The lineup for The White Sox was hurt by the poor performance of Adam Dunn. He actually had a negative WAR. WAR stands for wins above replacement. His WAR was -2.7 meaning without Adam Dunn the White Sox would have won 2.7 more games. You cannot fault the White Sox for signing him. He had a 138 OPS+ in 2010, but the transition between leagues and to DH must have been incredibly difficult for him. If The White Sox want to do well in 2012 they need to get Adam Dunn back to him old self.A positive look at the White Sox's lineup is the consistency and excellent performance of Paul Konerko. Konerko has an average OPS+ of 140 over his last three seasons, which is great. He has also driven in 304 RBI's over that span. The White Sox need to keep one consistent hitter for the entire year and Konerko is definitely that guy.
The rotation looks a little different without Mark Buehrle, because he signed with The Miami Marlins. If Jake Peavy can stay healthy and get back to the Peavy from 2008, The White Sox will have an ace. Peavy hasn't pitched 20 games since 2008 because of injuries. The pitcher to watch is John Danks. He is going to be 27 and hasn't had a big season yet. If 2012 can be his break out season The White Sox may still be alive in the American League Central. The final pitcher worth discussing is Philip Humber. He pitched 163 innings in 2011 with a 3.75 ERA. He 29 and has good stuff. Being in the prime of his career he may be an advantage to The White Sox.
Although they traded away Sergio Santos and Carlos Quentin The White Sox have a chance to improve on their record from 2011, but not by much. They lost big parts of their team in Mark Buehrle, Carlos Quentin and Sergio Santos. I guess The White Sox have decided to start rebuilding. Combined with The Twins, The White Sox can be a thorn in the side of The Tigers.
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