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Friday, March 29, 2013

MAKING THE PITCH: Chicago White Sox

Felipe M

We take a look at the projected starting rotations and closer situations of every MLB team.  Of course, this will come from a fantasy perspective.  All cited stats are based on 2013 projections.  


Click here to look back at the New York Yankees' rotation

Now let's review the hometown, Chicago White Sox


2013 Pitching Projections
Player
Team
K/BB
K/9
BB/9
H/9
WHIP
HR/9
Jake Peavy
White Sox
3.91
7.94
2.03
8.16
1.13
1.19
Chris Sale
White Sox
3.50
9.37
2.68
7.89
1.17
1.02
Gavin Floyd
White Sox
2.61
7.53
2.89
8.71
1.29
1.08
Jose Quintana
White Sox
1.90
5.79
3.05
9.47
1.39
1.00
Addison Reed
White Sox
3.90
10.17
2.61
7.70
1.14
1.04













On paper, the White Sox have a solid rotation, but when you watch them live, they can be one of the most frustrating pitchers to watch.  

Chris Sale is one of the best up-and-coming, young hurlers in the game today, but his violent delivery is a cause for concern as many people think he faces a definite, long-term hiatus from the game because of injury.  Until that happens, keep riding him on your pitching staff as the numbers suggest that he should be a top-20 pitcher this season.  




Speaking of injuries, Jake Peavy, despite having a great, All-Star season in 2012, is still a player that many owners are hesitant to select because of his lengthy history with injuries.  Peavy will also be turning 32 after 1/3 of the season is complete.  Whether you think that's "old" or not is one thing, but after 11 seasons, one has to think of possible wear and tear on a pitcher that has trouble staying healthy for a majority of the season.  Obviously, he can still pitch at an elite level, but selecting him early in your draft might prove to be disastrous.

Gavin Floyd might not have a history of injuries, but he has a dreadful history of inconsistency and a disappointment in terms of unreached potential.  His K/BB is not too bad, but his WHIP of 1.29 places him dangerously close to a level of unreliability in fantasy circles.  I did place him #2 in my starting pitchers' list; that is to say he's the 2nd best pitcher on my 4th tier list--meaning he's ranked 74th overall.  Proceed with caution.  

Jose Quintana was a nice story from last season, virtually coming out of nowhere to help the team stay in contention.  However, it's puzzling to see that comparison to his minor league numbers were not even close to duplicating in the Majors last season.  Fatigue was a concern late in the year and the projections show us a pitcher that should be avoided in fantasy drafts this season (CBS leagues report that he's being taken as the overall, 217th player in most drafts--in AL-only leagues).  If there is any hope for Quintana to be a deep-deep sleeper in 2013 is that he's actually been dominating this spring with a WHIP of 0.65 and 15 K's in 12.3 innings pitched.  Take a flyer on Quintana and definitely keep a close eye on him if he's on the waiver wire.

Dylan Axelrod was named as the 5th starter due to John Danks starting the season on the DL.  Axelrod showed some flashes of great pitching, but overall he did terribly in 2012.  He's had a great spring so keep an eye on him in the event that you need another starter early on this season.

Addison Reed, after the White Sox seemed to do everything they could to not give him the role, emerged as the closer in 2012.  He did struggle at times, nevertheless.  His projected HR/9 is the 4th worst among closers coming into the 2013 season.  In a hitter's ballpark like "The Cell," that can prove to trouble, but Reed should prove to be an effective closer after a year under his belt.

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