Top 3 Flaws That Will Inhibit the White Sox From Contending in 2012

This season has been a roller coaster so far, and not much of an exciting one, at that. Yet still, the White Sox sit just a couple of games behind the division leading Cleveland Indians. I think I speak for most White Sox fans when I say that as discouraging this team has been at times here in the early goings, such as with the loss today against the Royals, it’s hard to still not get your hopes up before each and every game because, like I said, we’re right there in the divisional standings.
Yesterday I posted about why the White Sox can contend, and the three things I focused on were the weak competition, the starting rotation, and the “comeback kids.” But today, you’ll see the harsh contrast of all of those with the main flaws with this White Sox team. So let’s get it started.

The Top 3 Flaws That Will Inhibit the White Sox From Contending in 2012:
1.) Automatic Outs in the Lineup
First I want to say that there’s a difference between hitters that are struggling and ones that are basically automatic outs. And unfortunately, we’ve got two of those guys in Brent Morel and Dayan Viciedo. I can honestly say that these are the only two guys I do not ever want up in big situations. They don’t get ahead in counts, they swing and miss on extremely hittable pitches, and their plate presences have dwindled throughout their early-season struggles. You can tell that opposing pitchers are never afraid of them because they know exactly how to get them out, time and time again.
Now most lineups do have at least one pretty bad hitter in it, even some of the best teams around the league. But they do not have two, and they certainly do not have at times three, which is the case for the White Sox.
I’m a big Gordon Beckham fan. I think he’s making great strides and should be our 2nd baseman the rest of the season. But while he’s improved, he still is not hitting all that well, and with Alexei going through his expected early-season woes, there’s just too many unproductive hitters right now.
But since chances are that Beckham will stick around this year and Alexei obviously is not going anywhere, it comes down to Viciedo and Morel. And for me, I think one of ’em stays and one of ’em goes. Most people would say that Morel is the guy to go. But unlike nearly every single other White Sox supporter, I’m on the other side of the spectrum.
I know that Viciedo may just be going through the struggles that Cubans and other Latin players go through before it heats up in the summer, but we just are not in the position to have him in the lineup all season with how bad he’s been. So yes, I would choose Morel over Viciedo.
I know this will probably upset many, but Morel has been starting to make consistent contact like we expected him to, and he plays Gold Glove defense. Viciedo has improved in left field, but his defense is not an asset to the ball club. The Tank is still striking out more, he’s rarely making solid contact, and we’re already about 20% of the way through the season. I give him about 3 more weeks and if he doesn’t pick it up, he’s got to “grab some bench.”

2. Youth in the Bullpen
I really like the overall shape of the White Sox bullpen, but with the extreme amount of youth that it has, it may just not be there year this season. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been an Addison Reed and Hector Santiago fan long before you (yeah, I said it), and I look forward to watching Nate Jones and Santiago setting up Reed on the south side for years to come.
For this year, I just don’t trust Will Ohman. That leaves Jesse Crain and Matt Thornton as the two reliable vets. And while they’re both very good, we should have two encouraging youngsters in the ‘pen and 5 veterans, not the other way around.

I think the Sox will hover around .500 for most of the season and the pressure of trying to turn the ball club around may build up too much to be put on the youngster’s shoulders. They’re good, but the confidence and consistency can take some time. And as we all know so very well, “you’re only as good as your bullpen.”
3. Thin Farm System
As I said I expect the White Sox to be around .500 throughout the whole season, lots of people will want Kenny Williams to make a deal or two to put them over the edge and turn the corner. And to be honest, it makes a ton of sense to pull the trigger and acquire some more reliable talent in such a weak division.
But the way mid-season deals are usually made is by sending young talent (prospects) to struggling teams that are trying to shed money. And unfortunately for our White Sox, there just isn’t that talent in the minor leagues. We have one of the most depleted farm systems in the entire MLB, and that may hurt us.
It’s pretty realistic to think that there will be a veteran reliever and a solid offensive third baseman or left fielder, and while there may be some perfect fits for the Sox, they may just not have enough to get them. They could shed people like Zach Stewart, Jordan Danks, Drew Garcia, and even Tyler Flowers if the return is good enough, but that’s about it. It’ll be hard for them to get major help if a team wants, say for example, 3 good prospects in return.

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With all of that being said, the White Sox can contend. But I don’t want to say just yet that they can win the division. Contending in this AL Central ain’t too hard to do, but winning it will be a tall task.