Even if you followed the Chicago White Sox for a small amount of time this past offseason, it would have been impossible to miss all the hype surrounding this team. After their 2019 season, many fans had high hopes and expectations going into 2020. Of course, these expectations were easily met after the season this team had. The White Sox sat on top of the AL standings for a majority of the year and even managed to make the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. With things trending in the right direction for this talented young team, we’re definitely excited for what the future holds.
Reflecting on Last Year’s Unusual Season
The 2020 MLB season for the Chicago White Sox didn’t exactly begin like normal. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire league suspended play before their planned start on March 26. Once owners and players ironed out the details for a shortened 60-game season, games resumed on July 23. Each game held nearly 3X the importance and this made them that much more exciting.
For the Chicago White Sox, things couldn’t have gone much better in 2020. After starting 1-4 to open the season, the team would play 28 games in the month of August and go 19-9 in that stretch. Fans surely expected them to do well, but their performance easily exceeded many expectations we all had. A lot of the team’s success can be attributed to the impact the rookies made. Whether it was Luis Robert or Nick Madrigal, the young guys on a young team stepped up to the challenge. Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu were also forces to be reckoned with for the majority of the year and Abreu would eventually be named the AL MVP. We hope that his success continues for years to come.
Looking Ahead to Next Year
When it was all said and done, the Chicago White Sox season saw them finish with a 35-25 record, which gave them a Wild Card berth against the Oakland A’s. Unfortunately, an early series road win wasn’t enough to get the job done, and the team would quickly exit the playoffs in the Wild Card.
As the White Sox head into the offseason, one of the big things on their to-do list is finding a new manager. After parting ways with Rick Renteria, the team named Tony La Russa as their new manager at the end of October. This decision raised a lot of eyebrows throughout the league, as La Russa hasn’t managed a team in ages, and there were a lot of questions about how his style would match with the team’s young core. Things didn’t look any better when the news dropped that La Russa was charged with a DUI at the beginning of November. It’s not the best thing to happen with your new team manager, and the team has stated that they understand the seriousness of the situation and will wait for the legal process to play out.
Chicago Stereotypes That Most Definitely Aren’t True
Want to dispel some Chicago myths? Check out these Chicago stereotypes that definitely don’t ring true.
Outside of the new manager headaches, the White Sox are in a prime position to build onto their young core in free agency. Adding a couple more pieces to this talented roster could mean the difference between an early postseason exit and a World Series title. And after the past couple of years this team has had, there should be no reason that this isn’t White Sox top goal going forward. Look out MLB, the Chicago White Sox are back!
At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.
Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!
Featured Image Credit: White Sox Facebook Page