2009 V3 - Black Sox end disappointing campaign

[kestu]

The Black Sox came into 2009 with high hopes. Coming off their first winning season in a decade, their 85 win season in 2008 was viewed as a starting point. Despite trading away key players from it's 2008 team such as Jose Lopez, Chris Neal and Juan Rivera in the preseason, and then moving Joshua Noble at the trade deadline the Black Sox had enough talent to make their first playoff appearance since 1998.

However, a terrible April (10-18) and a terrible September (10-17) were too much for the Black Sox to overcome. The bullpen was the main driver behind the disappointing performance - finishing 10th in the JL with a 4.81 ERA. While the starting pitching finished a mediocre 6th in the JL, it was expected to be the key component of their drive to the playoffs this year. Only Tom MaDonald stepped up his game, finishing 18-7 with a 3.63 ERA and 183 k's. While the starting staff is young they will need to improve drastically for this team to move forward.

Offensively the team outperformed expectations overall - finishing 2nd in average and 4th in runs scored. Their offensive leader, Orlando Chavez finished with a .328/.368/.495 season with 24 home runs and 105 RBI's. DH Phil Owry stepped up his game after mercifully being removed from the field. His .276/.357/.484 line with 22 home runs was despite a .220 average during the first two full months of the season.

The team should be in good shape for 2010 as the pitching staff will be a year older and Roy Nevel Jr. and Jason Brooks should both be ready to move forward and become top tier pitchers. Hitters such as Edgar Medina and Bart Lavigne will also be a year older and should build on their strong 2009 campaigns. Rookie Xander Jones will also battle for a starting spot in the spring.

[mrbornac]

If ever you find yourself wanting to get rid of Bart, please let me know!