- Pitching: The White Sox have a mix of young and old in their starting rotation and feature a number of power arms coming out of the bullpen, headed by Addison Reed. He has worked on his off-speed stuff in the off-season. If he can keep hitters from digging in on his fastball, he could emerge as one of the top relievers in all of baseball. The question of how soon left-handed starter John Danks returns from his shoulder rehab is one that will be debated in the early going.
- Solid Up the Middle: Shortstop Alexei Ramirez and second baseman Gordon Beckham have developed into one of baseball’s best double play combinations. Ramirez has the range to get to balls hit in the whole and the arm to gun down even fleet-of-foot runners. Expect both to become more consistent at the plate and to provide some pop for the Sox from the lower half of their batting order.
- Manager Robin Ventura: He has a year of experience under his belt managing at the big-league level and a better appreciation for what his young pitchers are capable of doing in tight game situations. This will help him make the difficult decisions that ultimately define any manager and often spell the difference between pretenders and contenders.
The Sox open at home Monday (3:10 p.m.) vs. the Kansas City Royals. The game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet. The forecast calls for temperatures in the upper-30s. Snow flurries are possible.
