The White Sox went from 85 wins in 2012 to only 63 in 2013. It was a very disappointing season for South Side fans. But there was one glaring sinkhole for the club: position players failed to hit and field very well.
Baseball Reference WAR statistic is to measure the quality of a player. An 8 plus WAR is an MVP caliber player, 5 plus is an All Star, 2 plus is a starter, 0-2 is a bench player, and below zero is a replacement level (minor league) player.
The White Sox only had 8 players who had a WAR of 1.0 or higher.
On the offense, Alexi Ramirez was the best player at 2.6 WAR. Many people have been on Ramirez all season long, but he was not the problem. His stats indicate he was the only "starter" on the offense. The other Sox player was Alex Rios who had a 1.0 WAR. Rios was traded to the Rangers so he does not fit into next year's team. The White Sox really have to upgrade eight field positions and DH with "starter" material in order to regain competitiveness in the improving AL Central.
What is really galling about the Sox this year was that the team spend $80 million on offensive players who produced a collective negative 0.6 WAR. Jeff Keppinger led the team with a negative 2.0 WAR.
On the bright side, the pitching staff continues to show promise.
Chris Sale had a 6.9 WAR. Carlos Quintana had a 5.4 WAR. Two All-Star pitchers in a rotation is excellent.
Starter Hector Santiago posted a respectable 2.8 WAR.
In the bullpen, Jesse Crain had a 2.4 WAR, Matt Lindstrom had a 1.4 WAR, and closer Addison Reed a 1.2 WAR.
The Sox pitching staff compiled a collective 22.9 WAR at the expense of $30 million in payroll.
Despite the general negativity about the White Sox farm system, the club has another wave of young pitchers who had a taste of the majors this season who will be in position to compete for roster spots in the spring: Andre Rienzo, Erik Johnson, Jake Petricka, Charles Leesman, Daniel Webb and Ramon Troncosco. The White Sox have a surplus of young pitching which may be needed in order to facilitate trades to shore up the team's woeful offense.
