The Ideal 2008 White Sox Opening Day Roster

Because it's late and I'm bored and there's nothing on TV, I figured I'd run through the 25-man Opening Day roster set by the new manager, yours truly. Enjoy.

Batting Order:

1. Orlando Cabrera (SS)
2. Nick Swisher (CF)
3. Jim Thome (DH)
4. Paul Konerko (1B)
5. Jermaine Dye (RF)
6. A.J. Pierzynski (C)
7. Josh Fields (3B)
8. Danny Richar (2B)
9. Jerry Owens (LF)

Reserves:

1. Carlos Quentin (OF)
2. Pablo Ozuna (IF)
3. Juan Uribe (IF)
4. Toby Hall (C)
5. Alexei Ramirez* (2B, SS, CF)

Starting Pitchers:

1. Mark Buehrle (L)
2. Javier Vasquez (R)
3. Jose Contreras (R)
4. John Danks (L)
5. Jack Egbert (R)

Relief Pitchers:

1. Ehren Wasserman (R)
2. Nick Masset (R)
3. Scott Linebrink (R)
4. Mike MacDougal (R)
5. Matt Thornton (L)
6. Bobby Jenks (R)

First off, Owens and Swisher are essentially interchangeable in left and center, but I'll give Swisher the nod in center because of his superior arm strength. I'm also assuming that Crede is gone by then (hopefully bringing in a pitcher), opening up third for Josh.

It's going to be very interesting to see how our batting order ends up, because there is no preset spot for Jerry, Orlando, or Swisher. Jerry certainly gives us the best speed at the lead-off spot, but he doesn't get on base enough and has zero pop (12 extra base hits in 356 at-bats for a whopping .312 SLG). Swisher gives us the best OBP at the top of the order (by a long shot), but isn't nearly fast enough, as we all know how Ozzie loves to run the 1 hitter. Cabrera has pretty impressive speed, and while his OBP could be higher and the coaches would probably like him to see more pitches per at-bat, he could fill this role nicely. Swisher has the power to bat lower in the order (probably 6, tops 5), but putting him in front of Owens or Richar would be a complete waste of his ability to get on base, so he fits very well into the 2-spot. Owens could feasibly bat lead-off, so it makes perfect sense to drop him to 9th as the so-called 'second lead-off' hitter.

The rotation is predictable, save for my inclusion of Jack Egbert in the 5-hole. I know I rag on Gavin Floyd incessantly, but this prediction is not made out of spite in any way; I simply think Egbert is a superior major league player who gives us a considerably better chance to compete. Gavin also has proven that he can't pitch out of the bullpen, so even if he doesn't start the season in Charlotte, I can all but assure you he'll be there by mid-June. I really think we should just throw him in as an extra piece in a trade and hope we can get some single-A, high-ceiling guy in return. No skin off our backs.

As long as they can stay healthy and relatively productive, we really do have a solid reserve corps. Should Richar continue his Winter League struggles at the plate (thanks, Greg Walker), Uribe is about as solid a replacement as we can ask for. I've said before and I'll say again, I am convinced he will be a very welcome surprise working out of a reduced role this season. Most people project Quentin to start in place of Owens, but since Carlos won't be fully recovered from surgery on his left labrum and rotator cuff until Spring Training, no need to rush his overly injury-prone self back. Quentin can become a huge OBP asset if handed the starting job, so I have a nagging feeling he will replace Jerry before the season is well underway. This sucks for Jerry's development, and it kills our team speed, but Quentin is the better player with a higher ceiling.

I'm beginning to think I'm the world's largest Alexei Ramirez fan, which isn't cool because now I'm starting to doubt his potential. I still think he can be a 20 HR, 75 RBI, 25 SB guy, particularly at The Cell, but it's going to take a fair amount of time and skill development. He'll probably start the season at Birmingham (hence the *, I just don't know who else would step in--Brian Anderson maybe), and I can only hope he progresses quickly, but because of the Swisher trade he's not going to get a shot at any starting job unless Owens and Quentin falter (barring injury, knock on wood). So we might as well let him hone his skills in a more competitive league than Cuban ball before throwing him into the fire.

One thing to notice about our relievers is Thornton as the lone southpaw--this will almost certainly have to be addressed in the coming months. Boone Logan (who is a lefty) may actually have the upper hand on a roster spot over Masset as we speak, but I'm just not sold on Logan as a consistent middle reliever. Masset pitched very well in a limited role last year (although he has to significantly cut down on the BBs and up the K's), but they may keep him in Triple-A to keep him progressing as a starter.

Writing all this out is making me feel a little better about the 2008 White Sox, particularly on offense. I would love/kill for Kenny to pull off a deal to bring in another starter, because even if Egbert tops Floyd in Spring Training, Contreras is bordering on a liability. Our bullpen is a crapshoot--Linebrink will probably add a little reliability, I'm just not convinced it's going to be all that much--and is hugely dependent on big rebound years. Call me a sucker, but I do see potential in Wasserman. At least more than Dewon Day--the guy makes Gavin look like Christy Mathewson.