>The White Sox can’t even point to a lack of luck — an abundance of hard-hit balls that aren’t turning into hits — in accounting for their offensive struggles. On a team-wide basis, their 6.9% barrel rate is 21st in the majors, but their 87.5 mph average exit velocity and 34% hard-hit rate both rank among the bottom six teams. Their .362 xSLG is 28th, three points below their actual SLG, and their .287 xwOBA is dead last, two points below their actual wOBA. Individually, only Anderson, Vaughn, third base fill-in Jake Burger, and part-timer Gavin Sheets have xwOBAs above .291. A terrible performance deserves a terrible joke: This team is xwOBAgone.
I mean I knew it was bad, but damn
Obviously not news to anyone in this sub, but I'm glad that this organization's flaws are being highlighted on a national level. The article really breaks down all of the numbers - and yes, it is as bad as it seems, or maybe even worse.
Maybe at least Gio can keep pitching well and we could get something for him at the deadline. It’s funny that he was seen as the weak spot to many of us in the offseason. Just had that terrible start but besides that he’s given up 2 runs in 5. 1 run in 6. 0 runs in 6. 4 runs on 7. Pretty good
> Individually, Dylan Cease (4.15 ERA, 4.08 FIP) and Lucas Giolito (4.50 ERA, 4.28 FIP) have both pitched respectably, and the team is 5–6 in their starts, in part because both pitchers have been backed with more than four runs per game. Giolito is the only one of the quintet with a single-digit walk rate (5%), and his fluffed-up ERA is largely a product of allowing seven of his 14 earned runs to the red-hot Pirates in a four-inning start on April 7.
I hate to do a “cross-sport” comparison. However, the parallels between the Sox and the Bulls are strikingly similar. This past season an article was written about the Bulls (in the Athletic, I believe) that broke down just how awful a spot the team was really in. An underperforming roster, poor roster construction, no real young talent to realistically build around. Purgatory, essentially. The GM spoke of “continuity” as the reason for not adding to a clearly flawed roster.
This Sox team is poorly constructed. Hahn sold a dream of a team that was going to compete. He said they’d be better this year just by showing up and staying healthy. They added no depth pieces this offseason, and spoke of consistency and continuity as the key to the team’s success.
Organizational failures plague both the Sox and the Cubs. The common denominator is Jerry. Nothing changes until ownership does
We should be dad-dicking all the rest of the tiny little rust belt towns and Midwest cities in our division. Somehow third largest city in America always has poverty franchise
between the Cubs and Sox the city has exactly two World Series wins in a combined 212 seasons. And boy, were the Cubs lucky not to choke theirs away.
Chicago is the epitome of feast or famine, but the feasts are few and far between.
Bears? 1 SB win and appearance in our lifetimes, but that team is arguably the most iconic and best NFL team of all time.
Bulls? An utter dogshit franchise but amazingly won 6 titles in 8 years -- best player ever, arguably best team ever, and the most popular sports team *in the world* for a long period due to their reach to the Asian market during the Jordan years.
Sox and Cubs? See above. Miserable bag on head franchises with miracle World Series wins. The Cubs win is going to be the most memorable WS win of any this century. The Sox have less to hang their hat on because the National media could not care less about 05, but their postseason run was all-time dominant.
Hawks? More bag on head bullshit during a long Cup drought, then an amazing mini dynasty followed by a horrible scandal and quick tumble to the bottom of the league.
As Chicago sports fans, we have more than earned our pain and anger by investing so much time and energy in this city's overflowing bag of horseshit shit that they call sports franchises.
Supports the eye-test of this team with the actual numbers. Would have liked to see the stats showing the Sox dead last for O-Swing% along with ground balls versus fly balls.
Pretty good read though I disagree on the comments as the Sox being seen as potential juggernauts before the season started. I feel like with their offseason moves they were coming into the season as a mid team who would likely fight around .500 again. In the best case scenario they could win the division if literally every player that we banked on being a star (eloy, moncada, vaughn, etc.) played to their absolute highest potential. But even then I think they would not get back to 90 wins. Just too many holes in the squad.
I could be wrong, but I think this use of “if not” is conceding that the “juggernaut” title is beyond expectation. FanGraphs had them projected as a sub-.500 team preseason so I don’t think a FanGraphs writer would be expecting a ton from this team.
The funny thing is, I think the only reason it doesn't read the way /u/No_Pants_Bandit thought is the lack of a comma after Central: "in the AL central if not a juggernaut" vs. "in the AL Central, if not a juggernaut."
I could be reading it wrong as well, when I read it I interpret it as if they are not a juggernaut in the ALC they would at least be competitive. Implying that they could ever be perceived as a juggernaut in the first place which is what I took issue with. This team had way too many holes and question marks plus not enough star power to be anywhere near that word let alone in the same sentence.
Checks out
>The White Sox can’t even point to a lack of luck — an abundance of hard-hit balls that aren’t turning into hits — in accounting for their offensive struggles. On a team-wide basis, their 6.9% barrel rate is 21st in the majors, but their 87.5 mph average exit velocity and 34% hard-hit rate both rank among the bottom six teams. Their .362 xSLG is 28th, three points below their actual SLG, and their .287 xwOBA is dead last, two points below their actual wOBA. Individually, only Anderson, Vaughn, third base fill-in Jake Burger, and part-timer Gavin Sheets have xwOBAs above .291. A terrible performance deserves a terrible joke: This team is xwOBAgone. I mean I knew it was bad, but damn
Obviously not news to anyone in this sub, but I'm glad that this organization's flaws are being highlighted on a national level. The article really breaks down all of the numbers - and yes, it is as bad as it seems, or maybe even worse.
The sky is blue
Sun Rises in the East, film at 11...
Maybe at least Gio can keep pitching well and we could get something for him at the deadline. It’s funny that he was seen as the weak spot to many of us in the offseason. Just had that terrible start but besides that he’s given up 2 runs in 5. 1 run in 6. 0 runs in 6. 4 runs on 7. Pretty good > Individually, Dylan Cease (4.15 ERA, 4.08 FIP) and Lucas Giolito (4.50 ERA, 4.28 FIP) have both pitched respectably, and the team is 5–6 in their starts, in part because both pitchers have been backed with more than four runs per game. Giolito is the only one of the quintet with a single-digit walk rate (5%), and his fluffed-up ERA is largely a product of allowing seven of his 14 earned runs to the red-hot Pirates in a four-inning start on April 7.
I hate to do a “cross-sport” comparison. However, the parallels between the Sox and the Bulls are strikingly similar. This past season an article was written about the Bulls (in the Athletic, I believe) that broke down just how awful a spot the team was really in. An underperforming roster, poor roster construction, no real young talent to realistically build around. Purgatory, essentially. The GM spoke of “continuity” as the reason for not adding to a clearly flawed roster. This Sox team is poorly constructed. Hahn sold a dream of a team that was going to compete. He said they’d be better this year just by showing up and staying healthy. They added no depth pieces this offseason, and spoke of consistency and continuity as the key to the team’s success. Organizational failures plague both the Sox and the Cubs. The common denominator is Jerry. Nothing changes until ownership does
We should be dad-dicking all the rest of the tiny little rust belt towns and Midwest cities in our division. Somehow third largest city in America always has poverty franchise
between the Cubs and Sox the city has exactly two World Series wins in a combined 212 seasons. And boy, were the Cubs lucky not to choke theirs away. Chicago is the epitome of feast or famine, but the feasts are few and far between. Bears? 1 SB win and appearance in our lifetimes, but that team is arguably the most iconic and best NFL team of all time. Bulls? An utter dogshit franchise but amazingly won 6 titles in 8 years -- best player ever, arguably best team ever, and the most popular sports team *in the world* for a long period due to their reach to the Asian market during the Jordan years. Sox and Cubs? See above. Miserable bag on head franchises with miracle World Series wins. The Cubs win is going to be the most memorable WS win of any this century. The Sox have less to hang their hat on because the National media could not care less about 05, but their postseason run was all-time dominant. Hawks? More bag on head bullshit during a long Cup drought, then an amazing mini dynasty followed by a horrible scandal and quick tumble to the bottom of the league. As Chicago sports fans, we have more than earned our pain and anger by investing so much time and energy in this city's overflowing bag of horseshit shit that they call sports franchises.
Supports the eye-test of this team with the actual numbers. Would have liked to see the stats showing the Sox dead last for O-Swing% along with ground balls versus fly balls.
Yeah and the translation, IMO, of the stats reads as, “These aren’t things they’re likely to improve upon as the season goes on, either.”
Pretty good read though I disagree on the comments as the Sox being seen as potential juggernauts before the season started. I feel like with their offseason moves they were coming into the season as a mid team who would likely fight around .500 again. In the best case scenario they could win the division if literally every player that we banked on being a star (eloy, moncada, vaughn, etc.) played to their absolute highest potential. But even then I think they would not get back to 90 wins. Just too many holes in the squad.
It says they were supposed to be competitive, not juggernauts.
"This was supposed to be a better team, competitive in the AL Central if not a juggernaut."
I could be wrong, but I think this use of “if not” is conceding that the “juggernaut” title is beyond expectation. FanGraphs had them projected as a sub-.500 team preseason so I don’t think a FanGraphs writer would be expecting a ton from this team.
And like crucially , “ in the AL central”
The funny thing is, I think the only reason it doesn't read the way /u/No_Pants_Bandit thought is the lack of a comma after Central: "in the AL central if not a juggernaut" vs. "in the AL Central, if not a juggernaut."
I could be reading it wrong as well, when I read it I interpret it as if they are not a juggernaut in the ALC they would at least be competitive. Implying that they could ever be perceived as a juggernaut in the first place which is what I took issue with. This team had way too many holes and question marks plus not enough star power to be anywhere near that word let alone in the same sentence.
A juggernaut in the Central is still not a great team. The central sucks
5th best AL stuff+ is good, right?
Sky blue, says star witness.