What to Know
- The White Sox only won 62 games last season, making this year's PECOTA projection an eight win improvement.
- Jose Abreu and Eloy Jimenez are both projected to hit over 20 home runs, the publication says.
The Chicago White Sox are hoping to begin reaping the benefits of their emphasis on acquiring prospects, but according to a new projection, that surge in production won’t come this year.
According to the newest PECOTA projections, compiled by Baseball Prospectus, the White Sox will be one of the worst teams in the American League in the coming season, as the publication predicts the team will win just 70 games and finish fourth in the American League Central.
The projections say that the White Sox will have a rough time both defensively and on the mound, giving up nearly 800 runs while scoring just 690.
Those totals lead the Sox to the fourth-worst record in the American League projections, ahead of only the lowly Orioles, Tigers, and Rangers.
There is some good news on the horizon, however. The projections do include production from top-tier prospects Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease, both of whom are likely going to be called up to the big league roster at some point this season. It does predict a down year for Reynaldo Lopez, but says that Jose Abreu and Jimenez should both hit for decent power in the coming season.
Chicago Baseball
The 70 wins would represent an eight win improvement over the 2018 season, when the White Sox lost 100 games and finished in fourth place in the Central.
