The series on team offense continues with the Chicago White Sox. The Pale Hose finished tied for eighteenth in the majors and eleventh in the American League in offense last season, scoring 4.04 runs per game. They scored the exact same number of runs as their cross-town rivals, the Chicago Cubs.
The CBSSportsline probable batting order is the one manager rookie manager Robin Ventura is likely to write up this season. The OBP and slugging percentage used come from the Marcel the Monkey forecast system. Plugging those numbers in the Lineup Analysis Tool (LAT) produces the following results:
- Best lineup: 4.72 runs per game
- Probable lineup: 4.66 runs per game
- Worst lineup: 4.47 runs per game
- Regressed lineup: 4.34 runs per game
Wow. Robin Ventura pretty much nails the LAT lineup. The tool swaps Paul Konerko and Alexei Ramirez, and puts Dayan Viciedo higher. However, the order of the poor hitters on the team, Brent Morel, A.J. Pierzynski, Alexi Rios, and Gordon Beckham is right on. I don’t have a problem with Viciedo batting low, however, since his projection seems a bit high, given his history. Marcel seems to be giving him a big boost due to his young age. A great job by Robin putting together his first lineup.
The good news for White Sox fans is there is potential for some of these players beating their projections. If spring training is any indication, Adam Dunn should rebound. His is capable of much a much better OBP and more power. Beckham and Morel are still early in their primes, so there is some hope of them reaching their potential. If everything goes right, this should be a much better offensive year for Chicago.
You can see the results of all the teams on this Google spreadsheet as the series progresses.
Previous articles in this series:
- Explanation
- Boston Red Sox
- New York Yankees
- Texas Rangers
- Detroit Tigers
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Colorado Rockies
- Cincinnati Reds
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Kansas City Royals
- Milwaukee Brewers
- New York Mets
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Baltimore Orioles
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Cleveland Indians
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
If you like the Lineup Analysis Tool or series like this, please consider donating to the Baseball Musings Pledge Drive.