“Predictignation” and Kenny Williams

Posted by Brian Joseph on Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 7:30 am

Before the ‘09 season, predicting a drop-off for the Chicago White Sox was sexy. Overall, the predictions fell in the 70-75 win range for the defending American League Central champs and the club’s lack of talent was often cited as the reason for such a grim outlook.

For 80% of the season, the South Siders failed to cooperate with the prognosticators outlook and were even five games over .500 after July 23rd. General Manager Kenny Williams made some risky moves by acquiring injured Padres ace Jake Peavy, “gritty” veteran Mark Kotsay and claiming struggling former All-Star Alex Rios off of waivers from the Blue Jays.

Although their high water mark was five games over .500, the White Sox were three games above .500 and within three games of the Tigers in the AL Central as late as August 22nd. Since then, Chicago has posted a dismal 11-21 record, winning just 34.4% of their games over the last month. Even those most cruel to the Pale Hose before the season couldn’t have seen a tailspin like that coming, could they?

Needless to say, Williams did not hide his displeasure with the team’s performance down the stretch:

They are underachievers. We’re not playing up to our capabilities. Period.

This followed a second straight loss to the Twins that clinched the club’s fourth consecutive series loss including one to the lowly Kansas City Royals. Williams wasn’t the first in the organization to question the effort of the team. Manager Ozzie Guillen called out his players the week prior and even accused some unnamed players of quitting.

But it wasn’t Guillen who drew the ire of the preseason predictors who tabbed the Sox as a below average operation. It was Williams. ESPN’s Rob Neyer called for the team to win 75 games before the season and believes the White Sox are what should have been expected and that Williams’ assertion the team is underachieving is off-base. FanGraphs’ Dave Cameron ripped Williams for his direct role in the club’s performance due to their lack of talent, not their underachievement. (Guess that’s the last time Williams listens to Cammy when it comes to player advice, eh?)

Like always, hindsight is 20/20 but there’s a good chance if the predictors were offered a mulligan on their outlook on the White Sox, they would have taken it. Do you think given the opportunity, on August 22nd with Jake Peavy on his way back and the club at 63-60, would anyone stick to their 75-win prediction? Maybe the most stubborn but not many.

Sure, Williams’ blow up to the press was an emotional response to a season lost but based on the performance of his team over the last month, who can blame him? Heck, their 11-21 collapse is a run the Nationals wouldn’t consider okay. That’s saying a lot, isn’t it?

Thanks to the collapse, those who called for the White Sox to win 75 or less can breathe a sigh of relief that their nearly dead in the water prognostication was revived by a monumentally disastrous finish. Instead of taking the football and handing it to the referee after the hail mary touchdown, it seems at least a few predictors have taken it as an opportunity to ignore the collapse completely and just chalk it up as a lack of talent on the White Sox part. Oh, there’s that big fat “I told you so”, too.