ESPN vs. the White Sox
The other day I noted my man Rob Neyer giving the White Sox a bit less credit than they deserve, and now here comes Buster Olney with this odd bit from a list of 'starting pitchers who must play strong supporting cast roles':
John Danks and Gavin Floyd, White Sox. They were difference-makers in 2008, when the White Sox made the playoffs, and if they have good seasons in 2010, Chicago could have an excellent rotation, with Danks and Floyd serving in support roles behind veterans Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy. Floyd's ERA in the second half of last season was almost a run lower, and Danks was consistent.
There's nothing exactly... wrong about this, but it sure seems to sell these guys short. By my count there are maybe ten teams with a starter better than Danks, and Floyd ranks 23rd in adjusted ERA among pitchers with at least 300 innings pitched over the last two years. Sure, if these two have good seasons, Chicago could have an excellent rotation, but similarly the Mets could have an excellent rotation if John Maine and Oliver Perez have good seasons. (They won't.) That isn't the story—the story is that Danks and Floyd are quite likely to have good seasons, and that if they step up their games even a bit the team is going to roll out four aces. One might even say that the real story is that with Dan Hudson nearly ready, the Sox have a decent chance of getting more out of their no. 5 starters than some contending teams get out of their no. 2.
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Reader Comments (1)
White Sox will have to hit. Their problem wasn't pitching last year (2nd best team ERA in the AL), and it won't be again this year.