X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Chicago White Sox: 2017 Team Preview and Fantasy Outlooks

Welcome back to our ongoing series of MLB team previews. As part of RotoBaller's ongoing effort to help you win your leagues, we're previewing all 30 MLB teams. For each team, we will take a look at their hitters, pitchers, prospects and offseason moves. Today we dive into the 2017 Chicago White Sox Team Outlook, and preview their potential fantasy baseball contributions.

The 2016 White Sox fought their way to a 78-84 record last season, which was good for a third-straight fourth place finish in the AL Central. This prompted a wildly active offseason that saw General Manager Rick Hahn make a couple of splashes at the Winter Meetings. Let’s take a look at the suddenly youthful White Sox organization heading into the 2017 season.

Editor's note: for even more draft prep, visit our awesome 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It has lots of in-depth staff rankings and draft strategy columns. You will find tiered rankings for every position, 2017 impact rookie rankings, AL/NL only league ranks and lots more. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

 

Offseason Moves

Let’s just get after the biggest news first. The White Sox made the largest splash of the 2016-17 offseason when they traded ace Chris Sale to the Red Sox for a bevy of young talent. The haul was headlined by MLB.com’s No. 2 overall prospect Yoan Moncada, and also included the hard-throwing Michael Kopech (No. 16) and minor leaguers Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz.

But Hahn wasn’t done, as one day later he traded defensive-whiz Adam Eaton to the Nationals for the highly-touted young arm of Lucas Giolito (No. 12), and fellow RHPs Reynaldo Lopez (No. 46) and Dane Dunning.

While those move set the bar high, it should also be noted that the South Siders brought back 1B Jose Abreu, 2B Brett Lawrie and OF Avisail Garcia on one-year deals. They also brought in southpaw Derek Holland on a one-year contract to shore up their rotation depth. Free agents Alex Avila and Austin Jackson have signed with other clubs, with Justin Morneau still unsigned but unlikely to return to the White Sox.

 

Hitting Overview

This lineup is going to carry over a surprising amount of players considering how buzzy the offseason was, with the only big change coming at the leadoff spot for now. It’ll be felt though, as Eaton’s strong average and on-base skills blended well with modest pop and speed to make him a very effective leadoff hitter.

As of now, Charlie Tilson should step into Eaton’s spot. While the 24-year-old doesn’t have Eaton’s power (four homers in 395 Triple-A PAs last season), he did put up a .282/.345/.407 slash line with 15 steals on the farm last season. He stole 46 bags at Double-A in ‘15. There’s some deep-league intrigue there.

Outside of that it’ll be business as usual, with the fleet-footed Tim Anderson likely slotting in at the two-hole before the power bats of Jose Abreu, Melky Cabrera and Todd Frazier come to the dish. Anderson should threaten 12/20 territory, but his plate discipline still needs refining. Abreu should be more like the second-half slugger from last season rather than the struggling shadow from the first half. Cabrera should be his consistent self. Frazier may not hit 40 homers, but it’s doubtful that he flirts with a .200 BABIP for the majority of the season either. The juicy power-speed combo will be there.

Outside of them, the bottom half of this roster isn’t worth investing in. The aforementioned Lawrie and Garcia should be decent AL-only picks, with catcher Geovany Soto and the platoon bats of Cody Asche, Peter Bourjos and Rymer Liriano unlikely to make any real impact without real playing time.

Liriano could be interesting if he gets an everyday job though, as he slashed .292/.383/.460 with 14 homers and 18 steals in 549 Triple-A PAs for San Diego in 2015 (he missed all of last season with multiple facial fractures due to being struck by a pitch). Tyler Saladino made some noise by bopping eight homers with 11 steals and a .282 average last season, but the Moncada trade really hurts his chances of finding playing time.

 

Pitching Overview

Without Sale, fellow lefty Jose Quintana will take over as the staff ace ahead of Miguel Gonzalez, Carlos Rodon, James Shields and Derek Holland. Quintana’s success in ’16 didn’t surprise those who have been following him since 2013, as he’s actually ranked seventh in WAR out of all pitchers in that timespan thanks largely to his durability and consistency. His 4.01 SIERA last season is concerning, but he’s still a low-end SP2.

Gonzalez surprised us with a 3.73 ERA and 1.24 WHIP last season, as a cut-fastball raised his aggressiveness and confidence on the mound and pushed him into deep-league relevance. Rodon’s first two seasons have yielded a 4.50 ERA in the first half, but a 3.45 ERA in the second. He makes for a good flier if he can put it together with his strikeout-per-inning stuff. Shields and Holland shouldn’t be targets.

Closer David Robertson saw his control erode last season (1.85 BB/9 to 4.62), but was still effective enough to hold onto a 3.47 ERA and record 37 saves. Those looking for holds and save-speculating should grab Nate Jones. His 10.19 K/9 and 1.91 BB/9 rates joined up with a strong 45.9% groundball rate to paint a pretty picture.

 

Prospects Overview

Moncada, Giolito, Kopech, Lopez, Basabe and Dunning join Carson Fulmer, Zack Collins, Spencer Adams and Zack Burdi to make a formidable top 10 for this squad. While seven of those names are RHPs, there’s just an undeniable amount of potential here. Look for Moncada to join the bigs as a fantasy factor in the middle of 2017, provided he can shore up his strikeouts first. Ditto Giolito with his control woes. With the rebuild mode on, they should get their auditions with little pressure.

 

Conclusion

The 2017 White Sox likely won’t be contenders, but offer a few veterans of early-round fantasy relevance along with some intriguing youth that should be on many keeper- and dynasty-league radars.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine23 mins ago

Placed On 60-Day Injured List
Sean Murphy36 mins ago

Not In Sunday's Lineup
Brandon Marsh46 mins ago

Hits 10-Day Injured List
Oneil Cruz55 mins ago

Sitting On Sunday
Cody Poteet1 hour ago

Promoted To Major Leagues
Shohei Ohtani1 hour ago

Activated From Paternity List
Yegor Sharangovich3 hours ago

Recovering From Broken Foot
Corbin Carroll3 hours ago

Stays Hot Versus Cubs
Michael Busch3 hours ago

Continues Impressive Start To Season
Rasmus Andersson3 hours ago

Played With Broken Fibula
Pete Alonso3 hours ago

Stays Hot On Saturday
Semyon Varlamov3 hours ago

Expects To Be Ready For Next Season
Rafael Devers3 hours ago

Smacks Three-Run Homer
Owen Power4 hours ago

Avoids Surgery
James Wood4 hours ago

Has Big Day On Saturday
Rasmus Ristolainen4 hours ago

May Miss Start Of Next Season
Mickey Moniak4 hours ago

Knocks In Four Runs
Evander Kane4 hours ago

Close To Being Cleared For Action
Gunnar Henderson4 hours ago

Swats Homer In Win
Kyle Connor4 hours ago

Caps Off Three-Point Effort With Game-Winner
Mason Miller4 hours ago

Registers Sixth Save
Nathan MacKinnon4 hours ago

Leads Avalanche To Game 1 Victory
Cedric Mullins5 hours ago

Goes Yard In Orioles' Victory
Fernando Tatis Jr.5 hours ago

Stays Hot Despite Padres' Defeat
Matt Chapman6 hours ago

Powers Giants To Saturday Night Success
Landen Roupp6 hours ago

Earns Second Win Of The Season
Dylan Crews6 hours ago

Launches A Pair Of Home Runs At Coors Field
MacKenzie Gore6 hours ago

Mystifies The Rockies In Masterful Coors Field Start
Mike Trout6 hours ago

Hits Two Home Runs In Saturday's Loss
Max Pacioretty18 hours ago

Available For Playoffs
Jake McCabe18 hours ago

Available For Sunday's Game 1
Oliver Bjorkstrand19 hours ago

Will Not Play In Round 1
Matthew Tkachuk19 hours ago

Logs Full Practice Saturday
Jonathan Drouin19 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Miro Heiskanen19 hours ago

Upgraded To Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi19 hours ago

Out On Saturday
Jaylen Brown20 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Limited On Sunday
Irv Smith24 hours ago

Houston Re-Signs Irv Smith Jr.
Ja Morant2 days ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Brandon Williams2 days ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis2 days ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.2 days ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince2 days ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL2 days ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart2 days ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson2 days ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura2 days ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves2 days ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL2 days ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić2 days ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
LeBron James2 days ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard2 days ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
NFL2 days ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant2 days ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Lauri Markkanen2 days ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL2 days ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Bennedict Mathurin2 days ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Pascal Siakam2 days ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Tyrese Haliburton2 days ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham2 days ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Josh Hart2 days ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
OG Anunoby2 days ago

Good To Go For Game 1
NFL2 days ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith2 days ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren2 days ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL2 days ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch2 days ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson2 days ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews2 days ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat2 days ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard2 days ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
NFL2 days ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas2 days ago

Good To Go Saturday
Matthew Tkachuk2 days ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
2 days ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Rome Odunze2 days ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL2 days ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook2 days ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Jake Tonges3 days ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos3 days ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock3 days ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants3 days ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints3 days ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills3 days ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Lucas Glover4 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger4 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka4 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas4 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele4 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy4 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry4 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris4 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland4 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns4 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala4 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai4 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre4 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge4 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap4 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley4 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick4 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay4 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth4 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa4 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa4 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski5 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes5 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler5 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA5 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell5 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva5 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes5 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF