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Whisoxman's best and worst of 2018

White Sox Best of 2018:

Best pitcher: Reynaldo López--Although he did have his struggles, he's been the most consistent starter from beginning to end--his finish helped put him over Shields for me.

Best position player: Tim Anderson--A respectable 20-20 season offensively with improved defense makes this a relatively easy call.

Best reliever: Joakim Soria--Soria actually did a respectable job after the first week of the season. His trade created a huge void which the White Sox were, for the most part, unable to fill.

Best defender: Adam Engel: He had to cover a lot of ground this year as neither corner covered much ground. He was more consistent (and even spectacular) over the full season--the only one close is Anderson in my opinion.

Favorite player: Yolmer Sanchez: His Gatorade splashes at the conclusion of walk-offs helped make those times even more joyous

Overall MVP (hitter or pitcher): Tim Anderson: His combination of speed, power, and defense exceeded any of the hitters. He improved his walk rate this year (not hard to do), & hope to see that trend continue next year.

Rookie of the Year: Daniel Palka--To me it came down to Fry and Palka. Sure he strikes out frequently and isn't skilled defensively. However, with a great weekend, he could reach 30 homers despite not getting the call up in late April and was arguably the most exciting player to watch this season

Breakout star: Daniel Palka: His laser beams were unexpected sights to behold, and he also seemed to be the most clutch player on the team. Omar Narvaez would be #2, as his power and hitting ability certainly continue to surprise me.

Best single play: For a bad team, the White Sox had their fair share of walk-offs. However, my favorite play had to be Engel's catch of the Yankees' Kyle Higashioka on August 8, the night after he robbed Greg Bird. Absolutely sensational!

Best single game: For me, it was the Dylan Covey win over Chris Sale on June 8. It's not because I have any particular animus toward Sale, but Covey with an ERA of over 7 last year just went head-to-head & succeeded over the Cy Young contender, with the aid of a rare hit by Trayce Thompson. Seeing the Red Sox fans so quite after the game was priceless!

Prospect you’re most excited for: The answer is easily Eloy Jimenez. However, I'm excited about the prospects of seeing Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning make it to September rosters next year if all goes well.

Best nickname, Players’ Weekend or otherwise: Kevan Smith's "Webb". Not because this was cute or funny, because it was a tribute to Smith's close friend Daniel Webb, who died during the off-season. The second choice would be Lucas Giolito's "Big Foot", which plays perfectly to his six-foot-six frame.

Most inspiring moment: This is a new category, but for me, this was just simply watching Danny Farquhar make the ceremonial first pitch on June 2, just over a month after his terrifying brain aneurysm. My second choice would be hitting Kevan Smith hitting his first home run on August 25--wearing the jersey honoring his good friend Daniel Webb in the process.

Best rivalry: Tigers. Although the Tigers basically had the Sox number (thanks to Nick Castellanos), they've both done a successful job of tanking over the past couple seasons. Here's hoping the Sox contend for at least a Wild Card next year.

Eloy ETA: April 22. They could call him up as early as Monday April 22 in order to keep him an extra year, and I believe this is what they'll do. He'll play three games at Baltimore, & then we should see ticket sales go up on the 25th when they play at home against the Orioles, Tigers, and Red Sox.

Favorite moment of Hawk’s broadcasting career: I still remember his call when Bo Jackson hit the game-winning homer on September 27, 1993 to clinch the AL West. Hard to believe that was 25 years ago. What a moment! Harrelson was never at his best when the Sox weren't contending (which was quite often), but he was always as his peak when times were good.

Best promotion/innovation/development: Ahh, the unpredictable Yolmer Sanchez and his Gatorade celebrations. You just never know who he's going to douse next!

White Sox Worst of 2018

Worst pitcher: Bruce Rondon. While the struggles of Miguel Gonzalez were attributable to his injury and Carson Fulmer due to his inexperience and being thrust into a role he was ill-qualified for, Rondon had no such excuse: 37 hits and 27 walks, 8.49 ERA & 2.16 WHIP in his 29 2/3 innings of work for the White Sox. In his last 17 games encompassing 11 2/3 innings, he allowed 21 hits and 19 walks for an incredible 14.66 ERA & 3.43! Not sure what was more embarrassing--his stats or the White Sox keeping him as long as they did.

Worst position player: Trayce Thompson--This is tough because there was so much mediocrity. I'm not including September call-ups as they're just getting their feet wet. Thompson's the most logical choice for me. In 47 games totaling 121 at-bats, he hit just .117/.162/.211 with 50 strikeouts in that short span. He did have a couple nice moments (the Sale/Covey game & a walk-off homer) this year, but his return to the White Sox was grossly disappointing otherwise.

Worst reliever: Bruce Rondon--For the reasons stated above. Plus, from everything I've heard, not a great teammate.

Worst defender: Omar Narvaez--There are a lot of choices here. You can't go wrong with my other honorable (or dishonorable) mentions such as Daniel Palka, Nicky Delmonico, and Matt Davidson. However, because Narvaez plays in the most important position among that tandem, I'm going with him here. His framing numbers are at the bottom of the league, not to mention his twelve passed balls and seven errors despite playing just more than half of the Sox games behind the plate.

Least favorite player: Bruce Rondon (a personal trifecta!)

Worst acquisition: Miguel Gonzalez--I almost went with Rondon here, but his salary was much lower than Gonzalez's. Welington Castillo was another choice for me, but at least his defense is respectable and he still may be a guy that could be traded for something during the offseason. A 12.41 ERA & 2.43 WHIP in three starts prior to season-ending surgery don't justify Migo's $4.75 million salary that could've been better spent elsewhere.

Worst single play: The play on February 26 when Jake Burger busted his knee in the Spring Training game. While it didn't affect the major league club per se, it certainly was a harbinger of injuries and difficulties to come for Hansen, Jimenez, Robert, Dunning, Lambert, McClure, Kopech, Zangari, Puckett, etc.

Worst single game: Many bad games, but the back-to-back games April 20-21 against the Astros really stood out for me. The 20th is when the White Sox lost 10-0 and Farquhar suffered his brain aneurysm. The following day, the White Sox lost 10-1 with Giolito giving up five hits, seven walks, & nine earned runs in just two innings.

Prospect you’re most disappointed by: Evan Skoug. The easier choice would be Alec Hansen, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt as he had been battling injuries this year. Skoug, in low-A ball, he hit just .192/.283/.299 with five homers but struck out 93 times in just 271 at-bats. He was a top-30 prospect on MLB Pipeline to begin the year, but this offensive-minded catcher's stats were truly offensive. Hope things turn around for him next year.

Worst moment of Hawk’s broadcasting career: If memory serves, he got into near-fisticuffs with Brewers' manager Phil Garner one year. While I'm not a Garner fan, an announcer needs to know his place.

Worst promotion/innovation/development: The Sox going for the all-time record in strikeouts. This simply isn't a good thing when you likely won't have a hitter with 30 homers for the entire season.


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