5 WHITE SOX

OVERALL RANK 15

ENEMY LINES

A RIVAL SCOUT SIZES UP CHICAGO

They've done a good job of rebuilding. It's tough to get too optimistic about this year, but there's still some thunder in the lineup.... José Abreu looks good, the ball is jumping off his bat.... . Todd Frazier is one of the best third basemen in the game, with plus-plus raw power. He strikes out a bit, but when he's going well, he can carry a club.... Tim Anderson plays out of control a little and makes some careless errors, still, he gives you game-changing speed .... The ball still jumps off Melky Cabrera's bat from time to time, but everything's slowed a little.... Charlie Tilson is a player they really like, but he has a ways to go. He can run, is a plus defender, though he's never really had any power.... If Avisail García can stay in shape, he can hit 20 home runs.... If they keep these guys, the rotation could be pretty good. Carlos Rodon has shown flashes of great ability.... If José Quintana had been on a better team, he would've had 18-20 wins last year ... James Shields and Derek Holland are fourth or fifth starters now, but Holland has the stuff to be better than that. Can he stay healthy? Probably not, no.... Yoan Moncada is one of the top prospects in baseball. He has a chance to hit for average and power, he's a plus-plus runner, and he can really throw. But they need to be patient.... From Washington they got Lucas Giolito, a power arm with all the potential in the world, and Reynaldo López, who's up to 100 mph.... The guy who could pass them both is Dane Dunning. Another big arm is Michael Kopech.... I think they'll be better in 2018, but it's probably the following season when they really establish these guys.

MANAGER RICK RENTERIA

1ST SEASON WITH CHICAGO

B-T BA OBP SLG WAR

CF CHARLIE TILSON [ROOKIE] [DEFENSIVE STAR]

L-L .282 .345 .407 -[MINOR LEAGUE STATS]

SS TIM ANDERSON [RISING]

R-R .283 .306 .432 2.8

LF MELKY CABRERA [DECLINING]

S-L .296 .345 .455 2.6

1B JOSÉ ABREU [TEAM MVP]

R-R .293 .353 .468 2.8

3B TODD FRAZIER

R-R .225 .302 .464 3.4

RF AVISAIL GARCÍA

R-R .245 .307 .385 0.8

DH CODY ASCHE [NEW ACQUISITION]

L-R .213 .284 .350 -0.7

C GEOVANY SOTO [NEW ACQUISITION] [DECLINING]

R-R .269 .321 .487 0.4

2B TYLER SALADINO

R-R .282 .315 .409 1.8

BENCH

B-T BA OBP SLG WAR

IF YOLMER SÁNCHEZ

S-R .208 .236 .357 0.0

OF PETER BOURJOS [NEW ACQUISITION] [DEFENSIVE STAR]

R-R .251 .292 .389 0.1

W ERA K/9 WAR

LH JOSÉ QUINTANA [BARGAIN] [RISING]

13--12 3.20 7.8 5.1

LH CARLOS RODON [BARGAIN] [RISING]

9--10 4.04 9.2 1.5

RH MIGUEL GONZÁLEZ

5--8 3.73 6.3 2.0

RH JAMES SHIELDS [DECLINING]

6--19 5.85 6.1 -1.1

LH DEREK HOLLAND [NEW ACQUISITION] [INJURY RISK] [DECLINING]

7--9 4.95 5.6 0.8

SV ERA K/9 WAR

RH DAVID ROBERTSON

37 3.47 10.8 1.2

RH NATE JONES

3 2.29 10.2 2.3

NEW ACQUISITION

2016 STATS

(R) ROOKIE

*MINOR LEAGUE STATS

TEAM MVP

DEFENSIVE STAR

INJURY RISK

BARGAIN

RISING

DECLINING

MODEST PROPOSAL

The White Sox released incumbent second baseman Brett Lawrie early in camp, and Tyler Saladino, a utilityman in starter's clothing, is the front-runner for the job until Yoan Moncada is ready. What about Leury García, though? García, a one-time top prospect with the Rangers, is still just 26. He had a .367 OBP with 18 steals at Charlotte—leadoff skills Chicago could use. True, his career .188 average argues against giving him a job, but that's in just 331 appearances over four seasons. The Sox should let García earn regular time in hopes of finding 2017's Jonathan Villar.

BOTTOM LINE

2019 could be a great year on the South Side. 2017? Not so much.