Black Sox Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online
On the eve of Opening Day, 2045, the Chicago Black Sox call to mind a Charlie Sheen movie of the late 1980s.
No, not Major League. The Sox are anything but major.
We were thinking more like Platoon – a harrowing slog likely ending in tragedy, plus lineups heavy on, well, platoons.
Still, fans are not without hope. There are a handful of new faces, due to a couple of trades, an offseason free agent signing, and the departure of a certain All-Star catcher who shall remain nameless (or at least hitless).
Here, then, is the 2045 Edition of the Black Sox, lukewarm off the press:
Starting Rotation
| Rotation | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Amayas Moelling | Romeu Tameiro | John McClain | David Bates | Pancho Germán |
| Handed | R | R | R | L | R |
| Ratings | 10/8/8 | 9/7/6 | 9/8/6 | 8/8/6 | 8/7/6 |
Rookie John McLain struggled out of the gate and, ultimately, finished out the season at AAA Carolina after posting a 5.82 ERA. The coaching staff is hoping for much better this year out of their promising 22-year-old right hander.
A couple of other disappointments were newcomer Pancho Germán, who was just OK in the 5th rotation slot (6-11, 4.32), and David Bates, who pitched in tough luck all season (5-15, 3.62).
There were bright spots, though: Amayas Moelling turned in another fine season (13-9, 3.57 ERA) and rookie Romeu Tameiro (15-1, 3.75) made an excellent debut.
Chicago is bringing back the same cast of characters (except for veteran Juan Nicto, who languished on the bench most of the season and then left for free agency) for another go-around.
Coaches believe part of the problem last year was spotty infield defense, especially from 3B Tomás Durán, who hit well but posted a Zone Rating of nearly -9 (as in negative 9). With that position addressed over the off-season, however, Chicago is hoping for better defense out of its infield – and better results from its groundball-heavy starting staff.
Bullpen
| Role | STP | STP | STP | LR | LR | LR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Gilberto Sosa | Mitchell Purssell | Francisco Salgado | Gilberto Cordero | Frits Brinson | Paul Kemp |
| Handed | R | R | L | R | L | L |
| Ratings | 15/7/8 | 17/7/6 | 12/6/9 | 10/7/8 | 11/6/7 | 8/7/8 |
The June acquisition of Mitchell Purssell from Phoenix turned a solid, traditional relief corps into a stopper-centric super ‘pen that helped lift the Sox into second place in the Heartland Division and into a third straight postseason.
Purssell, Gilberto Sosa, Francisco Salgado and Gilberto Cordero were the “Four Horsemen of the Calumet” who came into the game in late inning and/or high leverage situations. Each put together terrific seasons, and were helped along by long relievers Paul Kemp and Frits Brinson.
That same group is back and likely will be joined at some point in the season by excellent relief prospect Jorge Rivera or talented reliever Brian Smith.
Infield
| Vs RHP | 3B | 2B | SS | 1B | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | José Benavidez | Rocky Wattson | Jaime Ramirez | Aarnaud Budding | Spencer Hillson |
| Ratings | 7/8/7/5/7 | 8/9/8/4/8 | 7/6/1/4/8 | 10/13/10/7/6 | 7/7/6/6/6 |
| Defense | 6/8/11/6 | 8/7/3/7 | 9/11/10/10 | 6/4/4/5 | 7 Ability, 8 Arm |
| Vs LHP | 3B | 2B | SS | 1B | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | José Benavidez | Rocky Wattson | Jaime Ramirez | Joaquin Hebner | Spencer Hillson |
| Ratings | 7/8/7/5/7 | 9/10/9/5/8 | 7/7/1/4/9 | 9/9/3/7/8 | 7/7/6/6/6 |
| Defense | 6/8/11/6 | 8/7/3/7 | 9/11/10/10 | 3/4/4/5 | 7 Ability, 8 Arm |
Familiar faces will fill the rest of the infield positions: Rocky Wattson at 2B, fresh off signing a 6-year contract extension); Jose Ramirez at SS, and Aarnaud Budding – whose already-strong hitting ratings look even stronger now that we’ve gone to true ratings - at 1B. Joaquin Hebner, another holdover, will sub in for Budding against left-handers.
If the term “addition by subtraction” applies anywhere, it applies at catcher. Gone is Diesel Dave, All Star, who hit 31 homers but also slashed .183/.232/.441 with 189 strikeouts and just 17 walks.
And, oh yeah, he struck out in all three at-bats during the All-Star game.
The replacement is Spencer Hillson, team captain, solid defensively and perfectly adequate at the plate when he gets a chance. He’ll be joined, to start the season, by journeyman Tierney Care, who’s also a captain and good behind the plate. Any offense he provides will be a happy accident.
Outfield and DH
| Vs RHP | Left Field | Center Field | Right Field | DH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | William Wood | Niccolo Machiavelli | Sebastian Fradesso | Hao Hang |
| Ratings | 6/8/9/6/6 | 7/6/3/7/7 | 9/8/8/6/8 | 9/9/10/6/6 |
| Defense | 7/8/10 | 9/11/10 | 5/8/11 | N/A |
| Vs LHP | Left Field | Center Field | Right Field | DH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Paul Kemp | Tommy Holman | Sebastian Fradesso | Robby Clements |
| Ratings | 9/9/8/3/8 | 7/6/7/6/6 | 9/9/8/6/9 | 8/8/9/5/7 |
| Defense | 4/7/6 | 9/9/11 | 5/8/11 | N/A |
Free agent William Wood, who signed a one-year contract, figures to start against right handers in left field, while two-way player Paul Kemp will get the nod there against lefties.
In CF, Niccolo Machiavelli will start versus RHP, while Tommy Holman (acquired via trade with Phoenix) will start against LHP.
In RF, 23-year-old Sebastian Fradesso will start full-time.
DH, however, will see another platoon, with Hao Hang (whose true offensive ratings look significantly better than they have in recent seasons) getting the nod against righthanders and hoping for a return to his 2042 form after two years of abysmal performance and minor league demotions.
Robby Clements, who had a bad case of sophomore slumpitis last year, hopes to regain his 2043 batting stroke and anchor the DH spot against lefthanders. Scouts say his hitting ratings, too, improved some over the offseason.
The Bench
Chicago is carrying two defensive specialists to help round out the roster: utility superman Joe Mills, who excels at every position on the diamond except catcher, and Manuel De Los Santos, who plays every outfield position at an elite level (LF 12; CF 11; RF 11). Neither is especially good at the plate … but that’s not why they’re on the team, either.
In addition, the Sox still have Tomás Durán - a fine hitter and good base runner who can step into the DH role against right-handers should Hao Hang falter. If Durán takes the field as third baseman, though, something will have gone horribly wrong ...
Conclusions
Management is hoping that some significant offensive rating bumps (Budding, Hang, and Clements) plus a better showing from McClain and continued excellence by the bullpen will add up to a fourth straight playoff berth.
Of course, everyone else in the Heartland has been changing, adding and improving, too, so we’ll have to see how things unfold.
But it should be a fascinating ride.
