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White Sox World Series Repeat

Will the 2006 White Sox Repeat as World Series Champions?  Currently the Chicago Whitesox are 1.5 games back from the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central and both of these teams are already distancing themselves from the rest of the pack with the 3rd place Indians 9.5 games out of 1st. The Whitesox appear to be right on track and it has been a surprise start from the Detroit Tigers which has left the south siders playing second fiddle in the AL Central. But last week, the Whitesox took 2 of 3 from Detroit and it seems almost inevitable that they will be at the top of the division come September. It’s never as easy as it seems on paper, but barring serious injuries to their pitching staff, which is unarguably the best in the bigs, you should count on the Whitesox to make it back to the Mecca of Major League Baseball when making your 2006 baseball picks.

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If you compare the Sox, with any of the other possible contenders such as the Redsox and Yankees, there is no question that Chicago has the advantage on the mound. And when it comes to being a successful major league team, the mound matters most. In the early going, all 5 of the Whitesox starters have winning records. Contreras is still undefeated and Garcia and Vasquez have already reached the 7 wins mark. When you add Jim Thome’s power to the Whitesox already potent lineup to support this staff, you’ve got yourself a winner, right?

As good as the Sox’s starters are, there are still some questions with the bull pen. Despite his 18 saves, Bobby Jenks hasn’t looked nearly as dominant as he did in last year’s postseason. In a series, with let’s say a healthy Yankees team, I would probably have to give the nod to Rivera’s experience and by that time, the constantly improving Farnsworth could be the game’s best set up man with his closer-like stuff. It’s almost cliché to say, because the Yankees have been right in the thick of things nearly every year, but the Whitesox will have to worry about this team as they have managed to keep their heads well above water, while enduring the worst injury problems in the league, with players like Andy Phillips stepping up. The Yankees first half injuries could pay dividends down the stretch as it has given them the opportunity to develop their talent. The Whitesox bench won’t be able to save them if Konerko, Thome, or Dye were to go down.

Last season we saw a dominant Whitesox team get complacent down the home stretch of the season only to be ignited by the surging Cleveland Indians. If it weren’t for Cleveland’s push, the Sox may never have gone on to win the Series. They could have ended up like the St. Louis Cardinals who won the NL Central by a landslide and couldn’t get out of their coasting mode in the postseason. So ultimately, whether the Sox can repeat will be determined by if they are playing their best ball down the stretch of the season. It’s the teams who get hot late that have the best chance to win the title and a dominant pitching staff is the largest factor in catching fire just as it was for the Astros last season who finished 11 games behind the Cards in the division, but rallied to capture the NL Wildcard and ultimately beat St. Louis in the playoffs. The Whitesox staff will keep them in nearly every game the remainder of the season (that’s how good they are), and it will give them a better chance than any recent team has had in repeating as World Series Champions.