ESPN Projects Top 100 Players: How The White Sox Stack Up
ESPN created their list of who they believe will be the top 100 MLB players in 2023. Based on the projections from this list, the White Sox should be in line to win plenty of games.
No. 43 Dylan Cease
The first White Sox representative is Dylan Cease, who slotted in at No. 43, just ahead of Jacob deGrom. deGrom’s injury history plays a factor in this ranking, but being placed ahead of one of the best pitchers on the planet says a lot about what ESPN thinks of Cease’s talent. He is the only White Sox player in the top 50.
Despite missing out on the All-Star team, he finished second in the American League Cy Young voting in 2022. He racked up an AL-best 227 strikeouts and posted a microscopic 2.20 ERA. So with numbers this good, why is he so low on the list? Because he plays for the White Sox.
As ESPN puts it, “Cease needs more exposure.” Later adding “Playing for the underachieving White Sox didn’t help matters. It’s partly why he’s not in the top 20 despite coming off a dominant 2022 campaign.
They predict he will take a step back (which is to be expected. It’s unfair to expect Cease to put up his 2022 numbers regularly) with an ERA around 3.00. Part of this is because opponents batting averages on balls put in play off Cease have fluctuated dramatically throughout his career.
No. 61 Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson was the next White Sox player on the list, coming in at No. 61. His injury-plagued 2022 season is why he is so low.
A case could be made that Anderson is the best man for the job if you need a hit. The 2019 batting champion has a combined .318 in the past four seasons. Last year he still managed to bat above .300 despite having a down year.
He went to Drive Line during the offseason to add more power to his swing. Mix the MLB’s new rules benefitting base runners, and aggressive manager like Pedro Grifol and Anderson could be in line for a career-high in stolen bases.
ESPN’s Jesse Rodgers also points out that “playing in the WBC this spring can only help raise his game and potentially his leadership.” During said tournament, USA’s team captain Mike Trout called Anderson a “star” and said that he had the best opposite-field swing in the game. That’s high praise from one of baseball’s best hitters.
ESPN predicts that Anderson will hit over .320 in 2023 and make up a “surprisingly good double play combination with Elvis Andrus.”
No. 92 Luis Robert Jr.
You have to go way down the list to find the next White Sox player on the list. Luis Robert Jr is listed at 92, but he could easily be inside the top 50 by the season’s end.
Robert Jr is the most complete player on the White Sox. He has just never been able to put everything together. He won a Gold Glove in 2020 but had some growing pains at the plate. He got injured early in 2021, so his numbers don’t reflect how good he was down the stretch. He began blossoming in 2022 until more injuries derailed him, and his defense took a massive step back.
Robert has played the equivalent of just one season since 2021. His raw talent got him on this list because the sample size has been negligible. ESPN predicts a 30-30 season for Robert if he can stay on the field.
No. 97 Lucas Giolito
Lucas Giolito looks poised for a bounce-back season. ESPN agrees, hence why he is No. 97 on the list despite coming off a horrific 2022 campaign for Giolito standards.
He entered camp bulked up last season, thinking it would help his condition throughout the season. His efforts backfired. His ERA ballooned with his biceps, posting a 4.90 ERA, his worst mark since 2018. His fastball velocity also dipped, which had a direct impact on the effectiveness of his changeup. His changeup has been his bread and butter since the start of his 2019 All-Star campaign.
Giolito’s four-seam average dropped from 94.2 mph in 2019 to 92.6 in 2022. This offseason, Giolito cut 35 pounds. He has been pleased with his results thus far in Spring Training and looks comfortable establishing a rhythm with the new pitch clock rules. If he can get his fastball right, there is no reason he can’t return to ace form.
ESPN wasn’t as high on him, saying, “he wasn’t as bad as that 4.90 ERA indicates, and he should be better in 2023, but I wouldn’t put him at the top of my Cy Young contenders.”
No. 100 Eloy Jimenez
Rounding out ESPN’s top 100 list is Eloy Jimenez. Like Robert, he has plenty of room to move up if he can stay healthy. This is a big IF. There was already an injury scare in his first game back from the WBC. Luckily, he was fine, but watching Jimenez play always has a cloud of uncertainty looming over it.
When Jimenez has been on the field, he has posted MVP-level production at the plate. In 2019 he led all American League Rookies in home runs with 31. In 2020 he won the Silver Slugger Award, becoming the youngest White Sox player to receive the honor. But just before the 2021 season, he suffered a torn pectoral that cost him the season’s first four months.
He battled injuries again in 2022, but he was a menace when he was on the field. He slashed .295/.358/.500 with 16 home runs in 84 games. Jimenez lost 30 pounds in the offseason and showed up to camp looking leaner than ever.
In the World Baseball Classic, he showed out. The 26-year-old went 5-for-11 with one double and two RBIs over three games for the Dominican Republic. His experience playing in that atmosphere and some massive games against rival Venezuela and Cuba figure to benefit him going forward.
It is a common theme, but if Jimenez can stay healthy, he is an All-Star caliber talent.