When you consider the teams expected to qualify for the postseason that fell short you would undoubtedly think of teams like the Mets, Rays and Cubs. Sure, they were all disappointments but one team had a division title within reach in the middle of the summer and slowly let the opportunity fall through their fingers.
The Chicago White Sox had - and have - arguably the most impressive collection of talent in the AL Central. Their pitching staff is deep, with ace John Danks paired with steady Mark Buehrle and youngster Gavin Floyd. Their bullpen is fairly good with strikeout artists Octavio Dotel and Matt Thornton setting up closer Bobby Jenks. The ChiSox' lineup was solid all year. Young thirdbaseman Gordan Beckham had a fantastic year and will likely be named Rookie of the Year. Many are already proclaiming Beckham to be the face of the franchise. Shortstop Alexei Ramirez had a fine year as did veterans Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye. Even after trading away DH Jim Thome, the Sox could still push runs across. Right? Well, not exactly. The White Sox will finish the year among the most inept run-producing teams in the American League. Despite having a solid collection of offensive talent, the team did not score enough to win the required 90 games needed to win the Central.
In the end, Chicago could not hold off the vastly inferior Detroit Tigers. Perhaps Justin Verlander was another reason why; giving the Tigers a true ace that Chicago lacked. In that regard, the August trade for Jake Peavy may help close the gap for the South Siders in 2010. Peavy will take over as the ace of the White Sox staff and be the man responsible for fending off the Verlanders, Greinkes and Bakers of the division.
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