What went wrong, right for the Sox
Despite strong September rally, South Siders ousted from postseason play

Stephen J. Carrera/AP Carlos Lee was less productive in 2002 than in previous years.

The roller coaster White Sox season has come and gone. From the promising start in April and May, the pitiful play of June and July, and the potential-filled finish from August and September—to the Konerko/Thomas war of words, Clayton/teammates war of accountability, and JR/players war of heart, the season was never quite right.

Offensively, the Sox were erratic from the start: one day driving 15 runs, the next leaving 15 men on base. Defensively, the Sox showed some improvement, but to be comparable to the Twins, who are as fundamental as they come, the Sox would need 18 men on the field.

The rotation with the exception of Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland and Danny Wright each showed two sides for every two starts, while Todd Ritchie went into a four-month spiral after May 15. The bullpen was untested early due to scoring gaps, and unproductve later because of it.

Despite these setbacks, the Sox still managed to finish the season with a respectable .500 (81-81).

What went right
July 31 couldn’t come soon enough for the Sox. Some were hoping to be dealt, while others were hoping to play. Either way, trades were made and vets were dumped, as youth revitalized the team with a positive aura felt throughout the clubhouse.

Of course it was not till Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf lashed out in a closed-door meeting on Aug. 28, two days before the strike deadline, that the energy turned into wins. The Sox went on to win 20 of their final 31 games.

Along with the great finish was the great season by right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Ordonez proved once again that he’s the best player nobody knows about, hitting .320 with 38 home runs and 138 RBI. Ordonez finished in the top eight in the AL for the following categories: Average, hits, home runs, RBI and runs.

What went wrong
With the addition of Kenny Lofton, the return of Thomas, the demise of the Indians and 2001 second half fall of the Twins, the Sox saw themselves as easy favorites—just like in 2001—for the AL Central title. The Sox offense, which was brilliant on paper, was designed to carry the team through a weak division. The Sox spoke too soon, again. The offense proved unreliable, scoring only in bunches, while the Twins continued to win, eventually taking the division. The only truth to the Sox theory was the demise of the Indians. The Sox lost the division by 13½ games.

Tom Olmscheid/AP Mark Buehrle finished one game shy of a 20-win season.

Upside
The development of Garland and Wright eventually proved to be worth the wait. Neither showed immediate signs of success, but both came on strong as the season grew. The two combined to go 14-10 with a 4.59 earned run average in their last 30 starts, and 11-8 with a 4.06 earned run average in the final two months of the season. The Sox see both hurlers as established middle-tier pitchers.

Downside
The Sox did not improve fundamentally. Base stealing, which was spoken of highly throughout spring by manager Jerry Manuel—with speedsters Lofton and Ray Durham to go with Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee, Jose Valentin and Royce Clayton—was nonexistent (75 steals). Making things worse was their base running, which was atrocious to say the least. When they weren’t wrongfully sent home by recently fired third base coach Wallace Johnson, they were picked off or opted not to slide, getting thrown out either way. The Sox plan to spend yet another spring training with a heavy focus on base running.

Biggest Surprise
Damaso Marte—the lefty acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the off-season trade for top pitching prospect Matt Guerrier was lights-out. After a sluggish start, leading to a high, 8.31 earned run average in April, Marte settled in and took the Sox bullpen by storm, eventually winning the closer’s role previously held by Keith Foulke. Not including April, Marte recorded a 1.92 earned run average with 10 saves in 571/3 innings.

Biggest Disappointment
After an injury-plagued 2001 season, it was assumed Frank Thomas would return to 2000 form. Instead, Thomas looked overmatched and frustrated, leading to criticism by teammates Paul Konerko and Carlos Lee and bench threats by manager Jerry Manuel.

Adding fuel to the fire was the looming question of his future. Although being signed through 2006, Thomas and Reinsdorf agreed on a diminished skills clause years back. The clause gives Sox brass the option to defer all but $250,000 of Thomas’ annual $10 million salary if he doesn’t make it to the all-star team, win a Silver Slugger Award or finish in the top ten in AL MVP voting. The deferment will be spread across 20 years.

If the Sox choose to invoke the clause, Thomas will be allowed to test the free agent market for 45 days. If no takers are found, Thomas can return to the Sox.

Best Acquisition
D’Angelo Jimenez, the once highly-touted shortstop in the New York Yankees organization was brought to the Sox in a midseason trade with the San Diego Padres for minor leaguers Alex Fernandez (OF) and Humberto Quintero (C). Jimenez was assigned to AAA Charlotte before being recalled in late August. Upon arrival Jimenez was used at both second and short, flashing both a strong glove and great instincts. His main attributes came out of the leadoff spot where he showed discipline and base running ability, something the Sox have lacked in recent years. Jimenez’s role for 2003 is still undefined, though many see him at second.

Mike Fisher/AP Frank Thomas may have played his last season in a White Sox uniform.

Worst Acquisition
Todd Ritchie. Now yes, Ritchie is a much better pitcher than he looked this past season and things can still change, but the outcome is the outcome nonetheless. Kip Wells, who went from highly touted to highly overrated in his years with the Sox, flourished in Pittsburgh, while Ritchie was hit early and often, leading to a horrific 5-15 record and a 6.06 earned run average. Ritchie was placed on the 15-DL in August sparking media rumors claiming the move had more to do with Ritchie chasing the inevitable 20-loss season as opposed to a serious injury. It was later confirmed by Sox management that Ritchie had inflammation in his right shoulder.

2002 White Sox MVP
Mark Buehrle. Buehrle handled the pressure of being a number one pitcher on a team projected to make the playoffs with relative ease. Buehrle finished the season 19-12 with a 3.58 earned run average in 239 innings. Buehrle was close to the prestigious 20-win plateau with a 2-1 lead in his last start of the season, but an eighth inning, two-run homer off the bat of Twins outfielder Bobby Kielty ended the quest.

In the end
The Sox have a bright future but are still left with plenty of questions.

They are still faced with a need for a top of the rotation starter. After Mark Buehrle, the staff doesn’t supply a legit "ace," prompting the general manager to look into acquiring one in the off-season. Names mentioned are Paul Byrd, Sidney Ponson and Orlando Hernandez.

After that, there are plenty of questions inside the organization. Who will start at second, short, left, center, and catcher? Surely, the Sox cannot continue to strive on the lineup plans designed by Jerry Manuel, which changed day to day. Winning teams need roles and structure.

Will Thomas’ contract be invoked, causing an end to the Thomas era at Comiskey? If the Sox plan on acquiring an elite starter and signing Konerko and Buehrle to the contracts they deserve, it may be the only option.

Who will close for the Sox? Kenny Williams stressed the fact before the season ended that Keith Foulke will not start, but hasn’t declared him the closer nor put him on the block. The Sox had three relievers in Osuna, Foulke and Marte with 10 or more saves.

After the players, comes the coaching staff. The Sox fired third base coach Wallace Johnson and reassigned first base coach Gary Pettis. Their replacements will be announced after the World Series. So like their .500 record, it will be back to the starting point come 2003. There are a lot of holes to fill with plenty of plugs available. They just need to decipher the duds from the effective, which hopefully won’t take all of 2003.