Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson lacks confidence. Anderson has spoken openly about his career, whether he is celebrating a home run or closing the conversation about unwritten rules, Anderson always offers a good quote.
For the past two seasons, he has supported all of that. Anderson has reached 0.331 / 0.357 / 0.514 in his last 172 games. He won a batting title and a Silver Slugger, and is the catalyst for a White Sox team that should be a playoff candidate in the next decade.
But Anderson may have gone too far on Friday. During an interview with Danny Parkins of 670 The Score, Anderson launched a challenge for the rest of LA, calling the White Sox the “best team in the American League”.
Anderson was so excited to make that statement that he even dropped an F bomb on the radio.
That’s a lot of confidence from Anderson, considering that the White Sox escaped into the expanded playoffs as No. 7 seed and failed to make it past Oakland Athletics in the first round. If the White Sox fails to do a deep postseason in 2021, Anderson’s quote may come back to bite him.
White Sox ready for another strong year
At the same time, it’s not like Anderson plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The White Sox is expected to take a step forward in 2021, after acquiring Lance Lynn and hiring Adam Eaton and Liam Hendriks in the off-season. In addition, the great candidate Michael Kopech will return after choosing to leave the 2020 season. On the surface, the White Sox seem stronger than last season.
But the list is not perfect. The depth of the team’s pitches after their top 3 leaves much to be desired, especially if new pitch coach Ethan Katz fails to get Dylan Cease or Reynaldo Lopez back on track. Although Eaton has been productive in the past, he is coming out of a bad year and struggled with injuries. The team also has a huge hole in the designated hitter, where he hopes Andrew Vaughn can eventually step in and hit like a 10-year veteran.
These concerns are significant enough that the Baseball Prospectus surprisingly projects the White Sox to win just 82.8 games in 2021 and finish third at AL Central. Unless the White Sox make another play or two, or some players take big steps forward, Anderson could swallow his words when October comes.
Yankees, Rays, Astros, Twins are on the way
Even if the White Sox exceeds projections, it is not as if the AL would be easy in 2021. The Minnesota Twins beat AL Central in 2020 and boasts an equally strong squad this season. The New York Yankees brought back a powerful attack, but they also left and switched to Jameson Taillon. The Tampa Bay Rays may look worse on paper, but the team shouldn’t be underestimated after reaching the World Series last year. There is also the Houston Astros, which had a low year in 2020, but is expected to recover in 2021.
In Anderson’s defense, the White Sox reached a point in their containment cycle where simply reaching the playoffs is no reason to celebrate. This team must have aspirations for the World Series. Anderson has set a standard in which anything but a World Series appearance will be a disappointment.
It is up to the rest of the White Sox to prove that he was right.
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