Emma: 5 Key Storylines Awaiting White Sox In Spring Training
By Chris Emma--
(CBS) The White Sox stand confident in the makeup of their 2016 team.
Ask general manager Rick Hahn or manager Robin Ventura about this team, and you'll hear of genuine optimism. Despite the disappointment of 2015, the baseball brass feels this season will be different.
On Tuesday, the White Sox come together for their first full-squad workout in Arizona and begin an important spring training. Plenty of questions await the White Sox in Glendale. Let's look to what's ahead:
1.) What's in Robin Ventura's future?
It's quite rare for a manager, coach or just about anyone in charge of a sports team to enter the final year of a contract without any assurances. Ventura's now in the final season of his initial five-year deal and has been given no promises to his future.
On paper, it would seem that Ventura is managing for his job. So what's enough to keep him in Chicago? Many would argue that he must bring the White Sox to the postseason for the first time in his tenure, though it's ultimately up to team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to decide what's ahead. Ventura's pressure-filled season starts in Arizona.
2.) How will Abreu/Frazier click?
The White Sox made one of the offseason's biggest moves, shipping out a handful of prospects in a three-team deal that brought All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier to Chicago. The hope of this move was in part to make slugging first baseman Jose Abreu even better. By solidifying the meat of their order with a slugger like Frazier, Abreu will be an even more daunting out, as foes can't pitch around him as often. The lineup itself should be more dangerous.
However, Frazier struggled during the second half of his 2015 season, one that started well enough to earn an All-Star Game appearance. If Abreu and Frazier can produce consistently, the White Sox can count on better results for this season.
3.) Will outfielder Avisail Garcia see a turnaround?
The Fangraphs profile of Garcia states the following: "Garcia may be the biggest bust since Domonic Brown. In parts of four seasons, he's shown us terrible defense, a bat that scrapes league average and below average base running. That's not a major league profile."
His hope is to change that.
Garcia posted a -1.1 Fangraphs WAR in 2016, an indictment to his all-around struggles. He hit .257 with a .675 OPS and 13 homers in 148 games. The White Sox took a gamble in trading for Garcia during the 2013 season, and his career in Chicago has been anything but fruitful. This is a player the White Sox are counting on and a major reason why they've struggled collectively.
4.) How good can Chris Sale be?
One could make a fair argument that Sale is the best pitcher in the American League. When at his best, there are few pitchers who can dominate and completely humiliate hitters like Sale. His starts turn into appointment television.
Sale has gotten better each season in the majors, with his WAR rating increasing every year since he broke into the big leagues. Is it realistic that he can top his 2015 performance? Sale struck out a franchise-record 274 batters and had a 3.41 ERA, though his Fielding Independent Pitching mark of 2.73 better illustrated his dominance.
5.) Will 2016 be different for the White Sox than 2015?
Ultimately, this is the most important question for the White Sox. They brought in Frazier, second baseman Brett Lawrie and right-hander Mat Latos, but were those moves enough to change the sad results of 2015? They held off from the big splash of signing a Yoenis Cespedes or Alex Gordon, players who could've transformed the lineup.
The White Sox have kept an open mind about adding players, and outfielder Dexter Fowler remains on the free-agent market, though the Orioles have shown the most interest lately. Perhaps that addition could still bolster this team into a better contender.
But for the most part, the White Sox are simply hoping their collective struggles in 2015 will fade and this team can find success. It all starts in spring training.
Chris Emma covers the Chicago sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.
