Sox On 35th Writers’ 2022 White Sox Predictions

Baseball is back and the 2022 season is right around the corner! Despite times this off-season where the future of baseball looked bleak, MLB teams will be playing a full 162 game schedule this year. Before the season officially kicks off, many of our writers and contributors will dish out our official predictions for how we see the 2022 season playing out.

Let us know what you think of our predictions!

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Record

Jordan Lazowski | Editor-In-Chief

• Prediction: 94-68, 1st Place in AL Central

While the overall AL Central division is going to be much better than it was last season, there is still no one in this division good enough to make a serious run at the White Sox in 2022. The Tigers aren’t too far behind, while the Twins will be improved enough to be more frustrating. Whether or not you are happy with how the White Sox operated this offseason, this team is still incredibly good and incredibly dedicated to winning. They might not have put themselves in the best position they could have to win it all, but at the same time, this is a really freaking good team.

Nik Gaur | Managing Editor

• Prediction: 92-70, 1st Place in AL Central

While the AL Central projects to be much more competitive this year, with arguably every team improving over the offseason except for the White Sox and Guardians, I still think it’ll be another year before the Tigers or Royals seriously contend for the division. I do think the Twins will be a threat this year, but I see them finishing with closer to 86 wins.

Adam Kaplan (aka MillennialSox) | Senior Contributor

• Prediction: 93-69, 1st Place in AL Central

The 2021 White Sox went 93-69. If relatively healthy, the 2022 White Sox should win a few more games than their 2021 predecessor which saw Eloy Jiménez, Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal, and Yasmani Grandal miss significant time. However, per DraftKings, the Sox over/under for total wins in 2022 is 91.5. I think the Sox will hit the over, but I don’t want to veer too far away from an oddsmaker. Vegas always knows best so I’ll stick with 93 wins as well for the 2022 team.

Noah Phalen | Contributor

• Prediction: 94-68, 1st Place in AL Central

Despite improvements from some of the other teams in the AL Central, namely Carlos Correa going to the Twins, I still think the White Sox are the best team in the division. The Twins still need pitching, and it would take an unrealistic number of things going right for the Tigers to take the division this year. Cleveland didn’t even really bother to act like they were trying, and the Royals are still a couple years away. I think the Sox will have a similar record to last season. I’ll say 94-68 and their second straight division title.

Michael Suareo | Contributor

• Prediction: 91-71, 1st Place in AL Central

The White Sox are still the best team in in the AL Central, and while losing Carlos Rodón weakens our starting rotation, the additions of Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly, Josh Harrison, and A.J. Pollock make this a more complete roster overall. The Twins and Tigers made some big moves this offseason and narrowed the gap, but neither team is on par with the Sox in terms of putting together a complete 26 man roster. Also, take into account that the White Sox are beginning the season healthier than they were last year (minus Crochet), there is no reason that they shouldn’t see a 90+ win season and claim their second division title in a row. 

Thatcher Zalewski | Contributor

• Prediction: 95-67, 1st Place in AL Central

The White Sox once again are the favorites to win the AL Central. While the division may not be a cakewalk again, the White Sox have the best roster built to win this division. Minnesota is looking to rebound, and Detroit did improve. However, they still don’t have enough to take down the reigning division champs, the Chicago White Sox. 

Justin Salgado | Contributor

• Prediction: 96-66, 1st Place in AL Central

While the rest of the AL Central has been on a spending spree, the White Sox have mostly stood pat bringing back much of the same team that ran away with the AL Central last season. However, the Sox still have the deepest rotation and lineup of any team in the division and will continue to feast on some weaker pitching staffs in the division. The other teams may be closing the gap, but they still seem to have too many holes and are a year away or so from really being a threat to the Sox.

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Team MVP

Jordan Lazowski: Yoan Moncada

Honorable Mentions here go to the obvious candidate in Luis Robert as well as Yasmani Grandal. It is truly time for Yoan Moncada to take a step forward in his career and silence a lot of the criticism he’s been receiving for with some time. I think this is the season he does it, and when he does, it’s going to result in him having a standout season for the South Siders.

Nik Gaur: Luis Robert

With honorable mentions to Yasmani Grandal and Lucas Giolito, I think every White Sox fan knows that a healthy season from Luis Robert would not just put him in the “Team MVP” category, but in contention for the AL MVP itself.

Adam Kaplan: Luis Robert

I am not going to belabor the obvious. If healthy, Luis Robert is the best player on the Chicago White Sox. I’m still dubious he will complete for AL MVP, but he will be the White Sox MVP. If you want to read more about Robert, check out my article where I compare Robert to the best center fielders in the American League.

Noah Phalen: Luis Robert

I’m going to go with the likely popular answer here. If Luis Robert stays healthy, not only will he be the White Sox team MVP, but he’s got a chance to be the AL MVP. Staying healthy, of course, is a big caveat, but Robert has the 5-tool talent to be the best player on this ballclub. After a huge final month in 2021 and a good spring so far, he’s ready to unleash it.

Michael Suareo: Luis Robert

I thought hard about choosing Tim Anderson here, but no player on this roster has the ability to make quite the impact that a healthy Luis Robert can. While the sample size is still relatively small, he made some large strides in terms of his vision, discipline, and approach at the plate. While his .394 BABIP may lead some to question whether or not he can duplicate what he did in 68 regular season games last season, there is no question he has the ability to carry this lineup. Pair that with his Gold Glove abilities in center field, and he could be the closest thing in MLB to Mike Trout.

Thatcher Zalewski: Yasmani Grandal

Many different players could’ve been picked for this award such as Luis Robert, Eloy Jiménez and Tim Anderson. However, let’s go a bit outside of the box and give the award to Yasmani Grandal. First off, he gets on base, so how can you hate that? Next, Grandal played an impactful role when coming back from knee surgery in 2021 and provided an immediate impact. Grandal finished last season by slashing .337/.481/.674/1.154 in the second half. He will look to continue this dominance and be arguably the best catcher in the league. 

Justin Salgado: Luis Robert

Luis Robert has a chance to be the LEAGUE MVP, let alone the team MVP. Robert has all the tools in the world and finished last season strong after returning from a serious hip injury. With elite hitting and defense, Robert is easily one of the top talents in all of MLB. Sox fans should be beyond excited at the prospect of a full season of Luis Robert. The scary thing for opposing teams is that Robert has only played 124 games and already looks like he’s figured things out.

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Team Cy Young

Jordan Lazowski: Dylan Cease

The obvious Honorable Mention here for me is Lucas Giolito, who I fully expect to take another step forward in his career after having added 20 pounds of muscle to stabilize his fastball velocity. However, I maintain what I’ve said for a very long time: Dylan Cease has the best pure “stuff” in this rotation. After taking a huge step forward in 2021, I’m prepared for him to take another one heading into 2022. The leap? He needs to avoid getting deep into counts, especially when he gets ahead of hitters 0-2 or 1-2. Once he does that in 2022, there will be no one to stop him from not only being the Cy Young of the White Sox, but also garnering plenty of AL Cy Young support.

Nik Gaur: Lucas Giolito

While Carlos Rodón or Lance Lynn might have had a better argument for this award in 2021, I am a believer in Lucas Giolito’s offseason work to stabilize his fastball velocity in order to eliminate his “off games” where he sits at 92-93 MPH. In my opinion, it is those games that singlehandedly have kept Giolito out of AL Cy Young conversations in recent years. With Rodón in San Francisco, Lynn turning 35 in May, and Cease/Kopech needing to show a bit more for me to consider them against the top two starters in the rotation, I think Giolito is the easy pick here.

Adam Kaplan: Reynaldo López

I wrote my predictions last Thursday and selected Lance Lynn as my Team Cy Young Candidate. Not only did I want to mix it up from the Dylan Cease vs. Lucas Giolito debate, but I truly believed that Lynn, who finished 3rd in AL Cy Young voting in 2021, would continue his dominance until this new season. However, if Lance Lynn is going to miss 8 weeks minimum, he is ineligible for this award in my book. As such, I’ll sing the praises of Reynaldo López. After an abysmal 2020 season and losing a spot in the rotation to Carlos Rodón before the 2021 season began, ReyLo finished last season strong. In a little under 58 innings and 9 games started under his belt, López ended 2021 with an ERA of 3.43. He also increased his K/9 to 8.58 while drastically cutting down on the walks – 2.03 BB/9. I don’t believe Reynaldo López will end the 2022 season having the best numbers out of any Sox starting pitcher; however, in terms of what now will be asked of him and the solid numbers I think he’ll put up? Well, as Kevin Durant once said, “You The Real MVP”.

Noah Phalen: Lucas Giolito

Dylan Cease is probably the trendy answer here due to his breakout potential, but I’m going to go with the more obvious answer: Lucas Giolito. Since 2019, Giolito has turned his career around, and you get the vibe that one of these years he’s just going to dominate. The stuff is there, and in 2021 he started working in a third pitch more. If he can get his curveball to the point of being a pitch that batters actually have to watch for, it adds a whole new level to his game. He’s looked good in spring training so far, and I think he’s on the verge of his best season yet. 

Michael Suareo: Lucas Giolito

I do believe that a Dylan Cease break out year is coming, but I’m going with the guy who has been the ace of the staff for 3 straight seasons now. While Lucas Giolito had an underwhelming start to the 2021 season, he finished it off looking as good as he ever has with a 2.65 ERA after the All-Star break. There is also a good chance that he will be pitching with a chip on his shoulder this year, trying to prove to Hahn, Kenny, and Jerry that he is worth that extra $200,000 in arbitration.  It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the best was yet to come from Giolito.

Thatcher Zalewski: Lance Lynn

Again, another award that could have had many different winners, but Lance Lynn feels like the right pick. Lynn is viewed by many to be a regression candidate. However, the Cy Young finalist will pick up where he left off by being the workhorse in the White Sox rotation. With an xERA of 2.62 and an fWAR of 4.2 in 2021, Lynn has the capability to lead the White Sox rotation for the next few years and be the guy at the top. 

Justin Salgado: Dylan Cease

Dylan Cease has made positive strides each season he has been in the big leagues, turning into a top-15 pitcher in all of baseball last season. With a bit more improved command of his pitches, Cease has a chance to take the next step and become the ace of one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball. From a pure “stuff” perspective, Cease has one of the best arsenals in the game, he just needs to put it all together now.

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Regression Candidate

Jordan Lazowski: Gavin Sheets

I chose against being a “nerd” and saying Dallas Keuchel was a candidate for “positive regression,” mostly because I watched his last few Spring Training starts. But, just know that I still believe that.

I also want to make sure it’s clear: I like Gavin Sheets’ profile a lot. I think he’s someone who has some talent, but at this point, has been overrated by a lot of White Sox fans after a solid 180 PAs. Here’s my point: which left-handed hitter would you prefer?

• Player A: .262/.373/.482, 133 wRC+
• Player B: .250/.324/.506, 125 wRC+

Some of you might quickly say Player B (who is Sheets) because of the SLG. However, it’s rather close between him and Player A: 2017 Nicky Delmonico. My point? 180 PAs is a very small sample size with which to guarantee a non-top prospect a large role on a team.

That being said, I think Sheets is a lot better of a player than Delmonico, and I would not be surprised if he had another solid season. I just think he’s a good candidate for regression because of a small sample size and an inability to hit against LHP. I would like to see the White Sox put him in the best position to succeed, and that would be a lot of ABs against RHP.

Nik Gaur: Gavin Sheets

I struggled to choose between Gavin Sheets, José Abreu, and Lance Lynn, but I’ll go with Sheets because I think he has the easiest argument on the roster for potential regression. While his improvements in 2021 were significant, the statistical arguments for Sheets’ potential regression is obvious: he only had 179 MLB plate appearances. I do like his approach at the plate and think he could have a long career, but I also would not be surprised if he is more of a Mitch Moreland-level player than an annual 125 wRC+ hitter.

Adam Kaplan: Yasmani Grandal

I had a lot of free time to write about random Sox topics throughout this off-season. One of those topics was the best line up consisting of a player’s single season from the past 20 years. My starting catcher in this exercise was Yasmani Grandal’s 2021 season where he slashed .240/.420/.520, good for a wRC+ of 159. He also was able to hit 23 home runs in only 375 plate appearances. I am a big fan of Yaz and I don’t understand much of the hate he seems to garner from Sox fans on social media, but I do think he’s going to regress offensively in that he won’t be able to top one of the greatest offensive seasons produced by a White Sox catcher.

Noah Phalen: Lance Lynn

This is a tough one to answer because the majority of the Sox roster is still young and should still be trending upwards, but one name that sticks out is Lance Lynn. Lynn will be 35 this year and last year had a FIP that was almost a whole run higher than his ERA. He’s very fastball heavy, which is a pitch that can lose some life with age. He’s also made it known that he’s not big on off-season conditioning, and he’s gotten touched up a bit in a couple spring starts. I think he’ll still be a very effective starter in 2022, but it wouldn’t shock me if he does regress a bit. Given how thin the rotation is though, any kind of Lynn regression would be a very bad thing. 

Michael Suareo: Lance Lynn

Lance Lynn has turned into one of my favorite members of the White Sox. His attitude and workhorse ability have been a seamless fit on the South Side from Day 1, and I really hope he continues on the track he put himself on last season. However, if there is a player who is due for some regression, it is probably him. Turning 35 this season, he is hitting the back end of his career and may not be able to hold up during a full stretch as he used to be able to. His 3.32 FIP and 3.82 xFIP suggest that his 2.62 ERA came with a bit of luck as well. I still fully expect Lance Lynn to be an effective pitcher in 2022, but an ERA in the mid 3.00’s might be a more realistic expectation than repeating what he did last season.

Thatcher Zalewski: Michael Kopech

This is not a knock on Michael Kopech’s talent or ability to perform well for the White Sox in 2022. Although, with Kopech joining the starting rotation this season, he is destined to see some form of regression due to the workload increase he will be getting. Kopech had an xERA of 2.74, but this was in 69.1 innings pitched. With Kopech likely to throw 100+ innings for the White Sox in 2022, it makes sense to label him as a candidate for regression.

Justin Salgado: Lance Lynn

While Lance Lynn is undoubtedly fun to root for, I don’t see him repeating the amazing season that he had last year. And let me clear this up: regression for Lynn doesn’t necessarily mean he will be a liability to the team; he could still be a top 15 pitcher in the American League and have regressed from last season. Age is not on his side, as he will be 35 years old by the end of the 2022 season. I believe that Lynn will be more in line with his career norms (3.50-3.60 ERA, 11-15 wins, 150-160 SO).

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X-Factor

Jordan Lazowski: Internal Improvements Over 2021

A lot of White Sox fans are understandably annoyed by what has been a lackluster offseason for the team in many respects. However, when thinking back to the 2021 ALDS, you can easily pinpoint a few key things that went awry: (1) The entire starting pitching staff got hammered, (2) 85% of the White Sox’ hits were singles, and (3) the preparation and in-game situational shifting were lackluster compared to a data-driven team like the Astros. When you look at the holes the White Sox had coming into this offseason, there were no free agents available that were necessarily going to fix any of the problems that caused the White Sox to come up short in 2021.

My point? This team will only go as far as the internal core takes it: guys like Luis Robert, Tim Anderson, Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, and even Tony La Russa. If the White Sox can solve their ground ball issue, be better prepared for playoff games, and properly adjust to the modern game on the field, this team can win a World Series. If not, it won’t have mattered if the White Sox didn’t re-sign Carlos Rodon this offseason, nor will any of the offseason additions matter.

Nik Guar: Health of Kendall Graveman and Joe Kelly

After the trade of Craig Kimbrel and the season-ending injury to Garrett Crochet, the White Sox bullpen is suddenly not as deep as it once appeared. Newcomers Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman form a strong back-four with Liam Hendriks and Aaron Bummer, but as the former two have struggled or are struggling with recurring injuries, their health throughout the 2022 season is now even more important in a still talented but much thinner bullpen.

Adam Kaplan: Coaching

Famous last words, but I feel pretty confident that no matter what holes, real or imagined, the White Sox have, they will win the AL Central. At the very least, they will make the playoffs. How the Sox will perform in the playoffs is another animal. In the playoffs, when you’re in competition with only the cream of the crop, any disadvantage you have will be exploited. For example, in 2021, the Pale Hose’s love for hitting grounders and refusing to shift caused the Houston Astros to make the White Sox look like chumps. The Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves were not significantly more talented that the White Sox, but their ability to do the little things right (like not hit grounders and properly shift on defense) meant that they were able to either hold their ground, or outright defeat, a smart and talented team like the Astros. If the White Sox want to go all the way this year, Tony La Russa and company need to step up their game.

Noah Phalen: Michael Kopech

As I briefly touched on above, the biggest question mark for me heading into the season is the starting rotation. Carlos Rodón leaving, and a rough 2021 for Dallas Keuchel leave the Sox with some potential question marks. One guy who could go a long way to getting rid of these question marks is Michael Kopech. Moving into a full-time starting role for the first time, Kopech has big shoes to fill if he wants to make up for Carlos Rodón’s departure. His health and performance are going to be absolutely crucial to this team, especially because if something goes wrong, the alternatives are Reynaldo López and Vince Velasquez. If Michael Kopech steps up and dominates, it makes you feel much better about where this team is headed.

Michael Suareo: Health

This team was riddled with injuries last season, and the lingering effects of that impacted this team through the playoffs. With Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert back to full strength, this lineup has a chance to be as loud as any in the MLB.

In terms of pitching, health may be more of a requirement than a luxury. While the top 3 of this rotation can be lethal, there are a lot of question marks after that, including what Keuchel will be able to provide, how much of a workload can Kopech take on, and whether or not we can rely on the depth in the organization if injuries were to occur. Pitching is already extremely volatile, so injuries are bound to happen. But one major injury to this rotation could be its demise.

Thatcher Zalewski: Dallas Keuchel

Looking to bounce back after a down year in 2021, Dallas Keuchel will need to get things under control if he wants to remain in the rotation the entire season. Pitching depth will remain a big question mark due to a weird ramp-up for most players thanks to the lockout. Keuchel will be an essential part of the team is a result of this situation. He will definitely be a name to continue to watch throughout the season.

Justin Salgado: Michael Kopech/Reynaldo López

Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez’s usage to start the season will be fascinating to watch. Kopech was never truly stretched out like many thought he would be last season, only pitching 69+ innings in a bullpen role with the occasional “opener” starting role mixed in. With the Sox planning on moving Kopech to a full-time starting role this season, you have to wonder how they will protect his arm with such an increased workload. Meanwhile, López looked like a totally different pitcher from what we’ve seen previously when he rejoined the team in mid-July. Pitching with a swagger and confidence we hadn’t seen from him before, he turned out to be a valuable piece in the long relief/swingman role he was used in. If Kopech and López can provide quality innings in a 5th/6th starter role, they will fortify what is already one of the strongest rotations in all of baseball.

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Bold Prediction

Jordan Lazowski: Yoan Moncada Finishes Top 5 in MVP Voting

If you can’t tell already, quite a few of my predictions are from a pro-Yoan Moncada stance. I’m excited to see what Moncada can do this season after a quietly solid 2021 campaign. I, like everyone else, would like to see him add some more power, but at the same time, I can recognize the value he still had to the team last season. However, I truly think this is the season that Moncada silences the rest of his detractors, and in the process, becomes the MVP-level talent many people were looking at him to be. He has the ceiling of an MVP talent, so I will say that this is the time he gets there.

Nik Guar: Michael Kopech Pitches 120+ Innings with an ERA Under 3.00

I actually provided 10 bold predictions in a separate article last week, but came up with a different one here. While Michael Kopech was extremely effective last season in a multitude of roles, he was simply a different pitcher as a starter. I think struggles in the playoffs and a rough stretch in August have clouded the general fanbase’s view of Kopech, but he was a dominant pitcher for the majority of the year. It would not surprise me at all if he transitions to the rotation and immediately pitches like an ace (albeit on an innings limit).

Adam Kaplan: Yoán Moncada Hits Better Than He Did in 2019

In 2019, Yoán Moncada slashed .315/.367/.548, with 25 home runs, good for a wRC+ of 139. It was an excellent season that I think many were hoping Moncada could improve upon. After contracting COVID right before the shortened 2020 season, which obviously affected his on-the-field performance, in 2021 Moncada slashed .263/.375/.412, with 14 home runs, good for a wRC+ of 122. I think 2022 will be a make-or-break season for Moncada in terms of determining what type of player he truly is. If he’s *only* a guy with elite OBP skills and defense with limited power like he was in 2021, then so be it. However, my bold prediction is that he will rebound back to his 2019 self. MLB juicing their balls in 2022, like what they did in 2019, to generate more offense to help bring back casual baseball fans as a result of their lockout debacle will certainly help Moncada’s chances.

Noah Phalen: Eloy Jiménez Leads the AL in Home Runs

It’s hard to make a bold prediction these days, because it seems like everything that’s in the realm of possibility has been discussed by somebody before. I think with the shortened season, and his injury last year, people forgot how good Eloy Jiménez is. The dude has unreal power to all fields, and I think, health permitting, he’s in line for a big year. I’ll say Eloy Jiménez leads the American League in homers. That’s pretty bold, but definitely possible.

Michael Suareo: Eloy Jiménez Bats Third in the Line Up

Eloy Jiménez has been my favorite player on this team for a while now, and I think this is finally the year that we are going to see his full offensive potential. While Luis Robert has the higher ceiling as a complete player, I always thought Eloy had the potential to have the most productive bat on the team. Now back to full health, he should have his strength and timing back to what we saw from him in 2020 when he slashed .296/.332/.559. With the ability to also hit 40+ HRs with ease, I think he could very well be hitting in the 3 spot by the end of the season.

Thatcher Zalewski: White Sox Will Have Three Of The Top Five Vote Getters in AL Cy Young Voting

This is contingent on three things. The first being Dylan Cease taking the next step forward. Second, Lance Lynn has another season like he did last season. Finally, Lucas Giolito establishes himself as the ace of the staff. The White Sox pitching staff was the highlight for the first half of the season in 2021 while most of the bats recovered from injury. There is the possibility that the pitching staff will lead the way for the Sox in 2022. 

Justin Salgado: Andrew Vaughn Makes His First All-Star Game

Andrew Vaughn was asked to do so much during his whirlwind rookie season, with the team having him switch positions to left field in the wake of Eloy Jimenez’s spring training injury. With only 55 minor league games under his belt last season, Vaughn struggled at times while adjusting to big league pitching. However, there were some signs of the player that Vaughn could develop into (Reminder: Vaughn was widely regarded as a top-15 prospect in all of baseball heading into
last season). Vaughn had a 33-game stretch in the middle of last season where he had a slash line of .336 AVG/.389 OBP/.584 SLG/.973 OPS. With continued development, Andrew Vaughn could turn into the middle of the order threat that the Sox envisioned when they picked him 3rd overall in the 2019 draft.

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How Far Will the White Sox Go in the Playoffs?

Jordan Lazowski: Lose in the World Series

It’s hard to make this prediction with any numerical basis behind it. However, at current, I still believe this is the best iteration of the current rebuilding White Sox team we’ve seen. The lineup has no holes in it, and while the pitching staff is a bit weakened by Lance Lynn’s injury, the team is in a flexible enough position to add talent at the deadline where necessary. If the White Sox are clicking at the same time, this is an incredibly dangerous team. Assuming the team takes the next step internally to fix some of the issues that plagued them in the playoffs last year, I believe this team could make quite the run in the Playoffs. I’ll take them losing to the Dodgers in the World Series, solely because that team will have a lot more experience in being there by the time it’s all said and done.

Nik Guar: Lose in the ALCS

I know the playoffs are mostly random, so this prediction is purely based on feel. The vibes around the team right now are, for lack of a better term, weird. The offseason moves were limited mainly to relievers and utility players, the manager criticized fans for being unhappy with that, and I’m just not sure what this team will do differently in 2022 to avoid what happened the last two seasons. That said, I do think they can at least win one playoff series this year if they can stay healthy and fresh for October, and perhaps a midseason move or two can put them over the top.

Adam Kaplan: Wins the World Series

The bio of the Sox On 35th twitter account states, “Diehard fans dedicated to providing White Sox news, commentary, podcasts, and more!” Shockingly, I am a huge White Sox homer. As such, I’m always going to say the Sox will win the World Series during this contention window. I’m either right and it’s awesome and I’m a genius, or I’m wrong so whatever I’m a homer. Win/win for me no matter what. But what I truly think is that the Sox will only win one playoff series at best unless coaching drastically improves from 2021.

Noah Phalen: Lose in the ALCS

The playoffs are a crapshoot every year so this is very hard to predict. From a talent perspective, the White Sox lineup should be awesome, barring injury, but the pitching depth really scares me. It’s possible more additions are made, but as is, I don’t think this is a World Series team. To be fair, I didn’t think Atlanta was last year either, so there really is no way to tell. Just based on the talents and rosters around the league, I could see a first round exit, but I could also see a World Series appearance. I’ll settle in the middle and say they lose in the ALCS. But it’s all about getting hot at the right time, so anything is possible.

Michael Suareo: Lose in the ALCS

This team, as is, is still a contender. With most of the roster from last year returning and the additions Rick Hahn has made, I am confident that this team is built to make a deep run in the playoffs. I’m also not convinced that this is the roster we will see come playoff time, as they could still add another starting pitcher or left-handed reliever to replace Garrett Crochet’s role by the trade deadline. Moves like that could push the White Sox into World Series contention. However, until we see what that would look like, I have them going out in the ALCS. This team should be fun to watch in 2022 with health on their side to begin the year, and we as fans should have high expectations.

Thatcher Zalewski: Win The World Series

World Series or bust time. The White Sox capitalize on the window being open and win it all. This is a more biased pick, but this roster definitely can win it all and compete with the best of the best in the MLB. After trading away Craig Kimbrel, the White Sox acquired a legitimate right fielder in A.J. Pollock and have a complete lineup. The bullpen is arguably the best in baseball. The rotation is probably the weakest part of the team as there are more question marks, but that isn’t a knock on the staff. Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease, and Lucas Giolito are all top pitchers in the AL and will lead the way for a World Series run in 2022! 

Justin Salgado: Lose in the ALCS

It’s been 17 LONG years since the White Sox last won a playoff series (2005 World Series). The Sox enter 2022 as one of the top 5 favorites to win the World Series. The window for contention is wide open with this team. Not winning a playoff series this year would be a MASSIVE disappointment for a team with World Series aspirations. I believe that the Sox will defeat an upstart Seattle Mariners team in the Divisional Series before bowing out to the Toronto Blue Jays in what will be an epic ALCS.

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What are your predictions for the season? Let us know in the comments below!