The start of the regular season is nearly upon us. We are a little more than 2 weeks out from Opening Day, so let’s go over some quick points about the White Sox 2022 season.
-The White Sox Will Need Their Starting Pitching To Step Up
I covered this more in this article, but essentially the Sox will need their starting pitching to step up to make a deep run in the playoffs. Players like Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Dylan Cease will need to have big years in order for the White Sox to make it past the first round.
Luis Robert Will Have A Career Year
Luis Robert’s first two MLB years were plagued by two different things. His first year, 2020, was a shortened season due to COVID-19. And last year, 2021, he ended up getting injured and missed much of the year. However, in the time that he did play, he excelled. Robert finished his season slashing .338/.378/.567 with 13 home runs and 3.6 WAR.
As we’ve seen throughout his career, Robert has incredible talent and potential. However, there are still parts of his game that need to be refined. The most notable of these is his lack of walks; in 296 PA, he only drew 14 walks. That should’ve been his main focus in the offseason, but even if he doesn’t improve at all in that regard, Robert is still an excellent player.
In 2022, I believe that he can turn the corner from rising star to superstar for two reasons: his potential and the possibility of a full season. As I previously mentioned, his potential is sky high. Before the 2020 season, Robert ranked at #2 in the Baseball America prospect rankings. I remind you, this is a player who has only had 523 PA in his career. The possibility of seeing Robert playing a full season excites me. The hope for 2022 is that he’s injury-free and ready to contribute at a high level for the White Sox.
Jose Abreu Will Have His Last Great Year
This is a sad one. In fact, it hurt me just to write that sentence. Jose Abreu has been the cornerstone of the White Sox since he arrived from Cuba in 2014. Abreu turned 35 this offseason, meaning that he’s not the same player that he used to be. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still an incredible player. Abreu won the American League MVP in 2020 after a fantastic season. However, he’s never been a great fielder, and that won’t improve as he ages. Abreu will most likely have to start playing DH after 2022.
2021 was by no means a “great” year for Abreu. He was still good; it was a decent year. It was on par with his 2019 campaign: decent but not great. That’s going to change in 2022. Abreu will have a stellar year, although it will be his last.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to comment!
