Last season, the White Sox had a slot unfilled at the back end of their starting rotation entering Spring Training. It was a question that many teams around the league have each year, but often is not paid much attention to. To get a chance as the fifth guy, however, does not mean that if that player succeeds, they are limited to be a 5th slot-type of guy. There is always the opportunity to exceed expectations, let alone blow them away. Luckily for us, that is exactly what Phillip Humber was able to do.
Humber went 9-9 with a 3.75 ERA in 2011
The first half of 2011, Phillip Humber was spectacular. He went 8-5 with a 3.52 ERA. And for a good portion of that, he was darn-near dominant. It gave the security at the end of the rotation that the Sox needed. However, he was the most consistent pitcher of the rotation for a while, and the pressure put upon his shoulders grew. Humber hit a rough patch and went 1-4 in the second half, bringing his final stat line to 9-9 with a 3.75 ERA. Still very impressive, the consensus from White Sox nation was that the Humber project was indeed a success. Even though the second half of his 2011 campaign was not stellar, he was able to mix in some solid starts to not discourage us fans too much.
All in all, it’s a pretty good feeling around the fan base toward Humber in 2012. Phil will have no pressure put upon him, he’s clearly the number 5 guy in the rotation, and that probably will not change if the staff is able to stay healthy. He is 29 years old, and is poised to officially begin the prime of his career this evening as he faces the Cleveland Indians in his first start of the year. I see no reason to believe that pressure catches up to him on more than the possible smaller-scale occasions this year, from time-to-time.
Phillip was the NY Mets' 2004 first round pick out of Rice University
If you want a prediction for statistics, I see Humber flirting with around 12-14 wins, and carrying an ERA around 4.00, give or take. And if you’re upset that I am not going out on a limb and predicting huge things for him like I have for Chris Sale and Jake Peavy (kind of), I formally apologize. I know you all wake up in the morning in anticipation of the next “bold Grop prediction.” But keep in mind this is our 5 pitcher, guys. Twelve or so wins and a very solid 4.00 ERA would be phenomenal for a squad trying to upset the masses and make a surprise surge for the playoffs. Looking at the back end of the rotation isn’t always the sexiest thing to do, but in the White Sox case, it may end up being just as valuable as anything else.
Hopefully we see a lot more of this in 2012