OK, we get it. After years of high hopes and confidence, followed by disappointment and bitter tears, it is pretty hard to brace yourself for another two or three years of losing baseball. However, that doesn’t mean that no one should care or pay any attention to the White Sox in 2017.

This year, there is no false hope being thrown around. Everywhere you look, the White Sox are projected to finish last in the AL Central, so there shouldn’t be any disappointment this year.

That being said, why not watch the team? If they lose, it’s expected, and if they win, it is a gift from the baseball gods. There are actually quite a few reasons why you should want to watch the White Sox this season. From the young players to the newcomers to the veterans, this team can be very entertaining.

5.) Pay Your Respects Before The Veterans Go

Even though the White Sox are in a rebuild mode, there are still a number of veterans that Rick Hahn has not yet traded away. Jose Abreu, Jose Quintana, Melky Cabrera, Todd Frazier, and David Robertson highlight the potential trades near the trade deadline this summer. But why shut down on them this year? They are still going to give all they got and it should still be pretty exciting.

The skills of LF Cabrera are top-notch, specially when he robs home runs from Kris Bryant.

Abreu has shown that he produces even though the rest of his team may not. He started off his first two MLB seasons with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs and has finished every year with at least 100 RBIs. Even though the Toddfather may only get a hit once out of every 15 at bats, that one hit is usually a home run. His defense at third is above average and its nice to see a White Sox player in the Home Run Derby for once.

Jose Quintana will once again throw shutouts, but somehow end up with a no decision. Just because Chris Sale was traded doesn’t mean that the White Sox don’t have an ace anymore. Quintana is even projected to win the AL Cy Young award this year by Ken Rosenthal.

4.) Tim Anderson

All eyes were on Anderson even before the team signed him to a six-year deal. In his short time with the team last year, he made incredible plays at shortstop and was a threat every time he stepped in the box. He’s the future star of the team and the future face of the franchise. His arm strength helps him snag runners at first, but what is really special about him is his baseball IQ. He knows what is going on, and everyone in the stands knows that he is the dominant force on the diamond.

His exciting plays makes it worth to watch the team this year. Staring at the future of the Chicago White Sox, it’s nice to know that for the first time in a while, there is legitimate hope for this team for bringing a division title to this city and hopefully a pennant along with a World Series trophy.

3.) Smart Baseball

Unlike Robin Ventura, Ricky Renteria actually knows how to manage a team. This season, you won’t see bunts by Melky Cabrera in the 3rd inning anymore. It will be a well-managed club, that is guaranteed. From being manager of the Cubs in 2014 and becoming the White Sox bench coach after that, he has seen a lot of incredible things in this city and he is planning to make some more.

The skills that Renteria brings to this team are needed and appreciated. He holds his players accountable and to a higher standard. Even though everyone is expecting him to manage a losing team, he will do all he can to try to prove those doubters wrong.

2.) The Call Ups

The Chris Sale and Adam Eaton trade has brought some interesting new faces to the team. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see these new faces for a while as the majority of them are in AAA Charlotte. Since the White Sox front office is well aware of the rebuild that they are going through, sending their youngsters down to the minors to begin the season is actually a smart idea.

Yoan Moncada is ranked the 2nd best prospect in all of baseball.  Lucas Giolito is viewed as a strong starter for the club a few years down the road, and his time in the minors will be well spent. Lopez is another starter that actually could have made the 25-man roster, but was sent to the minors for the same reasons. The next player has basically the whole country stoked to watch: Michael Kopech. His fastballs that are consistent at 100 and 101 MPH are no laughing matter. His career high is 105 MPH, just in case anyone forgot. Will he be the next Chapman? We will have to wait until September to find out.

Kopech isn’t the only guy on the team that can throw 100+. Zach Burdi and Tommy Kahnle also fit that description. Burdi is viewed as a future closer for the White Sox. It’s a different situation for Kahnle. He will be fighting to stay on the club this year when he does get called up. Although he throws hard, he had 20 walks in 27.1 innings last season. He will have to get his control down if the Sox want to have the hardest throwing team in the league. Nevertheless, all of these players will be exciting to watch as they are called up towards the end of the season.

1.) The Underdogs

This is the Chicago White Sox we are talking about, not some minor league team. They are the underdogs in Chicago and in the MLB. Because of the success that the Chicago Cubs had in 2016, you know winning the World Series and all, a lot of attention has been lost, and the White Sox are viewed as “the other team”. No one in the MLB thinks that they are serious contenders for even a Wild Card spot, and it will be fun to watch some more walk offs by the youngsters or towering home runs by the veterans.

So sit back, relax, and strap it down, White Sox baseball is coming your way.

Any White Sox fan, who has followed the team over the past decade, knows just how important pitching coach Don Cooper is to this team. Cooper has worked in the White Sox organization since 1988, he worked his way up through the minor league system, finally replacing Nardi Contreras as the White Sox pitching coach in 2002.  Since being promoted, ‘Coop’ has worked tirelessly with his staff, turning a number of pitchers into stars, and it’s safe to say the White Sox don’t win the World Series in ’05 without him.

Cooper’s legacy in respected by everyone in the league and the pitchers that work with him know that they have one of the best in the business. That being said, just how great is Don Cooper?

We all know that he has help produce some incredible pitchers. Mark Buehrle, Jose Quintana and Chris Sale are just a handful of names. What really shows how great Cooper is when he turns pitchers careers right side up and helps them produce more than they were brought in to do.

Matt Thornton

Thornton spent eight years with Cooper from 2006-2013. From the bullpen, he had his career low WHIP of 1.00 in his second year with the team. Just two years later in 2010, he had a WHIP of 1.01.

Now, how does that compare to before he came to Don Cooper?

In his two seasons with Seattle from 2004-2005, Thornton had a WHIP of 1.68 both seasons. In his first year with the Sox, that number dropped to 1.24. Not only did Cooper help Thornton lower his WHIP, his BAA (Batting Average Against) and ERA also dropped when he came to the White Sox. In 2005, he had an ERA of 5.21. The next year, which was the first one with the Sox, he had an ERA of 3.33. The same pattern happened with his BAA, as it dropped from .248 to .229 as he entered his first year with the team.

Matt Latos

Now, before you begin to go back because you think that I am crazy, hear me out. The initial reason the Sox signed Latos was because they needed a back-end pitcher who could at least keep the team in the ball game.

Latos had a record of 6-2 in 2016 with Chicago, which was his first winning season since 2013. His ERA of 4.42 was the best since 2014. Given he took a turn for the worst towards this middle of summer in 2016, the only reason that he made this list was because he had a comeback year.

This is one of the most compelling reasons that Don Cooper is so great. He can turn anyone’s career around, even if it means that they only get half a season out of him, that short time could be full of quality pitching.

Bobby Jenks

The closer who was famous for fiddling with his hat and shirt when pitching in the 9th inning of the World Series actually declined as soon as he left the White Sox and Cooper’s tutelage.

His ERA with Chicago through six seasons was 3.38. In 2011, he was signed by Boston and had his worst season ever. This included an ERA of 6.32 and a BAA of .328. Coincidence? I think not.

Miguel Gonzalez

Much like Latos, Gonzalez was a last minute signing by Rick Hahn at the start of the 2016 season. He was just supposed to be a guy that could fill in as the No. 4 or 5 spot in the rotation, but the way he pitched made it seem that he was arguably one of the best on the team.

His 2015 season in Baltimore, however, was not a highlight year. He held a 4.91 ERA and a 1.4 WHIP. Then, he came to Chicago and worked with Cooper. That season, he rebounded and put up great numbers. His ERA and WHIP dropped to 3.73 and 1.24. He is projected have another superb season this year, with Cooper helping him along the way.

James Shields

Hold back the yelling, at least for a second. Don’t get me wrong, Shields wasn’t the best pitcher in the MLB last season, far from it actually; however, that was mainly because of his time in San Diego.

The Sox traded for Shields in a middle of his slump, and in baseball, that takes time to get out of. Fortunately, Cooper reminded Shields how to throw a baseball. In his first three games with the Sox, he gave up 21 earned runs in 8.2 innings.

How does this show that Don Cooper is incredible? It’s what he did after his first three games. His next two games, he gave up only four earned runs in 11.2 innings. Then July came. He had an incredible 1.78 RA and only gave up seven earned runs in five games.

Did I mention that he shut out the soon-to-be World Series champions Chicago Cubs?

Jessie Crain

For a short time, the duo of Chris Sale and Jessie Crain in the bullpen was one of the best in the league. Crain spent 10 seasons in the MLB, playing for the Twins who had originally drafted him as a shortstop, but decided to move him to the relief.

In Minnesota, Crain had a ERA of 3.58, which is pretty respectable. Then he came to the Sox, and you can probably guess what happened to him after he shook hands with Cooper.

In his three years with the White Sox, Crain posted a spectacular 1.93 ERA and in 2011, his first year with Chicago, he tallied up his career high 70 strikeouts. In fact, he got so good that in his final season, in the 36.2 innings that he pitched, he allowed 0 home runs. It once again shows how brilliant Cooper is at his job.

Coop Deserves A Lot Of The Credit

All White Sox fans love Cooper. Not only is he great at what he does, but he wants to stay there. Through the firing of Ozzie Guillen and Robin Ventura, he has denied any thought in wanting to be the manager of the team. He likes where he is and he is great at it. He is a wizard. Even John Danks, the John Danks in his prime, once said, “Coop deserves most of the credit for where I am today“.

Cooper is truely spectacular at what he does and how he has contributed to this organization. It is simply incredible.

It’s pretty safe to say that Cooper is legendary. Whenever a pitcher joins the White Sox, they are excited and eager to learn from the pitching coach. He has turned around the careers of so many players, and has started the careers of many more. You can sure that the boat load of new pitching prospects Chicago has acquired will get the best pitching coach in the league.

Baseball is officially back ladies and gentlemen. For Chicago, the North Siders get things kicked off tonight in a division tilt with the St. Louis Cardinals. The White Sox will follow up tomorrow afternoon, as they kick off the season at home against division rival Detroit.

Weather Forecast

Game 1- High of 52 with high chances of rain. (Potential cancelation).

Game 2- High of 53, cloudy

Game 3- High of 46, potential thunderstorms

In other words, Chicago baseball in April.

Probable Pitchers

Game 1- Jose Quintana vs. Justin Verlander

Game 2- James Shields vs. Jordan Zimmermann

Game 3- Derek Holland vs. Daniel Norris

Lineup (Game 1)

2B- Saladino

SS- Anderson

LF- Cabrera

1B- Abreu

3B- Frazier

DH- Asche

RF- A. Garcia

C- Navarez

CF- May

SP- Quintana

Player to Watch- Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson had a very productive rookie year for the White Sox. Rick Hahn certainly was pleased, and rewarded Tim with a contract extension that can keep him in Chicago until his 30’s. Entering his first full season for the White Sox, all eyes should be on him as he looks to take the next step forward. Short stop is currently one of the most talented positions in all of baseball. Francisco Lindor, Troy Tulowitzki, Addison Russell, and Carlos Correa are just a few names to throw out there. Last year Tim went under the radar for the most part, but this year he will start to make noise and put himself in the discussion as one of the better young short stops in the league. Expect him to come out of the gates firing on all cylinders.

Bottom Line

After what should be an exciting pitcher’s duel in game 1, expect more runs to be put on the board in games 2 and 3. It could be a long season for James Shields if he cannot rebound from his awful 2016. Derek Holland is more of an unknown than not at this point, but his career ERA at Guaranteed Rate Field is 7.20 in three starts. Take that for what it’s worth. On the other side, Detroit may have found a solid young pitcher in Daniel Norris. The 23-year-old had 10 starts last year to the tune of a 3.04 ERA.

Series Prediction

Quintana will best Verlander in a low scoring affair to get the win on Opening Day, but the White Sox lack of quality pitching depth will show in games 2 and 3. White Sox start the season 1-2.