After being swept last week in Toronto, the White Sox responded by taking two of three from the Rays in Tampa. Though their strong weekend performance wasn’t enough to sway voters in a positive direction, the South Siders will look to build off their momentum and gain some ground in the various power rankings.
Here’s a recap of where media outlets ranked the team heading into this week.
MLB.com: 15
Previous Ranking: 15
Voters: Alyson Footer, Anthony Castrovince, Paul Casella, Mark Feinsand, Nathalie Alonso, Mike Petriello, Sarah Langs, Andrew Simon, David Venn, and Brett Blueweiss.
Released on Sunday, June 5th.
The Athletic: 17
Previous Ranking: 16 (-1)
Conducted by James Fegan and Nick Groke. If you’re a subscriber of The Athletic, click here for the reasoning behind this ranking.
Released on Monday, June 6th.
Bleacher Report: 15
Previous Ranking: 14 (-1)
Now that we’ve seen our first managerial change of the season, how much longer is Tony La Russa going to be at the helm of an underperforming White Sox team? The South Siders slipped from second to third in the AL Central standings last week while gettng swept by the Toronto Blue Jays, though they did rebound to take two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays.
via Joel Reuter
Released on Tuesday, June 7th.
ESPN: 14
Previous Ranking: 14
The White Sox have a lot of problems related to injuries and under-performance, but going forward, one of them won’t be former AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel. Keuchel was designated for assignment last week and ultimately released after clearing waivers. That’s a pretty clear indication that Chicago didn’t see a turnaround for the veteran lefty. Through the end of June last season, Keuchel’s White Sox career was looking great: 12-4, 3.13 ERA, 11 quality starts in 26 outings in the rotation. After that, Keuchel was 5-12 with a stunning 7.11 ERA and just four quality starts in 23 outings. While it seems like the time had come for the White Sox to view Keuchel’s remaining contract as a sunk cost not likely to be recovered in on-field value, there is a risk: If Keuchel latches on with another team and succeeds, it’s not going to be a good look for Chicago’s pitching processes.
via Sean Doolittle
Released on Thursday, June 2nd.
USA Today: 15
Previous Ranking: 15
Tim Anderson‘s .356 average, .393 OBP and .896 OPS are all career highs.
via Jesse Yomtov
Released on Monday, June 6th.
NBC Sports Edge: 18
Previous Ranking: 13 (-5)
They did capture the final two games of their three-game weekend series against the Rays, but the White Sox haven’t strung together three consecutive victories since their season-high six-game winning streak early last month. Andrew Vaughn is at least doing his part. He went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles on Sunday versus Tampa Bay and carries a robust .350/.375/.533 slash line with 10 RBI and 10 runs scored over his last 15 games (64 plate appearances) dating back to May 19.
via Drew Silva
Released on Monday, June 6th.
CBS Sports: 14
Previous Ranking: 14
Leury Garcia has hit leadoff two of the last three games. He’s hitting .189 with a .199 on-base percentage. I promise you, Tony, it doesn’t have to be this way
via Matt Snyder
Released on Monday, June 6th.
Sports Illustrated: 19
Previous Ranking: 15 (-4)
Michael Kopech finally gave up his first home run of the season in his 43rd inning on Wednesday against the Blue Jays, who hit two dingers off him in the game. Consider it a minor speed bump in his otherwise smooth transition to the rotation. Opposing hitters have batted just .149 against him, by far the best mark in the majors for pitchers with at least 40 innings.
via Will Laws
Released on Monday, June 6th.
FanSided: 20
Previous Ranking: 13 (-7)
How did the Chicago White Sox get here? A World Series favorite for many people in the preseason, the White Sox only ever taste .500 before falling back down below it.
Jose Abreu has started to hit which could catapult this club much further toward a better spot in the standings. During Tim Anderson’s absence, someone needed to step up and it looks like he has. The White Sox remain a team with potential to do damage. Potential only matters if you meet it.
via Tim Boyle
Released on Monday, June 6th.
The Week Ahead
The White Sox will have two chances for a series win against the Dodgers heading into the weekend. Once Los Angeles departs, the Texas Rangers come to town for a three-game set of their own. Though challenges remain, the Sox will look to stay hot and build off of their current winning streak.
Follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more White Sox updates.
Featured Photo: © Kamil Krzaczynski / USA TODAY Sports
