Fans still think the White Sox world series victory was only a few years ago. It is a strong memory. But that was 8 years ago, in 2005. The White Sox have fallen to last place in the AL Central.
A comparison of starters should tell the tale.
2005 . . . . 2013
C Pierzynski . . . . Flowers
1B Konerko . . . . Konerko
2B Iguchi . . . Beckham
SS Uribe . . . Ramirez
3B Crede . . . Keppinger
LF Podsednik . . . Vicideo
CF Rowland . . . De Aza
RF Dye . . . Rios
DH Everett . . . Dunn
SP Buerhle . . . Sale
SP Garcia . . . Peavy
SP Garland . . . Quintana
SP Contreras . . . Danks
SP O. Hernandez . . . Santiago
Positions where production has fallen off dramatically from 2005:
catcher, second base, and short stop.
Positions that are a wash from 2005:
third base, left field, center field, right field, DH, and the starting rotation.
Konerko's production is down because of injury. The White Sox third base situation has been a sinkhole for a long time. Dye and Rios are the best hitters on the club. What put the White Sox deep into the playoffs was elevated career seasons by the likes of Iguchi, Uribe, and Contreras.
The difference between a bad team and a playoff team is very slight. It still boils down to the players playing at a level "above" their baseball card averages on a consistent basis. During the White Sox World Series run, every time a starting pitcher threw a gem, the next guy up in the rotation came into their start with the attitude "I can do better." They mowed down their opponents. It is that type of hubris that is missing from the current White Sox roster, especially with the position players who have produced little offense and kicked the can with poor defense all season long.
