2017 Chicago White Sox

2017 Chicago White Sox / Franchise: Chicago White Sox / BR Team Page

Record: 67-95, Finished 4th in AL Central Division (2017 AL)

Managed by Rick Renteria

Coaches: Daryl Boston, Nick Capra, Don Cooper, Jerry Hairston, Curt Hasler, Joe McEwing, Greg Sparks and Todd Steverson

Ballpark: Guaranteed Rate Field

History, Comments, Contributions

On April 14th, the 2017 Chicago White Sox became the first team in history to start an outfield consisting of three players with the same last name. Avisail Garcia was in right field, Leury Garcia in center and Willy Garcia made his major league debut in left against the Minnesota Twins. Willy had been called up that day when Melky Cabrera went on the paternity list. The three Alou brothers - Felipe, Matty and Jesus - had played in the same outfield in a few games for the 1963 San Francisco Giants, but had never been starters in the same game. The White Sox won the game, 2-1, behind a good performance by rookie Dylan Covey, who was also making his big league debut, and a solo homer by Matt Davidson that provided the winning margin.

After the 2017 All-Star Game, the White Sox lost 9 consecutive games, giving them the worst record in the American League, until beating the cross-town Chicago Cubs, 3 - 1, on July 24th. Ironically, they had just made a rare trade with the rival Cubbies a few days earlier, as on July 13th they had sent their best pitcher, José Quintana, to the north-siders in exchange for four prospects. They had made a second trade on July 18th, this one sending 3B Todd Frazier and Ps David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the New York Yankees for three more prospects and one established major leaguer - P Tyler Clippard, who was struggling badly with the Yankees. Those two trades, combined with the off-season deals that had sent P Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox and OF Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals had at least given them a lot of hope for the future: the White Sox now owned 10 of the top 68 prospects in baseball! The most prominent of these, IF Yoan Moncada, was promoted to take Frazier's place in the line-up immediately after the trade with the Yankees. On July 31st, however, Moncada and Willy Garcia collided in the outfield and both were injured on the play, but neither of them seriously.

On September 14th, the White Sox collected 25 hits in a 17-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. It was the most hits in a game by a White Sox team since 1981. leading the charge were Avisail Garcia, who went 5-for-5 with a homer; Moncada who was 4-for-5 with 2 walks and a homer and also scored 5 runs; and 1B José Abreu who had four hits. Abreu was on a torrid streak, having hit for the cycle on September 9th, and followed that with a two-homer game and a four-hit game the next two days. He had another four hits on September 14th when the White Sox had 25 hits as a team in a 17-7 beating of the Detroit Tigers.

Awards and Honors

• All-Star: Avisail Garcia

Further Reading

• Bob Nightengale: "Jose Quintana & Co. in limbo as White Sox rebuild", USA Today Sports, April 3, 2017. [1]

2017 MLB season by team