers, among other potential powerhouses. Phew.

Which, look: These teams are all well and good. And I certainly respect the preseason baseball sentiments of some of my colleagues defending them. I get it. I do.

They’re smart, but most of them are so very, very wrong: The White Sox are about to have a dream season.

Come on: You cannot argue with stellar center/right fielders that wear Adidas Samba shoes at the tender age of 34.

A.J. Pollock, take a bow, sir.

Look at that casual fit! That’s a .355 on-base percentage and 137 OPS+ outfit if I ever saw one.

On a serious note, if you want to seem baseball smart to your casual sports-watching friends, you’ll tell them the White Sox might possess the deepest lineup in baseball. A lineup that features Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, Eloy JimĂ©nez, Yoan Moncada, and of course, Pollock. Whoops, sorry. I’m out of breath.

Robert, especially: The inarguable best player the Sox roster — an elite centerfielder that hits for power — is criminally underrated as an MVP candidate by Tipico Sportsbook. +1500 odds (sixth-best overall) is an absolute steal for a player of Robert’s gifts. After some poor injury luck to start his career, if Robert plays in a majority of the Sox’s games this season, he’s unquestionably walking away with hardware. He’ll carry the Sox the entire year.

As far as the starting rotation, the initial temporary loss of Lance Lynn to knee surgery hurts, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one-two punch than Lucas Giolito and Dylan Cease. They are more than capable of holding the fort down.

Cease, in particular, who possesses some of the filthiest, most electric stuff in all of baseball, is also curiously being somewhat overlooked for his first career Cy Young. The 26-year-old has struggled with his command, and those issues might still yet come back to haunt him.

Call it a hunch: He’s a polished pitcher now and will be untouchable for the majority of the next seven (yes, seven) months. Take those paltry +1200 odds for the AL Cy Young and run with them.

Run and don’t stop running, Forrest!

Now, ultimately, I know a lot can happen in baseball. A 162-game season opens up a lot of opportunities for pitfalls. Heaven only knows the White Sox have plenty of experience with walking into traps and general misfortune.

But this is the year. This is the season a top-flight lineup with minimal holes, a stellar rotation with two aces, and the arguable best bullpen in baseball led by reigning Reliever of the Year, Liam Hendriks, pieces it together. This team is so dang good top to bottom; not even Tony La Russa could screw it up. They have an answer for every contender and their manager. (Don’t ask me to elaborate.)

I want that +1000 for the South Siders to win the World Series, and I’m never looking back. After the 2005 title that may or may not have happened, maybe people will actually remember this eventual season full of achievement and glory.

Roll with the 2022 White Sox across the board. You can thank me later.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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