The 5 – Wild White Sox predictions for a 50 Game Season

I like Joe Sheehan

Why does it matter? No one alive is going to not remember why 2020's season was shortened. No one is going to see the White Sox go 38-12 and think they're the best team ever. "Credibility" is a bullshit dump. 50 games > no games. Embrace a season that's all sprint. https://t.co/fIuilzJYcE

— Joe Sheehan (@joe_sheehan) June 4, 2020

I also like when things get fun and unpredictable and variance happens. MySoxSummer would say that I like chaos, but that’s not true, I like controlled chaos…..I don’t much enjoy this COVID-19 shit, which is a sort of uncontrolled chaos, but if it is in the confines of some controlled game, or structure, well, FUCK IT, let’s have some shit happen.

That premise got me thinking this past week about my #3Things question for my guest Jordan Lazowski. I asked “Give me a WILD White Sox prediction for the potential 50 game season”….you’ll have to watch his episode of #3Things for his interesting and totally ON BRAND answer, but it got me thinking a little deeper about the question. 50 game slivers of the entire ocean of baseball history are likely quite insane and not representative of an entire season. So what kind of nutty shit could happen to our White Sox if it is a 50 game season that is settled upon by ole Kim Jong…err….Rob Manfred. Let’s see…..I bring you the 5

🖤 pic.twitter.com/hQjPCQvG4b

— T A 7 (@TimAnderson7) May 31, 2020

Tim Anderson leads the MLB 25 SB

This was my answer to the question in the most recent #3Things. This conclusion is simple, I feel like the stolen base is just used less often and less opportunistically in the regular season in general because of the wear and tear it puts on the base runner throughout the rigors of 162. However, in a truncated schedule, with expanded playoffs, you have to go all out and Tim Anderson strikes me as the type of guy that looks at hisself like MJ, trying to improve a different part of his game each off-season. I could see him start running A LOT more in a shortened 2020 season, despite the fact that the White Sox should smash a lot of dingers.

Lucas Giolito goes winless

I just got finished listening to an excellent Red Line Radio in which the fellas talk to Lucas Giolito and he couldn’t be more wonderful and I don’t think a single player interview has ever gotten me more pumped up about how a good player can even improve on his performance year-over-year than this one. That being said, VARIANCE can be a mufucka. Think about it, 50 game season, pencils out to around 10 starts for Lucas (give or take depending on weather / off-days etc). Let’s say MLB rushes this start to be all fucking patriotic for July 4th and SP’s aren’t quite ready to throw a full 5 innings, you lose a start or two there….maybe a couple of starts where the White Sox offense thinks they are facing Bruce Chen, then a couple of bullpen blow outs and then god forbid our ace has a bad start or tree in the mix. Voila….you have far and away the best pitcher on the staff not registering a “Pitcher Win” for 2 months.

Jose Abreu puts up his best slash line EVAR

The best player of the last half decade to put on a White Sox uniform got a much deserved and much criticized contract extension this past off-season. A contract that I tried to explain, was reasonable and people shouldn’t get their proverbial short pants in a bunch over, HERE and HERE. Anywho, there is absolutely no reason Jose Abreu can’t best his previous best slash line ever (which was .317/.383/.581 in his rookie season of 2014). In Abreu’s career he has an OPS that is 60 pts higher in the 2nd half than in the 1st half of the season. Luckily for this prediction, the entire season will be played in the “2nd half” if you will.

Nick Madrigal plays 0 games

My guy Chorizy has been arguing that Nick Madrigal should start the season on the Opening Day roster and I don’t disagree, he’s the best 2nd baseman on the roster, however, when we’ve already been fed the line of bullshit from Rick Hahn that Nick “still needs to work on some things” and with MLB owners sitting on the corner in a wheelchair trying to sell us a cup of pencils, I could totally see a situation where the White Sox preserve ANOTHER YEAR of service time on old Nick. It’s totally bullshit, but why not do it? He becomes an even better trade asset if all of his service time years are in tact or he ends up being your favorite player at the end of this run when the team kinda sucks, but he’s still here batting .300 and looking all hustley.

Andrew Vaughn wins a playoff series MVP

Now, lets go in the other direction. I anecdotally remember some prospect guys saying that it’s totally reasonable that Andrew Vaughn join the 2020 White Sox in the 2nd half if the conditions permitted it. When you have a short season like this, variance swamps everything and you want to put together “Ball Go Far, Team Go Far” squad (I told you I love Joe Sheehan), so why not start using Vaughn right away. I know you have Edwin sitting there and Abreu and you’ll want to get Grandal some reps at DH / 1B when he’s not catching, but even one injury, even one rough looking week out of a “maturing” Edwin and I’m going to Vaughn. I could see it now, Vaughn starts the ALCS and smacks 5 HR’s in the series.

I can’t fucking wait to have baseball back.

You think these are nuts?!?!?!?! Let’s see yours on twitter.

-BeefLoaf