White Sox look to go further in 2022

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox have won the American League Central Division title and reached the postseason for the second straight season, a first in team history.

Now they’re aiming to go further after a couple of early playoff eliminations.

“Look at the talent, the group of players here and on paper, we have a good team. If that translates into wins we’ll know in April,” closer Liam Hendriks said. “But as a group, I think we have the mentality that will allow us to get ahead.”

After the return of the driver enshrined in the Hall of Fame, Tony La Russa, to lead the club for the second time, the presence of stars like Tim Anderson and Cuban José Abreu, and a rotation led by Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn, the The White Sox went 93-69 last season. They finished 13 games ahead of Cleveland to win their first division championship since 2008. But they got kicked out again in the postseason.

Chicago fell to Houston in four games in the division series. Oakland had eliminated him in the wild-card series in 2020.

After a quiet offseason, the White Sox return with much the same roster while other teams have made some big moves.

“We know everyone is building their teams and nothing is being given away,” Anderson said. “Let’s see what happens.”

A notable change has happened in the rotation.

Following his first All-Star selection, injury-prone pitcher Carlos Rodón was signed by San Francisco, paving the way for Michael Kopech to move from reliever to starter.

Kopech sat out the 2019 season due to ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery and opted to remain inactive for the 2020 campaign.

Also, the White Sox added Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman to their solid relief corps, entrenched in Hendriks.

And versatile infielder Josh Harris, a two-time All-Star, is shaping up to be the top second baseman, which will allow Leury Garcia to stay on utility.

The White Sox are reaping the rewards of fostering the development of a long list of players in their minor league system in recent years, including Anderson and Giolito.

They also have Cuban outfielders Yoelqui Céspedes and Óscar Colás in their system. But rookies aren’t likely to play a prominent role right now on a team that’s teeming with young stars who have already made it to the majors.

After some stumbles at the beginning of last year, it remains to be seen if La Russa will have an easier path in the second campaign of his new stay with the club.

The prestigious pilot was unaware of a rule that would have allowed him to use Cuban José Abreu as an automatic runner at second, instead of leaving closer Hendriks there, in the tenth inning of a game that Chicago lost to Cincinnati.

He also criticized Dominican rookie Yermín Mercedes for hitting a 3-0 home run in the ninth inning of a game that Chicago beat Minnesota. After a torrid start, Mercedes faltered and was sent down to the minors.

But La Russa passed John McGraw as the driver with the second most wins. And when the campaign ended, Anderson expressed his desire for La Russa to stay.

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White Sox look to go further in 2022