(670 The Score) Having earned their first back-to-back playoff berths in franchise history, the White Sox believe they’re much better positioned to compete for the World Series title here in 2021 than they were a year ago, when they fell in the best-of-three wild-card round.
After a 93-win regular season, the AL Central champion White Sox exude such confidence for a variety of reasons.
"I feel we are in a better position right now,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “Frankly, last year at the time there was this COVID fear. We are not out of the woods yet on that yet, but at that time, we were traveling around as a group of unvaccinated players and coaches. There was a fear at any time there could be a breakout and there was a real fear about that. We then had to bubble up in the postseason. Then there was a general nervousness with the lack of experience and depth of our roster. We were not quite to the point of where we thought we would be over the next several years.”
Experience is a trait that’s more in favor of the White Sox this time around. They’re led by a Hall of Fame manager in Tony La Russa who has directed three teams to World Series championships. Their pitching staff is also much more formidable, buoyed by star closer Liam Hendriks in the back end of the bullpen and ace Lance Lynn helping lead the rotation.
Beyond them, Hahn pointed to the natural maturity of younger players who got their first taste of playoff baseball in 2020. Now, his group is readying to face the Astros in the best-of-five American League Division Series. Game 1 is set for Thursday in Houston.
"As we sit here today and Luis Robert has more experience under his belt, Yoan Moncada continues to grow, plus the growth of Dylan Cease and the additions of Lance and adding (Craig) Kimbrel, (Cesar) Hernadez and Liam, I think we are in a stronger position today than we were a year ago,” Hahn said. “We are stronger this year to start the playoffs.”
The White Sox’s immediate concern entering the playoffs is the health of left-hander Carlos Rodon, who had a superb regular season in posting a 2.37 ERA but whose fastball velocity has dipped in recent weeks as he has dealt with shoulder soreness. Where he fits into the playoff equation is a big decision for the White Sox as they look to match up against the AL West champion Astros, who are playoff veterans.
Rodon will throw a simulated game Tuesday, then the White Sox will monitor his health across the next day or two. The White Sox have until Thursday morning to submit their ALDS roster to MLB.
"He's like the great unknown,” La Russa said Sunday. “We will check that out very carefully and fast-forward to when we can go out there and make a determination. But that could be a tough call."
Hahn expects Rodon to play a role for the White Sox in the playoffs, but that’s still a question mark as Hahn wouldn’t yet commit to any set plan for Rodon.
"We remain confident that Carlos will be able to contribute over the next month,” Hahn said. “His strength, comfort and dealing with the fatigue is something we continue to monitor. What shouldn't be lost is that we are sitting here as division champs thankfully in large part to Carlos's contribution over the last six months. We have put together a program that we hope puts him in a position to help us this coming month as well. If he is in the Division Series, he will only pitch once. So let’s take it one step at a time and see how we get through the next three to five games and hopefully come up with a plan for his usage in the ALCS as well.”
Teams are allowed to change their roster between series if they advance in the playoffs.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.