Tales from the Central: Chicago White Sox

[Ted Schwerzler]

The 2021 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us, and while the American League Central division looks like a two-horse race, there’s plenty of storylines to follow. What are those most engaged seeing?We’re more than well versed on the Minnesota Twins but what does the view of this club, and those it competes with, look like through the lens of invested influencers from around the division? Only maybe the San Diego Padres have made more splashes this offseason than the Chicago White Sox. Now viewed as the AL Central division favorite, there’s a rivalry renewed for Minnesota.

 

Tales From the Central Series:

• Cleveland
• Detroit

Known as White Sox Dave, Dave Williams is as big as it gets within the Southsider fan base. You can find him on Twitter, Sirius XM, and a handful of other outlets. Now that Chicago is firmly back on the World Series radar, getting his take was one I was most looking forward to in this series. Here’s what he had to say about where things stand currently:

 

Twins Daily: I'm not incredibly familiar with Barstool, or what your background has been with the White Sox. Can you explain your fandom, following of the organization, and what some of your history has been?

 

White Sox Dave: I have a weird baseball history. My mom was born in Toms River NJ and her high school gym teacher was Todd Frazier’s dad. Her cousins moved to Chicago and went to HS with my dad who grew up a Sox fan on the south side of Chicago. That’s how they met. She’s a Giants/Mets fan but not an insane person about sports like my dad and I are, so I always grew up rooting for the White Sox, then the Bears and Northwestern. I wear my emotions on my sleeve as a sports fan; most of my emotions, finances, and mental well-being evolves around them. They control my life. I guess that’s where the “fanatic” part of fan comes in.

 

TD: The White Sox have been the second team in Chicago for some time, but branding by the Cubs aside, the tides have turned. What has it been like to see the emergence of this roster and building of a World Series contender?

 

WSD: It’s sort of cyclical - when I was in HS, I lived about 25 miles straight west of the city, so in 2005 (I was a 2007 grad) I’d say it was closer to a 50/50 split where I lived. If you’d drive 20 mins north it would be straight Cubs fans, then 20 mins south would be a larger divide of Sox fans. With the Cubs recent success, the tides turned big time. They ran the town for a minute or two. That will change again soon though, the White Sox are going to go on a TEAR in the coming years. I see more White Sox gear now walking down the street than the last 10 years combined. That, and it’s an easy team to root for. A TON of good dudes on it that make me proud to be a Sox fan.

 

TD: Now firmly entrenched in a battle with the Twins for AL Central supremacy again, what is it like having that rivalry back in full swing and what do you look forward to seeing those two clubs compete?

 

WSD: I have always hated the Cubs more than any team on earth, even as much as the Packers, but I have always wanted a Central rival to hate, and that is also cyclical for me. In the 2005-2010ish seasons, I LOATHED the Twins with Mauer and Morneau. Then I hated the Tigers with Maggs and Miggy and Kenny Rogers, etc. Now I will always hate the Indians for losing to the Cubs in the 2016 World Series. But as far as rivals go, there’s nothing like the Cubs and Cardinals. Nothing close IMO. I would love for that to be the Twins.

 

TD: Chicago has seen promotions for plenty of top prospects in the past year. Who is not on the South Side yet that you are most excited about watching and how soon do you think they can contribute?

 

WSD: Watch for Andrew Vaughn. He might very well be the best hitter out of all the young studs on the Sox. His approach is surgical; his power/hit combo could be one of the best in baseball. That’s FAR from a guarantee, but that’s his ceiling. I’m talking a perennial .315/.400/.500/.900 with 35+/100+ type guy. Think Eloy, but with more walks. In a non-corona world, he would have ended the 2020 season in AAA Charlotte, and I would guess they’d have extended him a la Eloy/Robert prior to the 2021 season. I also love Tyler Johnson out of the pen. Ton of life on his fastball.

 

TD: Having had a solid offseason in terms of additions, how do you think this roster compares to the 2020 squad and who do you think can be relied upon to carry the load over the course of a full 162-game season?

 

WSD: The team is better now. Giolito is a stud - we all know that - but he’s going to be even better this year. The last two years we saw a two-pitch pitcher, and he was an all-star even without needing a 3rd pitch. Now I think we’ll see a more complete repertoire out of him. I think he could be a Cy Young winner as soon as this year. That, and Hendriks is one of the very best relievers in the game. Their pen will be filthy and Moncada will rebound. The depth in the rotation scares me a touch, but assuming no injuries, the pitching should be very good. The lineup will rake. I think 95 wins *should* happen and 100 wins is doable, especially with the division being so weak.

 

TD: With only the Twins to look at as competition in the AL Central for 2021, what's your take on Minnesota this year and the next few seasons ahead?

 

WSD: The Twinkies are the piranhas for a reason. They’ll be awesome and I look forward to the gutter war. Even if they lose Cruz, they’ll add Kiriloff and Lewis in some form. That said, they did the Sox a solid today by signing JA Happ. The Sox tee off on LHP. I think the White Sox should win the division but wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Twins remained king. They’ll be awesome again and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot. Butttttt…. the pitching, at least to me, is ehh……

 

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[Dman]

Not excited to face Rosario multiple times per year I think the Indians got a good deal there but he does have his flaws.   We'll see how well he handles this coming year.

[theBOMisthebomb]

Yeah, it sure will be fun to fire up the ol' White Sox -Twins rivalry to maximum intensity in 2021. This might be wishful thinking - I am nowhere near convinced the White Sox are a 95-100 win team.

[TopGunn#22]

He's spot on regarding Andrew Vaughn.  That's why the Sox aren't signing Ozuna or Cruz.  That kid can flat out HIT and he will be up with the Sox sooner than many people realize. 

[jrod23]

Wow.  White Sox Dave is a HUGE homer.  I can't argue with the guy though.  This is the Sox team I've been fearing since 2016.  They're all systems go right now.  We're more on a "we'll go when our front office is d@mn well ready and you'll like it" type system.

[Darius]

He’s spot on about the pitching.

 

That’s something I’ve noticed with most Twins fans currently, way too confident in the rotation. Maria will regress. Berrios is what he is at this point (inconsistent). Pineda is one cheeseburger and failed drug test from being out of the league. Nobody else is worth talking about in terms of a playoff rotation.

 

It kills me to say it, but the White Sox are the better club right now. I’m not sure it’s as close as some think.

[SkyBlueWaters]

The Twins "did the Sox a solid today by signing JA Happ. The Sox tee off on LHP."

 

Ouch. Ouch, ouch, ouch.