Levine: White Sox Unfazed By Slow Start
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Despite a poor 0-3 start to the 2015 season, White Sox manager Robin Ventura has been given a more talented group of players to lead through the championship season.
Now in his fourth season on the job, Ventura will be expected to expertly mix and match a team that has 13 new players. Those fall and winter additions had the majority of baseball insiders making the White Sox the unofficial winner of offseason player movement.
This meshing of talented veterans and a few youngsters has led to to expectations of postseason baseball being played in October on the South Side. The pitching staff alone has one new starting pitcher and six bullpen replacements from last year's squad. All of the new White Sox players will be expected to perform at a high level.
As part of his offseason due diligence, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn plunked down $44 million for closer David Robertson, $15 million on setup man Zach Duke and $9.75 million for one year of control of Jeff Samardzija.
"We looked into each guy's make-up as a part of our preparation to sign and trade for players," Hahn said. "There is some track record for both the players in the organization coming up and our new people. We feel they respond to pressure and expectations in a positive way."
The questions about losing three straight games in Kansas City to open the season were both redundant and typical for the players returning for the home opener.
"No one wants to start out 0-3," Robertson said. "I think we had a terrible start to the 2009 season with the Yankees (and eventually won the World Series). You cannot look at the first three games and predict the season. We have a good group of guys. We just have to go out and play good baseball."
Duke signed a three-year deal with Chicago last offseason. He admits getting-to-know-you periods have existed on every team he has played on.
"Once you get comfortable with the other guy's playing style and how each other's game flows, you seem to get a better focus on what your task needs to be for that day," Duke said. "I had to deal with expectations as a starter (previously). That helped me get a good perspective. You learn to stay on track and in focus as to what you can control."
Do the White Sox have considerable time to get the kinks out of their system and mesh as a baseball team? Robertson thinks they have months to get it right.
"You look late in August," Robertson said surprisingly. "You look late in August and see where you are in the standings. You have about 40 games left, at that point you can go on a tear in September and be in the thick of things."
Hahn also took the calm approach to the barrage of negative questions thrown his way in the season's first week.
"Wow, you have to go all the way back to 2014 to find the last playoff team that started off 0-3," Hahn said tongue in cheek. "Our plan is to turn the page and start a winning streak of our own."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.