Major League Baseball

White Sox hope they're contenders in next act

Published Mar. 31, 2010 8:03 p.m. ET

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Not that things are ever dull around the Chicago White Sox, but this was quite the dramatic spring even by their wild standards.

And to think: the season is just beginning.

For all the tension between manager Ozzie Guillen and general manager Ken Williams over social networking, the White Sox do have other issues as they try to re-establish themselves in the AL Central after missing the playoffs last season.

There's the health of Jake Peavy and Carlos Quentin, a reconfigured outfield, a designated hitter by committee, another new position for young star Gordon Beckham. There's no Jim Thome, no Jermaine Dye, but Paul Konerko is still around, if not for much longer given his expiring contract.

``If everybody stays healthy, we'll be in contention,'' Guillen said. ``I think this ballclub will fight for the pennant. ... The main thing is I keep those guys healthy and I make sure I keep those guys believing they can win.''

The White Sox simply stopped doing that last season and finished third in the Central at 79-83 after winning the division in 2008.

As bad as they were in the field and as inconsistent as they were at the plate, they hardly resembled a first-place team. Yet, that's where they were after Mark Buehrle's perfect game against Tampa Bay on July 23. They were tied at the top of the standings and were, in a way, on top of the world.

And then?

From perfection came mediocrity.

They struggled on defense and offense, finishing with 113 errors behind an inexperienced infield while getting shut out 13 times.

Buehrle, meanwhile, had tough luck just as he did following his no-hitter in 2007 and won just two games the rest of the way in a 13-10 season. He did, however, throw more than 200 innings for the ninth straight year and posted a respectable 3.84 ERA.

Even so, if he flirts with another no-hitter, Buehrle said, ``Ozzie already told me he's pulling me out. ... He might get booed pretty loud, but he'll save it for the team to do better afterward.''

Whether the White Sox do better this season hinges largely on the health of Peavy and Quentin, the development of Beckham, the success of the DH committee and their ability to put aside any distractions.

The last part shouldn't be a problem. If there's one thing the White Sox have shown, it's this: Drama doesn't faze them.

The latest centered on the colorful Guillen's decision to start a personal Twitter account and Williams' displeasure over it. The plot thickened from there, with the White Sox nixing a Web site that would have offered insight into his decisions, and middle son Oney being told to resign by his dad from a job in the scouting department after the organization objected to some of the younger Guillen's posts. It all seemed like fodder for the reality show the White Sox have in the works.

As for the players?

``They're not letting that thing bother them,'' Ozzie Guillen said. ``That's pretty special.''

Special could also describe the starting pitching's potential.

Peavy, the 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner, is healthy after a right ankle injury limited him to 16 starts last season with San Diego and Chicago. Throw in Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Freddy Garcia, and the White Sox's rotation could be among the game's best - maybe even as good as the 2005 championship team's.

``People try to compare us to the '05 year; you can't, because we won everything,'' Buehrle said. ``We got to the top. I think the potential's there if everybody stays healthy.''

Question is: Will Guillen's desire for more speed and versatility compensate for the loss in power with Thome and Dye?

It would help if the White Sox got more from Quentin, who went from an MVP candidate two years ago to batting .236 with 21 homers while battling a foot injury, and if Alex Rios rediscovered his All-Star form after struggling in a big way once they claimed him from Toronto.

They acquired veteran leadoff hitter Juan Pierre, who figures to play left with Quentin in right and Rios in center, and Andruw Jones. At 32 and with recent knee injuries and conditioning issues, the former All-Star and Gold Glove center fielder could figure in the outfield and DH mix.

They also need Beckham to build on a promising rookie season while adjusting again to a new position. A shortstop who moved to third when he got called up last season, he's now at second after the White Sox traded for Mark Teahen.

``On paper, the talent that we've got, this is a solid team,'' Jones said.

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