Fantasy Baseball: 2015 Chicago White Sox Fantasy Outlook

Mar 4, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training baseball game at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Spring Training is in full swing (pun intended), and the regular season is right around the corner. That means that our fantasy drafts are as well.

2015 Chicago White Sox Projected Starting Lineup:

C: Tyler Flowers (.241, 15HR, 50RBI, 0SB)
1B: Jose Abreu (.317, 36HR, 107RBI, 3SB)
2B: Micah Johnson (.339, 1HR, 6RBI, 3SB in 59 spring at bats)
SS: Alexei Ramirez (.273, 15HR, 74RBI, 21SB)
3B: Conor Gillaspie (.282, 7HR, 57RBI, 0SB)
LF: Melky Cabrera (.301, 16HR, 73RBI, 6SB with Toronto)
CF: Adam Eaton (.300, 1HR, 35RBI, 15SB)
RF: Avisail Garcia (.244, 7HR, 29RBI, 4SB)
DH: Adam LaRoche (.259, 26HR, 92RBI, 3SB with Washington)

The White Sox thought enough of Flowers to let Josh Phegley go. Flowers has good power, and is worth a shot at the end of your standard league draft if you waited on a catcher.

Abreu has gone anywhere from second overall to 12th overall in the drafts that I have seen. I took him at six in one league, and was happy about it. He hit 36 home runs despite missing 17 games. He is right in the middle of his prime, and is the only player that could hit 40 homers with a .300 average. There is reason to believe that he can not only duplicate last year’s production, but improve on it.

Johnson beat out incumbent Gordon Beckham (.226, 9HR, 44RBI, 3SB), new arrival Emilio Bonifacio (.259, 3HR, 24RBI, 26SB in 110 games with Cubs/Braves), and fellow prospect Carlos Sanchez for the second base job. If Johnson struggles, it will likely be Bonifacio that takes over. Johnson is worth a look in deep leagues, and you standard leaguers should keep an eye on him just in case. As for Bonifacio, keep an eye on his playing time. He can play multiple positions. He is the kind of waiver add that can really boost your steals in any size league if he plays enough.

Ramirez had arguably his best all-around season last year, and could do it again. He is a solid pick in the middle rounds if you choose to wait on a shortstop.

Gillaspie is just keeping the seat warm. Matt Davidson had a rough spring, otherwise he would have opened the season with the job. Now Gillaspie is just filling in until Davidson mashes AAA pitching long enough for the Sox to deem he is ready. When Davidson is called up, he is worth using in most leagues because of his power potential.

Melky Cabrera has the chance to put up big numbers on the South Side. He doesn’t run as much as he used to, but he could hit 20 home runs and score 100 runs hitting second in this lineup. He is a nice middle round target to round out your outfield.

A lot of people are high on Adam Eaton. He stole 98 bases in three minor league seasons. He hit .300 last year, and is a good bet to do it again. He won’t provide you much power, but he could steal 40 bags and score 100 runs with the lineup behind him. He should be going a lot closer to Melky Cabrera in drafts than he currently is.

Garcia was dubbed “little Miggy” when he was with Detroit, but that is only because he is similar in stature. He is never going to hit like Miguel Cabrera, but he is still a popular sleeper target in drafts this year. He never hit for a lot of power in the minors. He had more speed, which is surprising for a guy who is 6’4″ and 240 pounds. He should hit for a good average, and his power is starting to come around. He is someone to take a flier on in standard leagues late. You may end up having to drop him though.

LaRoche has a nice season with Washington last year, hitting 26 home runs. The question is: can he do it again at age 35? The odds are probably against him, but there is no reason to believe that he can’t hit the 20 mark again. He is a fringe standard league option because he won’t hit for a good average. Just pick him up when he gets on of his patented hot streaks.

Next: How Does The Rotation Look?

Sep 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (49) tips his cap towards the outfield after third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

2015 Chicago White Sox Projected Rotation:

Chris Sale (12-4, 2.17 ERA, 208K)
Jeff Samardzija (7-13, 2.99 ERA, 202K with Cubs/Athletics)
Jose Quintana (9-11, 3.32 ERA, 178K)
John Danks 11-11, 4.74 ERA, 129K)
Hector Noesi (8-12, 4.75 ERA, 123K with Seattle/Texas/White Sox)
David Robertson (4-5, 3.08 ERA, 96K, 39/44 saves)

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If Sale could avoid the minor injuries that have slowed him a little over the last couple of years, he could be almost as dominant as Clayton Kershaw. He posted 208 strikeouts in just 174 innings. I have seen him go at the end of the first round, and I have seen him go as low as 27th overall. Personally, I would have no issue with taking him in the middle to late second round. He is only going to miss one start, so he shouldn’t fall in your rankings at all.

Samardzija is living proof that win-loss records mean next to nothing. He had a fantastic season despite his 7-13 record. He should at least come close to 200 strikeouts again and post an ERA right around 3. You can’t try to draft based on how many games he might win. His other numbers will be good enough for Samardzija to be the second starter on your fantasy squad.

Quintana is another guy who pitched much better than his record indicated. He doesn’t have the strikeout potential that Samardzija does. Quintana has lowered his ERA and raised his strikeout total over all three of his seasons. He is still young enough at 26 that he could still improve. He could be a huge bargain for where he is being drafted (ADP is 179th overall).

Danks has not posted a sub-4 ERA since 2010. He is barely even rosterable in deep leagues anymore, let alone standard ones. I wouldn’t trust him anywhere. He just doesn’t seem to have it anymore.

Noesi posts an ugly 5,16 ERA in 48 career starts. He is only here to eat innings until Chris Beck and/or Carlos Rodon are ready. My guess is that Danks and Noesi won’t be in the rotation by the All Star break. Rodon is worth stashing in deep leagues if you have the room. I would wait on Beck and pass on Noesi and Danks at all costs.

Robertson was a good closer for the Yankees last season. There is a chance that he can have sustained success in that role. He strikes out a high number of batters, but his ERA is higher than you would like in a closer. He could rectify that, but it is tamping his draft value a bit right now. He is still worth a pick within the second tier of closers.

Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR as we continue our team by team rundown!

Next: Is Bryce Harper A Top Ten Outfielder?

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