Projected lineup
1. LF: Juan Pierre
2. SS: Alexei Ramirez
3. DH: Adam Dunn
4. 1B: Paul Konerko
5. CF: Alex Rios
6. RF: Carlos Quentin
7. 2B: Gordon Beckham
8. 3B: Brent Morel
9. C: A.J. Pierzynski
Projected rotation
1. SP: Mark Buehrle
2. SP: John Danks
3. SP: Gavin Floyd
4. SP: Edwin Jackson
5. SP: Jake Peavy
CL: Matt Thornton/Chris Sale
Five tips
• Expect a repeat from Rios, which makes him a top-10 outfielder and a top-25 player. His early Average Draft Positions (ADPs) have seen him drafted a few rounds later than that, and though that will probably change, you might get him as a fourth-round bargain.
• The Sox seem split on their closer options. Ozzie Guillen seems to prefer Thornton. Others, like perhaps pitching coach Don Cooper and GM Kenny Williams, are leaning towards Sale. This one could go down to the wire.
• Manager Ozzie Guillen recently said, "If I say that Morel is going to be our third baseman, that's a slap in [Mark] Teahen's face." Morel doesn’t project as a star, but he’ll probably hit 12-15 homers and steal some bases. Teahen won’t do any more than that, and is probably a worse fielder.
• Peavy keeps moving up his timetable, as he recovers from his surgery. But his Opening Day status is iffy, and Sale looks to be the fill-in.
• See Buehrle at the top of the rotation? It’s a nominal title for a veteran who’s probably the worst pitcher on the White Sox staff at this point. It’s hard to strike out just more than four batters per nine innings and stay effective, and Buehrle appears headed toward a cliff. My rankings of the top-80 starting pitchers have Danks at 30th, Jackson at 43rd, Floyd at 52nd, Peavy at 73rd and Buehrle as unranked.
Plus:
• Odd man out: Teahen, if Guillen does the smart thing and plays Morel as often as possible.
• Top prospects: Sale and Morel are the team’s best prospects, but first baseman/third baseman Dayan Viciedo could fit into the picture if someone gets hurt (though he’ll be out until May with a broken thumb). The 22-year-old Viciedo showed good power last season, jacking 25 homers in 469 plate appearances between Triple A and the majors. He also walked just 13 times (!!!), meaning that he’ll be getting himself out a lot for the foreseeable future.
• Backup closer: Sale whiffed 32 batters in 23 1/3 innings last season. It’s hard to see him losing out to Sergio Santos or Jesse Crain.
