Just three years removed from being World Champions, the White Sox look to reestablish themselves as an elite team in the American League. However, with the recent success of the Indians and the blockbuster moves made by the Tigers, the White Sox have an enormous mountain to ascend to even put up a fight in the AL Central division. After an extremely disappointing 2007 season, the White Sox added some new faces and sent some old ones packing. Their biggest addition has to be center fielder Nick Swisher from the Oakland A’s. The tough, vibrant Swisher will give the White Sox a much needed jolt in the field and in the batting line up. Adding Orlando Cabrera, the ex-SS for the Angels, will also revive the team and create some good competition between Cabrera and the incumbent Juan Uribe. While Uribe might be upset about the move, baseball is a business and it is up to him to win the starting role with hard work and determination. Ozzie Guillen has his work cut out for him, but the outspoken, in your face manager has worked miracles before, so why not 2008?
The field and the batting line up are solid and capable of putting up big numbers on the scoreboard, but the concern remains to be the pitching staff. Perennial powerhouses Mark Buehrle and Jose Contreras look to lead the charge and consistently remind their adversaries, especially the Tigers and Indians, that they are a force to be reckoned with. Coming off a less than stellar 2007 season, Contreras is on the hot seat. Also, with Jon Garland departing to the Angels, Buehrle, Contreras, and Javier Vazquez are going to have to come up big when their number is called. Free agent Octavio Dotel was brought in as a solid pitcher out of the bullpen to compliment the starters and instill some trust in them that when they leave with a lead, Dotel will keep them rolling. Furthermore, with the addition of Dotel and other reliever Scott Linebrink, the talented Mike MacDougal is put into a position with much less pressure on him and having Bobby Jenks anchoring the crew, the bullpen has the opportunity and talent to do some damage in the AL. Look out Detroit and Cleveland, here come the 2008 White Sox, with a chip on their shoulder and nowhere to go but up that vigorous mountain that is the AL Central.
