Chicago White Sox

Five White Sox Players to Watch in the Season's Second Half

The Chicago White Sox have made a number of significant moves to improve their team for the future, but the present has been on the rough side as they enter the second half of the season with the worst record in the American League.

Of course, that is good news in a way, as it means the White Sox are in line for a top-tier draft pick in next year’s MLB Draft, but for fans attending games at Guaranteed Rate Field this summer, the incentive to head out to the ballpark may be drained a bit as the team continues to strip away parts of its roster.

With that in mind, we have five players to watch through the final months of the season.

Jose Abreu

It seems unlikely at this point that Abreu will be traded, and in the meantime he’s still one of the most exciting players to watch in the game. He will need 14 home runs and 42 RBI to hit the 30-100 plateau for the third time in his big league career, and he could also sneak above the .300 mark in batting average for just the second time.

Tim Anderson

After signing a six-year contract during spring training, Anderson has had a rough start to the season, batting just .240 with nine home runs in 324 plate appearances. The youngster is slowly improving in terms of his batting eye, having drawn nearly as many walks this season as he did last year in over 100 more plate appearances, but the second half will be a big indicator of what kind of asset he will be once the White Sox start calling up some of their young, talented players.

Tommy Kahnle

Kahnle is racking up strikeouts at a higher rate than he ever has before in his big league career, and he could get even more opportunities to shine if David Robertson is traded before the MLB trade deadline. He has a 2.65 ERA with 57 punchouts in 34 innings pitched, and if he becomes the closer, he could definitely give fantasy teams a boost in the closing months of the season.

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Yoan Moncada

Sooner or later, Moncada is going to be called up, and he is going to be an electrifying presence in the big leagues. He has a .286 batting average in 338 plate appearances in Charlotte this season, and he has brought a unique blend of power and speed to the mix. He also walks a lot, drawing 48 free passes already, and if he can bring that discipline and hitting ability to the majors, he will live up to the massive hype surrounding him.

Carlos Rodon

After coming back from an injury that sidelined him for the first two months of the season, Rodon is going to get the chance to make a statement as the team’s best starting pitcher. He has had some control issues early on, giving up 12 walks in 16 innings of work, but his strikeout totals are right in line with his career averages, and he is going to be given every opportunity to earn the top starting role with the Sox over the remainder of the campaign. 

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